Chew Valley
Encyclopedia
The Chew Valley is an area in North Somerset
, England, named after the River Chew
, which rises at Chewton Mendip
, and joins the River Avon
at Keynsham
. Technically, the area of the valley is bounded by the water catchment area of the Chew and its tributaries; however, the name Chew Valley is often used less formally to cover other nearby areas, for example, Blagdon Lake
and its environs, which by a stricter definition are part of the Yeo Valley. The valley is an area of rich arable
and dairy farmland
, interspersed with a number of village
s.
The landscape consists of the valley of the River Chew and is generally low-lying and undulating. It is bounded by higher ground ranging from Dundry Down
to the north, the Lulsgate Plateau
to the west, the Mendip Hills
to the south and the Hinton Blewett, Marksbury
and Newton St Loe plateau areas to the east. The valley's boundary generally follows the top of scarp slopes
except at the southwestern and southeastern boundaries where flat upper areas of the Chew Valley grade gently into the Yeo Valley and eastern Mendip Hills respectively. The River Chew was dammed in the 1950s to create Chew Valley Lake
, which provides drinking water
for the nearby city of Bristol
and surrounding areas. The lake is a prominent landscape feature of the valley, a focus for recreation, and is internationally recognised for its nature conservation interest, because of the bird species, plants and insects.
The area falls into the domains of councils including: Bath and North East Somerset
, North Somerset
and Mendip
. Part of the area falls within the Mendip Hills
AONB. Most of the undeveloped area is within the Bristol/Bath Green Belt
. Many of the villages date back to the time of the Domesday Book
and there is evidence of human occupation since the Stone Age
. There are hundreds of listed buildings with the churches being Grade I listed.
The main village is Chew Magna
but the largest are Pensford
, Clutton
, Bishop Sutton
, High Littleton
and Temple Cloud
There is no clear origin for the name "Chew", found scarcely anywhere else; however, there have been differing explanations of the etymology
, including "winding water", the 'ew' being a variant of the French eau, meaning water. The word chewer is a western dialect for a narrow passage, and chare is Old English for turning. One explanation is that the name Chew began in Normandy as Cheux, and came to England with the Norman Conquest during the eleventh century. However, others agree with Ekwall's interpretation that it is derived from the Welsh cyw meaning "the young of an animal, or chicken", so that afon Cyw would have been "the river of the chickens". Other possible explanations suggest it comes from the Old English word ceo, `fish gill', used in the transferred sense of a ravine, in a similar way to Old Norse gil, or possibly a derogatory nickname from Middle English chowe `chough', Old English ceo, a bird closely related to the crow and the jackdaw, notorious for its chattering and thieving.
The villages in the valley have their own parish councils which have responsibility for local issues. They also elect councillors to district councils e.g. Mendip
and Somerset County Council
or unitary authorities e.g. Bath and North East Somerset or North Somerset
, which have wider responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc.
Each of the villages is also part of a constituency, either North East Somerset
or North Somerset
). The area is also of the South West England constituency
of the European Parliament. Avon and Somerset Constabulary
provides police services to the area.
The western end of the area (around Nempnett Thrubwell
) consists of the Harptree Beds which incorporate silicified clay
, shale
and Lias Limestone
. Clifton Down Limestone, which includes Calcite and Dolomitic mudstones of the Carboniferous period
, is found in the adjoining central band and Dolomitic Conglomerate of the Triassic period
. There are two main soil types, both generally well-drained. The mudstones around the lakes give rise to fertile silty clay soils that are a dull dusky red colour because of their high iron
content. The clay content means that where unimproved they easily become waterlogged when wet, and hard with cracks and fissures during dry periods. The main geological outcrops around the lake are Mudstone
, largely consisting of red Siltstone
resulting in the underlying characteristic of the gently rolling valley landscape. There are also bands of Sandstone
of the Triassic
period, that contribute to the undulating character of the area. There are also more recent alluvial deposits beside the course of the River Chew
. The transition between the gently sloping landscape of the Upper Chew and Yeo Valleys and the open landscape of the Mendip Hills plateau is a scarp slope of 75 to 235 metres (250–770 ft). The predominant formation is Dolomitic Conglomerate of the Triassic period. It formed as a result of desert erosion and weathering of the scarp slopes. It takes the form of rock fragments mainly derived from older Carboniferous Limestone cemented together by lime and sand which hardened to give the appearance of concrete. The northern boundary is formed by the sides of the Dundry
Plateau where the most significant geological formation is the Inferior Oolite of the Jurassic period found on the higher ground around Maes Knoll
. This overlays the Lower Lias Clay found on the adjoining slopes. The clays make a poor foundation and landslips are characteristic on the slopes. This area was once connected to the Cotswolds. The intervening land has subsequently been eroded leaving this outlier with the characteristics of the Cotswold Plateau. The unusual geological features have been recognised with sites including; Barns Batch Spinney
, Hartcliff Rocks Quarry
and Dundry Main Road South Quarry
being recognised as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their geological interest.
The oldest geological formation in the valley is the Supra- Pennant Measures of the Carboniferous period. It is a significant feature towards the north-eastern part of the area and is represented by the Pensford
Syncline coal
basin, which formed part of the Somerset coalfield
. It is a complex formation containing coal seams and is made up of clay and shales. The landscape is typically undulating and includes outcrops of sandstone. Most of the area around Stanton Drew have neutral to acid red loamy soils with slowly permeable subsoils. Soils to the eastern part of the area are slowly permeable clayey and fine silty soils. They are found on Carboniferous clay and shales typical of the Supra-Pennant Measures. They are frequently waterlogged where the topography dictates. They tend towards being acid and are brown to grey brown in colour. In the south and south east of the area there are coal measures which are sufficiently near the surface for coal mining to have taken place around Clutton
and High Littleton
. In the eastern area of the valley as the River Chew
flows through Publow
, Woollard
and Compton Dando before joining the River Avon
at Keynsham there are alluvial deposits of clay soils.
