Taunton
Encyclopedia
Taunton is the county town
of Somerset
, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset.
The town has over 1,000 years of religious and military history, and is now undergoing a regeneration project. It has various transport links which support its central role in economy and commerce.
Taunton is the site of Musgrove Park Hospital
and Somerset County Cricket Club
's County Ground and is home to 40 Commando
, Royal Marines
. Central Taunton is part of the annual West Country Carnival
circuit. It hosts the Taunton flower show
, which has been held in Vivary Park
since 1866. The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
is located on Admiralty Way.
The town name derives from "Town on the River Tone
" — or Tone Town. Cambria Farm
which is now the site of a Park and ride
close to Junction 25 of the M5 motorway
was the site of a Bronze
and Iron Age
settlement and Roman
farm. There was a Romano-British
village near the suburb of Holway, and Taunton was a place of considerable importance in Saxon
times. The Saxon town was a burh
with its own mint
. King Ine of Wessex
threw up an earthen castle here about 700, but it was destroyed by his queen Æthelburg of Wessex in 722, to prevent its seizure by rebels.
A monastery was founded before 904. The bishops of Winchester
owned the manor, and obtained the first charter for their "men of Taunton" from King Edward
in 904, freeing them from all royal and county tribute. At some time before the Domesday Survey Taunton had become a borough with very considerable privileges, and a population of around 1,500 and 64 burgesses, governed by a portreeve
appointed by the bishops. Somerton
took over from Ilchester
as the county town
in the late thirteenth century, but it declined in importance and the status of county town transferred to Taunton about 1366. Between 1209 and 1311 the manor of Taunton, which was owned by the Bishop of Winchester, increased two and a half times. The parishes of Staplegrove, Wilton and Taunton itself were part of the Taunton Deane
Hundred.
In 1451 during the Wars of the Roses
Taunton was the scene of a skirmish between Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon
and Baron Bonville
. Queen Margaret
and her troops passed through in 1471 to defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury
. In the Second Cornish Uprising of 1497
most of the Cornish gentry supported Perkin Warbeck
's cause and on 17 September a Cornish army some 6,000 strong entered Exeter
before advancing on Taunton. Henry VII
sent his chief general, Giles, Lord Daubeney to attack the Cornish and when Warbeck heard that the King's scouts were at Glastonbury
he panicked and deserted his army. Henry VII reached Taunton on 4 October 1497 were he received the surrender of the remaining Cornish army. The ringleaders were executed and others fined a total of £13,000.
Taunton Castle
changed hands several times during the Civil War
of 1642-45 but only along with the town. During the Siege of Taunton
it was defended by Robert Blake
, from July 1644 to July 1645, with the town suffering destruction of many of the medieval and Tudor buildings. After the war, in 1662, the keep was demolished and only the base remains. On 20 June 1685 the Duke of Monmouth
crowned himself king of England at Taunton during the Monmouth Rebellion
and in the autumn of that year Judge Jeffreys was based in the town during the Bloody Assizes
that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor
.
The town did not obtain a charter of incorporation until 1627, which was renewed in 1677. The charter lapsed in 1792 owing to vacancies for the members of the corporate body, and Taunton was not reincorporated until 1877. The medieval fairs and markets of Taunton (it still holds a weekly market today), were celebrated for the sale of woollen cloth called "Tauntons" made in the town. On the decline of the west of England woollen industry, silk-weaving was introduced at the end of the 18th century.
In 1839 the Grand Western Canal
reached Taunton aiding trade to the south, which was further enhanced by the arrival of the railway in 1842.
In World War II the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
formed part of the Taunton Stop Line
, designed to prevent the advance of a German invasion. Pillboxes
can still be seen along its length.
to receive funding for large-scale regeneration projects. In 2006, the council revealed plans which it called "Project Taunton". This would see the regeneration of the areas of Firepool, Tangier, the Retail town centre, the cultural quarter, and the River Tone, aiming to sustain Taunton as a central hub for business in the South West.
The Firepool area on the northern edge of Taunton town centre, adjacent to the main line railway station, currently includes a high proportion of vacant or undeveloped land. The Council is promoting a sustainable, high quality, employment-led mixed use development. The Firepool project is set to attract 3000 new jobs and 500 new homes.
In Tangier, a brownfield area between Somerset College of Arts and Technology
and the bus station, the project proposes to build small offices and more riverside housing.
The "Cultural Quarter" is the area along the river between Firepool and Tangier. The proposals have plans to extend riverside retail, an aim to attract more smaller, boutique businesses, such as those already found in the Riverside shopping centre.
Plans for the town centre include greater pedestrianization and an increase in size and number of retail units.
Several sites along the River Tone are set to undergo renovation. Firepool Wier lock — long silted up — will be dredged during 2011 to allow boats to pass from the navigable section of the Tone through Taunton to the Taunton-Bridgwater canal. Goodland Gardens will receive a makeover. Projects to develop Somerset Square (the paved area next to the Brewhouse Theatre
) and Longrun Meadow (country park near to SCAT
) have already been delivered.
The government sees Taunton's traffic congestion problems as a serious obstacle to its continuing economic growth. An important part of the government's growth strategy for the town is new road infrastructure consisting of a new link road (Taunton's Third Way) scheduled for completion during May 2011 at a cost of £5.5 million, and a second link road (the Northern Inner Distributor Road) planned for completion by the end of 2013 at a cost of £21 million. The road would link Staplegrove Road with Priory Avenue, running across Kingston Road.
s of Taunton. The parish, largely built by Monsell Youell Construction Ltd in the 1970s, has a population of 1,889.
of
Taunton Deane
. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972
, by a merger of the municipal borough
of Taunton, Wellington
urban district
, Taunton Rural District
, and Wellington Rural District
. Taunton Deane was granted borough status in 1975, perpetuating the mayor
alty of Taunton. The district was given the name of an alternate form of the Taunton hundred.
Taunton Deane Borough Council consists of 55 councillors, of whom 20 are elected for wards in the town of Taunton. The wards are: Blackbrook & Holway; Eastgate; Fairwater; Halcon; Lyngford; Manor & Wilton and Pyrland & Rowbarton. Eastgate ward returns two councillors, with the remaining wards each returning three. At the council elections in May 2007, 17 Liberal Democrats were elected and 3 members of the Conservative Party
.
Somerset County Council
is based at County Hall in Taunton, and consists of 58 councillors. The town of Taunton is included in six electoral divisions, each returning a single county councillor: Taunton East; Taunton Fairwater; Taunton North; Taunton South; Taunton West and Taunton and Trull (which also includes rural areas). Five councillors are members of the Liberal Democrats, and one is a Conservative.
is a 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. It is based on the town of Taunton but extends to include Wellington
, many small villages and parts of Exmoor
. The current MP is Jeremy Browne
, a member of the Liberal Democrats.
constituency for elections to the European Parliament
.
between the Quantock
, Blackdown
and Brendon
hills in an area known as the Vale of Taunton.
(295–250 million years ago) red sandstones and breccia
outcrop, while rocks of Triassic
age (248–204 million years ago) underlie much of Somerset and form the solid geology to the Somerset Moors and Levels
.
s in and around Taunton, which are protected under a statutory designation in Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
. South Taunton Streams is an urban wetland, and in the northern suburbs is the Children's Wood riverside reserve which provides a movement corridor for various animals including Otters along the banks of the River Tone. Birds occurring at the site include: Kingfisher
, Dipper
, Grey Wagtail
, Mute Swan
, Grey Heron
and Reed Warbler
. It is also home to butterflies such as the small
and Large Skipper
, Marbled White, Small Heath
and Small Copper
, and to dragonflies and damselflies.
, Taunton 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.
The town of Taunton (which for population estimates includes the unparished area
– or former municipal borough
– plus the neighbouring parishes of Bishop's Hull, Comeytrowe
, Norton Fitzwarren
, Staplegrove, Trull
and West Monkton
) had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset.
Taunton forms part of the larger borough
of Taunton Deane which also includes the town of Wellington
and surrounding villages. Taunton Deane had an estimated population of 103,700 in 2002.
The figures below are for the Taunton Deane area.
Taunton is home to the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
(UKHO) which is an organisation within the Ministry of Defence
responsible for providing navigation
al and other hydrographic
information for national, civil and defence requirements. The UKHO is located on Admiralty Way and has a workforce of approximately 850 staff. At the start of the Second World War chart printing moved to Taunton but the main office did not move until 1968.
The Avimo company, which made precision instruments in Taunton, became part of Thales
Optics in 2001, however their manufacturing is no longer in Taunton having been transferred along with a number of staff to Glasgow
and Wells
. Taunton is also home to one of the head offices of Debenhams
, Western Provident Association
, Viridor
and CANDAC.
Moreover, the town is home to a Defra regional office at Quantock House on Paul St, the Charity Commission for England and Wales, General Electric
, Screwfix
. Taunton is also famous for the production of cider
.
