Puriton
Encyclopedia
Puriton is a village
and a parish
, at the westerly end of the Polden Hills
, in the Sedgemoor
district of Somerset
, UK
. The parish has a population
of 2,124. The local parish church is named after St Michael
. At one time there was also a chapel
on Woolavington
Road, but it was converted to a private house some 20 years ago.
In 1996, Puriton was described as "now becoming a rural commuter
village". The built-up area of the village lies mostly between 5 and 50 metre
s above sea level
.
The village has a full range of facilities such as a primary school, parish church, pub
, post office, shop (general store and newsagent), butcher and hairdresser. It started to expand considerably in the 1960s and 1970s when new houses were built on former farm
land, a former infilled stone Blue Lias
quarry
, Puriton Park, and on fields in between the existing houses. The old Victorian
school near the church was converted into homes and a new school built elsewhere. The Manor house
was also sold off in 1960 and four houses were built on its former tennis court
s. The Manor House itself is still there and lived in, but is now in multiple occupancy.
, as growing pears, and was held by the Church of St Peter's, Rome
. Its parish church, "St Michael's".
Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle
a motte-and-bailey
castle
, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
.
The parish of Puriton was part of the Huntspill and Puriton
Hundred,
A cement
and lime
works was located at the western end of the Polden Hills
, at Dunball
. It used Blue Lias
stone quarried at several locations in the village; and transported to the works on narrow gauge railways. This area of the Polden Hills was in use for quarrying of stone and lime burning from 1888 until 1973. However, quarrying may have taken place on the hillside as early as the 15th century.
Until just after World War II
the village still had orchard
s; some grew apple
s and some grew pear
s. Puriton is mentioned in the Domesday Book
as growing pears (1086 - Peritone 'a Pear Orchard or farmstead where Pear trees grow') and this is one possible reason for the village name. A German
pilot was captured in one of the orchards after his airplane was shot down and he landed by parachute
. The orchards have now all gone, houses having been built on them. The last was Culverhay, which at one time had housed both a dairy
and a cider
press. One working farm
is still in existence.
In 1941, a Royal Ordnance Factory
, ROF Bridgwater
, an explosives production unit, was opened mid-way between Puriton and the adjacent village of Woolavington
. The factory lies mostly within the Puriton parish boundary, with a small portion in Woolavington parish. Several million gallon
s of water per day were extracted from the nearby artificial River Huntspill
. Now the extraction rate is probably very much lower; and most, if not all, of the water is returned after use, after clean-up through a reedbed sewage treatment
plant. A large explosion occurred at the factory in the early 1950s, which resulted in a number of workers dying or being injured. Its current owners, BAE Systems Land and Armaments
, closed it completely in Spring 2008.
The village's stone quarries began to go out of use during World War II
. The cement and lime works, which was adjacent to both the King's Sedgemoor Drain
and the Bristol and Exeter Railway
line, became run-down by the early 1960s and was demolished when the M5 motorway was built through part of the site. The church, and the boundary walls, in the old part of the village, are built out of Blue Lias blocks. Puriton Park was built over part of the site of an in-filled blue lias quarry, at the eastern end of the village.
The charity, the British Institute for Brain Injured Children
, or BIBIC, is based in Puriton in a former 19th century house, Knowle Hall. The BIBIC opened its headquarters at Knowle Hall in 1983.
groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district
of Sedgemoor
, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
, having previously been part of Bridgwater Rural District
, which is responsible for local planning
and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health
, market
s and fairs, refuse collection and recycling
, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism
.
Somerset County Council
is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education
, social services, libraries
, main roads, public transport
, policing
and fire services, trading standards
, waste disposal and strategic planning.
It is also part of the Bridgwater and West Somerset county constituency represented in the House of Commons
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP)
by the first past the post system of election, and part of the South West England constituency
of the European Parliament
which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method
of party-list proportional representation
.
, where it discharges into the River Parrett
, lies just outside the Puriton Parish boundary; it runs parallel, at this point, between the Polden Hills
(to the east) and the M5 motorway (to the west).
In Roman
times the course of the River Parrett near Puriton was very much different from that of today. The river had an almost complete great loop which followed the southern flank of the Polden Hills, along the course of the present-day King's Sedgemoor Drain. Roman ships were able to dock in the lee of the Polden Hills.