The valley has areas designated as Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) for biological interest including; Blagdon Lake
, Burledge Hill
, Chew Valley Lake, Compton Martin Ochre Mine
, Harptree Combe
and two sites at Folly Farm.
of earlier open fields which took place in the late medieval period. Hedgerows support the nationally rare bithynian vetch
(Vicia bithynica). Mature oak
(Quercus) and ash
(Fraxinus excelsior) trees are characteristic of the area with occasional groups of scots pine
(Pinus sylvestris) and Chestnut
s (Castanea sativa). Elm
(Ulmus) trees have been lost in this area, and dead/dying elms are also evident in the surrounding landscape.
s, shoveler
(Anas clypeata), gadwall
(Anas strepera) and great crested grebe
s (Podiceps cristatus) a wide variety of other bird species can be seen. These range from small birds such as tits
(Paridae) and wren
s (Troglodytidae) to Mistle Thrush
(Turdidae). Larger birds include Woodpecker
s (Picidae) and Common Buzzard
(Buteo buteo).
The valley also has a wide variety of small mammals with larger species including; Eurasian Badger
(Meles meles) and Deer
(Cervidae). The valley is also home to fifteen of the sixteen bat
s found in England including a roost, at Compton Martin Ochre Mine, for Greater Horseshoe Bat
s (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). A rare and endangered species, the greater horseshoe bat is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
and is listed in Annex II of the 1992 European Community Habitats Directive
.
Archaeological excavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake found evidence of people belonging to the consecutive periods known as Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic
and Neolithic
(Old, Middle and New Stone Age
), Bronze Age
and Iron Age
, comprising implements such as stone knives, flint
blades and the head of a mace, along with buildings and graves. Other evidence of occupation from prehistoric times is provided by the henge monument at Stanton Drew
, long barrow
at Chewton Mendip, and Fairy Toot
tumulus
at Nempnett Thrubwell
. Maes Knoll fort
(close to Norton Malreward
) in the northern reaches of the valley, on Dundry Down, also formed the starting point for Wansdyke
.
There is evidence of Roman
remains in particular a villa and burial pits. Artefacts from the valley were sent to the British Museum
. Other Roman artefacts from the lake are also on display at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
. There are historic parks and mansion houses, including Stanton Drew, Hunstrete
, Stowey House
Chew Court
, Chew Magna Manor House
and Sutton Court
. Almost all of the villages have churches dating back to the fifteenth or sixteenth Century.
The area around Pensford
was an important coal mining
area during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with much of the coal being carried on the Somerset Coal Canal
, although there are no working coal mines today. The line of the now disused North Somerset Railway runs south from Bristol crossing over the River Chew
on the surviving distinctive viaduct
at Pensford
and on to Midsomer Norton
. The area suffered serious flood
ing during the storm of 10 July 1968, prompting localised evacuation of populated valley areas in the lower parts of the valley, around Pensford
and Keynsham.
, south of Bishop Sutton
and west and south of Chelwood
.
, the Chew Valley has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter mean minimum temperatures of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are common. In the summer the Azores
high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours. In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most the rainfall in the south-west is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection
. Most of the rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 700 mm (27.6 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.
(1527–1606) is known to have lived in Sutton Court
, Stowey
for a few years in the sixteenth century, after the death of her first husband Sir William Cavendish, when she married Sir William St. Loe (or Sentloe or St. Lowe), captain of the guard to Queen Elizabeth
, Chief Butler of England, and owner of several manors within the valley and surrounding areas. Around this period a close neighbour was Sir John Popham (1533–1607) who was judge and the Speaker of Parliament
. In the seventeenth century John Locke
(1632–1704) an eminent philosopher
lived in Belluton
and his house is still known as John Locke's cottage. In the eighteenth century the poet John Langhorne (1735–1779) became the curate
at Blagdon
around the time that Augustus Montague Toplady
(1740–1778) was the priest, and William Smith
moved to the valley to make a valuation survey of the Sutton Court estate and later for the Somersetshire Coal Canal
Company.
During the nineteenth century aristocrat
George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton
(1817–1876) was a resident. His seat was at Chew Magna
, where John Sanger
, the circus proprietor, was born in 1816. William Rees-Mogg
, former editor of The Times
, took the title Baron Rees-Mogg, of Hinton Blewitt
, but no longer lives in the village. Jazz
clarinetist Acker Bilk lives in Pensford
. Richard Brock
the natural history
film producer, Liam Fox
a Conservative
politician and Dr Phil Hammond a GP
and comedian also live in the valley. Robert Hunter
of the Grateful Dead
lived in Pensford
from 1979–1981.
In the past part of the population worked in coal mining, although there are no working mines in the area now. There is still a fairly large agricultural workforce and in light industry or service industries, although many people commute to surrounding cities for work. According to the 2001 Census
the valley has a population of approximately 5000, largely living in one of the dozen or so villages and in isolated farms and hamlets. The average age of the population is 42 years, with unemployment rates of 1–4% of all economically active people aged 16–74, however these figures are approximations because the ward areas covered and described in the census statistics do not relate exactly to the area of the valley. In the Indices of deprivation 2004 all of the areas within the valley were considered to be in the most affluent third in England.
s. Most villages have pubs
and village hall
s which provide the majority of the social activity.
The traditional building material is white Lias Limestone
; sometimes incorporating red sandstone
or conglomerate, with red clay tiled roofs. Buildings, particularly the churches, date back hundreds of years, for example those at Marksbury
and Compton Martin
; the latter incorporating a columbarium
.
and is presently administered by English Heritage
, an agency of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. Grade I covers buildings of exceptional interest, Grade II* particularly important buildings of special interest and Grade II buildings of special interest. Listed buildings in the valley number five churches dating back to the fourteenth century or even earlier, with grade I status; Church of St Andrew, Chew Magna
, Church of St Bartholomew, Ubley
, Church of St James, Cameley
, Church of St Margaret, Hinton Blewett
and the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Compton Martin
.
and Bristol International Airport
, which means parts of the valley are on the flight path. The valley is also crossed by the A37
and they are joined by the A368
. Most of the roads in the valley are small single track lanes with little traffic although a bottleneck often occurs within Chew Magna. The "Chew Valley Explorer" bus route 672/674 provides access to the villages in the valley. Cyclists can gain access via part of the Padstow
to Bristol West Country Way, National Cycle Network
Route 3.