Gray's Almshouses
on East Street were founded by Robert Gray in 1615 for poor single women. The red brick buildings bear the arms of Robert Gray, dated 1635, and another arms of the Merchant Tailors. A small room is used as chapel and has original benches and a painted ceiling. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade I listed building. St Margaret's Almshouses
was founded as a leper colony
in the 12th century. Glastonbury Abbey
acquired the patronage of the hospital in the late 13th century and rebuilt it as almshouses in the early 16th century. From 1612 to 1938 the building continued to be used as almshouses, cared for by a local parish. In the late 1930s it was converted into a hall of offices for the Rural Community Council
and accommodation for the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen. It later fell into disrepair until the Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust
with Falcon Rural Housing purchased and restored it for use as four dwellings of social housing. It is a grade II* listed building.
The grounds of Taunton Castle
include the Somerset County Museum
and The Castle Hotel
, which incorporates the Castle Bow archway. Together with the municipal buildings they form a three-sided group of buildings just beyond the Castle Bow archway from Fore Street. The centre of the square is used as a car park, and a plain brick edifice of Mecca Bingo hall makes up the west side of it.
The Tudor Tavern
(now a branch of Caffè Nero
) in Fore Street dates from 1578.
The area by the river north of the centre is surrounded by Morrisons
supermarket, retirement housing and the Brewhouse Theatre
. Towards the centre, is the Dellers Wharf Nightclub, Bridge Street and Goodlands Gardens. Currently a regeneration programme is being executed, north of Bridge Street, which will include redeveloping the County Cricket Ground. The area has hosted a concert by Elton John
in 2006.
, Halfords
, Homebase
and Tauntons second Sainsburys store. In addition, there is a 'Venue' on the park, with restaurants, the Odeon cinema
and Hollywood Bowl bowling. Now known as Riverside Retail Park.
The Old Market was a farmers market and took place on the Parade in front of Market House but this eventually moved to the Firepool area, although cattle trading on the site ceased in 2008. A large indoor shopping centre to the east of the Parade was built on a site which had, at one time been a pig market. Although its official name is now Orchard, and before that the Old Market Centre, locals still refer to it as "The Pig Market" as one operated on the site from 1614 to 1882.
The County Walk is an indoor shopping complex in the centre with an anchor supermarket, Sainsbury's,.
There are a number of public parks around Taunton including Vivary Park
, Goodlands Park and Victoria Park.
The most notable is Vivary Park, located on land that was formerly a medieval fish farm
, or vivarium
, for Taunton Priory
and Taunton Castle
. Fronted by a pair of cast iron
gates made by the Saracen Foundry
of Glasgow, it contains the Sherford Stream, a tributary of the River Tone
, which flows through the 7.5 hectares (18.5 acre) park, which is located near the centre of the town. It contains two main wide open spaces, as well as a war memorial
dating from 1922, a miniature golf course
, tennis court
s, two children's playground
s, a model railway track
which was added in 1979, and an 18-hole, 4620-yards, par-63 golf course
. The park includes trees, rose beds and herbaceous border
s, with around 56,000 spring and summer bedding plants
being used each year. The rose garden includes the Royal National Rose Society
Provincial Trial Ground. Taunton Flower Show
has been held annually in the park since the 19th century. It has been described as "The Chelsea
of the West", and attracts around 24,000 visitors over its two days. Goodlands Gardens, located in the centre of the town, is behind the Debenhams
department store and The Castle Hotel
.
is on the Bristol to Exeter line
, the Reading to Taunton line
, and the Cross-Country Route. It is served and operated by First Great Western
and served by CrossCountry
, with services to Manchester
, Birmingham
, Cardiff
, Bristol
, London, Exeter
, Plymouth
and Penzance
, as well as the rest of the West Country
. There are generally one fast and one slow trains each hour to both Bristol Temple Meads and Exeter St Davids
and one train to London Paddington.
The former railway route to has is now a heritage railway
known as the West Somerset Railway
.
In 2009, Project Taunton, the authority responsible for Taunton's major regeneration project, revealed plans for Taunton metro rail
, as part of their transport sustainability plan.
junctions 25 (Taunton) and 26 (Wellington
) close to the town, as well as other major roads such as the A38
and A358. The Taunton bypass section of M5, from J25-26, opened in April 1974, relieving the town of heavy holiday traffic on the A38. Taunton Deane services
are located between junctions 25 and 26 on the M5. However, with the flourishing local economy, traffic is a problem with Somerset County Council giving a prediction of 300-400% increase based on 2001 levels.
northbound, on the north eastern edge of the town at West Monkton
. Seven people were confimed as dead, with a further 51 injured.
Webberbus run Services 15, 15A and 18. 15 is service connecting Burnham on Sea with Wellington, via Bridgwater and Taunton, calling at stops including Taunton railway station
, Castle Way, Musgrove Park Hospital
and Somerset College. 15A connects Bridgwater with Wellington via Taunton. 18 is a service from Minehead to Taunton, similar to that of First's 28 service, except that it also stops at Musgrove Park Hospital
and Somerset College.
Taunton Coach Station's operators include National Express
, whom run regular London and Heathrow coaches. Local coach operator Berrys of Taunton, runs a number of day excursions and offers the London Superfast service from the Taunton and the West County to London every day.
WebberBus operate the Council supported Park and Ride
scheme into the town centre known as the Taunton Flyer. The service operates from Silk Mills park and ride site in Silk Mills Road to the west of the town to Taunton Gateway park and ride site, close to Junction 25 of the M5
to the east of the town. Webberbus took over the contract from Stagecoach Somerset on 1 November 2010.
and Bristol
, both within 40 miles of Taunton.
was opened on 21 August 1901. Six double deck cars operated on the gauge line between the railway station
and East Reach where the depot was situated. In 1905 the service was withdrawn for two months while the track was improved; the cars were replaced at the same time by six single deck cars and the old double deckers were sold to Leamington Spa
. A short extension beyond the station to Rowbarton was opened in 1909 making the line 1.66 miles (2.7 km) long. The price of its electricity was due to increase in 1928 which the company refused to pay so it offered to sell out but this was not accepted. The electricity was cut off on 28 May 1921 and so the system closed.
State secondary schools in Taunton include The Castle School
, Heathfield Community School
, Bishop Fox's Community School
and The Taunton Academy
. State-funded Sixth Form teaching is provided by Richard Huish College
. Both Heathfield Community School
and The Castle School
have or are developing Sixth Forms as an extension to the schools. Heathfield's Sixth Form, named "The Space" (which opened in September 2009) specialises in Performing Arts. Castle's Sixth Form, named Qdos (Opening in September 2010) specialises in Sport. The coeducational independent schools
in Taunton are Queen's College
, King's College
and Taunton School
. Further education is provided by Somerset College of Arts and Technology
.
In March 2009, it was announced that Jim Knight
, Minister of State for Schools and Families, had approved plans that would mean the closure of both Ladymead and nearby St Augustine of Canterbury. The schools are to close in July 2010, to be replaced in September by The Taunton Academy
.
, within Taunton and Somerset Foundation NHS Trust. This is one of two district hospitals within Somerset alongside Yeovil District Hospital
. A Nuffield Hospital is also situated within the town, run privately by Nuffield Health
. The town is also home to several doctor's surgeries as well as a family planning clinic and occupational health centre.
The Mary Street Unitarian
Chapel, which dates from 1721, is located on Mary Street in Taunton. Samuel Taylor Coleridge
, while living Nether Stowey
16 miles (25.7 km) away, came to the chapel to preach on several occasions. Dr. Malachi Blake, who founded the Taunton and Somerset Hospital in East Reach, Taunton, was also a preacher at the chapel, attending in 1809 in celebration of the fiftieth year of George the Third's
reign. The Chapel still has the original interior including Flemish
oak pillars in the Corinthian
style. The pew
s and pulpit
are also in oak, and there is an early 18th century candelabra
.
In the latter part of the 17th century, Taunton had two dissenting
places of worship: "Paul's Meeting" and the Baptist Meeting. Paul's Meeting was built at the top of Paul Street soon after 1672 on part of a bowling green behind the Three Cups Inn, now The County Hotel, and rapidly became one of the largest congregations in the county. After Mayor Timewell sacked
both Paul's Meeting and the Baptist Meeting in 1683, the dissenters were driven to worship in private houses on the outskirts of Taunton, where their assemblies were regularly raided by the Justices. Paul's Meeting survived attempts to turn it into a workhouse and, with the coming of William and Mary
, followed by the Toleration Act of 1689, was reopened. The Baptist Meeting became the Baptist New Meeting was registered in 1691 and rebuilt in 1721 as Mary Street Chapel.
The Parish church of St. Mary Magdalene
, built of sandstone more in the South Somerset style, preserves an attractive painted interior, but its most notable aspect is its 15th and 16th century tower (rebuilt in the mid-19th century), which is one of the best examples in the country and a 163 feet (50 m) tall landmark. It was described by Simon Jenkins
, an acknowledged authority on English churches, as "the finest in England. It makes its peace with the sky not just with a coronet but with the entire crown jewels cast in red-brown stone." The tower itself has 12 bells and 3 bells "hung dead" for the clock mechanism.
