Bridgwater

Monday, 17 December 2012

1001 Hastings DEMU Cabview Channel Two Weston-super-Mare to Bridgwater 07.07.12

Bridgwater town in Photos (Sep 2007 - Sep 2011)

Dee Dee Bridgwater - To Billy with Love - Fano Jazz by the Sea - 2012

Gremlins CC Revolution - Bridgwater Carnival 2012

37667 and 37682 with 6V74 and 6M67 at Bridgwater on 13th December 2012.

Bridgwater carnival 2012| Music | Part 3/5

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Afghanistan
Afghanistan ⁱ/æfˈɡænɨstæn/ (Persian/Pashto: افغانستان, Afġānistān), officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming part of South Asia, Central Asia, and Greater Middle East, it is also considered to be part of a broader West Asia. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of 647,500 km² (250,001 sq mi), making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and the east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.
Afghanistan has been an ancient focal point of the Silk Road and human migration. Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation from as far back as 50,000 BC. Urban civilization may have begun in the area as early as 3,000 to 2,000 BC. Sitting at an important geostrategic location that connects the Middle East with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the land has been home to various peoples through the ages and witnessed many military campaigns, notably by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and in modern era Western forces. The land also served as a source from which the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Timurids, Mughals and many others have risen to form major empires.

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Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England.
It is a steel sculpture of an angel, 20 metres (66 ft) tall, with wings measuring 54 metres (177 ft) across. The wings do not stand straight sideways, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward; Gormley did this to create "a sense of embrace".
It stands on a hill on the southern edge of Low Fell, overlooking the A1 and A167 roads into Tyneside, and the East Coast Main Line rail route, south of the site of Team Colliery.
Work began on the project in 1994 and cost £1 million. Most of the project funding was provided by the National Lottery. The Angel was finished on 16 February 1998.
Due to its exposed location, the sculpture was built to withstand winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h). Thus, 600 tonnes of concrete were used to create foundations which anchor the sculpture to rock 70 feet (21 m) below. The sculpture was built at Hartlepool Steel Fabrications Ltd using Corten weather resistant steel. It was made in three parts—with the body weighing 100 tonnes and two wings weighing 50 tonnes each—then brought to its site by road. It took five hours for the body to be transported from its construction site in Hartlepool, up the A19 road to the site.

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Ashcott
Coordinates: 51°07′N 2°49′W / 51.12°N 2.81°W / 51.12; -02.81
Ashcott is a small village and civil parish located in the Sedgemoor area of Somerset in the south-west of England. The village has a population of 1,280. The parish includes the hamlets of Buscott, Berhill and Ashcott Corner.
The village has five pubs and its own brewer, Moor Beer. It has a church, shop and a primary school.
The parish of Ashcott was part of the Whitley Hundred.
The village used to have a station on the Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The station was two miles away from the village, and was originally called "Ashcott and Meare", reflecting the fact that Meare was also nearby (in fact, nearer). "Meare" was dropped from the official name in 1876, though the station "running board" – the large sign on the platform – continued to give the double name until the railway line closed in 1966 under the Beeching Axe.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

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Athelney
Coordinates: 51°03′20″N 2°55′52″W / 51.0555°N 2.9310°W / 51.0555; -2.9310
Athelney is located between the villages of Burrowbridge and East Lyng in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The area is known as the Isle of Athelney, because it was once a very low isolated island in the 'very great swampy and impassable marshes' of the Somerset Levels. Much of the Levels are below sea level. They are now drained for agricultural use during the summer, but are regularly flooded in the winter.
Athelney is around 6 miles from North Petherton, where the Alfred Jewel (an Anglo-Saxon ornament dating from the late 9th century) was discovered in 1693.
The Isle of Athelney is best known for once being the fortress hiding place of King Alfred the Great, from where he went on to defeat the Danes at the Battle of Eddington in May 878.
Archaeological excavations and written evidence indicate that at the time of Alfred the island was linked by a causeway to East Lyng, with either end protected by a semi-circular stockade and ditch. The ditch on the island is now known to date from the Iron Age. It is therefore presumed that the Isle was known by Alfred to have been an ancient fort, and that its existing defences were strengthened by him. Evidence of metalworking on the site suggests that he also used the island to equip his army.

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Axbridge
Coordinates: 51°17′13″N 2°48′54″W / 51.287°N 2.815°W / 51.287; -2.815
Axbridge is a town in Somerset, England, situated in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, near the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The town population according to the 2001 census was 2,024.
Axanbrcyg is suggested as the source of the name, meaning a bridge over the River Axe, in the early 9th century.
Early inhabitants of the area almost certainly include the Romans (who are known to have mined lead on the top of the Mendips) and earlier still, prehistoric man, (who lived in the local caves) whose flint tools have been found on the slopes of the local hills. The history of Axbridge can be traced back to the reign of King Alfred when it was part of the Saxons' defence system for Wessex against the Vikings. In the Burghal Hidage, a list of burbs compiled in 910 it was listed as Axanbrycg. A listing of Axbridge appears in the Domesday survey of 1086 as Alse Bruge, meaning 'axe bridge' from the Old English isca and brycg. It was part of the royal manor of Cheddar and part of the Winterstoke Hundred.

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Badgworth
Coordinates: 51°16′05″N 2°52′08″W / 51.268°N 2.869°W / 51.268; -2.869
Badgworth is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of Axbridge. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 487.
The village is home to an equestrian centre known as the Badgworth Arena.
The parish includes the villages of Biddisham where the Church of St John The Baptist dates from the 13th century but was rebuilt in the 15th century, and Tarnock the name of which is believed to be Brythonic in origin.
Late Iron Age and Romano-British potery was found at a kiln site in the village in the 1830s. It consisted primarily of jars with bead rims and bowls with flanged or rolled rims.
The parish of Badgeworth was part of the Winterstoke Hundred, while Biddisham was part of the Bempstone hundred.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

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BAE Systems
Coordinates: 51°16′25″N 0°46′00″W / 51.27361°N 0.7666667°W / 51.27361; -0.7666667
BAE Systems plc (LSE: BA.) is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the second-largest based on revenues. It was formed on 30 November 1999 by the £7.7 billion merger of two British companies, Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc (GEC), and aircraft, munitions and naval systems manufacturer British Aerospace (BAe).
BAE Systems is the successor to various aircraft and defence electronics companies, including The Marconi Company, the first commercial company devoted to the development and use of radio; A.V. Roe and Company, one of the world's first aircraft companies; de Havilland, manufacturer of the world's first commercial jet airliner; British Aircraft Corporation, co-manufacturer of the Concorde supersonic transport; and Supermarine, manufacturer of the Spitfire. Since its formation it has sold its shares in Airbus, Astrium, AMS and Atlas Elektronik, and made a number of acquisitions, most notably United Defense and Armor Holdings of the United States.

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Bath, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°23′N 2°22′W / 51.38°N 2.36°W / 51.38; -2.36
Bath ( /ˈbɑːθ/ or /ˈbæθ/) is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset in the south west of England. 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, and was made a county borough in 1889 which gave it administrative independence from its county, Somerset. The city became part of Avon when that county was created in 1974. Since 1996, when Avon was abolished, Bath has been the principal centre of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES).
The city was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans in AD 43, although verbal tradition suggests that Bath was known before then. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs.Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.

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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 crown he was trying to take. The royalist forces prevailed and about 500 troops captured. Monmouth escaped from the battlefield but was later captured and taken to London for trial and execution.
Many of Monmouth's supporters were tried during the Bloody Assizes. Many were transported abroad, while others were executed by drawing and quartering.
It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion between the troops of the rebel James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth who was attempting to seize the English throne from his uncle James II of England. James II had succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Charles II on 2 February 1685; James Scott was Charles' illegitimate son.
After Monmouth landed from the Netherlands at Lyme Regis in Dorset, there had been a series of marches and skirmishes throughout Dorset and Somerset. Eventually Monmouth's poorly equipped army was pushed back to the Somerset Levels, becoming hemmed in at Bridgwater on 3 July, and ordered his troops to fortify the town. The force was made up of around 3,500, mostly nonconformist, artisans and farmer workers armed with farm tools (such as pitchforks):

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Bawdrip
Coordinates: 51°09′04″N 2°56′38″W / 51.151°N 2.944°W / 51.151; -2.944
Bawdrip is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The village is on the south side of the Polden Hills about 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Bridgwater. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 498. The parish includes the hamlets of Bradney and Horsey. The name Horsey comes from Anglo-Saxon "hors-eg" and means 'horse island' and was mentioned in the Domesday Book.
There may have been quarrying on the hillside in the 15th century and lias was dug in the early 19th. Lime was being extracted and processed in the extreme western tip of the parish under Puriton Hill by 1886 and until 1973 in association with the cement works at Dunball. Salt was extracted in the early 20th century.
The small building on Church Road, sometimes known as "The Dwarf's House" dates from the early 19th century. It is 13 feet (4.0 m) by 9 feet (2.7 m) and 13 feet (4.0 m) high.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

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Berrow, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°16′01″N 3°00′43″W / 51.267°N 3.012°W / 51.267; -3.012
Berrow is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,766.
Berrow was part of the hundred of Brent-cum-Wrington.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Berrow,_Somerset
Brean
Coordinates: 51°18′00″N 3°00′40″W / 51.300°N 3.011°W / 51.300; -3.011
Brean is a village and civil parish between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, England. The name is derived from "Bryn" Brythonic and Modern Welsh for a hill.
Close to the village is Brean Down, a promontory standing 320 feet (98 m) high and extending 1.5 miles (2.4 km) into the Bristol Channel, on which stands Brean Down Fort, marking the end of Weston Bay.
The village is on a strip of land between the sea and the River Axe. It is the home of Brean Leisure Park, a tropical bird garden, other tourist attractions and several caravan parks. The sandy beach has been used for land sailing since 1970. Sometimes, Brean can also be linked with the nearby village, Berrow so the villages can also be called Berrow & Brean.
Brean was part of the hundred of Bempstone.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

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Brean Down
Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset standing 320 feet (98 m) high and extending 1.5 miles (2 km) into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.
Made of carboniferous limestone, it is a continuation of the Mendip Hills, and two further continuations are the small islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm.
It is now owned by the National Trust, and is rich in wildlife, history and archaeology. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. There are steep cliffs and, at its seaward point, a Brean Down Fort built in 1865 and then re-armed in the Second World War.
There is evidence of a pagan shrine at Brean Down dating from pre-Roman times which was re-established as a Romano-Celtic style temple in the mid-4th century and probably succeeded by a small late-4th century Christian oratory. Several Roman finds including gold coins of Augustus, Nero, and Drusus, two silver denarii of Vespasian and a Roman cornelian ring were found at the site during quarrying.

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Bridgwater
Coordinates: 51°07′41″N 2°59′35″W / 51.128°N 2.993°W / 51.128; -2.993
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England. According to the 2001 census, the town had a population of 33,698.
Bridgwater is situated, on the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country, having to the north the Mendip range and on the west the Quantock hills. The town lies along both sides of the River Parrett, 10 miles (16 km) from its mouth, has been a major port and trading centre and maintains a large industrial base. It is linked to Taunton by the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. Bridgwater is located between two junctions of the M5 motorway and Bridgwater railway station is on the main railway line between Bristol and Taunton.
Historically, the town had a politically radical tendency, being involved in several events of note on the national stage, and was defended by its own castle. The battlefield of the Battle of Sedgemoor, where the Monmouth Rebellion was finally crushed in 1685 is nearby. Among several places of worship the chief is the Church of St Mary. A house in Blake Street, largely restored, was the birthplace of Admiral Blake in 1598, and is now the Blake Museum. The town has its own arts centre and plays host to the annual Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival.