The Monarch's Way
long distance footpath crosses the valley.
is the main secondary school
(11–18 years) for the valley. It is situated between Chew Magna and Chew Stoke
. The latest (2008) Ofsted
Inspection Report describes this specialist Performing Arts College as a mixed comprehensive school with 1151 pupils on roll. The school is popular and oversubscribed with 196 students in the sixth form. The school has been successful in gaining a number of national and regional awards. There are state primary schools
(4–11 years) in most of the local villages.
has designated as access land; Burledge Hill (south of Bishop Sutton), Castle Earthworks (between Stowey
and Bishop Sutton
), Knowle Hill
(Newtown south of Chew Magna), Round Hill (Folly Farm) and Shortwood Common (Litton)
A Bowls
club is in Chew Stoke, cricket
pitches and teams in Chew Magna and Blagdon. There are football teams in the valley including Chew Valley Football Club and Bishop Sutton F.C.
. The rugby club is based next to the leisure centre. The Bishop Sutton Tennis club is the largest in the valley, there is also a tennis
club at East Harptree. Both Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake
provide extensive fishing under permit from Bristol Water. The River Chew
and most of its tributaries also have fishing but this is generally under licences to local angling clubs. Chew Valley Sailing Club is situated on Chew Valley Lake and provides dinghy sailing at all levels and hosts national and international competitions. There are no swimming pool
s in the valley, and swimming is not allowed in the lakes, however these are available locally in Bristol, Bath, Cheddar
and Midsomer Norton
.
Each year the Chew Valley Arts trail takes place in October during which over 50 local artists display their work in 20 or so venues around the valley such as; painting, printmaking
, sculpture
, decorative glass
, pottery
, photography
, jewellery
and sugar craft. The valley and lakes have been an inspiration to artists and there is a small art gallery at Chew Valley Lake. Live music and comedy events take place in local pubs and village halls, with the village of Pensford
holding a music festival every year.
To combat the declining provision in leisure and recreational activities for young people in the region, residents of the Chew Valley area formed the Chew Valley Youth Trust charity in 2011, which combats issues of rural isolation and provides young residents with recreational activities.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, named after the River Chew
River Chew
The River Chew is a small river in England. It merges with the River Avon after forming the Chew Valley.The spring from which the Chew rises is just upstream from Chewton Mendip. The river flows North West from Chewton Mendip through Litton, Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, Chew Magna and Stanton Drew...
, which rises at Chewton Mendip
Chewton Mendip
Chewton Mendip is a village and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells, south of Bristol on the Mendip Hills and is the source of the River Chew. The parish includes the hamlet of Bathway.- History :...
, and joins the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
at Keynsham
Keynsham
Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....
. Technically, the area of the valley is bounded by the water catchment area of the Chew and its tributaries; however, the name Chew Valley is often used less formally to cover other nearby areas, for example, Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake lies in the Chew Valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, approximately 10 mi south of Bristol, England. The lake was created by Bristol Water , when it dammed the River Yeo, starting construction in 1891 and completing this in 1899...
and its environs, which by a stricter definition are part of the Yeo Valley. The valley is an area of rich arable
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
and dairy farmland
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
, interspersed with a number of village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s.
The landscape consists of the valley of the River Chew and is generally low-lying and undulating. It is bounded by higher ground ranging from Dundry Down
Dundry Down
Dundry Hill is immediately south of Bristol, England: it includes farmland, a small number of houses and a church. It stretches east-west for some two miles....
to the north, the Lulsgate Plateau
Lulsgate Plateau
Lulsgate Plateau is the name given to the Carboniferous limestone hills which form a northern outlier of the Mendip Hills, southwest of Bristol, England, approximately above sea level, which has been occupied since prehistoric times....
to the west, the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
to the south and the Hinton Blewett, Marksbury
Marksbury
Marksbury is a small village and civil parish in Somerset about from Keynsham and from Bath on the A39 where it meets the A368. The parish, which includes the villages of Hunstrete and Stanton Prior, has a population of 399.- History :...
and Newton St Loe plateau areas to the east. The valley's boundary generally follows the top of scarp slopes
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
except at the southwestern and southeastern boundaries where flat upper areas of the Chew Valley grade gently into the Yeo Valley and eastern Mendip Hills respectively. The River Chew was dammed in the 1950s to create Chew Valley Lake
Chew Valley Lake
Chew Valley Lake is a large reservoir in the Chew Valley, Somerset, England, and the fifth-largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom , with an area of 1,200 acres...
, which provides drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
for the nearby city of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and surrounding areas. The lake is a prominent landscape feature of the valley, a focus for recreation, and is internationally recognised for its nature conservation interest, because of the bird species, plants and insects.
The area falls into the domains of councils including: Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset...
, North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
and Mendip
Mendip
Mendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 110,000...
. Part of the area falls within the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
AONB. Most of the undeveloped area is within the Bristol/Bath Green Belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
. Many of the villages date back to the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and there is evidence of human occupation since the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. There are hundreds of listed buildings with the churches being Grade I listed.
The main village is Chew Magna
Chew Magna
Chew Magna is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset, in the Ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 1,161.To the south of the village is Chew Valley Lake...
but the largest are Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
, Clutton
Clutton, Somerset
Clutton is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in Somerset in the Bath and North East Somerset Council area on the A37 road. It is located 10 miles from Bristol and Bath, very near Temple Cloud. The nearest town is Midsomer Norton...
, Bishop Sutton
Bishop Sutton
Bishop Sutton is a small village within the Chew Valley in Somerset. It lies south of Chew Valley Lake and north of the Mendip Hills, approximately ten miles south of Bristol on the A368, Weston-super-Mare to Bath road...