Until the mid-19th century, the main road from Exeter
to Bristol
, via Crandon Bridge, passed through the village in front (east) of the Puriton Inn and continued along what is now Pawlett Road / Puriton Road to Pawlett
and beyond. The Exeter — Bristol road is now part of the A38
; and the arrow-straight section of the A38 leading north from Bridgwater to Pawlett is a relatively new section of highway, being built in the 1820s. It also bypassed Pawlett; the old road through Pawlett remains and is now known as the Old Main Road.
Puriton and the surrounding villages were served by a railway station at Dunball
; opened in 1873 by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
as '"Dunball station" and renamed Dunball Halt by the British Transport Commission
in 1961. The station closed in November 1964; and has been completely removed, although the line remains open, with Bridgwater
as the nearest station.
With the building of the 19th century section of the A38, the old main road from Crandon Bridge, through Puriton, to Pawlett was retained. The southern section from Crandon Bridge up the Polden Hill still forms part of the route of the current A39 link road to the M5 motorway. Part of the northern section of the road was realigned in 1973, when the M5 motorway
was extended through Somerset; and it was diverted to the west of the Puriton Inn, to the new M5 motorway roundabout, at junction 23. Parts of the original route still exist as two sections of Puriton Hill and most of Puriton Road. Hall Road, Puriton, was built at the same time to link the A39 to Riverton Road, Puriton. The road-link between Riverton Road / Puriton Hill and Puriton Road / Downend Road was severed by the M5 motorway, being replaced by a pedestrian
footbridge
to the hamlet
of Downend. Church Field Lane was also severed by the M5 motorway; it remains severed. A new section of road, a dual carriageway, was built between the M5 roundabout and a new roundabout on the A38 at Dunball. A link road was provided between it and Downend.
The village is located immediately east of Junction 23 of the M5 motorway, (Dunball
is immediately to the west) and can be accessed directly from the A39. The A38, Bristol road, lies just over one mile away beyond the M5 roundabout
.
was constructed from local Blue Lias
stone. It has an early 13th century tower, with the remainder of the building dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
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...
and a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, at the westerly end of the Polden Hills
Polden Hills
The Polden Hills in Somerset, England are a long, low ridge, extending for , and separated from the Mendip Hills, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels...
, in the Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh . The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels...
district of Somerset
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...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The parish has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 2,124. The local parish church is named after St Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
. At one time there was also a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
on Woolavington
Woolavington
Woolavington is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the English county of Somerset. It forms part of the District of Sedgemoor, and is north east of Bridgwater, south east of Burnham on Sea and west of Glastonbury...
Road, but it was converted to a private house some 20 years ago.
In 1996, Puriton was described as "now becoming a rural commuter
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
village". The built-up area of the village lies mostly between 5 and 50 metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
The village has a full range of facilities such as a primary school, parish church, pub
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...
, post office, shop (general store and newsagent), butcher and hairdresser. It started to expand considerably in the 1960s and 1970s when new houses were built on former farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
land, a former infilled stone Blue Lias
Blue Lias
The Blue Lias is a geologic formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
, Puriton Park, and on fields in between the existing houses. The old Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
school near the church was converted into homes and a new school built elsewhere. The Manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was also sold off in 1960 and four houses were built on its former tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s. The Manor House itself is still there and lived in, but is now in multiple occupancy.
History
Puriton was mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
, as growing pears, and was held by the Church of St Peter's, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Its parish church, "St Michael's".
Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle
Down End Castle
Down End Castle, also known as Downend Castle, Chisley Mount or Chidley Mount, was a motte-and-bailey castle at Down End, north of Dunball in the parish of Puriton, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument....
a motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
The parish of Puriton was part of the Huntspill and Puriton
Huntspill and Puriton (hundred)
The Hundred of Huntspill and Puriton is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court...
Hundred,
A cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
and lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
works was located at the western end of the Polden Hills
Polden Hills
The Polden Hills in Somerset, England are a long, low ridge, extending for , and separated from the Mendip Hills, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels...
, at Dunball
Dunball
Dunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle a motte-and-bailey castle, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.Located on the A38, adjacent to...
. It used Blue Lias
Blue Lias
The Blue Lias is a geologic formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago...
stone quarried at several locations in the village; and transported to the works on narrow gauge railways. This area of the Polden Hills was in use for quarrying of stone and lime burning from 1888 until 1973. However, quarrying may have taken place on the hillside as early as the 15th century.