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Bridgwater College
Bridgwater College is a further education (FE) college primarily based in Bridgwater, Somerset, England. It has centres in Cannington, Yeovil, and Paignton.
The college's 2006 Ofsted report stated that there were 15,801 students enrolled in the 2004-2005 period. It also gave an "Outstanding Grade 1" to all areas assessed.
The College offers courses from entry level through higher education and has links with University of Plymouth by way of The University of Plymouth Colleges network, Bournemouth University, Oxford Brookes University and is part of the Wessex Partnership, in association with Bath Spa University. After a merger with Cannington College in September 2004, Bridgwater College was able to expand its curriculum of full-time and part-time courses for school leavers, adults, university level students, the business community and students from overseas.
The main campus, Bridgwater Centre, houses facilities which include a television studio, forensics laboratory, a motorsport centre and the new £8 million building devoted to Health & Fitness. The centre also houses numerous commercial units such as an early years centre, a beauty salon, a hair salon, a gym, and a travel agency.

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Bridgwater Friary
Bridgwater Friary was a Franciscan monastery established in 1245 and dissolved in 1538 in Bridgwater, Somerset, England.
It was founded by William Briwere and moved from another location. Further buildings were added in 1278 and 1284. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century and consecrated in 1445. After the dissolution of the monasteries it became a mansion house. There have been various attempts to excavated the site with decorated tiles, and other building fragments now in the Blake Museum. The only visible remains are an old door in Silver Street.
The site is also crossed by a linear feature thought to date from the English Civil War.
Coordinates: 51°07′31″N 3°00′26″W / 51.1252°N 3.0071°W / 51.1252; -3.0071

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Bristol
Bristol ⁱ/ˈbrɪstəl/ 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 (LUZ) with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007. It is England's sixth and the United Kingdom's eighth most populous city, one of the group of English Core Cities and the most populous city in South West England.
Historically within Gloucestershire, the city received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it ranked amongst the top three English cities after London, alongside York and Norwich, on the basis of tax receipts, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. It borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, and is also located near the historic cities of Bath to the south east and Gloucester to the north. The city is built around the River Avon, and it also has a short coastline on the Severn Estuary, which flows into the Bristol Channel.

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Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel (Welsh: Môr Hafren, meaning 'Severn Sea') is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren) to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city of Bristol, and is over 30 miles (50 km) across at its widest point.
Long stretches of the coastline of the Bristol Channel, on both the South Wales and West Country sides, are designated as Heritage Coast, including Exmoor, Bideford Bay, the Hartland Point peninsula, Lundy Island, Glamorgan, Gower Peninsula, South Pembrokeshire and Caldey Island.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bristol Channel as "a line joining Hartland Point [in Devon] (51°01′N 4°32′W / 51.017°N 4.533°W / 51.017; -4.533) to St. Govan's Head [in Pembrokeshire] (51°36′N 4°55′W / 51.6°N 4.917°W / 51.6; -4.917)".
The upper limit of the Channel is between Sand Point, Somerset and Lavernock Point in South Wales. East of this line is the Severn Estuary. Western and northern Pembrokeshire, and north Cornwall are outside the defined limits of the Bristol Channel, and are considered part of the seaboard of the Atlantic Ocean, more specifically the Celtic Sea.

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Broomfield, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°04′52″N 3°06′50″W / 51.081°N 3.114°W / 51.081; -3.114
Broomfield is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, situated about five miles north of Taunton. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 224.
The village is the highest village on the Quantock Hills and lies on the Quantock Greenway footpath.
Approximately 1 mile (2 km) from the village is the Iron Age hill fort of Ruborough Camp. There was a subterranean tunnel, which has now been filed in, which gave the camp safe access to a nearby spring for water.
The estate was owned after the Norman Conquest by William de Mohun of Dunster, 1st Earl of Somerset.
Broomfield was part of the hundred of Andersfield.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Broomfield,_Somerset
Burnham Without
Burnham Without is a civil parish to the east of Burnham-on-Sea and north of Highbridge in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
The parish includes the village of Edithmead and is the site of the Somerset Rebels Speedway track.
The parish 2002 had a population of 796.
It consists of drained low lying land between the coast and Brent Knoll Iron Age hill fort.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

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Burnham-on-Sea
Coordinates: 51°14′15″N 2°59′37″W / 51.2376°N 2.9935°W / 51.2376; -2.9935
Burnham-on-Sea is a town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett and Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small village until the late 18th century, when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. It forms part of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge. According to the 2001 census the population of the parish was 18,401.
The position of the town on the edge of the Somerset Levels, where they meet the Bristol Channel, has resulted in a history dominated by land reclamation and sea defences since Roman times. Burnham was seriously affected by the Bristol Channel floods of 1607, and various flood defences have been installed since then. In 1911, a concrete sea wall was built, and after the Second World War further additions to the defences were made, using the remains of a Mulberry harbour. The present curved concrete wall was completed in 1988. There have been many shipwrecks on the Gore Sands, which lie just offshore and can be exposed at low tides. The need to protect shipping using the channel has also led to the development of the lighthouses, which are prominent landmarks. The original lighthouse, known as the Round Tower, was built to replace the light on the top of the 14th-century tower of St Andrews Church. The four-storey round tower was taken over and improved by Trinity House in 1815, and was operational until 1832. The top two storeys were later removed, to prevent confusion with the new lighthouse. The 110 feet (34 m) pillar or High Lighthouse and the low wooden pile lighthouse or Lighthouse on legs on the beach were built to replace it. The town's first lifeboat was provided in 1836 by the Corporation of Bridgwater.

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Burtle
Coordinates: 51°10′N 2°52′W / 51.17°N 2.87°W / 51.17; -02.87
Burtle is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
Burtle Priory (also known as Burtle Moor Priory) originated as a hermitage on a site called Sprauellissmede, endowed by William son of Godfrey of Eddington in 1199. It was later known as St Stephens chapel and by 1312 a house of the Augustinian Canons Regular.
It is close to the village of Edington and between them was Edington Burtle station on a branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, which opened in 1890 and closed on March 7, 1966.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Burtle
Cannington, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°09′00″N 3°04′01″W / 51.150°N 3.067°W / 51.150; -3.067
Cannington is a village and civil parish 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It lies on the west bank of the River Parret, and contains the hamlet of Edstock.
The parish formerly included part of the village of Combwich, with its port and ferry terminal. In 1881 the parish contained 4,980 acres (2,020 ha).
The Saxon name of this village was Caninganmaersees or Cantuctone. Cantuc was an Old English word for a ridge, ton a settlement.
The Battle of Cynwit took place in 878, and Cannington Camp, a Bronze Age and Iron Age hill fort, (also called Cynwir or Cynwit Castle) has been suggested as the most likely location for it. The Cannington Camp site, of recognized archaeological importance, has been partly destroyed by Castle Hill Quarry in its limestone quarrying activities.
It was the site of a Benedictine nunnery, founded by Robert de Courcy about 1140, which survived until the Dissolution of the monasteries. The nunnery owned significant land in the area. The site is now Cannington Court which incorporates some remains of the Priory.

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Castle Cary
Coordinates: 51°05′17″N 2°30′50″W / 51.08798°N 2.51395°W / 51.08798; -2.51395
Castle Cary is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 km) north west of Wincanton and 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Shepton Mallet.
The town is situated on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett.
The site of Cary Castle is above the town. It was built either by Walter of Douai or by the following owners, the Perceval family, after the Norman conquest. It was besieged by King Stephen in 1138, and again in 1153. By 1468 the castle had been abandoned in favour of a manor house which was built beside it. The site was excavated in 1890 and demonstrated the foundations of a 24 square metres (258 sq ft) square tower, although only the earthworks are visible today.
The parish was part of the hundred of Catsash.
The manor was held by the Lovels and descended by marriage in 1351 to the St Maur (Seymour) family and in 1409 to the Baron Zouche. The manor was bought in the 1780s by the Hoares of Stourhead in Wiltshire.

wn.com/Castle_Cary
Catcott
Coordinates: 51°09′00″N 2°51′54″W / 51.150°N 2.865°W / 51.150; -2.865
Catcott is a rural village and civil parish, situated close to Edington 7 miles (11.3 km) to the east of Bridgwater on the Somerset Levels to the north of the Polden Hills in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
In the Domesday Book of 1086 Roger de Courcelles held five hides at Catcott, which were recorded with Glastonbury Abbey's Shapwick estate.
In 1990 Catcott was the winner of the village category of the Britain in Bloom competition.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Catcott
Cheddar
Coordinates: 51°16′44″N 2°46′41″W / 51.279°N 2.778°W / 51.279; -2.778
Cheddar is a large village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset. It is situated on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Nyland and Bradley Cross. The village, which has its own parish council, has a population of 5,093 and the parish has an acreage of 8,592 acres (3,477 ha) as of 1961.
Cheddar Gorge is the largest gorge in the United Kingdom and includes several show caves including Gough's Cave. The gorge has been a centre of human settlement since Neolithic times, including a Saxon palace. It has a temperate climate and provides a unique geological and biological environment that has been recognised by the designation of several Sites of Special Scientific Interest. It is also the site of several limestone quarries. The village gave its name to Cheddar cheese and has been a centre for strawberry growing, with the crop being transported on the Cheddar Valley line, which closed in the late 1960s but is now a cycle path. It is now a major tourist destination with several cultural and community facilities, including the Cheddar Show Caves Museum.

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Chedzoy
Coordinates: 51°08′02″N 2°57′04″W / 51.134°N 2.951°W / 51.134; -2.951
Chedzoy is a civil parish village 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
The village is at the western end of King's Sedgemoor and lies on an 'island' of Burtle marine sands, close to King's Sedgemoor Drain. The area was settled possibly in the Mesolithic period, and timber trackways from the 3rd to 1st millennium B.C. provided routes to other settlements on the Somerset Levels. Roman artifacts have been found in the parish.
The village is very close to the site of the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

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Chew Valley
Coordinates: 51°20′15″N 2°36′55″W / 51.337421°N 2.615197°W / 51.337421; -2.615197
The Chew Valley is an area in North Somerset, England, named after the River Chew, which rises at Chewton Mendip, and joins the River Avon at Keynsham. Technically, the area of the valley is bounded by the water catchment area of the Chew and its tributaries; however, the name Chew Valley is often used less formally to cover other nearby areas, for example, Blagdon Lake and its environs, which by a stricter definition are part of the Yeo Valley. The valley is an area of rich arable and dairy farmland, interspersed with a number of villages.
The landscape consists of the valley of the River Chew and is generally low-lying and undulating. It is bounded by higher ground ranging from Dundry Down to the north, the Lulsgate Plateau to the west, the Mendip Hills to the south and the Hinton Blewett, Marksbury and Newton St Loe plateau areas to the east. The valley's boundary generally follows the top of scarp slopes except at the southwestern and southeastern boundaries where flat upper areas of the Chew Valley grade gently into the Yeo Valley and eastern Mendip Hills respectively. The River Chew was dammed in the 1950s to create Chew Valley Lake, which provides drinking water for the nearby city of Bristol and surrounding areas. The lake is a prominent landscape feature of the valley, a focus for recreation, and is internationally recognised for its nature conservation interest, because of the bird species, plants and insects.