The Parish church of St. James
is also located near the centre of Taunton quite close to St. Mary Magdalene. The oldest parts of St. James Church are early 14th century and there are fragments of 15th century glass in the West end. Like St. Mary's it also has a sandstone tower but built to a much less impressive design. The tower was also like St. Mary's rebuilt in the 19th century – in this case thought to be due to building defects in the original tower. The church backs onto the County Ground and forms a familiar backdrop to the popular Cricket ground.
The church of St John was built in 1864 to designs by Sir George Gilbert Scott
.
by Kazuo Ishiguro
, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
by John le Carré
and was given the fictitious name of "Toneborough" by Thomas Hardy
.
Taunton also features in So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
by Douglas Adams
part of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
series of books.
Comedian Bill Bailey
mentions the town in his stand-up DVD Part Troll, claiming to have taken part in a teleportation experiment sponsored by Taunton Cider.
Taunton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club that is based in Taunton, Somerset. They currently play in National League 2 South, having achieved back-to-back promotions in 2009 and 2010.
The County Ground was originally home to Taunton Cricket Club, which was formed in 1829 and played at The County Ground until 1977 before moving to Moorfields, Taunton in conjunction with Taunton Vale Hockey Club, after which it was solely used by Somerset County Cricket Club
. Somerset CCC was formed in 1875, but the club did not achieve first class status until 1891. The County Ground has a capacity of 6,500 and the ends are called the River End and the Old Pavilion End, and one of the main stands is named after Ian Botham
. The ground houses the Somerset County Cricket shop and museum, which also has various conference rooms. It is the current home of the England women's cricket team.
Taunton Town F.C. are a football
club, who play at Wordsworth Drive in the town. They were formed in 1947 by a few local businessmen as Taunton F.C., changing to the current name in 1968, and played their first friendly fixture in 1948. For most of their history, Taunton were members of the Western League. They spent a six-season spell in the Southern League
from 1977, and after a further period in the Western League, returned to the Southern League
in 2002, after winning the FA Vase
in 2001. After the latest re-organisation of the English football league system
, the club are currently members of the Southern League Division One South & West.
Somerset Vikings
are a Rugby League
Club who were formed at the beginning of 2003 as part of the Rugby Football League
's plans to develop the game further beyond the traditional areas in the north of England. Initially the side was made up of a mixture of Royal Marines
based in Taunton and Exeter
together with a number of local rugby union players keen to try the 13-man code. The Vikings play at Hyde Park which is the home of the Taunton R.F.C.
, a rugby union
club, which was formed in 1875.
The Taunton Tigers
is a semi-professional basketball
team competing in the English Basketball League
Men's Division 1. The team play all their home games at Wellsprings Leisure Centre, which has a capacity of 500 seats.
Taunton Racecourse
is close to the Blackdown Hills
and about 2 miles (3 km) from the centre of Taunton. Although racing had been held in the area previously, the first race at the present site was held on 21 September 1927. The stands are called the Orchard Stand and the Paddock Stand which provide catering facilities and are used for meetings and conferences on days when racing is not taking place.
There is an oval motor racing circuit at Smeatharpe which is close to the Somerset/Devon border, it is frequently referred to as the Taunton Banger racing circuit although it is around 11 miles from central Taunton.
Local skateboarders raised £183,000 for a replacement skatepark
at Hamilton Gault Park which opened in May 2010.
Taunton Freeriders is a community mountain bike
project in partnership with the Forestry Commission
who are developing a series of northshore and downhill
(DH) style mountain bike trails just outside of the town. Run by volunteers from the local close-knit riding community and funded solely by kind donations, they are also involved with the redevelopment of the "Norton Dirt Jumps".
in France, and Koenigslutter in Germany.
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
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...
, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset.
The town has over 1,000 years of religious and military history, and is now undergoing a regeneration project. It has various transport links which support its central role in economy and commerce.
Taunton is the site of Musgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital is a large NHS hospital located in Taunton, Somerset. Originally a US Army General Hospital during the Second World War, it became an NHS hospital in 1949.-About the hospital:...
and Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
's County Ground and is home to 40 Commando
40 Commando
40 Commando RM is a battalion sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet....
, Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. Central Taunton is part of the annual West Country Carnival
West Country Carnival
The West Country Carnival is an annual celebration featuring a parade of illuminated floats , in the English West Country. The celebration dates back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The purpose is to raise money for local charities....
circuit. It hosts the Taunton flower show
Taunton Flower Show
Taunton Flower Show is an annual flower show held in Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset, England. It has been described as "The Chelsea of the West", and attracts around 24,000 visitors over its two days....
, which has been held in Vivary Park
Vivary Park
Vivary Park is a public open space in Taunton, Somerset, England.The Sherford Stream, a tributary of the River Tone, flows through the park, which is located near the centre of the town...
since 1866. The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is an organisation within the UK government responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements...
is located on Admiralty Way.
History
River Tone
The River Tone is a river in Somerset, England, which is about long. It rises at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through Taunton and Curry and Hay Moors, which are designated as a Site of Special...
" — or Tone Town. Cambria Farm
Cambria Farm
Cambria Farm is the site of a Bronze and Iron Age settlement and Roman farm, between Ruishton and Taunton, Somerset, England.A survey of the site was carried by Context One in 2007 out prior to the construction of a Park and ride close to Junction 25 of the M5 motorway. In early 2009 further...
which is now the site of a Park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
close to Junction 25 of 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 the site of a Bronze
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...
settlement and Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
farm. There was a Romano-British
Romano-British
Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
village near the suburb of Holway, and Taunton was a place of considerable importance in Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times. The Saxon town was a burh
Burh
A Burh is an Old English name for a fortified town or other defended site, sometimes centred upon a hill fort though always intended as a place of permanent settlement, its origin was in military defence; "it represented only a stage, though a vitally important one, in the evolution of the...
with its own mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
. King Ine of Wessex
Ine of Wessex
Ine was King of Wessex from 688 to 726. He was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor, Cædwalla, who had brought much of southern England under his control and expanded West Saxon territory substantially...
threw up an earthen castle here about 700, but it was destroyed by his queen Æthelburg of Wessex in 722, to prevent its seizure by rebels.
A monastery was founded before 904. The bishops of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
owned the manor, and obtained the first charter for their "men of Taunton" from King Edward
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
in 904, freeing them from all royal and county tribute. At some time before the Domesday Survey Taunton had become a borough with very considerable privileges, and a population of around 1,500 and 64 burgesses, governed by a portreeve
Portreeve
A portreeve, or 'port warden' is a historical British political appointment with a fluctuating role which evolved over time.The origins of the position are in the reign of Edward the Elder, who, in order to ensure that taxes were correctly exacted, forbade the conducting of trades outside of a...
appointed by the bishops. Somerton
Somerton
Somerton is a small town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of the English county of Somerset. It gave its name to the county of Somerset, was briefly, around the start of the 14th century, the county town, and around 900 AD was possibly the capital of Wessex...
took over from Ilchester
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
as the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
in the late thirteenth century, but it declined in importance and the status of county town transferred to Taunton about 1366. Between 1209 and 1311 the manor of Taunton, which was owned by the Bishop of Winchester, increased two and a half times. The parishes of Staplegrove, Wilton and Taunton itself were part of the Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane (hundred)
The Hundred of Taunton Deane was one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ancient 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 which was...
Hundred.
In 1451 during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
Taunton was the scene of a skirmish between Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon
Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon
Thomas Courtenay, 13th earl of Devon was born, presumably in Devon, in 1414. As the only surviving son of Hugh de Courtenay, 12th Earl of Devon, Courtenay inherited the earldom on his father’s death in 1422. He may have been a ward of the all-powerful Duke of Exeter. In August, a mere teenager, he...
and Baron Bonville
Baron Bonville
The title of Baron Bonville was created once in the Peerage of England. On 23 September 1449, William Bonville was summoned to Parliament. On his death in 1461, the barony was inherited by his great-granddaughter Cecily Bonville, who two months before succeeded as Baroness Harington, with which...
. Queen Margaret
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
and her troops passed through in 1471 to defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury
Battle of Tewkesbury
The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The forces loyal to the House of Lancaster were completely defeated by those of the rival House of York under their monarch, King Edward IV...
. In the Second Cornish Uprising of 1497
Second Cornish Uprising of 1497
The Second Cornish Uprising is the name given to the Cornish uprising of September 1497 when the pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck landed at Whitesand Bay, near Land's End, on 7 September with just 120 men in two ships...
most of the Cornish gentry supported Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...
's cause and on 17 September a Cornish army some 6,000 strong entered 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...
before advancing on Taunton. Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
sent his chief general, Giles, Lord Daubeney to attack the Cornish and when Warbeck heard that the King's scouts were at Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
he panicked and deserted his army. Henry VII reached Taunton on 4 October 1497 were he received the surrender of the remaining Cornish army. The ringleaders were executed and others fined a total of £13,000.
Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle is a castle built to defend the town of Taunton, Somerset, England.It has origins in the Anglo Saxon period and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops of Winchester...
changed hands several times during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
of 1642-45 but only along with the town. During the Siege of Taunton
Siege of Taunton
The Siege of Taunton occurred during the English Civil War.Taunton Castle changed hands several times during the great Civil War of 1642-45 but only along with the town....
it was defended by Robert Blake
Robert Blake (admiral)
Robert Blake was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century. Blake is recognised as the chief founder of England's naval supremacy, a dominance subsequently inherited by the British Royal Navy into...
, from July 1644 to July 1645, with the town suffering destruction of many of the medieval and Tudor buildings. After the war, in 1662, the keep was demolished and only the base remains. On 20 June 1685 the Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC , was an English nobleman. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter...
crowned himself king of England at Taunton during the Monmouth Rebellion
Monmouth Rebellion
The Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...
and in the autumn of that year Judge Jeffreys was based in the town during the Bloody Assizes
Bloody Assizes
The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25 August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England....
that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor
Battle of Sedgemoor
The Battle of Sedgemoor was fought on 6 July 1685 and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England.It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion and followed a series of skirmishes around south west England between the forces of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and the...
.
In 1839 the Grand Western Canal
Grand Western Canal
The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands End...
reached Taunton aiding trade to the south, which was further enhanced by the arrival of the railway in 1842.
In World War II the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal is a canal in the south-west of England between Bridgwater and Taunton, opened in 1827 and linking the River Tone to the River Parrett. There were a number of abortive schemes to link the Bristol Channel to the English Channel by waterway in the 18th and early 19th...
formed part of the Taunton Stop Line
Taunton Stop Line
The Taunton Stop Line was a World War II defensive line in south west England. It was designed "to stop an enemy's advance from the west and in particular a rapid advance supported by armoured fighting vehicles which may have broken through the forward defences."The Taunton Stop Line was one of...
, designed to prevent the advance of a German invasion. Pillboxes
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
can still be seen along its length.
Regeneration
Taunton was named as a 'Strategically Important Town or City' in the government's Regional Spatial Strategy, allowing Somerset County CouncilSomerset 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:...
to receive funding for large-scale regeneration projects. In 2006, the council revealed plans which it called "Project Taunton". This would see the regeneration of the areas of Firepool, Tangier, the Retail town centre, the cultural quarter, and the River Tone, aiming to sustain Taunton as a central hub for business in the South West.
The Firepool area on the northern edge of Taunton town centre, adjacent to the main line railway station, currently includes a high proportion of vacant or undeveloped land. The Council is promoting a sustainable, high quality, employment-led mixed use development. The Firepool project is set to attract 3000 new jobs and 500 new homes.
In Tangier, a brownfield area between Somerset College of Arts and Technology
Somerset College of Arts and Technology
Somerset College of Arts and Technology ' is a community college based in Taunton, in the county of Somerset, England. It was formed in 1974 after the merger of Somerset College of Art and Taunton Technical College. The college provides further and higher education courses, as well as a variety of...
and the bus station, the project proposes to build small offices and more riverside housing.
The "Cultural Quarter" is the area along the river between Firepool and Tangier. The proposals have plans to extend riverside retail, an aim to attract more smaller, boutique businesses, such as those already found in the Riverside shopping centre.
Plans for the town centre include greater pedestrianization and an increase in size and number of retail units.
Several sites along the River Tone are set to undergo renovation. Firepool Wier lock — long silted up — will be dredged during 2011 to allow boats to pass from the navigable section of the Tone through Taunton to the Taunton-Bridgwater canal. Goodland Gardens will receive a makeover. Projects to develop Somerset Square (the paved area next to the Brewhouse Theatre
Brewhouse Theatre
The Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre is the largest theatre and arts centre in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England.The building opened 28 March 1977 on the banks of the River Tone, and offers a 350 seat auditorium and supporting studio and exhibition spaces...
) and Longrun Meadow (country park near to SCAT
Somerset College of Arts and Technology
Somerset College of Arts and Technology ' is a community college based in Taunton, in the county of Somerset, England. It was formed in 1974 after the merger of Somerset College of Art and Taunton Technical College. The college provides further and higher education courses, as well as a variety of...
) have already been delivered.
The government sees Taunton's traffic congestion problems as a serious obstacle to its continuing economic growth. An important part of the government's growth strategy for the town is new road infrastructure consisting of a new link road (Taunton's Third Way) scheduled for completion during May 2011 at a cost of £5.5 million, and a second link road (the Northern Inner Distributor Road) planned for completion by the end of 2013 at a cost of £21 million. The road would link Staplegrove Road with Priory Avenue, running across Kingston Road.
Governance
Taunton includes an area named Holway which was once a village in its own right. Holway was originally one of the Five Hundreds of Taunton Dean, the Infaring division or district of the three districts that made up Taunton Dean. The parish of Staplegrove is situated in the northern suburbSuburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s of Taunton. The parish, largely built by Monsell Youell Construction Ltd in the 1970s, has a population of 1,889.
Borough Council
Taunton is the main settlement and administrative centre of the local government districtNon-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
Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...
. The district 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....
, by a merger of the municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Taunton, Wellington
Wellington, Somerset
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills to the south of the town...
urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
, Taunton Rural District
Taunton Rural District
Taunton 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 when it became part of Taunton Deane district....
, and Wellington Rural District
Wellington Rural District (Somerset)
Wellington 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 when it became part of Taunton Deane....
. Taunton Deane was granted borough status in 1975, perpetuating the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
alty of Taunton. The district was given the name of an alternate form of the Taunton hundred.
Taunton Deane Borough Council consists of 55 councillors, of whom 20 are elected for wards in the town of Taunton. The wards are: Blackbrook & Holway; Eastgate; Fairwater; Halcon; Lyngford; Manor & Wilton and Pyrland & Rowbarton. Eastgate ward returns two councillors, with the remaining wards each returning three. At the council elections in May 2007, 17 Liberal Democrats were elected and 3 members of the Conservative Party
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...
.
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 based at County Hall in Taunton, and consists of 58 councillors. The town of Taunton is included in six electoral divisions, each returning a single county councillor: Taunton East; Taunton Fairwater; Taunton North; Taunton South; Taunton West and Taunton and Trull (which also includes rural areas). Five councillors are members of the Liberal Democrats, and one is a Conservative.
United Kingdom Parliament
Taunton DeaneTaunton Deane (UK Parliament constituency)
Taunton Deane 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....
is a 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. It is based on the town of Taunton but extends to include Wellington
Wellington, Somerset
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills to the south of the town...
, many small villages and parts of Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
. The current MP is Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Richard Browne is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Taunton Deane since 2005 and a Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010.-Early life and education:...
, a member of the Liberal Democrats.
European Parliament
Residents of Taunton also form part of the electorate for the South West EnglandSouth 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:...
constituency for elections to 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...
.
Geography
Taunton lies on the River ToneRiver Tone
The River Tone is a river in Somerset, England, which is about long. It rises at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through Taunton and Curry and Hay Moors, which are designated as a Site of Special...
between the Quantock
Quantock Hills
The Quantock Hills is a range of hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England. The Quantock Hills were England’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty being designated in 1956 and consists of large amounts of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land.The hills run from...
, Blackdown
Blackdown Hills
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....
and Brendon
Brendon Hills
The Brendon Hills are composed of a lofty ridge of hills in the East Lyn Valley area of western Somerset, England. The terrain is broken by a series of deeply incised streams and rivers running roughly southwards to meet the River Haddeo, a tributary of the River Exe.The hills are quite heavily...
hills in an area known as the Vale of Taunton.
Geology
In the Taunton area PermianPermian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
(295–250 million years ago) red sandstones and breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
outcrop, while rocks of 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...
age (248–204 million years ago) underlie much of Somerset and form the solid geology to the Somerset Moors and Levels
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...
.
Nature reserves
There are several Local Nature ReserveLocal Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
s in and around Taunton, which are protected under a statutory designation in Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the National Parks Commission which later became the Countryside Commission and then the Countryside Agency, which became Natural England when it merged with English Nature in...
. South Taunton Streams is an urban wetland, and in the northern suburbs is the Children's Wood riverside reserve which provides a movement corridor for various animals including Otters along the banks of the River Tone. Birds occurring at the site include: Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
, Dipper
Dipper
Dippers are members of the genus Cinclus in the bird family Cinclidae, named for their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.-Description:...
, Grey Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
The Grey Wagtail is a small member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae. The species looks similar to the Yellow Wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. Breeding males have a black throat...
, Mute Swan
Mute Swan
The Mute Swan is a species of swan, and thus a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia, and the far north of Africa. It is also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less...
, Grey Heron
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
and Reed Warbler
Reed Warbler
The Eurasian Reed Warbler, or just Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into temperate western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
. It is also home to butterflies such as the small
Small Skipper
The Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris butterfly of the Hesperiidae family.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:It has a rusty orange colour to the wings, upper body and the tips of the antennae. The body is silvery white below and it has a wingspan of 25–30 mm. This butterfly is very...
and Large Skipper
Large Skipper
The Large Skipper is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family, which occurs throughout Europe. It was long known as Ochlodes venata, but this is a Far Eastern relative. There is still some dispute whether this species should be considered a distinct species or included in O...