, High Littleton
High Littleton
The village of High Littleton and its hamlets of Hallatrow and Amesbury form a civil parish and are located in the county of Somerset and straddle both the A39 and A37, from Bath, from Wells and from Bristol. The parish has a population of 2,086...
and Temple Cloud
Temple Cloud
Temple Cloud is a village within the Chew Valley in Somerset in the Bath and North East Somerset Council area on the A37 road. It is located 10 miles from Bristol and Bath, very close to Clutton. The nearest town is Midsomer Norton [5 miles]. The village of Cameley is also very close.The Temple in...
Etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
, including "winding water", the 'ew' being a variant of the French eau, meaning water. The word chewer is a western dialect for a narrow passage, and chare is Old English for turning. One explanation is that the name Chew began in Normandy as Cheux, and came to England with the Norman Conquest during the eleventh century. However, others agree with Ekwall's interpretation that it is derived from the Welsh cyw meaning "the young of an animal, or chicken", so that afon Cyw would have been "the river of the chickens". Other possible explanations suggest it comes from the Old English word ceo, `fish gill', used in the transferred sense of a ravine, in a similar way to Old Norse gil, or possibly a derogatory nickname from Middle English chowe `chough', Old English ceo, a bird closely related to the crow and the jackdaw, notorious for its chattering and thieving.
Government and politics
Mendip
Mendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 110,000...
and Somerset County Council
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
or unitary authorities e.g. Bath and North East Somerset or North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
, which have wider responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc.
Each of the villages is also part of a constituency, either North East Somerset
North East Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
North East Somerset is a county constituency created by the Boundary Commission for England as the successor seat to the Wansdyke Parliamentary Seat. It came into being at the 2010 general election.- Boundaries :...
or North Somerset
North Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
North Somerset is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
). The area is also of the South West England constituency
South West England (European Parliament constituency)
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.-Boundaries:...
of the European Parliament. Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon & Somerset Constabulary is the territorial police force in England responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Somerset, the city & county of Bristol and the unitary authorities of South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset; before 1996 these districts...
provides police services to the area.
Geology
Nempnett Thrubwell
Nempnett Thrubwell is a small village and civil parish in dairying country on the western edge of Bath and North East Somerset, in the county of Somerset, England. It is about 15 km south-west of Bristol. The parish, which has a population of 189, is sheltered by the Mendip Hills, near the River...
) consists of the Harptree Beds which incorporate silicified clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
and Lias Limestone
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period...
. Clifton Down Limestone, which includes Calcite and Dolomitic mudstones of the Carboniferous period
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
, is found in the adjoining central band and Dolomitic Conglomerate of the Triassic period
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
. There are two main soil types, both generally well-drained. The mudstones around the lakes give rise to fertile silty clay soils that are a dull dusky red colour because of their high iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
content. The clay content means that where unimproved they easily become waterlogged when wet, and hard with cracks and fissures during dry periods. The main geological outcrops around the lake are Mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
, largely consisting of red Siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
resulting in the underlying characteristic of the gently rolling valley landscape. There are also bands of Sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
of the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
period, that contribute to the undulating character of the area. There are also more recent alluvial deposits beside the course of the River Chew
River Chew
The River Chew is a small river in England. It merges with the River Avon after forming the Chew Valley.The spring from which the Chew rises is just upstream from Chewton Mendip. The river flows North West from Chewton Mendip through Litton, Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, Chew Magna and Stanton Drew...
. The transition between the gently sloping landscape of the Upper Chew and Yeo Valleys and the open landscape of the Mendip Hills plateau is a scarp slope of 75 to 235 metres (250–770 ft). The predominant formation is Dolomitic Conglomerate of the Triassic period. It formed as a result of desert erosion and weathering of the scarp slopes. It takes the form of rock fragments mainly derived from older Carboniferous Limestone cemented together by lime and sand which hardened to give the appearance of concrete. The northern boundary is formed by the sides of the Dundry
Dundry
Dundry is a village and civil parish, situated on Dundry Hill in the northern part of the Mendip Hills, between Bristol and the Chew Valley Lake, in the English county of Somerset. The parish includes the hamlets of Maiden Head and East Dundry...
Plateau where the most significant geological formation is the Inferior Oolite of the Jurassic period found on the higher ground around Maes Knoll
Maes Knoll
Maes Knoll is an Iron Age hillfort in Somerset, England, located at the eastern end of the Dundry Down ridge, south of the city of Bristol and north of the village of Norton Malreward near the eastern side of Dundry Hill...
. This overlays the Lower Lias Clay found on the adjoining slopes. The clays make a poor foundation and landslips are characteristic on the slopes. This area was once connected to the Cotswolds. The intervening land has subsequently been eroded leaving this outlier with the characteristics of the Cotswold Plateau. The unusual geological features have been recognised with sites including; Barns Batch Spinney
Barns Batch Spinney
Barns Batch Spinney is a 0.06-hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of Dundry, North Somerset, notified in 1987....
, Hartcliff Rocks Quarry
Hartcliff Rocks Quarry
Hartcliff Rocks Quarry is a 1.6 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest near Felton, Somerset notified in 1991.According to the citation, the site "provides exposures of Triassic Dolomitic Conglomerate unconformably overlying Carboniferous Limestone."-External links:*...
and Dundry Main Road South Quarry
Dundry Main Road South Quarry
Dundry Main Road South Quarry is a 0.7 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of East Dundry, North Somerset, notified in 1974....
being recognised as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their geological interest.
The oldest geological formation in the valley is the Supra- Pennant Measures of the Carboniferous period. It is a significant feature towards the north-eastern part of the area and is represented by the Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
Syncline coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
basin, which formed part of the Somerset coalfield
Somerset coalfield
The Somerset Coalfield included pits in the North Somerset, England, area where coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973.It is part of a wider coalfield which covered northern Somerset and southern Gloucestershire. It stretched from Cromhall in the north to the Mendip Hills in the south, and...