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Chilton Polden
Coordinates: 51°09′11″N 2°53′46″W / 51.153°N 2.896°W / 51.153; -2.896
Chilton Polden is a rural village and civil parish, situated close to Edington on the Somerset Levels to the north of the Polden Hills in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
The name of the village is thought to derive from its position on limestone and from the hill on which part of the parish lies. The form Chelton upon Poledowne is found in 1664. The Polden estate was given to Glastonbury Abbey by Æthelheard of Wessex in 729.
Chilton Priory (also known as Stradling's Folly) was originally built as a folly, and subsequently enlarged to become a country house. The tower and wing at the rear were built in 1838, for William Stradling. Stradling also incorporated various pieces of buildings and archaeological relics from around the county, especially materials from a Roman Villa at Chedzoy. The upper windows, battlements and grotesque heads came from a demolished castle at Enmore and the pinnacles from an old church tower at Langport. The staircase turret came from a church in Shepton Mallet and three of the windows in the nave from a chapel at Slapeland. The Priory has more recently been home to Katherine Maltwood who was an artist and became known as the discoverer of the Glastonbury Zodiac (otherwise known as the Temple of the Stars), an enormous geomantic creation surrounding the Tor at Glastonbury. The Temple was another folly tower, built by Stradling in the early 19th incorporating re-used 15th features.

wn.com/Chilton_Polden
Chilton Trinity
Coordinates: 51°09′00″N 3°00′32″W / 51.150°N 3.009°W / 51.150; -3.009
Chilton Trinity is a village and civil parish on the River Parrett, 2 miles (3 km) north of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
Iron age and Roman pottery have been found at Chilton village. The name Chilton implies a settlement for younger sons.
At one time Chilton Trinity was part of the hundred of Andersfield, but in another era it was part of the hundred of Cannington.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Chilton_Trinity
Clevedon
Coordinates: 51°26′18″N 2°51′14″W / 51.4384°N 2.8539°W / 51.4384; -2.8539
Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The town has a population of 21,957 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001.
The town is situated amongst a group of small hills alongside the River Severn estuary, including Churchill, Wain's hill (which is topped by the remains of an Iron Age hill fort), Dial hill, Strawberry hill, Castle hill, Hangstone hill and Court hill which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Clevedon was mentioned in the Domesday Book but did not really grow until the Victorian era when Clevedon became a popular seaside town. It was served by a short branch line from the main railway at Yatton, between 1847 and 1961. Another railway also served the town, the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway, which opened in 1897 and closed in 1940.

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Compton Bishop
Coordinates: 51°17′42″N 2°52′08″W / 51.295°N 2.869°W / 51.295; -2.869
Compton Bishop is a small village and civil parish, at the western end of the Mendip Hills in the English county of Somerset. It is located close to the historic town of Axbridge. Along with the village of Cross and the hamlets of Rackley and Webbington it forms the parish of Compton Bishop and Cross.
It was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Comtone. It was the property of Giso, Bishop of Wells. The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred.
The parish includes the hamlet of Rackley which was a trading port on the River Axe in the Middle Ages following construction of a wharf in 1200. It now north of the river Axe as the course has been diverted, but on the Cheddar Yeo near the confluence. In 1324 Edward II confirmed it as a borough, however by the end of the 14th century the port was in decline. In the 14th century a French ship sailed up the river and by 1388 Thomas Tanner from Wells used Rackley to export cloth and corn to Portugal, and received iron and salt in exchange. Later slate was imported through this route and it may have still be possible to trade through Rackley until the act of 1915 authorising the drainage of the Axe and installation of the flood gate at Bleadon.

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Cornwall
Cornwall ( /ˈkɔrnwɔːl/ or /ˈkɔrnwəl/;Cornish: Kernow [ˈkɛrnɔʊ]; Latin: Cornubia or Cornuvia) is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of 537,400 and covers an area of 3,563 km² (1,376 sq mi). The administrative centre and only city is Truro.
The area now known as Cornwall was first inhabited in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. It continued to be occupied by Neolithic and then Bronze Age peoples, and later (in the Iron Age) by Brythons with distinctive cultural relations to neighbouring Wales and Brittany. There is little evidence that Roman rule was effective west of Exeter and few Roman remains have been found. Cornwall was a division of the Dumnonii tribe—whose tribal centre was in the modern county of Devon—known as the Cornovii, separated from Wales after the Battle of Deorham, often coming into conflict with the expanding English kingdom of Wessex before King Athelstan in AD 936 set the boundary between English and Cornish at the Tamar. From the early Middle Ages, British language and culture was apparently shared by Brythons trading across both sides of the Channel, evidenced by the corresponding high medieval Breton kingdoms of Domnonee and Cornouaille and the Celtic Christianity common to both territories.

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Cossington, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°09′36″N 2°55′26″W / 51.160°N 2.924°W / 51.160; -2.924
Cossington is a village and civil parish close to Woolavington and 5 miles (8 km) north of Bridgwater, in the Sedgemoor district in Somerset, England. The village lies on the north side of the Polden Hills.
It was probably part of the ancient Polden estate of Glastonbury Abbey. The abbey retained an interest as chief lord of the manor until 1508. The parish of Cossington was part of the Whitley Hundred.
Cossington railway station was a station on the Bridgwater branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, which opened in 1890 and closed in 1952.
Cossington had a Penny Post service under Bridgwater in 1830. The post office closed in March 2007.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Cossington,_Somerset
Crewkerne
Coordinates: 50°52′49″N 2°47′38″W / 50.8803°N 2.7939°W / 50.8803; -2.7939
Crewkerne (pronunciation: /ˈkruːkərn/) is a town in Somerset, England, situated 9 miles (14 km) south west of Yeovil and 7 miles (11 km) east of Chard in the South Somerset district close to the border with Dorset. The civil parish of West Crewkerne includes the hamlets of Woolminstone and Henley. The town lies on the River Parrett, A30 road and West of England Main Line railway.
The earliest written record of Crewkerne is in the 899 will of Alfred the Great. After the Norman conquest it was held by William the Conqueror and in the Domesday Survey of 1086 was described as a royal manor. Crewkerne Castle was possibly a Norman motte castle. The town grew up in the late mediaeval period around the textile industry, its wealth preserved in the fifteenth century Church of St Bartholomew. During the 18th and 19th centuries the main industry was cloth making, including webbing, and sails for the Royal Navy.
Local ecological sites include the Bincombe Beeches Local Nature Reserve and the Millwater biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Crewkerne railway station is served by South West Trains on the main south western railway line. There are local supermarkets and local shops, and some local industry. The town been the birthplace of several notable people and has varied cultural and sporting facilities including those at Wadham Community School.

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Czech Republic
The Czech Republic (ⁱ/ˈtʃɛk/ CHEK;Czech: Česká republika, pronounced [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka] ( listen), short form Česko Czech pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛskɔ]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the north, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants, is Prague.
It is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.
The Czech state, formerly known as Bohemia, was formed in the late 9th century as a small duchy around Prague, at that time under dominance of the powerful Great Moravian Empire (which reached its greatest territorial extent during the reign of Svatopluk I from the House of Mojmír). After the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power was transferred from Moravia to Bohemia, under the Přemyslids. During the rule of Přemyslid dukes/kings and their successors, the Luxembourgs, the country reached its greatest territorial extent (13th–14th century). Life in the country was significantly affected by the Hussite wars, during which it faced economic embargo and crusades from all over Europe. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy as one of its three principal parts alongside the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Bohemian Revolt (1618–20) led to the further centralization of the monarchy including forced recatholization and Germanization. During radical reforms in the 18th century the Bohemian Crown was even de facto abolished (1749). In the 19th century the Czech lands became the industrial powerhouse of the monarchy and the core of the Republic of Czechoslovakia which was formed in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I.

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Denmark
The Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark, pronounced [ˈkɔŋəʁiːəð ˈdanmɑɡ̊] ( listen)) is a constitutional monarchy and sovereign state consisting the country of Denmark in northern Europe and two autonomous constituent countries, the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. The kingdom is a unitary state with some power being devolved from Denmark proper to Greenland and the Faroe Islands; this polity is referred to as the Danish Realm. Denmark proper is the hegemonial area, where judicial, executive, and legislative power resides. The Faroe Islands are defined to be a community of people within the kingdom, and the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.
Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, located southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland and many islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm, as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago.

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Devon
Coordinates: 50°42′N 3°48′W / 50.7°N 3.8°W / 50.7; -3.8
Devon ( /ˈdɛvən/) is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although it has never been officially "shired" and that use often indicates a traditional or historical context. Nowadays, "Devonshire" is mostly a demonym.
The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to the east. Its southern coast abuts the English Channel and its northern coast the Bristol Channel and Celtic Sea. The name "Devon" derives from the ancient Dumnonia, which was home to the independent kingdom of Brythonic Celtic speaking people who inhabited this area of the southwestern peninsula of Britain continuously from through the Roman era until partial absorption into the English-speaking Kingdom of Wessex some time in the eighth or ninth century, with some emigration to the sister Kingdom of Domnonee in Brittany taking place.
Devon is the fourth largest of the English counties by area and has a population of 1,141,600 making it the 11th most populous. The county town is the cathedral city of Exeter. In addition to Devon County Council, the county contains two unitary authorities (independent from Devon County Council's control): the port city of Plymouth and Torbay, a conurbation of seaside resorts. Plymouth is also the largest city in Devon. Much of the county is rural (including national park) land, with a low population density by British standards. It contains Dartmoor 954 km² (368 sq mi), the largest open space in southern England. It is the only English county to have two separate coastlines – a north and southern coastline.

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Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.
Medieval castles were usually defended by a ditch or moat, crossed by wooden bridge. In early castles the bridge might be designed to be destroyed or removed in the event of an attack, but drawbridges became very common. A typical arrangement would have the drawbridge immediately outside a gatehouse, consisting of a wooden deck with one edge hinged or pivoting at the gatehouse threshold, so that in the raised position the bridge would be flush against the gate, forming an additional barrier to entry. It would be backed by one or more portcullises and gates. Access to the bridge could be resisted with missiles from machicolations above or arrow slits in flanking towers.
The bridge would be raised or lowered using ropes or chains attached to a windlass in a chamber in the gatehouse above the gate-passage. Only a very light bridge could be raised in this way without any form of counterweight, so some form of bascule arrangement is normally found. The bridge may extend into the gate-passage beyond the pivot point, either over a pit into which the internal portion can swing (providing a further obstacle to attack), or in the form of counterweighted beams that drop into slots in the floor.

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Dunball
Coordinates: 51°09′38″N 2°59′13″W / 51.1605°N 2.987°W / 51.1605; -2.987
Dunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.
Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle a motte-and-bailey castle, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Located on the A38, adjacent to Junction 23 of the M5 motorway, it hosts a wharf on the River Parrett, created in 1844 by Bridgwater coal merchants, which is the only part of the Port of Bridgwater still in commercial use today. Dunball also has a small industrial estate, built on the site of the Royal Ordnance Factory's hostel blocks; and a hotel.
The wharf was formerly linked to the Bristol and Exeter Railway by a rail track which crossed the A38, on the right hand side of the hotel. The link was built in 1876 by coal merchants, and was originally operated as a horse-drawn tramway. It was removed during the Beeching Axe and Dunball also lost its railway station on 5 October 1964, which had opened in 1873. The wharf was used during World War II to bring Welsh coal to the nearby Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Bridgwater. The wharf is now used for landing stone products, mainly marine sand and gravels dredged in the Bristol Channel.