, Marbled White, Small Heath
Small Heath (butterfly)
The Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae, . It is widespread in Eurasia and northwestern Africa, preferring drier habitats than other Coenonymphae...
and Small Copper
Small Copper
The Small Copper, American Copper, or the Common Copper is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family.- Description :thumb|left|Larva...
, and to dragonflies and damselflies.
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. ...
, Taunton 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.
Demography
| Population Profile | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Census 2001 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.... |
Taunton Deane Taunton Deane Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,... |
South West England South 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. ... |
England |
| Total population | 102,299 | 4,928,434 | 49,138,831 |
| Foreign born | 4.1% | 9.4% | 9.2% |
| White | 98.4% | 97.7% | 91% |
| Asian | 0.4% | 0.7% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.2% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Christian | 75.9% | 74.0% | 72% |
| Muslim | 0.3% | 0.5% | 3.1% |
| Hindu | 0.1% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| No religion | 15.7% | 16.8% | 15% |
| Over 75 years old | 9.5% | 9.3% | 7.5% |
| Unemployed | 2.4% | 2.6% | 3.3% |
The town of Taunton (which for population estimates includes the unparished area
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
– or former municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
– plus the neighbouring parishes of Bishop's Hull, Comeytrowe
Comeytrowe
Comeytrowe is a civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the south western suburbs of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish has a population of 5,780...
, Norton Fitzwarren
Norton Fitzwarren
Norton Fitzwarren is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 2,325.-History:...
, Staplegrove, Trull
Trull
Trull is village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near Taunton. The parish which includes Dipford has a population of 1,861.-History:The name Trull is thought to derive from the word Trendle meaning circle or wheel....
and West Monkton
West Monkton
West Monkton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish includes the hamlets of Monkton Heathfield, Bathpool, Burlinch and Coombe, and had a population of 2,663 at the 2001 census.-History:The charter for West...
) had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset.
Taunton forms part of the larger borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
of Taunton Deane which also includes the town of Wellington
Wellington, Somerset
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills to the south of the town...
and surrounding villages. Taunton Deane had an estimated population of 103,700 in 2002.
The figures below are for the Taunton Deane area.
| Population since 1801 - Source: A Vision of Britain through Time | |||||||||||||
| Year | 1801 | 1851 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population Taunton Deane | 33,139 | 51,844 | 53,759 | 55,666 | 56,161 | 56,661 | 62,745 | 69,492 | 75,320 | 81,639 | 84,795 | 95,791 | 102,304 |
Economy
Taunton Deane had a low unemployment rate of 4.1% compared with the national average of 5.0% in 2005.Taunton is home to the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is an organisation within the UK government responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements...
(UKHO) which is an organisation within the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
responsible for providing navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
al and other hydrographic
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
information for national, civil and defence requirements. The UKHO is located on Admiralty Way and has a workforce of approximately 850 staff. At the start of the Second World War chart printing moved to Taunton but the main office did not move until 1968.
The Avimo company, which made precision instruments in Taunton, became part of Thales
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
Optics in 2001, however their manufacturing is no longer in Taunton having been transferred along with a number of staff to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
. Taunton is also home to one of the head offices of Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, Western Provident Association
Western Provident Association
WPA, or Western Provident Association, is a not-for-profit private medical insurance firm based in Taunton, Somerset. Its subsidiary, WPA Protocol Plc, administers corporate healthcare trusts.-History:...
, Viridor
Viridor
Viridor is a waste management company in the United Kingdom, owned by Pennon Group, a FTSE 250 based plc focused on the water and waste management industries.Viridor was formed in 1993, by purchasing companies in the landfill market...
and CANDAC.
Moreover, the town is home to a Defra regional office at Quantock House on Paul St, the Charity Commission for England and Wales, General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Screwfix
Screwfix
Screwfix Direct Limited is a UK direct and online supplier of trade tools, accessories and hardware products. Founded in 1979 the company was acquired in 1999 by the Kingfisher plc group, which also owns B&Q and is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
. Taunton is also famous for the production of 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"...
.
Landmarks
Gray's Almshouses, Taunton
Gray's Almshouses on East Street, Taunton, Somerset, England were founded by Robert Gray in 1615 for poor single women. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
on East Street were founded by Robert Gray in 1615 for poor single women. The red brick buildings bear the arms of Robert Gray, dated 1635, and another arms of the Merchant Tailors. A small room is used as chapel and has original benches and a painted ceiling. It has been designated 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...
as a grade I listed building. St Margaret's Almshouses
St Margaret's Almshouses
St Margaret's Almshouses are part of a 12th century leper colony in Taunton, Somerset, England.The building was founded as a leper hospital in the 12th century, Somerset Historical Environmental Records dates it to between 1174-1180 AD. Glastonbury Abbey acquired the patronage of the hospital in...
was founded as a leper colony
Leper colony
A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people.-History:Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders...
in the 12th century. Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
acquired the patronage of the hospital in the late 13th century and rebuilt it as almshouses in the early 16th century. From 1612 to 1938 the building continued to be used as almshouses, cared for by a local parish. In the late 1930s it was converted into a hall of offices for the Rural Community Council
Rural Community Council
The rural community councils were established in rural England during the twentieth century to promote rural community life.Each shire county now has one, although some are relative newcomers...
and accommodation for the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen. It later fell into disrepair until the Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust
Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust
The Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust works to save the architectural heritage of Somerset, England.The Trust is an independent body and consists of up to 18 Trustees who hold Board meetings 3 times a year. It is a Building Preservation Trust with charitable status and a company limited by...
with Falcon Rural Housing purchased and restored it for use as four dwellings of social housing. It is a grade II* listed building.
The grounds of Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle is a castle built to defend the town of Taunton, Somerset, England.It has origins in the Anglo Saxon period and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops of Winchester...
include the Somerset County Museum
Somerset County Museum
The Museum of Somerset is located in the 12th century great hall of Taunton Castle, in Taunton in the county of Somerset, England. The museum is run by Somerset County Council and includes objects initially collected by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society who own the...
and The Castle Hotel
Castle Hotel, Taunton
The Castle Hotel at Taunton is a hotel and restaurant located in the centre of Taunton, Somerset, England. The business is located in a Grade II listed 18th century reconstruction of the former 12th century Norman fortress, Taunton Castle.-Building:...
, which incorporates the Castle Bow archway. Together with the municipal buildings they form a three-sided group of buildings just beyond the Castle Bow archway from Fore Street. The centre of the square is used as a car park, and a plain brick edifice of Mecca Bingo hall makes up the west side of it.
The Tudor Tavern
Tudor Tavern, Taunton
The Tudor Tavern at No 15 Fore Street, Taunton, Somerset, England dates from 1578 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.It has an overhanging 3 storey timbered front with a high red tiled roof...
(now a branch of Caffè Nero
Caffè Nero
Caffè Nero or Caffè Nero Group Ltd is an Italian-style coffee shop chain primarily based in the UK. It was founded in 1997 in London as the Caffe Nero Group by Gerry Ford...
) in Fore Street dates from 1578.
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
supermarket, retirement housing and the Brewhouse Theatre
Brewhouse Theatre
The Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre is the largest theatre and arts centre in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England.The building opened 28 March 1977 on the banks of the River Tone, and offers a 350 seat auditorium and supporting studio and exhibition spaces...
. Towards the centre, is the Dellers Wharf Nightclub, Bridge Street and Goodlands Gardens. Currently a regeneration programme is being executed, north of Bridge Street, which will include redeveloping the County Cricket Ground. The area has hosted a concert by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
in 2006.
Shopping
Hankridge Farm is a retail park close to the M5 motorway, with large stores including PC WorldPC World (retailer)
PC World is OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT one of the WHER MA MEMORY STICK ?!?!??! United Kingdom's largest chains of mass-market computer superstores. It is part of Dixons Retail plc. PC World operates under the brand name PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden....
, Halfords
Halfords
Halfords Group plc is a leading retailer of car parts, car enhancements and bicycles operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic and more recently in Poland, although it is currently pulling out of the latter two countries...
, Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
and Tauntons second Sainsburys store. In addition, there is a 'Venue' on the park, with restaurants, the Odeon cinema
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
and Hollywood Bowl bowling. Now known as Riverside Retail Park.
The Old Market was a farmers market and took place on the Parade in front of Market House but this eventually moved to the Firepool area, although cattle trading on the site ceased in 2008. A large indoor shopping centre to the east of the Parade was built on a site which had, at one time been a pig market. Although its official name is now Orchard, and before that the Old Market Centre, locals still refer to it as "The Pig Market" as one operated on the site from 1614 to 1882.
The County Walk is an indoor shopping complex in the centre with an anchor supermarket, Sainsbury's,.
Public parks
Vivary Park
Vivary Park is a public open space in Taunton, Somerset, England.The Sherford Stream, a tributary of the River Tone, flows through the park, which is located near the centre of the town...
, Goodlands Park and Victoria Park.
The most notable is Vivary Park, located on land that was formerly a medieval fish farm
Fish farming
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...
