02-12-2010, 08:05 AM
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Episode 4 Somerset
SomersetBristol
A lot of people believe that Bristol is in Somerset, it used to be in the county of Somerset and Avon, now it is a county in its own right.
Bath
It is situated 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol. The population of the city is 83,992. It was granted city status by Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590.
Romans, built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs, which are the only ones naturally occurring in the United Kingdom
Cheddar
Cheddar Cheese was discovered 800 years ago by accident? A milk maid allowed a pail of milk to go bad whilst being stored in the caves at Cheddar and the result was the world famous cheese. The constant temperature of 7 degrees was perfect for the cheddar to mature
Cheddar Gorge is the largest Gorge in Britian at 500 feetThe gorge was formed by meltwater floods during the cold periglacial periods which have occurred over the last 1.2 million years. During the ice ages permafrost blocked the caves with ice and frozen mud and made the limestone impermeable. When this melted during the summers water was forced to flow on the surface, and carved out the gorge. During warmer periods the water flowed underground through the permeable limestone, creating the caves and leaving the gorge dry
Glastonbury
The 'Sweet Track' just outside Glastonbury dates from 4000 BC and is the oldest man made road in the world
Glastonbury is a Town in Somerset, near to vibrant and historic Bristol and Bath. It has a population of over 8000, which is ever increasing. Glastonbury has always been a tourist honey pot attracting visitors from England,
Glastonbury Festival Also know as ‘Glasto’ a famous festival of contemporary performing artists. It is the largest Greenfield music festival in the world boasting an average of 150,000 people in 2005 including over 385 live performances
Minehead
West Somerset, is famous for the annual ritual in which, on the night before 1st May, a "hobby horse", a symbol of fertility, begins a journey through town accompanied by drummers and musicians. Dancing through the street, it will trap bystanders in the street and butt them, asking for contributions. In front of women, it may dip its head and tap them with its feather. Anybody who doesn't give money receives a lashing from the tail
Porlock
St calbones Church near Porlock is the smallest church in Britain
Porlock Weir, only 2 miles away, is a quaint little harbour with a unique charm that has to be experienced. It also boasts the remains of a prehistoric forest, small parts of which are occasionally visible still at a very low tide,
Taunton
The county town of Somerset, is a bustling market town situated on the River Tone between the Quantock, Blackdown and Brendon Hills. With a population of more than fifty thousand Taunton is Somerset’s largest town
Taunton’s Saxon castle, which dates back to the 12th century and was the scene of many a bloody uprising particularly during the English Civil War when the castle was held siege.
Winsford
Tarrs Steps at Winsford dates from around 1000 BC and is the oldest bridge in Britain
Famous people
Arthur C Clarke A Space Odyssey!!
Ernest Bevin Charismatic Politician
John Cleese Monty Python Fame amongst other things.
Sir Henry Irving Great Actor
Jenson Button, F1 driver
William Dampier The first Englishman to set foot on Australia
Would-be witches had to audition for the role of the witch of Wookey Hole Cave in Somerset. Interviews took place for one day only and witches of all persuasions were given one minute to impress the panel
Yeovil Railway Station,
The new owners of Yeovil railway station buffet didn't believe the stories that is was haunted when they took it over, but they do now.
Molly the tealady who used to work at the buffet and who died on the station platform in the 1960s, couldn't bear to be away from the place.
Her ghost is thought to be responsible for swapping cutlery around and turning things on and off, but she always stops when she's asked to!
Somerset's greatest cultural gift to the nation is surely the band "The Wurzels", whose 1976 number one hit "The Combine Harvester" is fondly remembered by cider-drinkers everywhere. Founded in 1966, the band still remain active and popular (in Somerset) over forty years later.
The television series "To the Manor Born" was filmed at the manor house in Cricket St Thomas, Somerset. At the time of production, it was owned by the father-in-law of Peter Spence, the show's writer.
A pagan ritual, The Apple Wassail can be found in Somerset.
This is where local people put toast or bread near the roots of the trees, and sometimes they even tie the bread to the branches. They also poor cider all over the tree roots.They all sing and dance round the trees in a good pagan fashion.
Cheddar Man, a nine thousand year old skeleton, Britain's oldest, was found in Somerset in 1903. DNA analysis has revealed that descendants of Cheddar Man live in the village of Cheddar today.
Episode 5 Dorset
02-12-2010, 01:42 PM
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Re: Episode 4 Somerset
Glad to see you are working your way down south AB. All this reminds me of when I used to live in Bristol from age eight to thirteen. We used to visit many of these places, Cheddar Caves, Minehead and Bath.I hope to learn more about where I live in Dorset tomorrow?
02-12-2010, 04:10 PM
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Re: Episode 4 Somerset
Ooh .... down my way!
Avon was scrapped 10 years ago but it's amazing how many people still insist on including it in the post codes
Bath is about a 30min drive away for us, a beautiful city steeped in history. They have opened a new shopping precinct there this year.
The favourite Wurzels song for the cider drinkers was "Drink up thy Zider", a great song that caught on well here in the West Country!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud2F_K546qg
Thank you again for this great insight of our locations
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