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Durleigh
Coordinates: 51°07′23″N 3°02′13″W / 51.123°N 3.037°W / 51.123; -3.037
Durleigh is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. According to the 2001 Census, it had a population of 609. Its nearest town is Bridgwater, which lies approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km) north-east from the village.
The village lies on Durleigh brook, a tributary of the River Parrett, which was dammed in 1938 to form Durleigh reservoir.
The name Durleigh means wood frequented by deer.
Durleigh was part of the hundred of Andersfield.
West Bower Manor (also known as Durleigh Manor) is all that remains of a large manorial property, the majority of which has been demolished. Parts of the building date from the 15th century though the core of the fabric may even be earlier, further parts were built in the 17th and 19th centuries. It was the seat of the historical estate of "West Bower" (Bower Delamere) once held by Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, the brother of Jane Seymour, Henry the VIII`s Queen.

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East Brent, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°15′50″N 2°56′10″W / 51.264°N 2.936°W / 51.264; -2.936
East Brent is a village and civil parish, located on the eastern edge of a hill that dominates the surrounding level countryside—Brent Knoll—close to the M5 motorway, 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Axbridge, in the Sedgemoor district of the county of Somerset, in the south-west of England. The parish includes the hamlets of Rooks Bridge, where the A38 road crosses the Mark Yeo and Edingworth.
The manor formed part of the great Saxon estate of Brent given by King Ine of the West Saxons to Glastonbury Abbey in 693 and held by the monks of the abbey until the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. It was then granted to the Duke of Somerset and subsequently passed to the Whitmores and then the Pophams.
East Brent was part of the hundred of Brent-cum-Wrington.
Abbot John Selwood built a mansion in the village in the 15th century, which was demolished in 1708.
In 1851 George Anthony Denison was preferred to the valuable living of East Brent, and in the same year was made Archdeacon of Taunton. He was responsible for establishing the annual Harvest Home festival in the village.

wn.com/East_Brent,_Somerset
Edington, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°09′04″N 2°52′52″W / 51.151°N 2.881°W / 51.151; -2.881
Edington is a rural village, situated on the north side of the Polden Hills in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
Either side of it lie the villages of Chilton Polden and Catcott, and north of it is the small village of Burtle. There is a 12th century church, but the nearest primary school is in the village of Catcott.
Edington has a surgery and an active village hall where the annual pantomime is held. At the north end of the village is a Holy Well which, since recent drainage work was carried out for Wessex Water, no longer functions.
Edington was once linked to the towns of Glastonbury and Burnham-on-Sea by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway and was later a junction for the short branch to Bridgwater, which opened in 1890. Edington railway station was known as Edington Junction between 1890 and 1953, changing to Edington Burtle on the closure of the Bridgwater line and closing on March 7, 1966.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Edington,_Somerset
England
England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.

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Enmore, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°06′40″N 3°05′13″W / 51.111°N 3.087°W / 51.111; -3.087
Enmore is a village and civil parish 2 miles (3 km) west of Bridgwater on the Quantock Hills in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Bare Ash.
The parish name means Duck marsh.
In the Domesday book of 1086, Enmore contained 8 families. From around 1100 the manor was held by the Malet family, with Sir Baldwin Malet obtaining a grant of a Monday market and three day fair in 1401.
Enmore was part of the hundred of Andersfield.
Barford House sits in a landscaped park. It was built around 1710 for the Jeanes family.
Enmore Castle, built between 1751 and 1756 for John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, received 'the dismissive mockery of Horace Walpole'. Much of the building, including the offices and stables, were underground and accessed via the dry moat. The Percevals were forced to sell the castle in 1833 to pay off debts. It was bought by Nicholas Broadmead who subsequently demolished a large proportion of the building the following year. The castle once again underwent major change in 1930 when H. H. Broadmead demolished even more of the old building. The remaining portion is now divided into two dwellings.

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European Parliament
The European Parliament (abbreviated as Europarl or the EP) is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council of the European Union (the Council) and the European Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world. The Parliament is currently composed of 754 Members of the European Parliament, who represent the second largest democratic electorate in the world (after the Parliament of India) and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world (375 million eligible voters in 2009).
It has been directly elected every five years by universal suffrage since 1979. However, turnout at European Parliament elections has fallen consecutively at each election since that date, and has been under 50% since 1999. Turnout in 2009 stood at 43% of all European voters, ranging from 90% in Luxembourg and Belgium (where compulsory voting is used) to 20% in Slovakia. Turnout was under 50% in 18 out of 27 member states.

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Exeter
Exeter (ⁱ/ˈɛksɨtər/ EK-si-tər) 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 County Council. The city is on the River Exe, about 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Plymouth, and 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Bristol. According to the 2001 Census, its population in that year was 111,076, while the mid-2010 estimate was 119,600.
Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain. Its Exeter Cathedral, founded in the early 12th century, became Anglican at the time of the 16th century Reformation.
Exeter has been identified as one of the top ten most profitable locations for a business to be based. The city has good transport links, with Exeter St David's railway station, Exeter Central railway station, the M5 motorway and Exeter International Airport connecting the city both nationally and internationally. Although a popular tourist destination, the city is not dominated by tourism.

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Exmoor
Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the River Exe the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, 2 miles NW of Simonsbath. Exmoor is more precisely defined as the area of the former synonymous ancient royal hunting forest, officially surveyed 1815-1818 as 18,810 acres in in extent. Even more precisely Exmoor is defined as the remnant of the royal forest of 18,810 acres allotted to the king in 1815, equating to 12/22nds of the total, in acres 10,262 1/4, which was sold to John Knight (1765-1850) in 1818, which comprises the present Exmoor Parish, whose parish church is situated in Simonsbath. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and 55 kilometres (34 mi) of the Bristol Channel coast. The total area of the Exmoor National Park is 692.8 square kilometres (267.5 sq mi), of which 71% is in Somerset and 29% in Devon.

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Fiddington
Coordinates: 51°09′29″N 3°07′26″W / 51.158°N 3.124°W / 51.158; -3.124
Fiddington is a village and civil parish 2.5 miles (4 km) north-east of Nether Stowey, and 6 miles (10 km) north-west of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Bonson and Whitnell.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Fiddington
Frome
Coordinates: 51°13′40″N 2°19′17″W / 51.2279°N 2.3215°W / 51.2279; -2.3215
Frome (ⁱ/ˈfruːm/ FROOM) is a town and civil parish in northeast Somerset, England. Located at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, the town is built on uneven high ground, and centres around the River Frome. The town is approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Bath, 43 miles (69 km) east of the county town, Taunton and 107 miles (172 km) west of London. In the 2001 census, the population was given as 24,510. The town is in the Mendip district of Somerset and is part of the parliamentary constituency of Somerton and Frome.
In April 2010 a large hoard of third-century Roman coins was unearthed in a field near the town. From AD 950 to 1650, Frome was larger than Bath and originally grew due to the wool and cloth industry. It later diversified into metal-working and printing, although these have declined. The town grew substantially in the 20th century but still retains a very large number of listed buildings, and most of the centre falls within a conservation area.

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Germany
Germany (ⁱ/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km² and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.

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Glastonbury
Coordinates: 51°08′55″N 2°42′50″W / 51.1485°N 2.7140°W / 51.1485; -2.7140
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, 23 miles (37 km) south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census. Glastonbury is less than 1 mile (2 km) across the River Brue from Street, which is now larger than Glastonbury.
Evidence from timber trackways such as the Sweet Track show that the town has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Glastonbury Lake Village was an Iron Age village, close to the old course of the River Brue and Sharpham Park approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Glastonbury, that dates back to the Bronze Age. Centwine was the first Saxon patron of Glastonbury Abbey, which dominated the town for the next 700 years. One of the most important abbeys in England, it was the site of Edmund Ironside's coronation as King of England in 1016. Many of the oldest surviving buildings in the town, including the Tribunal, George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn and the Somerset Rural Life Museum, which is based in an old tithe barn, are associated with the abbey. The Church of St John the Baptist dates from the 15th century.

wn.com/Glastonbury
Goathurst
Coordinates: 51°06′11″N 3°03′50″W / 51.103°N 3.064°W / 51.103; -3.064
Goathurst is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, around 3 miles from the town of Bridgwater. The parish includes the hamlets of Andersfield and Huntstile.
Goathurst was part of the hundred of Andersfield.
Originally part of the Royal Forest of North Petherton, its first squire owned Goathurst's St Edward's church, a Grade I listed building which includes a 19th-century monument to three-year-old Isabella Kemeys, showing the child lying on a pillow holding a broken flower.
Goathurst was the location of a 300-person prisoner of war camp during World War II, initially housing Italian prisoners from the Western Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners following the Battle of Normandy.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Goathurst
Greinton
Coordinates: 51°07′23″N 2°50′28″W / 51.123°N 2.841°W / 51.123; -2.841
Greinton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the Somerset Levels and Moors at the foot of the Polden Hills, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) west southwest of Glastonbury and 7 miles (11 km) east of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district. The hamlet of Pedwell, located east of the village, forms part of the parish.
The parish of Greinton was part of the Whitley Hundred.
The village straddles the A361 Glastonbury - Taunton road, which bends around in two sharp corners through the village. The ancient road was known as altera strata in the early 14th century—an alternate route to the Polden road perhaps.
Archeological evidence points to Roman occupation, including a burial site, but most of Greinton's older houses date to the 19th century. A housing estate of semi-detached homes and barn conversions has been built in the 20th and 21st centuries. Greinton Manor may have been part of the Pouelt estate granted to Glastonbury abbey in 729. Records trace the Manor's tenants, transfers, sales and inheritance through the 11th century up to its subdivision and sales in the 1950s.

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Hinkley Point
Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, five miles north of Bridgwater and five miles west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett.
The landscape of Hinkley Point is dominated by two nuclear power stations:
The Government has now announced its support for a third nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, and Electricité de France (EDF) are expected to submit an application for development consent to the Infrastructure Planning Commission in 2010. A third, twin-unit European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) reactor is planned, and will become Hinkley Point C. (EDF), who now own the site, are hoping to begin planning for the site in earnest. Hinkley Point C and Hinkley Point D, in conjunction with Sizewell C, could contribute 13% of UK electricity in the early 2020s. EdF plans to use Areva NP's EPR design for any new build reactors in the UK: the design is being used for reactors currently being built in Finland and France.
The exposed location of Hinkley Point meant that it was considered ideal for wind generation. However, a proposal to build 12 wind turbines close to the site of the nuclear power stations was turned down in October 2005. The reason given by the local council for the rejection was safety fears over what would happen were a turbine blade to detach and hit "something or somebody".