, or vivarium
Vivarium
A vivarium is a usually enclosed area for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research...
, for Taunton Priory
Taunton Priory
Taunton Priory, or the Priory of St Peter and St Paul, was an Augustinian monastery founded c. 1115 by William Gyffarde , Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England near Taunton, Somerset, England....
and Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle is a castle built to defend the town of Taunton, Somerset, England.It has origins in the Anglo Saxon period and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops of Winchester...
. Fronted by a pair of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
gates made by the Saracen Foundry
Saracen Foundry
The Saracen Foundry was the better known name for the Possilpark, Glasgow based foundry company W MacFarlane & Co. Ltd, founded and owned by Walter MacFarlane. Macfarlane's was the most important manufacturer of ornamental ironwork in Scotland....
of Glasgow, it contains the Sherford Stream, a tributary of the River Tone
River Tone
The River Tone is a river in Somerset, England, which is about long. It rises at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through Taunton and Curry and Hay Moors, which are designated as a Site of Special...
, which flows through the 7.5 hectares (18.5 acre) park, which is located near the centre of the town. It contains two main wide open spaces, as well as a war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
dating from 1922, a miniature golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, 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, two children's playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
s, a model railway track
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
which was added in 1979, and an 18-hole, 4620-yards, par-63 golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. The park includes trees, rose beds and herbaceous border
Herbaceous border
A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. The term herbaceous border is mostly in use in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth...
s, with around 56,000 spring and summer bedding plants
Flowerbed
A flowerbed is an element of many gardens. A flowerbed is a garden area especially prepared for growing flowers. The area is typically marked off, often by low-lying structures of brick or similar materials, designed to highlight the flowers and reduce the spread of weeds...
being used each year. The rose garden includes the Royal National Rose Society
Royal National Rose Society
The Royal National Rose Society is dedicated to the cultivation and appreciation of roses. It was founded in 1876 and is based in St Albans in England...
Provincial Trial Ground. Taunton Flower Show
Taunton Flower Show
Taunton Flower Show is an annual flower show held in Vivary Park, Taunton, Somerset, England. It has been described as "The Chelsea of the West", and attracts around 24,000 visitors over its two days....
has been held annually in the park since the 19th century. It has been described as "The Chelsea
Chelsea Flower Show
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London...
of the West", and attracts around 24,000 visitors over its two days. Goodlands Gardens, located in the centre of the town, is behind the Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
department store and The Castle Hotel
Castle Hotel, Taunton
The Castle Hotel at Taunton is a hotel and restaurant located in the centre of Taunton, Somerset, England. The business is located in a Grade II listed 18th century reconstruction of the former 12th century Norman fortress, Taunton Castle.-Building:...
.
Rail
Taunton railway stationTaunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
is on the Bristol to Exeter line
Bristol to Exeter line
The Bristol to Exeter line is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line in the southern United Kingdom and runs from Bristol, to Exeter, from where it continues as the Exeter to Plymouth line...
, the Reading to Taunton line
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
, and the Cross-Country Route. It is served and operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
and served by CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
, with services to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, 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...
, London, 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...
, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, as well as the rest of the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. There are generally one fast and one slow trains each hour to both Bristol Temple Meads and Exeter St Davids
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
and one train to London Paddington.
The former railway route to has is now a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
known as the West Somerset Railway
West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway is a railway line that originally linked and in Somerset, England.It opened in 1862 and was extended from Watchet to by the Minehead Railway in 1874. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the...
.
In 2009, Project Taunton, the authority responsible for Taunton's major regeneration project, revealed plans for Taunton metro rail
Taunton metro rail
Taunton Metro Rail is a proposed light rail network using a combination of existing rail infrastructure and the construction of new infrastructure in the area of Taunton, Somerset.- Current Plans :...
, as part of their transport sustainability plan.
Road
Taunton also has good road links, having the M5 motorwayM5 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...
junctions 25 (Taunton) and 26 (Wellington
Wellington, Somerset
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills to the south of the town...
) close to the town, as well as other major roads such as 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 A358. The Taunton bypass section of M5, from J25-26, opened in April 1974, relieving the town of heavy holiday traffic on the A38. Taunton Deane services
Taunton Deane services
Taunton Deane services is a double sided site motorway service station on the M5 motorway near Taunton. It is owned by RoadChef.-Facilities:* Costa Coffee* The Burger Company* RestBite * WHSmith* Toilets* Cash Machine* Days Inn...
are located between junctions 25 and 26 on the M5. However, with the flourishing local economy, traffic is a problem with Somerset County Council giving a prediction of 300-400% increase based on 2001 levels.
2011 multi vehicle collision
On the evening of 4 November 2011, 34 vehicles were involved in an accident close to junction 25 of the M5 motorwayM5 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...
northbound, on the north eastern edge of the town at West Monkton
West Monkton
West Monkton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish includes the hamlets of Monkton Heathfield, Bathpool, Burlinch and Coombe, and had a population of 2,663 at the 2001 census.-History:The charter for West...
. Seven people were confimed as dead, with a further 51 injured.
Buses and coaches
Local bus services in Taunton's zone 1 and 2 services are provided by First Avon and Somerset. Local bus services are frequent, with peak time services running as frequent as every 4–9 minutes.Webberbus run Services 15, 15A and 18. 15 is service connecting Burnham on Sea with Wellington, via Bridgwater and Taunton, calling at stops including Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
, Castle Way, Musgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital is a large NHS hospital located in Taunton, Somerset. Originally a US Army General Hospital during the Second World War, it became an NHS hospital in 1949.-About the hospital:...
and Somerset College. 15A connects Bridgwater with Wellington via Taunton. 18 is a service from Minehead to Taunton, similar to that of First's 28 service, except that it also stops at Musgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital is a large NHS hospital located in Taunton, Somerset. Originally a US Army General Hospital during the Second World War, it became an NHS hospital in 1949.-About the hospital:...
and Somerset College.
Taunton Coach Station's operators include National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
, whom run regular London and Heathrow coaches. Local coach operator Berrys of Taunton, runs a number of day excursions and offers the London Superfast service from the Taunton and the West County to London every day.
WebberBus operate the Council supported Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
scheme into the town centre known as the Taunton Flyer. The service operates from Silk Mills park and ride site in Silk Mills Road to the west of the town to Taunton Gateway park and ride site, close to Junction 25 of the M5
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...
to the east of the town. Webberbus took over the contract from Stagecoach Somerset on 1 November 2010.
Air
The nearest airports are ExeterExeter International Airport
Exeter International Airport is an airport located at Clyst Honiton in the District of East Devon close to the city of Exeter and within the county of Devon, South West England....
and Bristol
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...
, both within 40 miles of Taunton.
Trams
The Taunton TramwayTaunton Tramway
The Taunton Tramway was an electric street tramway in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It operated a fleet of six narrow gauge tramcars on a single route of between 1901 and 1921 when the tramway closed due to a dispute over the cost of electricity.-History:The Taunton and West...
was opened on 21 August 1901. Six double deck cars operated on the gauge line between the railway station
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
and East Reach where the depot was situated. In 1905 the service was withdrawn for two months while the track was improved; the cars were replaced at the same time by six single deck cars and the old double deckers were sold to Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
. A short extension beyond the station to Rowbarton was opened in 1909 making the line 1.66 miles (2.7 km) long. The price of its electricity was due to increase in 1928 which the company refused to pay so it offered to sell out but this was not accepted. The electricity was cut off on 28 May 1921 and so the system closed.
Education
The Castle School Taunton
The Castle School is a co-educational comprehensive school in Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom. It has 1,200 pupils aged 11 to 16, and has had specialist Sports College status since 2003. It has recently been granted a second specialism in Vocational Education. During the schools latest Ofsted...
, Heathfield Community School
Heathfield Community School
Heathfield Community School is a state secondary school located at West Monkton in the outskirts of Taunton, England. It has 1,203 students aged 11 to 16 and has an Arts College specialist status. The head teacher is Elliott Furneaux.- Facilities :...
, Bishop Fox's Community School
Bishop Fox's Community School
Bishop Fox's Community School is a secondary school in Taunton, Somerset, England.The school has 829 students between the ages of 11 and 16.The school traces its history back to 1522, as the Tudor Grammar School endowed by Richard Foxe , the Bishop of Winchester. The school was housed in what is...
and The Taunton Academy
The Taunton Academy
The Taunton Academy is a school with academy status in Taunton, Somerset, England.The school was formed by the merger of The St Augustine of Canterbury School and Ladymead Community School. Its sponsors are Somerset County Council and the Diocese of Bath and Wells...
. State-funded Sixth Form teaching is provided by Richard Huish College
Richard Huish College, Taunton
Richard Huish College is named after Richard Huish who originally established the college as a grammar school for boys in the 18th century. Since 1979 it has been a sixth form college...