. It is a complex formation containing coal seams and is made up of clay and shales. The landscape is typically undulating and includes outcrops of sandstone. Most of the area around Stanton Drew have neutral to acid red loamy soils with slowly permeable subsoils. Soils to the eastern part of the area are slowly permeable clayey and fine silty soils. They are found on Carboniferous clay and shales typical of the Supra-Pennant Measures. They are frequently waterlogged where the topography dictates. They tend towards being acid and are brown to grey brown in colour. In the south and south east of the area there are coal measures which are sufficiently near the surface for coal mining to have taken place around Clutton
Clutton, Somerset
Clutton is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in Somerset in the Bath and North East Somerset Council area on the A37 road. It is located 10 miles from Bristol and Bath, very near Temple Cloud. The nearest town is Midsomer Norton...
and High Littleton
High Littleton
The village of High Littleton and its hamlets of Hallatrow and Amesbury form a civil parish and are located in the county of Somerset and straddle both the A39 and A37, from Bath, from Wells and from Bristol. The parish has a population of 2,086...
. In the eastern area of the valley as the River Chew
River Chew
The River Chew is a small river in England. It merges with the River Avon after forming the Chew Valley.The spring from which the Chew rises is just upstream from Chewton Mendip. The river flows North West from Chewton Mendip through Litton, Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, Chew Magna and Stanton Drew...
flows through Publow
Publow
Publow is a small village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Bath and North East Somerset, England. It lies beside the River Chew in the Chew Valley. It is 7 miles from Bristol, 9 miles from Bath, and 4 miles from Keynsham.- History :...
, Woollard
Woollard
Woollard is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley in England. It is in the District of Bath and North East Somerset and the ceremonial county of Somerset, and is from Bristol, from Bath, and from Keynsham....
and Compton Dando before joining the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
at Keynsham there are alluvial deposits of clay soils.
Natural history
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) for biological interest including; Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake lies in the Chew Valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, approximately 10 mi south of Bristol, England. The lake was created by Bristol Water , when it dammed the River Yeo, starting construction in 1891 and completing this in 1899...
, Burledge Hill
Burledge Hill
Burledge Hill is on the southern edge of the village of Bishop Sutton, Somerset, England. It is the site of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and an univallate Iron Age hillfort.-Site of Special Scientific Interest:...
, Chew Valley Lake, Compton Martin Ochre Mine
Compton Martin Ochre Mine
Compton Martin Ochre Mine is a 0.85 hectare geological and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest located on the north side of the Mendip Hills, immediately south west of Compton Martin village, Somerset, notified in 1988.-Geological Interest:...
, Harptree Combe
Harptree Combe
Harptree Combe is a Site of Special Scientific Interest near East Harptree notified in 1954. "Combe" or "coombe" is a West Country word meaning a steep-sided valley. It is also the site of a 19th century aqueduct and is overlooked by the site of a castle dating from around 1100.In August 2009 ...
and two sites at Folly Farm.
Flora
The small and medium-sized fields of the valley are generally bounded by hedges and occasionally by tree belts and woodland, some of which date back to the most evident period of enclosureEnclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
of earlier open fields which took place in the late medieval period. Hedgerows support the nationally rare bithynian vetch
Vicia
Vicia is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants commonly known as vetches. It is in the legume family . Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other genera of their subfamily Faboideae also have names containing "vetch", for example the...
(Vicia bithynica). Mature oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
(Quercus) and ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
(Fraxinus excelsior) trees are characteristic of the area with occasional groups of scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
(Pinus sylvestris) and Chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
s (Castanea sativa). Elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
(Ulmus) trees have been lost in this area, and dead/dying elms are also evident in the surrounding landscape.
Fauna
Wildlife abounds in the valley, particularly the water birds around the rivers and lakes, with Chew Valley Lake considered the third most important site in Britain for wintering wildfowl. In addition to the water birds including duckDuck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s, shoveler
Shoveler
The shovelers, formerly known as shovellers, are four species of dabbling ducks with long, broad spatula-shaped beaks:* Red Shoveler, Anas platalea* Cape Shoveler, Anas smithii* Australasian Shoveler, Anas rhynchotis...
(Anas clypeata), gadwall
Gadwall
The Gadwall is a common and widespread duck of the family Anatidae.- Description :The Gadwall is 46–56 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g against her 850 g...
(Anas strepera) and great crested grebe
Great Crested Grebe
The Great Crested Grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds.- Description :The Great Crested Grebe is long with a wingspan. It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations...
s (Podiceps cristatus) a wide variety of other bird species can be seen. These range from small birds such as tits
Titmouse
The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa...
(Paridae) and wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
s (Troglodytidae) to Mistle Thrush
Mistle Thrush
The Mistle Thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae.It is found in open woods and cultivated land over all of Europe and much of Asia...
(Turdidae). Larger birds include Woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s (Picidae) and Common Buzzard
Common Buzzard
The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...
(Buteo buteo).
The valley also has a wide variety of small mammals with larger species including; Eurasian Badger
Eurasian Badger
The European Badger is a species of badger of the genus Meles, native to almost all of Europe. It is classed as Least Concern for extinction by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population....
(Meles meles) and Deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
(Cervidae). The valley is also home to fifteen of the sixteen bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s found in England including a roost, at Compton Martin Ochre Mine, for Greater Horseshoe Bat
Greater Horseshoe Bat
The Greater Horseshoe Bat is a European bat of the Rhinolophus genus. Its distribution covers Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia. It is the largest of the European Horseshoe Bats and is thus easily distinguished from other species...
s (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). A rare and endangered species, the greater horseshoe bat is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom and was implemented to comply with the Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds...
and is listed in Annex II of the 1992 European Community Habitats Directive
European Community Habitats Directive
The Habitats Directive is a European Union directive adopted in 1992 as an EU response to the Berne Convention...
.
Human habitation
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
and Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
(Old, Middle and New Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
), Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, comprising implements such as stone knives, flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
blades and the head of a mace, along with buildings and graves. Other evidence of occupation from prehistoric times is provided by the henge monument at Stanton Drew
Stanton Drew stone circles
The Stanton Drew stone circles are at just outside the village of Stanton Drew, Somerset. The largest stone circle is the Great Circle, 113 m in diameter and the second largest stone circle in Britain...