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Huntspill
Coordinates: 51°12′18″N 2°58′55″W / 51.205°N 2.982°W / 51.205; -2.982
West Huntspill and East Huntspill are villages and civil parishes on the Huntspill Level, near Highbridge, Somerset, West of England. The civil parish of West Huntspill contains the hamlet of Alstone, and East Huntspill includes Cote.
The parish of East Huntspill has a population of 1,179 and West Huntspill 1,480.
The first mention of Huntspill is around 796 AD, when the area was granted to Glastonbury Abbey by Aethelmund, a nobleman under King Offa of Mercia.
Huntspill was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Honspil, meaning 'Huna's creek' possibly from the Old English personal name Huna and from the Celtic pwll. An alternative origin is from Hun's Pill in Old English, meaning a port on a tidal inlet, or pill, belonging to a Saxon lord, or hun.
The parish of Huntspill was part of the Huntspill and Puriton Hundred,
The mouth of the River Brue had an extensive harbour in Roman and Saxon times, before silting up in the medieval period.

wn.com/Huntspill
Huntworth
Coordinates: 51°06′20″N 2°58′47″W / 51.105688°N 2.979790°W / 51.105688; -2.979790
Huntworth is a small hamlet and farming community (population approximately 50), within the civil parish of North Petherton 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the M5 motorway 3 miles (4.8 km) from Bridgwater, Somerset, England.
When the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal was opened in 1827 it joined the River Parrett by a lock at Huntworth, where a basin was constructed, but in 1841 the canal was extended to a floating harbour in Bridgwater, and the Huntworth link was filled in. The canal and river were not re-connected at this point when the canal was restored, because the Parrett is by then a salt water river laden with silt, whereas the canal contains fresh water. Not only is there a risk of silt entering the canal, but the salt water cannot be allowed to contaminate the fresh, as the canal is still used for the transport of drinking water for Bridgwater's population.
Huntworth was the birthplace of John Popham, the Lord Chief Justice of England from 1592 until his death in 1607.

wn.com/Huntworth
Ilchester
Coordinates: 51°00′04″N 2°40′57″W / 51.0011°N 2.6825°W / 51.0011; -2.6825
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 (also known as Stock-Dennis) and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021. Sock Dennis lies on the Monarch's Way long-distance footpath.
In the Roman period, the village was named Lindinis and was the site of a fort and then a town on the Fosse Way. Finds from a large fourth century cemetery at Northover House suggest Christian worship. It eventually served as one of two regional capitals for the Durotriges tribe. There is evidence of continuous occupation from the Roman and Saxon eras.
Around 1000 AD there was a mint at Ilchester, which was moved to South Cadbury following attacks by the Danes, and prior to the Siege of Ilchester in 1088.
In the Domesday Book the village of Sock Dennis was in the possession of Robert, Count of Mortain. From the mid 13th century it was described as a manor but by the end of the 18th century was "an obliterated place". The place name derives from "Sock", probably an area of marsh or streams, and the family name of the successors of William the Dane, a 12th-century owner. The parish of Ilchester was part of the Tintinhull Hundred.

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Ilminster
Coordinates: 50°55′34″N 2°54′41″W / 50.9262°N 2.9114°W / 50.9262; -2.9114
Ilminster is a country town and civil parish in the countryside of south west Somerset, England, with a population of 4,781. Bypassed a few years ago, the town now lies just east of the junction of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to Chard and Axminster). The parish includes the village of Peasmarsh and the hamlet of Sea.
Ilminster is mentioned in documents dating from 725 and in a Charter granted to the Abbey of Muchelney (10 miles to the north) by King Ethelred in 995. Ilminster is also mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) as Ileminstre meaning 'The church on the River Isle' from the Old English ysle and mynster. By this period Ilminster was a flourishing community and was granted the right to hold a weekly market, which it still does.
Ilminster was part of the hundred of Abdick and Bulstone.
In 1645 during the English Civil War Ilminster was the scene of a skirmish between parliamentary troops under Edward Massie and Royalist forces under Lord Goring who fought for control of the bridges prior to the Battle of Langport.

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Italy
Italy ⁱ/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km² (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.

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Kandahar
Kandahar, occasionally Candahar, or Qandahar, (Pashto: کندهار Kandahār) is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m (3,297 feet) above sea level. The Arghandab River runs along the west of the city.
Kandahar is the original and most culturally significant city of the Pashtuns and has always been their traditional seat of power. It is a major trading center for sheep, wool, cotton, silk, felt, food grains, fresh and dried fruit, and tobacco. The region produces fine fruits, especially pomegranates and grapes, and the city has plants for canning, drying, and packing fruit. Kandahar has an international airport and extensive road links with Farah and Herat to the west, Kabul and Peshawar to the northeast, Tarinkot to the north, and Quetta in neighboring Balochistan (Pakistan) to the south.
The region around Kandahar is one of the oldest known human settlements. Alexander the Great is said to have laid-out the foundation of what is now Old Kandahar in the 4th century BC and gave it the Ancient Greek name Αλεξάνδρεια Aραχωσίας (Alexandria of Arachosia). Many empires have long fought over the city due to its strategic location along the trade routes of southern, central and western Asia. In 1709, Mirwais Hotak made the region an independent kingdom and turned Kandahar into the first capital of the Hotaki dynasty. In 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the last Afghan empire, made it the capital of modern Afghanistan.

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Keynsham
Coordinates: 51°24′49″N 2°29′48″W / 51.4135°N 2.4968°W / 51.4135; -2.4968
Keynsham ( /ˈkeɪnʃəm/) is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533. It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne.
The site of the town has been occupied since prehistoric times and is scattered with Roman remains. It became a medieval market town, after Keynsham Abbey was founded around 1170. It is situated at the junction of confluence of the River Chew and River Avon and was subject to serious flooding before the creation of Chew Valley Lake and river level controls at Keynsham Lock. The Great Flood of 1968 inundated large parts of the town. It was home to the Cadbury's chocolate factory, Somerdale, which opened in 1935 as a major employer in the town.
It is home to Memorial Park, which is used for the annual town festival and several nature reserves. The town is served by Keynsham railway station on the London-Bristol and Bristol-Southampton trunk routes and is close to the A4 road which bypassed the town in 1964. There is also a range of schools, religious sporting and cultural clubs and venues.

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Langport
Coordinates: 51°02′15″N 2°49′39″W / 51.037625°N 2.827454°W / 51.037625; -2.827454
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The town has a population of 1,067. The parish includes the hamlets of Bowdens and Combe. The town is contiguous with Huish Episcopi.
Langport (old forms are "Langeberga", "Langeport") consists of two parts, one on the hill and one by the river. The former owed its origin to its defensible position, and the latter its growth to its facilities for trade on the chief river of Somerset. Its name looks like Anglo-Saxon for "long port", but it may well be "long market place" which could have been on the causeway which is now Bow Street. Many of the houses in Bow Street tilt backwards due to settlement of the land behind the causeway. It is speculated that Langport is the place mentioned in old Welsh sources as "Llongborth" = "Ship-port", where the Battle of Llongborth happened. "Longphort" is a term used in Ireland for a Viking ship enclosure or shore fortress, using an identical etymology. Langport was previously also known as Langport Eastover, with the part on the western bank being Langport Westover, now known just as Westover. Langport is on the ancient way from Glastonbury to Taunton.

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Lympsham
Coordinates: 51°17′10″N 2°57′18″W / 51.286°N 2.955°W / 51.286; -2.955
Lympsham is a village and civil parish six miles west of Axbridge and six miles south-east of Weston-super-Mare, close to the River Axe in Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Wick where Wick Farmhouse dates from the mid 18th century.
It has been suggested that the name means 'a suitable home' from the Old English ge-limplic and ham. More probable is a combination of a personal name beginning "Lin-" or something like "lind-pyll" (pool where lime trees grow) with "ham" (in Old English this usually means either "village" or "estate"). The first appearance of the name in records is in 1225 "Linpelesham" (in 1254 "Limpelesham").
It is likely that efforts were made to improve the drainage of the soil in the area during the Saxon period. In 1129, the Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey recorded that corn was growing here on land which had previously been classified as worthless.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Lympsham
Lyng, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°03′11″N 2°57′32″W / 51.053°N 2.959°W / 51.053; -2.959
Lyng is a civil parish in Somerset, England, comprising the villages of West Lyng and East Lyng and the hamlet of Bankland.
The name derives from the Old English hlenc, meaning hill.
Nearby Athelney is famous for being the refuge of King Alfred the Great from the Danes before the Battle of Ethandun in 878, and the site of a monastery he founded after his victory.
East Lyng is on higher ground towards the west of Athelney. Archaeological research suggests East Lyng was a medieval settlement, and was an important fortified burh during Saxon times, hence the usage of the East Lyng burh and Athelney by King Alfred the Great and his army.
By the time of the Domesday census completed in 1086, Lyng was described as a small rural settlement. In 1267 a charter for a market was granted, but is no longer recorded by 1349. Despite this the settlement at East Lyng retained burh status and was recorded as such in 1498–99.
Lyng was part of the hundred of Andersfield.

wn.com/Lyng,_Somerset
Malta
Malta ⁱ/ˈmɒltə/, officially known as the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya, with Gibraltar 1,755 km (1,091 mi) to the west and Alexandria 1,508 km (937 mi) to the east. Malta covers just over 316 km² (122 sq mi) in land area, making it one of the world's smallest states. It is also one of the most densely populated countries worldwide. The de facto capital city of Malta is Valletta; the largest town, Birkirkara. The main island comprises many towns, which together form one Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with a population of 368,250 according to Eurostat. The country has two official languages, Maltese (constitutionally the national language) and English.
Throughout history, Malta's location has given it great strategic importance, and a succession of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St John, French and the British ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004. Malta is also party to the Schengen Agreement and in 2008 it became part of the eurozone.

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Mark, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°13′30″N 2°53′38″W / 51.225°N 2.894°W / 51.225; -2.894
Mark is a village and civil parish which lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) from Bridgwater, 5 miles (8 km) from Axbridge, and 4 miles (6.4 km) from Highbridge in the Sedgemoor district of the county of Somerset, England. It includes the hamlets of Yarrow and Southwick.
The Mark Yeo river has its source near the village.
Mark is home to two pubs, a village hall, a village stores and post office, the Ki-Aikido Federation of Great Britain and many clubs and societies, including a Youth Theatre group.
The origin of the name is believed to mean A boundary of property from the Old English mærc.
The estate was given to the Bishop of Wells by Edith of Wessex and with Wedmore was used to endow the deanery of Wells Cathedral by 1157 and continued until 1547.
Mark was part of the hundred of Bempstone.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Mark,_Somerset
Mendip
Mendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of 285 square miles (738 km²) ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 110,000. The administrative centre of the district is Shepton Mallet but the largest town (three times larger than Shepton Mallet) is Frome, pronounced "Froome" and spelt that way until about 1890.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Glastonbury and Wells, along with Frome, Shepton Mallet, Street urban districts, and Frome Rural District, Shepton Mallet Rural District, Wells Rural District, and part of Axbridge Rural District and part of Clutton Rural District.
Several explanations for the name "Mendip" have been suggested. Its earliest known form is Mendepe in 1185. One suggestion is that it is derived from the medieval term "Myne-deepes". However, A D Mills derives its meaning from Celtic monith, meaning mountain or hill, with an uncertain second element, perhaps Old English yppe in the sense of upland, or plateau.