Until just after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the village still had orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s; some grew apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s and some grew pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
s. Puriton is mentioned 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...
as growing pears (1086 - Peritone 'a Pear Orchard or farmstead where Pear trees grow') and this is one possible reason for the village name. A German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pilot was captured in one of the orchards after his airplane was shot down and he landed by parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
. The orchards have now all gone, houses having been built on them. The last was Culverhay, which at one time had housed both a dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
and a cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
press. One working farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
is still in existence.
In 1941, a Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factories was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence....
, ROF Bridgwater
ROF Bridgwater
Royal Ordnance Factory Bridgwater was a factory which produced high explosives for munitions. It was located between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK; but was always known as ROF Bridgwater, after the nearest town...
, an explosives production unit, was opened mid-way between Puriton and the adjacent village of Woolavington
Woolavington
Woolavington is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the English county of Somerset. It forms part of the District of Sedgemoor, and is north east of Bridgwater, south east of Burnham on Sea and west of Glastonbury...
. The factory lies mostly within the Puriton parish boundary, with a small portion in Woolavington parish. Several million gallon
Gallon
The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
s of water per day were extracted from the nearby artificial River Huntspill
River Huntspill
The River Huntspill is an artificial river, in the Somerset Levels, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It was built in 1940 to supply process water to the armaments factory at Puriton, and has resulted in reduced flooding of the lower Brue Valley.-History:The concept for the Huntspill...
. Now the extraction rate is probably very much lower; and most, if not all, of the water is returned after use, after clean-up through a reedbed sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
plant. A large explosion occurred at the factory in the early 1950s, which resulted in a number of workers dying or being injured. Its current owners, BAE Systems Land and Armaments
BAE Systems Land and Armaments
BAE Systems Land & Armaments is a subsidiary of BAE Systems Inc. and is responsible for the design, development and production of combat vehicles, ammunition, artillery systems, naval guns and missile launchers. It is the largest such company in the world...
, closed it completely in Spring 2008.
The village's stone quarries began to go out of use during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The cement and lime works, which was adjacent to both the King's Sedgemoor Drain
King's Sedgemoor Drain
King's Sedgemoor Drain is an artificial drainage channel which diverts the River Cary in Somerset, England along the southern flank of the Polden Hills, to discharge into the River Parrett at Dunball near Bridgwater. As the name suggests, the channel is used to help drain the peat moors of King's...
and the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
line, became run-down by the early 1960s and was demolished when the M5 motorway was built through part of the site. The church, and the boundary walls, in the old part of the village, are built out of Blue Lias blocks. Puriton Park was built over part of the site of an in-filled blue lias quarry, at the eastern end of the village.
The charity, the British Institute for Brain Injured Children
British Institute for Brain Injured Children
bibic is an English children's charity dedicated to the support and care for children and families dealing with a number of different conditions...
, or BIBIC, is based in Puriton in a former 19th century house, Knowle Hall. The BIBIC opened its headquarters at Knowle Hall in 1983.
Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watchNeighbourhood Watch (UK)
The Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the United Kingdom is a partnership where people come together to make their communities safer. It involves the Police, Community Safety departments of local authorities, other voluntary organisations and, above all, individuals and families who want to make their...
groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh . The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels...
, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, having previously been part of Bridgwater Rural District
Bridgwater Rural District
Bridgwater was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974.It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894.In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 becoming part of Sedgemoor....
, which is responsible for local planning
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health
Environmental health
Environmental health is the branch of public health that is concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment that may affect human health...
, market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
s and fairs, refuse collection and recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
.
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...
is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
, social services, libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, main roads, public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
, policing
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and fire services, trading standards
Trading Standards
Trading Standards is the name given to local authority departments in the UK formerly known as Weights and Measures. These departments investigate commercial organisations that carry out trade in unethical ways or outside the scope of the law.-History:...
, waste disposal and strategic planning.
It is also part of the Bridgwater and West Somerset county constituency represented in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP)
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
by the first past the post system of election, and part 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
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
of party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
.
Transport links
The northern end of King's Sedgemoor DrainKing's Sedgemoor Drain
King's Sedgemoor Drain is an artificial drainage channel which diverts the River Cary in Somerset, England along the southern flank of the Polden Hills, to discharge into the River Parrett at Dunball near Bridgwater. As the name suggests, the channel is used to help drain the peat moors of King's...