, long barrow
Long barrow
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal tumuli or earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...
at Chewton Mendip, and Fairy Toot
Fairy Toot
The Fairy Toot is an extensive oval barrow in the village of Nempnett Thrubwell, Somerset, England.It is an example of the Severn-Cotswold tomb type which consist of precisely-built, long trapezoid earth mounds covering a burial chamber...
tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
at Nempnett Thrubwell
Nempnett Thrubwell
Nempnett Thrubwell is a small village and civil parish in dairying country on the western edge of Bath and North East Somerset, in the county of Somerset, England. It is about 15 km south-west of Bristol. The parish, which has a population of 189, is sheltered by the Mendip Hills, near the River...
. Maes Knoll fort
Maes Knoll
Maes Knoll is an Iron Age hillfort in Somerset, England, located at the eastern end of the Dundry Down ridge, south of the city of Bristol and north of the village of Norton Malreward near the eastern side of Dundry Hill...
(close to Norton Malreward
Norton Malreward
Norton Malreward is a small Somerset village and civil parish south of Bristol, England at the northern edge of the Chew Valley. In 1895 Norton Malreward was combined with the neighbouring hamlet of Norton Hawkfield or Hautville into a single parish, which has a population of 241.- History :Norton...
) in the northern reaches of the valley, on Dundry Down, also formed the starting point for Wansdyke
Wansdyke (earthwork)
Wansdyke is a series of early medieval defensive linear earthworks in the West Country of England, consisting of a ditch and a running embankment from the ditch spoil, with the ditching facing north. It runs at least from Maes Knoll in historic Somerset, a hillfort at the east end of Dundry Hill...
.
There is evidence of Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
remains in particular a villa and burial pits. Artefacts from the valley were sent to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. Other Roman artefacts from the lake are also on display at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
The Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery is a large museum and art gallery in Bristol, England. It is run by the city council with no entrance fee. It holds designated museum status, granted by the national government to protect outstanding museums...
. There are historic parks and mansion houses, including Stanton Drew, Hunstrete
Hunstrete
Hunstrete is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley, Bath and North East Somerset, England. It falls within the civil parish of Marksbury and is 8 miles from Bristol, and Bath, and 5 miles from Keynsham.- History :...
, Stowey House
Stowey
Stowey is a small village within the Chew Valley in Somerset, England. It lies south of Chew Valley Lake and north of the Mendip Hills, approximately south of Bristol on the A368 road Weston-super-Mare to Bath...
Chew Court
Chew Magna
Chew Magna is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset, in the Ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 1,161.To the south of the village is Chew Valley Lake...
, Chew Magna Manor House
Chew Magna
Chew Magna is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset, in the Ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 1,161.To the south of the village is Chew Valley Lake...
and Sutton Court
Sutton Court
Sutton Court, Stowey, also known as Stowey Court, is a large English house built on the site of a fourteenth century castle, with sections built in the fifteenth and sixteenth century....
. Almost all of the villages have churches dating back to the fifteenth or sixteenth Century.
The area around Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
was an important coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
area during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with much of the coal being carried on the Somerset Coal Canal
Somerset Coal Canal
The Somerset Coal Canal was a narrow canal in England, built around 1800 from basins at Paulton and Timsbury via Camerton, an aqueduct at Dunkerton, Combe Hay, Midford and Monkton Combe to Limpley Stoke where it joined the Kennet and Avon Canal...
, although there are no working coal mines today. The line of the now disused North Somerset Railway runs south from Bristol crossing over the River Chew
River Chew
The River Chew is a small river in England. It merges with the River Avon after forming the Chew Valley.The spring from which the Chew rises is just upstream from Chewton Mendip. The river flows North West from Chewton Mendip through Litton, Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, Chew Magna and Stanton Drew...
on the surviving distinctive viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
at Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
and on to Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
. The area suffered serious flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing during the storm of 10 July 1968, prompting localised evacuation of populated valley areas in the lower parts of the valley, around Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
and Keynsham.
Field patterns
The small fields in the western part of the area are particularly characteristic of the Chew Valley and date back to the most evident period of enclosure of earlier open fields which took place in the late medieval period. Fields of this category are generally small in size, regular in outline and often the boundaries preserve the outlines of the earlier strip field system. Regional variations in field size and pattern do occur. For example there is evidence of medieval clearance of woodland on the slopes around Nempnett ThrubwellNempnett Thrubwell
Nempnett Thrubwell is a small village and civil parish in dairying country on the western edge of Bath and North East Somerset, in the county of Somerset, England. It is about 15 km south-west of Bristol. The parish, which has a population of 189, is sheltered by the Mendip Hills, near the River...
, south of Bishop Sutton
Bishop Sutton
Bishop Sutton is a small village within the Chew Valley in Somerset. It lies south of Chew Valley Lake and north of the Mendip Hills, approximately ten miles south of Bristol on the A368, Weston-super-Mare to Bath road...
and west and south of Chelwood
Chelwood
Chelwood is a small village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in North Somerset about from Bristol and Bath. The parish has a population of 153.- History :...
.
Climate
Along with the rest of South West EnglandSouth West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, the Chew Valley has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter mean minimum temperatures of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are common. In the summer the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours. In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most the rainfall in the south-west is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection
Convection
Convection is the movement of molecules within fluids and rheids. It cannot take place in solids, since neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion can take place in solids....
. Most of the rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 700 mm (27.6 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.
Population and demographics
Many of the large houses in the valley have been built or bought by wealthy merchants from Bristol and Bath with local people working for their households. Bess of HardwickBess of Hardwick
Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (c. 1521 – 13 February 1608, known as Bess of Hardwick, was the daughter of John Hardwick, of Derbyshire and Elizabeth Leeke, daughter of Thomas Leeke and Margaret Fox...
(1527–1606) is known to have lived in Sutton Court
Sutton Court
Sutton Court, Stowey, also known as Stowey Court, is a large English house built on the site of a fourteenth century castle, with sections built in the fifteenth and sixteenth century....