wn.com/Mendip
Middlezoy
Coordinates: 51°05′17″N 2°53′38″W / 51.088°N 2.894°W / 51.088; -2.894
Middlezoy is a village and civil parish on the River Parrett as it crosses the Somerset Levels in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
The name Middlezoy meaning the middle stream island, derives from Sowi, the name of Glastonbury Abbey's major estate, sow being a British river name from a root meaning flowing. The extra i being derived from the Saxon ig for island.
The parish of Middlezoy was part of the Whitley Hundred.
On 1800 1,100 acres of common land were enclosed as a result of the Inclosure Acts.
In 2006 the village shop closed and grant was obtained for the erection of a new modular structure to house a community shop and post office.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Middlezoy
Midsomer Norton
Coordinates: 51°17′03″N 2°28′54″W / 51.2842°N 2.4817°W / 51.2842; -2.4817
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Bath, 10 miles (16 km) north-east of Wells, 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Frome, and 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton Radstock, but is now a town council in its own right. It is also part of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset.
Midsomer Norton is characterised by the River Somer which runs the length of the town centre. It has a long history which can be seen through a number of early churches which remain, but really started to grow and become a transport hub with the development of the Somerset coalfield. For many years the coalmines provided employment for local men until they ceased operations in the 1960s, around the same time that the town's two railway stations also closed. Afterwards, good employment opportunities still remained for the town with elements of the print industry, and although some of these plants have also now begun to close, overall employment levels in the area remain very high.

wn.com/Midsomer_Norton
Minehead
Coordinates: 51°12′14″N 3°28′26″W / 51.2038°N 3.4738°W / 51.2038; -3.4738
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, 21 miles (34 km) north-west of the county town of Taunton, 12 miles (19 km) from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park. The parish of Minehead has a population of approximately 10,330 making it the most populous town in the West Somerset local government district. This figure includes Alcombe, a suburban village which has been subsumed into Minehead.
There is evidence of human occupation in the area since the Bronze and Iron Ages. Before the Norman Conquest it was held by Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia and after it by William de Moyon and his descendants, who administered the area from Dunster Castle, which was later sold to Sir George Luttrell and his family. There was a small port at Minehead by 1380, which grew into a major trading centre during the medieval period. Most trade transferred to larger ports during the 20th century, but pleasure steamers did call at the port. Major rebuilding took place in the Lower or Middle town area following a fire in 1791 and the fortunes of the town revived with the growth in sea bathing, and by 1851 was becoming a retirement centre. There was a marked increase in building during the early years of the 20th century, which resulted in the wide main shopping avenue and adjacent roads with Edwardian style architecture. The town's flood defences were improved after a storm in 1990 caused flooding.

wn.com/Minehead
Moorlinch
Coordinates: 51°07′37″N 2°51′36″W / 51.127°N 2.860°W / 51.127; -2.860
Moorlinch is a village and civil parish where the Polden Hills meet the Somerset Levels in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
The village was known as Mirieling in 971 and the name is believed to come from the Saxon myrge and hlinc meaning pleasant hill.
The parish of Moorlinch was part of the Whitley Hundred.
Moorlinch formed part of the Polden Estate held by Glastonbury Abbey from Saxon times until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Then is descended with Shapwick manor to the Rolle family.
In 1900 the village windmill was demolished and the machinery moved to Ashton windmill in Chapel Allerton.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Moorlinch
Nailsea
Coordinates: 51°26′N 2°46′W / 51.43°N 2.76°W / 51.43; -2.76
Nailsea is a town in the unitary authority of North Somerset within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, approximately 8 miles (13 km) to the southwest of Bristol and about 11 miles (18 km) to the northeast of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the other side of the Bristol to Exeter railway line. Nailsea is a commuter town with a population of 18,000.
The town was an industrial centre based on coal mining and glass manufacture, which have now been replaced by service industries. The surrounding area of the North Somerset Levels provides wildlife habitats including the Tickenham, Nailsea and Kenn Moors biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Bucklands Pool/Backwell Lake Local Nature Reserve. Nailsea is close to the M5 motorway and Bristol Airport, and has railway services at Nailsea and Backwell station, operated by First Great Western.
Secondary education in Nailsea is provided by Nailsea School (completely rebuilt as an Academy in 2009), and primary education by St Francis School,Grove School, Kingshill school and Golden Valley. Churches in the town include the 14th-century Holy Trinity Church and Christ Church, which was built in 1843.

wn.com/Nailsea
Nether Stowey
Coordinates: 51°09′07″N 3°09′14″W / 51.152°N 3.154°W / 51.152; -3.154
Nether Stowey is a large village in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England. It sits in the foothills of the Quantock Hills (England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), just below Over Stowey. The parish of Nether Stowey covers approximately 4 km², with a population of 1,423 (2001 census).
The iron age fort of Dowsborough lies about one and a half miles west of the village. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Stawei, the name coming from the Old English stan weg, or paved road.
The parish of Nether Stowey was part of the Williton and Freemanners Hundred.
Nether Stowey may have been a borough as early as 1157 or 1158 but by 1225 it is officially recorded as such. The economy of the medieval town was based on textiles and pottery, and it had both a weekly market and a yearly fair after 1304.
During the "Bloody Assizes" in the autumn of 1685, in the aftermath of Duke of Monmouth's Rebellion men from Nether Stowey who were caught up in the rebellion are said to have been hanged, drawn and quartered in the village after they were sentenced to death by Judge Jeffries. Their body parts were then displayed around the village to discourage others from rebellion against the King. Many villages throughout the South West were witness to the same bloody retribution.

wn.com/Nether_Stowey
North Petherton
Coordinates: 51°05′28″N 3°00′47″W / 51.091°N 3.013°W / 51.091; -3.013
North Petherton is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the eastern foothills of the Quantocks, and close to the edge of the Somerset Levels. The town has a population of 5,189. The parish includes Hamp, Melcombe, Woolmersdon and Huntworth.
Dating from at least the 10th century and an important settlement in Saxon times, North Petherton became a town only in the late 20th century, until then claiming to be the largest village in England.
A former market and administrative centre, North Petherton is now largely a dormitory town for workers in Bridgwater, 3 miles (5 km) to the north east, and Taunton, 8 miles (13 km) to the south west. The centre of the town is designated an Area of High Archaeological Potential (AHAP), and a number of buildings have been given listed building status.
The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Nortperet. The name derives from the area's location to the north side of the River Parrett, from the Latin Paradæ 'barge' and from the Old English nor tun.

wn.com/North_Petherton
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare.
North Somerset borders the local government areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Mendip and Sedgemoor. North Somerset contains the parliamentary constituencies of Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset.
Between 1 April 1974 and 31 March 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon (named after Woodspring Priory, an isolated mediaeval church near the coast just north east of Weston-super-Mare). The district of Woodspring was formed from the municipal boroughs of Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon and Portishead urban districts, Long Ashton Rural District, and part of Axbridge Rural District.
Though the government proposed that the new unitary area be known as "North West Somerset" from 1 April 1996, the council voted instead to adopt the name "North Somerset" and so the name "North West Somerset" was never widely used. There remained some legal doubt as to whether the council had validly changed the name to "North Somerset", but in 2005 the council passed a resolution to put the matter beyond doubt.

wn.com/North_Somerset
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day). A 12,000-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving almost 7,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June; more than three million troops were in France by the end of August.
Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on D-Day itself came from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Free French Forces and Poland also participated in the battle after the assault phase, and there were also minor contingents from Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway. Other Allied nations participated in the naval and air forces.
Once the beachheads were secured, a three-week military buildup occurred on the beaches before Operation Cobra, the operation to break out from the Normandy beachhead, began. The battle for Normandy continued for more than two months, with campaigns to expand the foothold on France, and concluded with the closing of the Falaise pocket on 24 August, the Liberation of Paris on 25 August, and the German retreat across the Seine which was completed on 30 August 1944.^{[verification needed]}

wn.com/Operation_Overlord
Othery
Coordinates: 51°05′N 2°53′W / 51.08°N 2.88°W / 51.08; -2.88
The parish and village of Othery, established in 1515, sits on a detached extension of Sowy island on the Somerset Levels. It is 7 miles (11 km) east of Bridgwater and 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Langport. It borders the hamlets and villages of Pathe, Burrowbridge, Middlezoy, Westonzoyland and Aller, which it meets at Beer Wall. The border with Burrowbridge was defined in 1985, reducing Othery to 553 ha (1,366 acres). Many of these borders are defined by rhynes (ditches) and walls (embankments) created and rearranged, from the 13th century onwards, to drain and channel the waters of the River Cary and the River Parrett as they flooded the low-lying levels on their leisurely journey to the Bristol Channel.
The name means "Other-island". The "island" of Othery rising above the Levels is a mixed sedimentary and alluvial deposit: marl, Mercia mudstone, sand and gravel ("Burtle Beds"), peat, and deposits from the basin of the River Parrett. The moors on the shallowest deposits are just 13 feet (4 m) above sea level, with the highest hill, on the southwest side of Othery, standing 82 feet (25 m) above sea level.

wn.com/Othery
Otterhampton
Coordinates: 51°10′59″N 3°04′48″W / 51.183°N 3.080°W / 51.183; -3.080
Otterhampton is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula.
The village lies on Combwich Reach as the River Parrett flows to the sea.
It was recorded in the Domesday book as Utramestone meaning 'The outermost enclosure' from the Old English ultramest and tun. An alternative derivation is from the Saxon, meaning "place of Ottrane" the original Saxon thane.
Otterhampton was part of the hundred of Cannington.
The Steart peninsula has flooded many times during the last millennium. The most severe recent floods occurred in 1981. By 1997, a combination of coastal erosion, sea level rise and wave action had made some of the defences distinctly fragile and at risk from failure. As a result, in 2002 the Environment Agency produced the Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study to examine options for the future.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Otterhampton
Over Stowey
Coordinates: 51°09′07″N 3°09′14″W / 51.152°N 3.154°W / 51.152; -3.154
Over 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 above Nether Stowey and 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Bridgwater. The parish includes the hamlets of Plainsfield, Aley, Adscombe, Friarn and Bincombe.
Nearby is Dowsborough Camp (or Danesborough or Dawesbury), an Iron Age hill fort. Another Iron Age site at Plainsfield Camp may have been an enclosure for animals rather than a defended settlement.
It is possible that a Roman road ran from here to the Quantocks, because the names Nether Stowey and Over Stowey come from the Old English stan wey, meaning 'stone way'.
By the 12th century the parish had both a church and the 'old castle precinct' on the Stowey 'herpath'. The castle may have been the caput of the estate of Alfred d'Epaignes at Stowey. It survives as a large, flat mound to the north of Over Stowey village.

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Pawlett, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°10′52″N 3°00′14″W / 51.181°N 3.004°W / 51.181; -3.004
Pawlett is a small village 4 miles (6 km) north of Bridgwater, in the Sedgemoor district of the English county of Somerset.
The village has Roman or Saxon origins. It has a Norman church and expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries with the draining of the Somerset Levels.
During World War II it was the site of an experimental research station examining ways to bring down barrage balloons.
A survey in 2003 recorded an early system of flood banks in the "Hams" around the village which may have originated in the Roman or Saxon Period. An early field system was also identified, again possibly originating in the Saxon period. The Pawlett Hams form part of the Bridgwater Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and in the 12th century the Pawlett Hams, running west of the village, were known as being the richest 2,000 acres (8 km²) in England.
The name of the village is believe to come from an 11th-century estate and may refer to a stream either with stakes or below a steep-sided hill.

wn.com/Pawlett,_Somerset
Port of Bristol
The Port of Bristol comprises the commercial, and former commercial, docks situated in and near the city of Bristol in England. The Port of Bristol Authority was the commercial title of the Bristol City, Avonmouth, Portishead and Royal Portbury Docks when they were operated by Bristol City Council, which ceased trade when the Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks were leased to The Bristol Port Company in 1991.
For more information on the history of the different dock complexes, see Bristol Harbour, Avonmouth Docks, Portishead and Royal Portbury Dock.
The Port of Bristol grew up on the banks of the Rivers Avon and Frome, at their confluence upstream of the Avon Gorge which connects the city with the Bristol Channel. This part of the port was known as the Bristol City Docks, and is now more usually known as Bristol Harbour. The Avon and Frome are small, shallow rivers incapable in themselves of accommodating ocean-going ships, even those of the age of sail, as can still be seen by inspecting the branch of the Avon known as the New Cut at low tide. The harbour depended on the extreme tides (14 metres) experienced in the Bristol Channel. Ships that wished to enter the harbour waited for the tide to begin to rise and floated up the river, through the Avon Gorge, and into the harbour on the tide. Ships leaving the harbour set out at the high tide, and floated down to the sea with the ebbing tide. In the 1800s the harbour was enclosed by locks, together with a diversion of the River Avon, resulting in its alternative name of the Floating Harbour, taken from the fact that the ships were able to float at all times, rather than resting in the mud at low tide, as had previously been the case.