. Both Heathfield Community School
Heathfield Community School
Heathfield Community School is a state secondary school located at West Monkton in the outskirts of Taunton, England. It has 1,203 students aged 11 to 16 and has an Arts College specialist status. The head teacher is Elliott Furneaux.- Facilities :...
and The Castle School
The Castle School Taunton
The Castle School is a co-educational comprehensive school in Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom. It has 1,200 pupils aged 11 to 16, and has had specialist Sports College status since 2003. It has recently been granted a second specialism in Vocational Education. During the schools latest Ofsted...
have or are developing Sixth Forms as an extension to the schools. Heathfield's Sixth Form, named "The Space" (which opened in September 2009) specialises in Performing Arts. Castle's Sixth Form, named Qdos (Opening in September 2010) specialises in Sport. The coeducational independent schools
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
in Taunton are Queen's College
Queen's College, Taunton
Queen's College is a co-educational independent school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for children aged 2–18. The school incorporates Nursery, Pre-Prep, Junior and Senior schools. The current headmaster of the Senior School is Chris Alcock...
, King's College
King's College (Taunton)
King's College is a coeducational, secondary boarding school in Taunton, Somerset, England. It is an independent school of 430 pupils aged 13 to 18, including about 300 boarders. The head of the school is currently Richard Biggs, who started his first academic year in the winter of...
and Taunton School
Taunton School
Taunton School is a co-educational independent school in the county town of Taunton in Somerset in South West England. It serves boarding and day-school pupils from the ages of 13 to 18....
. Further education is provided by Somerset College of Arts and Technology
Somerset College of Arts and Technology
Somerset College of Arts and Technology ' is a community college based in Taunton, in the county of Somerset, England. It was formed in 1974 after the merger of Somerset College of Art and Taunton Technical College. The college provides further and higher education courses, as well as a variety of...
.
In March 2009, it was announced that Jim Knight
Jim Knight
James Philip Knight, Baron Knight of Weymouth is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for South Dorset from 2001 until 2010, when he lost his seat. Knight held several ministerial posts during his time as an MP including Minister for the South West and Minister for...
, Minister of State for Schools and Families, had approved plans that would mean the closure of both Ladymead and nearby St Augustine of Canterbury. The schools are to close in July 2010, to be replaced in September by The Taunton Academy
The Taunton Academy
The Taunton Academy is a school with academy status in Taunton, Somerset, England.The school was formed by the merger of The St Augustine of Canterbury School and Ladymead Community School. Its sponsors are Somerset County Council and the Diocese of Bath and Wells...
.
Health Services
Taunton is within Somerset Primary Care Trust and is home to Musgrove Park HospitalMusgrove Park Hospital
Musgrove Park Hospital is a large NHS hospital located in Taunton, Somerset. Originally a US Army General Hospital during the Second World War, it became an NHS hospital in 1949.-About the hospital:...
, within Taunton and Somerset Foundation NHS Trust. This is one of two district hospitals within Somerset alongside Yeovil District Hospital
Yeovil District Hospital
Yeovil District Hospital is a NHS foundation trust hospital in Yeovil, Somerset, England.It provides acute care for a population of about 180,000, people living in South Somerset, North and West Dorset, and parts of Mendip. The hospital admits around 30,000 inpatients or day cases each year and...
. A Nuffield Hospital is also situated within the town, run privately by Nuffield Health
Nuffield Health
Nuffield Health is a non-profit organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1957, which operates a range of health and wellbeing facilities including Nuffield Health Hospitals and Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing Centres.It is independent of the National Health Service and is constituted...
. The town is also home to several doctor's surgeries as well as a family planning clinic and occupational health centre.
Religious sites
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
Chapel, which dates from 1721, is located on Mary Street in Taunton. Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
, while living Nether Stowey
Nether Stowey
Nether Stowey is a large village in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England. It sits in the foothills of the Quantock Hills , just below Over Stowey...
16 miles (25.7 km) away, came to the chapel to preach on several occasions. Dr. Malachi Blake, who founded the Taunton and Somerset Hospital in East Reach, Taunton, was also a preacher at the chapel, attending in 1809 in celebration of the fiftieth year of George the Third's
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
reign. The Chapel still has the original interior including Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
oak pillars in the Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
style. The pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s and pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
are also in oak, and there is an early 18th century candelabra
Candelabra
"Candelabra" is the traditional term for a set of multiple decorative candlesticks, each of which often holds a candle on each of multiple arms or branches connected to a column or pedestal...
.
In the latter part of the 17th century, Taunton had two dissenting
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
places of worship: "Paul's Meeting" and the Baptist Meeting. Paul's Meeting was built at the top of Paul Street soon after 1672 on part of a bowling green behind the Three Cups Inn, now The County Hotel, and rapidly became one of the largest congregations in the county. After Mayor Timewell sacked
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
both Paul's Meeting and the Baptist Meeting in 1683, the dissenters were driven to worship in private houses on the outskirts of Taunton, where their assemblies were regularly raided by the Justices. Paul's Meeting survived attempts to turn it into a workhouse and, with the coming of William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
, followed by the Toleration Act of 1689, was reopened. The Baptist Meeting became the Baptist New Meeting was registered in 1691 and rebuilt in 1721 as Mary Street Chapel.
The Parish church of St. Mary Magdalene
St Mary Magdalene, Taunton
The Church of St Mary Magdalene in Taunton, Somerset, England was completed in 1508, in Early Tudor Perpendicular Gothic style and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.-History and description:...
, built of sandstone more in the South Somerset style, preserves an attractive painted interior, but its most notable aspect is its 15th and 16th century tower (rebuilt in the mid-19th century), which is one of the best examples in the country and a 163 feet (50 m) tall landmark. It was described by Simon Jenkins
Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon David Jenkins is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992...
, an acknowledged authority on English churches, as "the finest in England. It makes its peace with the sky not just with a coronet but with the entire crown jewels cast in red-brown stone." The tower itself has 12 bells and 3 bells "hung dead" for the clock mechanism.
The Parish church of St. James
Church of St. James, Taunton
The Church of the St. James in Taunton, Somerset, England dates from the early 14th century, although an earlier church was located on the same site in the 10th century. The church is dedicated to St. James the Greater...
is also located near the centre of Taunton quite close to St. Mary Magdalene. The oldest parts of St. James Church are early 14th century and there are fragments of 15th century glass in the West end. Like St. Mary's it also has a sandstone tower but built to a much less impressive design. The tower was also like St. Mary's rebuilt in the 19th century – in this case thought to be due to building defects in the original tower. The church backs onto the County Ground and forms a familiar backdrop to the popular Cricket ground.
The church of St John was built in 1864 to designs by Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
.
Popular culture references
Taunton is mentioned in The Remains of the DayThe Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day is Kazuo Ishiguro's third published novel. One of the most highly-regarded post-war British novels, the work was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1989...
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro OBE or ; born 8 November 1954) is a Japanese–English novelist. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing...
, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré, featuring George Smiley. Smiley is a middle-aged, taciturn, perspicacious intelligence expert in forced retirement. He is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus", the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence...
by John le Carré
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
and was given the fictitious name of "Toneborough" by Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
.
Taunton also features in So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the fourth book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy" written by Douglas Adams. Its title is the message left by the dolphins when they departed Planet Earth just before it was demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, as described in The...
by Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
part of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
series of books.
Comedian Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
mentions the town in his stand-up DVD Part Troll, claiming to have taken part in a teleportation experiment sponsored by Taunton Cider.
Sport
Taunton is home to a number of sport clubs and venues.Taunton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club that is based in Taunton, Somerset. They currently play in National League 2 South, having achieved back-to-back promotions in 2009 and 2010.
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
. Somerset CCC was formed in 1875, but the club did not achieve first class status until 1891. The County Ground has a capacity of 6,500 and the ends are called the River End and the Old Pavilion End, and one of the main stands is named after Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
. The ground houses the Somerset County Cricket shop and museum, which also has various conference rooms. It is the current home of the England women's cricket team.
Taunton Town F.C. are a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club, who play at Wordsworth Drive in the town. They were formed in 1947 by a few local businessmen as Taunton F.C., changing to the current name in 1968, and played their first friendly fixture in 1948. For most of their history, Taunton were members of the Western League. They spent a six-season spell in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
from 1977, and after a further period in the Western League, returned to the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
in 2002, after winning the FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
in 2001. After the latest re-organisation of the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
, the club are currently members of the Southern League Division One South & West.
Somerset Vikings
Somerset Vikings
Somerset Vikings RLFC are a rugby league team from the county of Somerset in England. They play in the South West Division of the Rugby League Conference.The team play at North Petherton rugby club...
are a Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
Club who were formed at the beginning of 2003 as part of the Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
's plans to develop the game further beyond the traditional areas in the north of England. Initially the side was made up of a mixture of Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
based in Taunton and 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...
together with a number of local rugby union players keen to try the 13-man code. The Vikings play at Hyde Park which is the home of the Taunton R.F.C.
Taunton R.F.C.
Taunton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club that is based in Taunton, Somerset. They currently play in National League 2 South, having achieved back-to-back promotions in 2009 and 2010.-History:...
, a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, which was formed in 1875.
The Taunton Tigers
Taunton Tigers
The Taunton Tigers are a charity-funded basketball team competing in the English Basketball League Division 3 South League. The team is based in Taunton, Somerset and play all their home games at Wellsprings Leisure Centre, which has a capacity of 500 seats. Formerly a Division One side, the...
is a semi-professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team competing in the English Basketball League
English Basketball League
The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League....
