Draycott, Somerset
Encyclopedia
Draycott is a small village in Somerset
, England, neighbouring the village of Cheddar
on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
. It is within the parish of Rodney Stoke
.
including an unfinished earthwork enclosure on the hill above Draycott.
The village was listed in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as Draicote, meaning 'The dray shelter' from the Old English dragan and cot. Another derivation is from the Brythonic from Tre meaning settlement and Coet meanings woods.
nature reserve
which has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
Halesland Airfield is situated just to the north of the village and is home to the Mendip Gliding Club. Draycott is still a major strawberry
producer and the now-disused railway line that ran through the village was called the Strawberry Line
. The pub located opposite the old railway station is called The Strawberry Special.
The A371 road
runs north to south through the village's longest axis. Despite being classified as an A-road, it significantly narrows at certain points along the southern part of the village and has been the cause of congestion during times of increased traffic flow such as during the summer tourist season.
C.E. Giles. It is a Grade II listed building. The majority of the stonework is that known locally as 'Draycott Marble', a dolomitic conglomerate
with a pronounced pinkish tinge, that was quarried quite close by at Draycott quarry. Notable interior features are the stained glass
east windows, the fine wrought-iron rood screen
(1894), and the neo-Norman
font
by William Burges
.
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, neighbouring the village of 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...
on the southern edge of 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...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. It is within the parish of Rodney Stoke
Rodney Stoke
Rodney Stoke is a small village and civil parish, located at , 5 miles north-west of Wells, in the English county of Somerset. The village is on the A371 between Draycott and Westbury-sub-Mendip....
.
History
There is some evidence of occupation of the site in the Iron AgeIron 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...
including an unfinished earthwork enclosure on the hill above Draycott.
The village was listed in 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...
of 1086 as Draicote, meaning 'The dray shelter' from the Old English dragan and cot. Another derivation is from the Brythonic from Tre meaning settlement and Coet meanings woods.
Geography
Close to the village is the Draycott SleightsDraycott Sleights
Draycott Sleights is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Draycott in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, notified in 1987.The Somerset Wildlife Trust reserve lies south east of Cheddar. It includes Draycott Sleights, , and Draycott Housegrounds,...
nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
which has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
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...
.
Halesland Airfield is situated just to the north of the village and is home to the Mendip Gliding Club. Draycott is still a major strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
producer and the now-disused railway line that ran through the village was called the Strawberry Line
Cheddar Valley line
The Cheddar Valley line was a railway line in Somerset, England, opened in 1869 and closed in 1963. It became known as The Strawberry Line because of the volume of locally-grown strawberries that it carried....
. The pub located opposite the old railway station is called The Strawberry Special.
The A371 road
A371 road
The A371 is a primary road in England running from Wincanton in Somerset, to Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset.The A371 starts at the A303, then passes Castle Cary, Ansford, Cannard's Grave , Shepton Mallet, Croscombe, Wells, Easton, Somerset, Westbury-sub-Mendip, Rodney Stoke, Draycott, Cheddar,...
runs north to south through the village's longest axis. Despite being classified as an A-road, it significantly narrows at certain points along the southern part of the village and has been the cause of congestion during times of increased traffic flow such as during the summer tourist season.
Church
The church of St Peter was built in 1861 by the architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
C.E. Giles. It is a Grade II listed building. The majority of the stonework is that known locally as 'Draycott Marble', a dolomitic conglomerate
Conglomerate (geology)
A conglomerate is a rock consisting of individual clasts within a finer-grained matrix that have become cemented together. Conglomerates are sedimentary rocks consisting of rounded fragments and are thus differentiated from breccias, which consist of angular clasts...
with a pronounced pinkish tinge, that was quarried quite close by at Draycott quarry. Notable interior features are the stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
east windows, the fine wrought-iron rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
(1894), and the neo-Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
by William Burges
William Burges (architect)
William Burges was an English architect and designer. Amongst the greatest of the Victorian art-architects, Burges sought in his work an escape from 19th century industrialisation and a return to the values, architectural and social, of an imagined mediaeval England...
.