, Stowey
Stowey
Stowey is a small village within the Chew Valley in Somerset, England. It lies south of Chew Valley Lake and north of the Mendip Hills, approximately south of Bristol on the A368 road Weston-super-Mare to Bath...
for a few years in the sixteenth century, after the death of her first husband Sir William Cavendish, when she married Sir William St. Loe (or Sentloe or St. Lowe), captain of the guard to Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, Chief Butler of England, and owner of several manors within the valley and surrounding areas. Around this period a close neighbour was Sir John Popham (1533–1607) who was judge and the Speaker of Parliament
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
. In the seventeenth century John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
(1632–1704) an eminent philosopher
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
lived in Belluton
Belluton
Belluton is a village in Somerset, England. It is in the district of Bath and North East Somerset and is located due south of the city of Bristol and due west of the city of Bath. The eastern end of the village is defined by the A37 road....
and his house is still known as John Locke's cottage. In the eighteenth century the poet John Langhorne (1735–1779) became the curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Blagdon
Blagdon
Blagdon is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Somerset, within the unitary authority of North Somerset, in England. It is located in the Mendip Hills, a recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. According to the 2001 census it has a population of 1,172...
around the time that Augustus Montague Toplady
Augustus Montague Toplady
Augustus Montague Toplady was an Anglican cleric and hymn writer. He was a major Calvinist opponent of John Wesley. He is best remembered as the author of the hymn "Rock of Ages"...
(1740–1778) was the priest, and William Smith
William Smith (geologist)
William 'Strata' Smith was an English geologist, credited with creating the first nationwide geological map. He is known as the "Father of English Geology" for collating the geological history of England and Wales into a single record, although recognition was very slow in coming...
moved to the valley to make a valuation survey of the Sutton Court estate and later for the Somersetshire Coal Canal
Somerset Coal Canal
The Somerset Coal Canal was a narrow canal in England, built around 1800 from basins at Paulton and Timsbury via Camerton, an aqueduct at Dunkerton, Combe Hay, Midford and Monkton Combe to Limpley Stoke where it joined the Kennet and Avon Canal...
Company.
During the nineteenth century aristocrat
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton
George William Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton , was a British aristocrat and Conservative politician.-Early life:...
(1817–1876) was a resident. His seat was at Chew Magna
Chew Magna
Chew Magna is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset, in the Ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 1,161.To the south of the village is Chew Valley Lake...
, where John Sanger
John Sanger
John Sanger was an English circus proprietor.He was born at Chew Magna, Somerset, in 1816, the son of an old sailor who had turned showman. In 1845 he started with his brother George Sanger a conjuring exhibition at Birmingham...
, the circus proprietor, was born in 1816. William Rees-Mogg
William Rees-Mogg
William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg is an English journalist and life peer.-Education:Rees-Mogg was educated at Clifton College Preparatory School in Bristol and Charterhouse School in Godalming, followed by Balliol College, Oxford...
, former editor of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, took the title Baron Rees-Mogg, of Hinton Blewitt
Hinton Blewitt
Hinton Blewett is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells, south of Bristol on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills within the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and in the Chew Valley near to the source of the River Chew...
, but no longer lives in the village. Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
clarinetist Acker Bilk lives in Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
. Richard Brock
Richard Brock
Richard Brock worked in the BBC as a natural history film producer for 35 years. He was a member of the production team on the highly successful Life on Earth, and served as executive producer on The Living Planet, collaborating with David Attenborough...
the natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
film producer, Liam Fox
Liam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician and Dr Phil Hammond a GP
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
and comedian also live in the valley. Robert Hunter
Robert Hunter (lyricist)
Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
lived in Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
from 1979–1981.
In the past part of the population worked in coal mining, although there are no working mines in the area now. There is still a fairly large agricultural workforce and in light industry or service industries, although many people commute to surrounding cities for work. According to the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the valley has a population of approximately 5000, largely living in one of the dozen or so villages and in isolated farms and hamlets. The average age of the population is 42 years, with unemployment rates of 1–4% of all economically active people aged 16–74, however these figures are approximations because the ward areas covered and described in the census statistics do not relate exactly to the area of the valley. In the Indices of deprivation 2004 all of the areas within the valley were considered to be in the most affluent third in England.
Buildings and settlements
The villages tend to have been built at the points where it was possible to cross the rivers and streams. Chew Magna is the business centre with a range of shops, banks etc. Other villages have local shops, often combined with post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
s. Most villages have pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
s which provide the majority of the social activity.
The traditional building material is white Lias Limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
; sometimes incorporating red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
or conglomerate, with red clay tiled roofs. Buildings, particularly the churches, date back hundreds of years, for example those at Marksbury
Marksbury
Marksbury is a small village and civil parish in Somerset about from Keynsham and from Bath on the A39 where it meets the A368. The parish, which includes the villages of Hunstrete and Stanton Prior, has a population of 399.- History :...
and Compton Martin
Compton Martin
Compton Martin is a small village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in Somerset and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority in England. The parish has a population of 508...
; the latter incorporating a columbarium
Columbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
.
Listed buildings
There are hundreds of listed buildings in the valley. Listing refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. The authority for listing is granted by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
The Planning Act 1990 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the laws on granting of planning permission for building works, notably including those of the listed building system in England and Wales....
and is presently administered by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, an agency of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. Grade I covers buildings of exceptional interest, Grade II* particularly important buildings of special interest and Grade II buildings of special interest. Listed buildings in the valley number five churches dating back to the fourteenth century or even earlier, with grade I status; Church of St Andrew, Chew Magna
Church of St Andrew, Chew Magna
The Church of St Andrew in Chew Magna, Somerset, England dates from the 12th century with a large 15th-century pinnacled sandstone tower, a Norman font and a rood screen that is the full width of the church...