Men's Division 1. The team play all their home games at Wellsprings Leisure Centre, which has a capacity of 500 seats.
Taunton Racecourse
Taunton Racecourse
Taunton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Orchard Portman, two miles south of Taunton, Somerset, England. Opened in 1927, Taunton is the youngest National Hunt course in England, and the last racecourse to be opened in Britain until Great Leighs in 2008.-History:Horse...
is close to the Blackdown Hills
Blackdown Hills
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....
and about 2 miles (3 km) from the centre of Taunton. Although racing had been held in the area previously, the first race at the present site was held on 21 September 1927. The stands are called the Orchard Stand and the Paddock Stand which provide catering facilities and are used for meetings and conferences on days when racing is not taking place.
There is an oval motor racing circuit at Smeatharpe which is close to the Somerset/Devon border, it is frequently referred to as the Taunton Banger racing circuit although it is around 11 miles from central Taunton.
Local skateboarders raised £183,000 for a replacement skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
at Hamilton Gault Park which opened in May 2010.
Taunton Freeriders is a community mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
project in partnership with the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
who are developing a series of northshore and downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
(DH) style mountain bike trails just outside of the town. Run by volunteers from the local close-knit riding community and funded solely by kind donations, they are also involved with the redevelopment of the "Norton Dirt Jumps".
Notable residents
The following people were born or have lived in Taunton:- Joseph AlleineJoseph AlleineJoseph Alleine was an English Puritan Nonconformist pastor and author of many religious works.-Life:...
- (1634–1668). English Puritan Nonconformist pastor and author. - Colin AddisonColin AddisonColin Addison is an English former professional footballer and manager.Addison has managed a wide variety of clubs in the UK, as well as in countries such as Spain, South Africa, Kuwait and Qatar. Notably he was the player-manager of Hereford United during their famous 1971-72 FA Cup run, which...
- former professional footballer and manager. Born in Taunton 8 May 1940. - Jenny AgutterJenny AgutterJennifer Ann "Jenny" Agutter is an English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress in the mid 1960s, starring in the BBC television series The Railway Children and the film adaptation of the same book, before moving on to adult roles and relocating to Hollywood.She...
- actress. Born in Taunton 20 December 1952. - William Larkins BernardWilliam Larkins BernardWilliam Larkins Bernard FRIBA was an English architect, active in Bristol and London.-Career:...
- architect (1 October 1843 – 22 July 1922). Born in Taunton. - Pattie BoydPattie BoydPatricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd is an English model and photographer, and the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton...
- Actress and model, born 17 March 1944. Former wife of both George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
. - Charles George GordonCharles George GordonMajor-General Charles George Gordon, CB , known as "Chinese" Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British army officer and administrator....
- British general, known as Gordon of Khartoum. Was educated at Fullands School, now a retirement complex off Shoreditch Road, and also lodged in a house next to the Temple Methodist Church. - Antony HewishAntony HewishAntony Hewish FRS is a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 for his work on the development of radio aperture synthesis and its role in the discovery of pulsars...
- Astronomer and Nobel Prize for Physics winner - Rebecca HuxtableRebecca HuxtableRebecca 'Beccy' Huxtable is a British radio personality and producer, currently co-producing The Scott Mills Show with Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1.- Early life :Rebecca was born in Taunton, Somerset...
-Born in Taunton. British radio personality and producer, currently co-producing The Scott Mills ShowThe Scott Mills ShowThe Scott Mills Show is a Sony Radio Academy Award-winning drive time radio show, broadcast every week-day on BBC Radio 1 from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm, with a short break at 5:45 pm for Newsbeat. The show began in its present form on 7 June 2004, and highlights of the show first became available...
on BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock... - Alexander William KinglakeAlexander William KinglakeAlexander William Kinglake was an English travel writer and historian.He was born near Taunton, Somerset and educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge...
- barrister, travel writer and historian (5 August 1809 – 2 January 1891). Born at Wilton House near Taunton. - Lee Martin - footballer who plays for Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on loan from Ipswich Town. Born in Taunton 9 February 1987. - Deborah MeadenDeborah MeadenDeborah Meaden is a British business woman who ran a multi-million pound family holiday business, before completing a management buyout...
- business mogul, philanthropist, star of T.V series Dragons Den. Born in Taunton 11 February 1959. - William Ellis MetfordWilliam Ellis MetfordWilliam Ellis Metford was a British engineer best known for designing the Metford rifling used in the .303 calibre Lee-Metford and Martini-Metford service rifles in the late 19th century....
- (1824–1899) - engineer, best known for the Metford rifling in the .303 Lee-Metford service rifle of the late nineteenth century, born in Taunton. - Frank Montague MooreFrank Montague MooreFrank Montague Moore was a painter and the first director of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He was born November 24, 1877 in Taunton, England, and studied at the Liverpool Art School and the Royal Institute. He immigrated to the United States and took additional painting lessons from Henry Ward...
(1877–1967) - painter and the first director of the Honolulu Academy of ArtsHonolulu Academy of ArtsThe Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
, born in Taunton - Alfred B. MullettAlfred B. MullettAlfred Bult Mullett was an American architect who served from 1866 to 1874 as Supervising Architect, head of the agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings...
- architect to Abraham Lincoln. Born in Taunton (7 April 1834 – 20 October 1890). - James PurefoyJames PurefoyJames Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
- actor, one of the stars of the joint HBO-BBC series, Rome. Born in Taunton 3 June 1964. - Gary RhodesGary RhodesGary Rhodes OBE is an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and distinctive spiked hair style ....
- celebrity chef who was head chef at The Castle HotelCastle Hotel, TauntonThe Castle Hotel at Taunton is a hotel and restaurant located in the centre of Taunton, Somerset, England. The business is located in a Grade II listed 18th century reconstruction of the former 12th century Norman fortress, Taunton Castle.-Building:...
from 1986 – 1990. - Viv RichardsViv RichardsSir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
- former West Indies cricketer. Born in AntiguaAntiguaAntigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, resident in Taunton while playing for Somerset 1974–1986. - Andy RobinsonAndy RobinsonRichard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
- former England rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international and head coach. Now head coach of Scotland. Born in Taunton 3 April 1964 - Miranda ShearerMiranda ShearerMiranda Rose Shearer is a British journalist and author. She is the daughter of John Shearer, a former BBC employee and Tamasin Day-Lewis, author of a number of cookbooks and is a resident of Somerset....
- Author. Born in Taunton 11 May 1982, but resident of SpaxtonSpaxtonSpaxton is a small village and civil parish on the Quantocks in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England.-History:Spaxton was part of the hundred of Cannington....
, later Over StoweyOver StoweyOver Stowey is a small village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England. It sits in the foothills of the Quantock Hills, just below Nether Stowey and north-west of Bridgwater...
and Taunton. - Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount TrenchardHugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount TrenchardMarshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
- Military officer involved in establishment of Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956). Born in Taunton. - Marcus TrescothickMarcus TrescothickMarcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
- England cricketer, given Taunton Deane Citizenship Award in 2005. - Sir Charles Trevelyan, 1st BaronetSir Charles Trevelyan, 1st BaronetSir Charles Edward Trevelyan, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British civil servant and colonial administrator. As a young man, he worked with the colonial government in Calcutta, India; in the late 1850s and 1860s he served there in senior-level appointments...
- Governor of Madras (2 April 1807 – 19 June 1886). Born in Taunton. - Phil VickeryPhil Vickery (chef)Philip Vickery is an English celebrity chef.-Biography:Vickery followed Gary Rhodes as Head Chef of the Castle Hotel, Taunton, which at the time held a Michelin Star. It lost its Michelin status under Vickery, but retained its 4 AA rosettes, while he gained the AA Chef of the Year...
- Celebrity Chef - Frederick Porter WensleyFrederick Porter WensleyFrederick Porter Wensley was a British police officer from 1888 until 1929, reaching the rank of chief constable of the Scotland Yard CID and receiving the following awards; Officer of the Order of the British Empire civil division, Kings Police Medal , Police Jubilee Medal 1897, Police...
- chief constableChief ConstableChief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Scotland YardScotland YardScotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
CIDCriminal Investigation DepartmentThe Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
(1865 – 1949) Born in Taunton. - David Henry WilsonDavid Henry WilsonDavid Henry Wilson is an English writer. As an author he is best known for his children's stories such as the Jeremy James series. Wilson has also had a number of plays produced in the United Kingdom, both for children and adults....
- English writer, known for his children's stories such as the Jeremy JamesAdventures with Jeremy JamesAdventures with Jeremy James is a children's book series by David Henry Wilson featuring a 4-year-old boy named Jeremy James.Jeremy is always getting into mischief in the books. He has parents, "Mummy" and "Daddy", and two baby twins "Christopher" and "Jennifer"...
series.
Twinning
Taunton is twinned with LisieuxLisieux
Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
in France, and Koenigslutter in Germany.