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Portishead, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°29′02″N 2°45′45″W / 51.4840°N 2.7626°W / 51.4840; -2.7626
Portishead ( /pɔːtɪsˈhɛd/) is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It has a population of 22,000, an increase of over 3,000 since the 2001 census, with a growth rate considerably in excess of surrounding towns.
Portishead has a long history as a fishing port. It expanded rapidly during the early 19th century around the docks, with supporting transport infrastructure. A power station and chemical works were added in the 20th century, but the dock and industrial facilities have since closed and been redeveloped into a marina and residential areas. Portishead was also the telephone control centre used by British Telecom (BT) for non-direct dialled calls to maritime vessels, a service known as Portishead Radio.
The town's population is expanding, and Portishead is now primarily a dormitory town for Bristol and its environs, although a range of service industries has grown up. The headquarters of Avon and Somerset Constabulary are in Portishead.

wn.com/Portishead,_Somerset
Puriton
Coordinates: 51°10′12″N 2°58′23″W / 51.170°N 2.973°W / 51.170; -2.973
Puriton is a village and a parish, at the westerly end of the Polden Hills, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK. The parish has a population of 2,124. The local parish church is named after St Michael. At one time there was also a chapel on Woolavington Road, but it was converted to a private house some 20 years ago.
In 1996, Puriton was described as "now becoming a rural commuter village". The built-up area of the village lies mostly between 5 and 50 metres above sea level.
The village has a full range of facilities such as a primary school, parish church, pub, post office, shop (general store and newsagent), butcher and hairdresser. It started to expand considerably in the 1960s and 1970s when new houses were built on former farm land, a former infilled stone Blue Lias quarry, Puriton Park, and on fields in between the existing houses. The old Victorian school near the church was converted into homes and a new school built elsewhere. The Manor house was also sold off in 1960 and four houses were built on its former tennis courts. The Manor House itself is still there and lived in, but is now in multiple occupancy.

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Radstock
Coordinates: 51°17′34″N 2°26′52″W / 51.2927°N 2.4477°W / 51.2927; -2.4477
Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, 9 miles (14 km) south west of Bath, and 8 miles (13 km) north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census. Since 2011 Radstock has been a town council in its own right.
Radstock has been settled since the Iron Age, and its importance grew after the construction of the Fosse Way, a Roman road. The growth of the town occurred after 1763, when coal was discovered in the area. Large numbers of mines opened during the 19th century including several owned by the Waldegrave family, who had been Lords of the Manor since the English Civil War. The spoil heap of Writhlington colliery is now the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, which includes 3,000 tons of Upper Carboniferous spoil from which more than 1,400 insect fossil specimens have been recovered. The complex geology and narrow seams made coal extraction difficult. Tonnage increased throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 separate collieries and annual production was 1,250,000 tons per annum. However, due to local geological difficulties and manpower shortages output declined and the number of pits reduced from 30 at the beginning of the 20th century to 14 by the mid-thirties; the last two pits, Kilmersdon and Writhlington, closed in September 1973. The Great Western Railway and the Somerset and Dorset Railway both established stations and marshalling yards in the town. The last passenger train services to Radstock closed in 1966. Manufacturing industries such as printing, binding and packaging provide some local employment. In recent years, Radstock has increasingly become a commuter town for the nearby cities of Bath and Bristol.

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River Axe (Lyme Bay)
The River Axe is a river in Dorset, Somerset and Devon, in the south-west of England. It rises near Beaminster in Dorset, flows west then south by Axminster and joins the English Channel at Axmouth near Seaton in Lyme Bay. During its 22-mile (35 km) course it is fed by various streams and by the tributary rivers Yarty and Coly.
It is a shallow, non-navigable river, although its mouth at Axmouth has some boating activity.
Fish include brown trout, dace, roach and occasional salmon. In 1999 a section was designated an SSSI. The 13 kilometres (3.2 acres) from the confluence with the Blackwater River (ST325023) to Colyford Bridge (SY259927) has both biological and geological interest. The salmon, bullheads, otters, medicinal leeches and kingfishers are all of particular value, as is the diverse aquatic and marginal plant life. The geomorphology of the meanders south of Axminster are the particular geological interest.
Coordinates: 50°42′44″N 3°03′25″W / 50.71222°N 3.05703°W / 50.71222; -3.05703

wn.com/River_Axe_(Lyme_Bay)
ROF Bridgwater
Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Bridgwater was a factory which produced high explosives for munitions. It was located between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK; but was always known as ROF Bridgwater, after the nearest town. Its site was located slightly above sea level, all of it lying between the 5 and 10 metre contour lines on Ordnance Survey maps. BAE Systems closed the facility when decommissioning was completed in July 2008.
It was constructed early in World War II for the Ministry of Supply, with the Ministry of Works acting as Agents. It was designed as an Explosive ROF, to produce RDX, which was then a new experimental high-explosive developed at the RGPF Waltham Abbey. Construction work started in 1939 and the factory opened in 1941.
It was also known as "ROF 37", a name that was reflected in its sports and social association, known as the "37 Club", located in a building just outside the perimeter fence.
As munitions production needed a guaranteed all year-round clean water supply of several million gallons per day, the site was ideally situated, being able to obtain supplies from the water logged Somerset Levels:

wn.com/ROF_Bridgwater
Saltash
Coordinates: 50°24′29″N 4°12′43″W / 50.408°N 4.212°W / 50.408; -4.212
Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by the salt mill. Saltash is the largest town within the East Cornwall area and is one of the largest in Cornwall.
Saltash is the location of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge, opened by HRH Prince Albert on May 2, 1859. It takes the railway line across the River Tamar. Alongside it is the Tamar Bridge, a toll bridge carrying the A38 trunk road, which in 2001 became the first suspension bridge to be widened whilst remaining open to traffic.
Saltash railway station is close to the town centre. It was hoped that the empty buildings could be restored as a visitor centre for the bridge, but they have instead been purchased by a property developer. The station is served by a regular train service, with some direct High Speed services to and from London Paddington.

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Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense). The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels. Historically the area was known as the site of the Battle of Sedgemoor.
Sedgemoor has given its name to a local government district formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal borough of Bridgwater, the Burnham-on-Sea urban district, Bridgwater Rural District and part of Axbridge Rural District. The district covers a larger area than the historical Sedgemoor, extending north of the Polden Hills across the Somerset Levels to the Mendip Hills.
Sedgemoor does not mean "sedge moor", but is instead "marsh of a man called Sicga" from the Old Norse personal name Sicga and Old English mor "moor". The name was recorded as Secgamere in 1165.

wn.com/Sedgemoor
Shepton Mallet
Coordinates: 51°11′33″N 2°32′45″W / 51.1925°N 2.5458°W / 51.1925; -2.5458
Shepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately 18 mi (29 km) south of Bristol and 5 mi (8.0 km) east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council. Bowlish is a hamlet on the A371 road between Shepton Mallet and Croscombe.
The Mendip Hills lie to the north, and the River Sheppey runs through the town. Shepton Mallet lies on the route of the Fosse Way, the principal Roman road into the south west of England, and there is evidence of Roman settlement. The town contains a fine parish church and a considerable number of listed buildings. Shepton Mallet Prison is England's oldest prison still in use.
In medieval times, the wool trade was important in the town's economy, although this declined in the 18th century to be replaced by other industries such as brewing; the town continues to be a major centre for the production of cider. Shepton Mallet is the closest town to the site of the Glastonbury Festival, the largest music festival in Europe. Also nearby is the Royal Bath and West of England Society showground which hosts the Royal Bath and West Show, and other major shows and festivals.

wn.com/Shepton_Mallet
Shipham
Coordinates: 51°18′50″N 2°47′46″W / 51.314°N 2.796°W / 51.314; -2.796
Shipham (grid reference ST445575) is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England on the western edge of the Mendip Hills near the A38, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Bristol. It is in the local government district of Sedgemoor. The parish includes the village of Rowberrow and the hamlet of Star. The parish population, according to the 2001 census, is 1,136.
Shipham was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sipeham, meaning 'The sheep home' from the Old English scip and ham. The tenant-in-chief is shown as being Roger de Courcelles.
The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred.
Shipham parish council, which was established in 1894, has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. In 2008, Shipham Parish Council won the communications category of the Calor Somerset Village of the Year competition.

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Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset (ⁱ/ˈsʌmərsɛt/ or /ˈsʌmərsɨt/) 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 River Severn. Its traditional northern border is the River Avon, but the administrative boundary has crept southwards with the creation and expansion of the City of Bristol, and latterly the county of Avon and its successor unitary authorities to the north. Somerset's county town, Taunton, is in the south.
Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels. There is evidence of human occupation from Palaeolithic times, and of subsequent settlement in the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of King Alfred the Great, and later in the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion.

wn.com/Somerset
Somerton
Coordinates: 51°03′13″N 2°44′10″W / 51.0535°N 2.7361°W / 51.0535; -2.7361
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. It has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages, and the main square with its market cross is today an attractive location for visitors. Situated on the River Cary, approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north-west of Yeovil, the town has its own parish council serving a population of 4,706 as of 2002, and an acreage of 6,620 acres (2,680 ha) as of 1894. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Etsome and Hurcot.
The history of Somerton dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era, when it was an important political and commercial centre. A local legend has it that Ine, a Wessex king, was originally a farmer in Somerton. After the Norman conquest of England the importance of the town declined despite being the former county town of Somerset in the late thirteenth century and early fourteenth century. Despite losing county town status, Somerton then became a market town in the Middle Ages, whose economy was supported by transport systems using the River Parrett, and later rail transport via the Great Western Railway, and by light industries including glove making and gypsum mining.