, where it discharges into the River Parrett
River Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
, lies just outside the Puriton Parish boundary; it runs parallel, at this point, between the Polden Hills
Polden Hills
The Polden Hills in Somerset, England are a long, low ridge, extending for , and separated from the Mendip Hills, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels...
(to the east) and the M5 motorway (to the west).
In Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times the course of the River Parrett near Puriton was very much different from that of today. The river had an almost complete great loop which followed the southern flank of the Polden Hills, along the course of the present-day King's Sedgemoor Drain. Roman ships were able to dock in the lee of the Polden Hills.
Until the mid-19th century, the main road from Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
to 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...
, via Crandon Bridge, passed through the village in front (east) of the Puriton Inn and continued along what is now Pawlett Road / Puriton Road to Pawlett
Pawlett, Somerset
Pawlett is a small village north of Bridgwater, in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset.The village has Roman or Saxon origins...
and beyond. The Exeter — Bristol road is now part of the A38
A38 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 the arrow-straight section of the A38 leading north from Bridgwater to Pawlett is a relatively new section of highway, being built in the 1820s. It also bypassed Pawlett; the old road through Pawlett remains and is now known as the Old Main Road.
Puriton and the surrounding villages were served by a railway station at Dunball
Dunball
Dunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle a motte-and-bailey castle, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.Located on the A38, adjacent to...
; opened in 1873 by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
as '"Dunball station" and renamed Dunball Halt by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
in 1961. The station closed in November 1964; and has been completely removed, although the line remains open, with Bridgwater
Bridgwater railway station
Bridgwater railway station serves Bridgwater in Somerset, England. It is on the Bristol to Taunton Line and is operated by First Great Western. Originally built to the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the station is now a Grade II* listed building.-History:...
as the nearest station.
With the building of the 19th century section of the A38, the old main road from Crandon Bridge, through Puriton, to Pawlett was retained. The southern section from Crandon Bridge up the Polden Hill still forms part of the route of the current A39 link road to the M5 motorway. Part of the northern section of the road was realigned in 1973, when the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
was extended through Somerset; and it was diverted to the west of the Puriton Inn, to the new M5 motorway roundabout, at junction 23. Parts of the original route still exist as two sections of Puriton Hill and most of Puriton Road. Hall Road, Puriton, was built at the same time to link the A39 to Riverton Road, Puriton. The road-link between Riverton Road / Puriton Hill and Puriton Road / Downend Road was severed by the M5 motorway, being replaced by a pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
footbridge
Footbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
to the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Downend. Church Field Lane was also severed by the M5 motorway; it remains severed. A new section of road, a dual carriageway, was built between the M5 roundabout and a new roundabout on the A38 at Dunball. A link road was provided between it and Downend.
The village is located immediately east of Junction 23 of the M5 motorway, (Dunball
Dunball
Dunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle a motte-and-bailey castle, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.Located on the A38, adjacent to...
is immediately to the west) and can be accessed directly from the A39. The A38, Bristol road, lies just over one mile away beyond the M5 roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
.
Religious sites
The Anglican parish Church of St Michael and All AngelsChurch of St Michael and All Angels, Puriton
The Church of St Michael and All Angels in Puriton, Somerset, England was constructed from local Blue Lias stone. It has an early 13th century tower, with the remainder of the building dating from the 14th and 15th centuries...
was constructed from local Blue Lias
Blue Lias
The Blue Lias is a geologic formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago...
stone. It has an early 13th century tower, with the remainder of the building dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
External links
- The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: Down End, by Miranda Richardson
Sources
- Brown, Donald (1999). Somerset V Hitler: Secret Operations in the Mendips 1939-1945. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 1-85306-590-0.
- Dunning, R.W. (1992). History of the County of Somerset, Volume VI, Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and Neighbouring Parishes). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-722780-5.
- Dunning, R.W. (2004). History of the County of Somerset, Volume VIII, The Poldens and the Levels. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 1-90-435633-8. Link to online copy.
- Lawrence J.F. (2005) (revised and completed by Lawrence, J.C.). A History of Bridgwater. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd. ISBN 1-86077-363-X.
- Short, Audrey, Boldero, Joy and Luckman, Ian (1980). Puriton Patchwork: Parish of Puriton through the ages. Puriton: published privately.
- Williams, Michael (1970). The Draining of the Somerset Levels. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07486-X.