, Church of St Bartholomew, Ubley
Church of St Bartholomew, Ubley
The Church of St Bartholomew in Ubley, Somerset, England is a small medieval church originating from the 13th century with later additions. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
, Church of St James, Cameley
Church of St James, Cameley
The Church of St James is a redundant church in Cameley, Somerset, England, dating from the late 12th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
, Church of St Margaret, Hinton Blewett
Church of St Margaret, Hinton Blewett
The Church of St Margaret in Hinton Blewett, Somerset, England probably dates from the 13th century although parts are as late as the 16th or 17th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
and the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Compton Martin
Church of St Michael the Archangel, Compton Martin
The Parish church of St Michael the Archangel is in the village of Compton Martin, Somerset, England.The church, which was built in the 12th century in a Norman style. Norman vaulting can be seen in the chancel and Jacobean work in choir stalls and organ screen. In the north wall is a recess...
.
Transport
At the western end of the valley is the A38A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
and Bristol International Airport
Bristol International Airport
Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport...
, which means parts of the valley are on the flight path. The valley is also crossed by the A37
A37 road
The A37 is a major road in southern England. It runs north from the A35 at Dorchester in Dorset into Somerset through Yeovil and Shepton Mallet before terminating at the Three Lamps junction with the A4 in central Bristol...
and they are joined by the A368
A368 road
The A368 is a part primary status A road in North Somerset, England. It runs from Marksbury to Banwell along the northern edge of the Mendip Hills and past the reservoir at Chew Valley Lake....
. Most of the roads in the valley are small single track lanes with little traffic although a bottleneck often occurs within Chew Magna. The "Chew Valley Explorer" bus route 672/674 provides access to the villages in the valley. Cyclists can gain access via part of the Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
to Bristol West Country Way, National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
Route 3.
The Monarch's Way
Monarch's Way
The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester.Most of the footpath is waymarked...
long distance footpath crosses the valley.
Schools
Chew Valley SchoolChew Valley School
Chew Valley School is situated within the Chew Valley in Somerset in South West England. It is south of Bristol in the village of Chew Stoke, on a site in open countryside overlooking the Chew Valley Lake....
is the main secondary school
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
(11–18 years) for the valley. It is situated between Chew Magna and Chew Stoke
Chew Stoke
Chew Stoke is a small village and civil parish in the Chew Valley, in Somerset, England, about south of Bristol. It is at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, a region designated by the United Kingdom as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is within the Bristol/Bath green belt...
. The latest (2008) Ofsted
Office for Standards in Education
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
Inspection Report describes this specialist Performing Arts College as a mixed comprehensive school with 1151 pupils on roll. The school is popular and oversubscribed with 196 students in the sixth form. The school has been successful in gaining a number of national and regional awards. There are state primary schools
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
(4–11 years) in most of the local villages.
Sport and leisure facilities
The local villages have football pitches and children's play areas. Gymnasium facilities, squash courts, badminton etc., and outdoor all-weather pitches are available at the Chew Valley Leisure Centre between Chew Magna and Chew Stoke. There are a range of clubs and societies for young and old, including Scout groups, gardening society, and the Women's institute. There are areas in the valley which the Countryside AgencyCountryside Agency
The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission...
has designated as access land; Burledge Hill (south of Bishop Sutton), Castle Earthworks (between Stowey
Stowey
Stowey is a small village within the Chew Valley in Somerset, England. It lies south of Chew Valley Lake and north of the Mendip Hills, approximately south of Bristol on the A368 road Weston-super-Mare to Bath...
and Bishop Sutton
Bishop Sutton
Bishop Sutton is a small village within the Chew Valley in Somerset. It lies south of Chew Valley Lake and north of the Mendip Hills, approximately ten miles south of Bristol on the A368, Weston-super-Mare to Bath road...
), Knowle Hill
Knowle Hill
Knowle Hill is a hill in the Chew Valley, Somerset, England situated between the village of Chew Magna and Chew Valley Lake.The south side of the summit of Knowle Hill is home to the grass Wood Small-reed . The population of this plant forms a circular patch some 20 metres wide, which is visible...
(Newtown south of Chew Magna), Round Hill (Folly Farm) and Shortwood Common (Litton)
A Bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
club is in Chew Stoke, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
pitches and teams in Chew Magna and Blagdon. There are football teams in the valley including Chew Valley Football Club and Bishop Sutton F.C.
Bishop Sutton F.C.
Bishop Sutton A.F.C. are a football club based in Bishop Sutton, Somerset, near Bristol, England. They were officially established in 1977, although it is actually a reformed version of a club that dated from the early 1900s....
. The rugby club is based next to the leisure centre. The Bishop Sutton Tennis club is the largest in the valley, there is also a tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
club at East Harptree. Both Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake
Blagdon Lake lies in the Chew Valley at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, approximately 10 mi south of Bristol, England. The lake was created by Bristol Water , when it dammed the River Yeo, starting construction in 1891 and completing this in 1899...
provide extensive fishing under permit from Bristol Water. The River Chew
River Chew
The River Chew is a small river in England. It merges with the River Avon after forming the Chew Valley.The spring from which the Chew rises is just upstream from Chewton Mendip. The river flows North West from Chewton Mendip through Litton, Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, Chew Magna and Stanton Drew...
and most of its tributaries also have fishing but this is generally under licences to local angling clubs. Chew Valley Sailing Club is situated on Chew Valley Lake and provides dinghy sailing at all levels and hosts national and international competitions. There are no swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
s in the valley, and swimming is not allowed in the lakes, however these are available locally in Bristol, Bath, Cheddar
Cheddar
Cheddar is a large village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset. It is situated on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Nyland and Bradley Cross...
and Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
.
Each year the Chew Valley Arts trail takes place in October during which over 50 local artists display their work in 20 or so venues around the valley such as; painting, printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, decorative glass
Art glass
Definitions of art glass can be as complex and contentious as definitions of what constitutes "art" and will inevitably include many refinements and exceptions...
, pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
and sugar craft. The valley and lakes have been an inspiration to artists and there is a small art gallery at Chew Valley Lake. Live music and comedy events take place in local pubs and village halls, with the village of Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
holding a music festival every year.
To combat the declining provision in leisure and recreational activities for young people in the region, residents of the Chew Valley area formed the Chew Valley Youth Trust charity in 2011, which combats issues of rural isolation and provides young residents with recreational activities.