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South Petherton
Coordinates: 50°56′42″N 2°48′20″W / 50.9451°N 2.8055°W / 50.9451; -2.8055
South Petherton is a small country town and civil parish on the River Parrett in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It is 5 miles (8 km) east of Ilminster and 5 miles (8 km) north west of Crewkerne. It had a population of approximately 3,200 in 2002. The parish includes the hamlets of Yeabridge, Compton-Durvill, South Harp, and Over Stratton, and is approximately 2 miles (3 km) from East Lambrook, Martock and Lopen.
It is distinctive for the traditional hamstone construction of many of its buildings. In 2005 South Petherton was awarded ‘Somerset Village of the Year’ in a national competition.
The town's name may come from the Old English word Pared meaning boundary and the Saxon word ton meaning settlement, forming ’Paredton’.
A site on Lightgate Road, north of the present town, has produced Iron Age occupation material, though archaeological evidence of any structures have not yet been discovered. Roman material, mostly consisting of coins, has also been discovered locally and, as it is only 2 miles (3 km) from the Fosse Way, roman occupation is likely, although it may have been abandoned between the 4th and 8th centuries.

wn.com/South_Petherton
South Somerset
South Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England.
The South Somerset district covers and area of 370 square miles (958 km²) ranging from the borders with Devon and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 158,000. The administrative centre of the district is Yeovil.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, and was originally known as Yeovil, adopting its present name in 1985. It was formed by the merger of the municipal boroughs of Chard, Yeovil, along with Crewkerne and Ilminster urban districts and the Chard Rural District, Langport Rural District, Wincanton Rural District and Yeovil Rural District.
The Council covers the whole of the Yeovil constituency, and part of Somerton and Frome.
It is currently Liberal Democrat controlled, and has Beacon Council status.
Its main towns include:
County schools (those which are not independent) in the five non-metropolitan districts of the county are operated by Somerset County Council.
For a full list of schools see: List of schools in Somerset

wn.com/South_Somerset
Spaxton
Coordinates: 51°07′55″N 3°06′32″W / 51.132°N 3.109°W / 51.132; -3.109
Spaxton is a small village and civil parish on the Quantocks in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England.
Spaxton was part of the hundred of Cannington.
The parish includes the village of Aisholt which is one of the Thankful Villages - those villages that suffered no fatalities during the Great War of 1914-1918, and contains the 14th century Church of All Saints. Also in the parish is the village of Charlynch (or Charlinch) where, around 1850 Henry James Prince the founder of the Agapemonites was ordained to the curacy of Charlinch, where he had sole charge in the illness and absence of the rector, the Rev. Samuel Starkey. The Church of St Mary was an Anglican Parish Church, but has now been deconsecrated. It dates from the 11th century with a tower probably of 1867. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It contains monuments and tablets to the family of Admiral Robert Blake.

wn.com/Spaxton
Stawell, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°08′31″N 2°54′32″W / 51.142°N 2.909°W / 51.142; -2.909
Stawell is a village and civil parish 4.5 miles (7 km) miles north east of Bridgwater, and 2 miles (3 km) north west of Moorlinch, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England.
The parish includes the village of Sutton Mallet.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Stawell,_Somerset
Stockland Bristol
Coordinates: 51°11′13″N 3°05′02″W / 51.187°N 3.084°W / 51.187; -3.084
Stockland Bristol (formerly Stockland Gaunts) is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula. The parish includes the village of Steart.
It was recorded in the Domesday book as Stocheland meaning 'A stockade with land' from the Old English stoc and land. The name Bristol was added later meaning 'the bridge place' from the Old English brycg and stow.
Stockland Bristol was part of the hundred of Cannington.
The village lies on Combwich Reach as the River Parrett flows to the sea. The Steart peninsula has flooded many times during the last millennium. The most severe recent floods occurred in 1981. By 1997, a combination of coastal erosion, sea level rise and wave action had made some of the defences distinctly fragile and at risk from failure. As a result, in 2002 the Environment Agency produced the Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study to examine options for the future.

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Taunton
Coordinates: 51°01′08″N 3°06′00″W / 51.019°N 3.100°W / 51.019; -3.100
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.

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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, and Wellington Rural District.
Taunton Deane was granted borough status in 1975, perpetuating the mayoralty of Taunton.
The district was given the name of an alternate form of the Taunton Deane Hundred.
Settlements in bold have a town charter or a population over 2,500.
Part of the former Taunton Municipal Borough is unparished.
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.
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 102,600 in 2001.

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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 (up to the size of a German medium tank) which may have broken through the forward defences."
The Taunton Stop Line was one of more than 50 similar defensive lines that were constructed around England, all designed to compartmentalise the country to contain any breakthrough until reinforcements could arrive. Stop Lines used a combination of geography and construction to make continuous defences. The innermost and longest was the GHQ Line. They were constructed as part of a package of field fortifications planned under the leadership of General Sir Edmund Ironside, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Home Forces.
The Taunton Stop Line ran north-south for nearly 50 miles (80 km) through Somerset, Dorset and Devon, roughly from Axminster to Chard along the River Axe, then along the Great Western Railway to Ilminster, the railway and Chard Canal to Taunton, the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal to Bridgwater, and the River Parrett to the coast near Highbridge. Highbridge was also the starting point for the east-west GHQ Line.

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Theatre Royal, Bath
The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900.
The theatre building from 1805 is supplemented by two smaller and more recent studio theatres. In 2010 the theatre underwent a major refurbishment.
The present main entrance to the Theatre Royal, in Sawclose, was built in 1720 by Thomas Greenway, and was Beau Nash's first house.Pevsner criticizes the mouldings of window-frames and of frieze and the volutes of the brackets of the door-hood as "characteristically overdone", and mentions Wood remarking on its "profuse ornament" and on how it was typical of a mason rather than an architect. The exterior of the building, with arches, pilasters, garlands and ornaments, which is visible from Beauford Square, was designed by George Dance the Younger and erected by John Palmer.
The theatre itself was erected in 1805, replacing the Old Orchard Street Theatre which was also called the Theatre Royal, which is now a Freemason's Hall. After a fire in 1863 the interior was redone by C J Phipps.

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Thurloxton
Coordinates: 51°04′08″N 3°02′10″W / 51.069°N 3.036°W / 51.069; -3.036
Thurloxton is a village and civil parish 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Taunton, and 5 miles (8.0 km) south west of Bridgwater on the south-eastern slopes of the Quantock Hills in the Sedgemoor district of the county of Somerset, in England. The parish includes the hamlet of Shearston.
The name means 'Through the animal pen' from the Old English purh and locian, or alternatively "Thurlac's tun", the holding of the original Saxon owner Thurlac.
The manor and church were held by the monks of Taunton Priory until the dissolution of the monasteries and after that by the Portmans of Orchard Portman.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

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Tower of London
Coordinates: 51°30′29″N 0°4′34″W / 51.50806°N 0.07611°W / 51.50806; -0.07611
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison since at least 1100, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

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Trinity House
Coordinates: 51°30′36″N 0°04′37″W / 51.51°N 0.077°W / 51.51; -0.077
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters (with the exception of Scotland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland). It is responsible for the provision and maintenance of navigational aids such as lighthouses, lightvessels, buoys and maritime radio/satellite communication systems. Trinity House is also the official deep sea pilotage authority providing expert navigators for ships trading in Northern European waters. It is a non-departmental public body.
The Master of the Corporation (now an honorary title) is the Princess Royal. Previous Masters of Trinity House have included the diarist Samuel Pepys and the Duke of Wellington, and Admiral William Penn (father of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania). Other prominent individuals in Britain, often connected with commercial shipping or the Admiralty, have been associated with Trinity House, including Winston Churchill, who gained his status as an Elder Brother of Trinity House as a result of his position as First Lord of the Admiralty before and during World War I.^{[citation needed]} Often, especially on naval-related forays during the Second World War, he was seen in Trinity House cap or uniform. Winston Churchill also had a Trinity House vessel (THV) named after him, the THV Winston Churchill.

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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.

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Wales
Wales ⁱ/ˈweɪlz/ (Welsh: Cymru;Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkəm.rɨ] ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain,bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km² (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,200 km (750 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands; the largest, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), is also the largest island in the Irish Sea. Wales is largely mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, especially in Snowdonia (Eryri), which contains Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit.
During the Iron Age and early medieval period, Wales was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. A distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations today. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was recognised as King of Wales in 1057. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales. The castles and town walls erected to ensure its permanence are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to what was to become modern Wales, in the early 15th century. Wales was subsequently annexed by England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 since when, excluding those matters now devolved to Wales, English law has been the legal system of Wales and England. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and The Welsh Language Society in 1962. The National Assembly for Wales, created in 1999 following a referendum, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters.

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Watchet
Coordinates: 51°10′46″N 3°19′27″W / 51.1795°N 3.3242°W / 51.1795; -3.3242
Watchet is a harbour town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, with an approximate population of 4,400. It is situated 15 miles (24 km) west of Bridgwater, 15 miles (24 km) north-west of Taunton, and 9 miles (14 km) east of Minehead. The parish includes the hamlet of Beggearn Huish. The town lies at the mouth of the Washford River on Bridgwater Bay, part of the Bristol Channel, and on the edge of Exmoor National Park.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was written whilst travelling through Watchet and the surrounding area.
Watchet is believed to be the place where Saint Decuman was killed and the 15th century, Grade I listed, Church of St Decuman is dedicated to him.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records the early port at Watchet being plundered by Danes led by Ohtor and Rhoald in 987 and 997. The parish of Watchet was part of the Williton and Freemanners Hundred.
It is known that it was in frequent use by small boats in 1564 possibly for the import of salt and wine from France. During the English Civil War Royalist reinforcements for the siege of Dunster Castle was sent by sea, but the tide was on the ebb and a troop of Roundheads rode into the shallows and forced the ship to surrender, so a ship at sea was taken by a troop of horse.

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Weare, Somerset
Coordinates: 51°16′08″N 2°50′24″W / 51.269°N 2.840°W / 51.269; -2.840
Weare and Lower Weare are small villages in Somerset, England, on the River Axe, south of the Mendip Hills. The parish comprises the villages of Upper and Lower Weare, and the hamlets of Alston Sutton, Brinscombe and Stone Allerton.
The name of the village may come from a Weir on the River Axe.
After the Norman conquest the manor was granted to Walter of Douai and then passed to the Gaunt, Gourney and Brythemore families. The Gourneys established a borough original called Nether Weare and later Lower Weare and were granted the right to hold fairs and even sent members of parliament to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This new borough declined after 1316, however a borough court was still being held in Lower Weare in 1603.
Alston Sutton was a separate manor at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. The name means Aethelnoth's settlement and was held in 1286 by Walter de Sutton. The village declined by 1548 and was largely demolished soon afterwards.

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Wedmore
Coordinates: 51°13′34″N 2°48′36″W / 51.226°N 2.810°W / 51.226; -2.810
Wedmore is a village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on raised ground, in the Somerset Levels between the River Axe and River Brue, often called the Isle of Wedmore. It forms part of Sedgemoor district. The parish consists of three main villages: Wedmore, Blackford and Theale, with 14 hamlets including Bagley, Cocklake, Mudgley, Panborough and Sand. Wedmore has a population of 3,145 according to the 2001 census.
Its facilities include doctors, a dentist, butchers, a village store, three pubs and several other small shops. It is located 4 miles (6 km) south of Cheddar, 7 miles (11 km) west of the city of Wells and 7 miles (11 km) north west of Glastonbury.
Iron Age remains have been found in the area, and there are a number of Roman sites in the district.
The name Wedmore in Old English probably means hunting lodge and there was a Saxon royal estate in the area. Centwine gained control of the area in 682 and named it 'Vadomaer' after one of the Saxon leaders Vado the famous. After winning the Battle of Ethandun, Alfred the Great caused the Viking leader Guthrum and his followers to be baptised at Aller and then celebrated at Wedmore. After this the Vikings withdrew to East Anglia.

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Wellington, Somerset
Coordinates: 50°58′32″N 3°13′27″W / 50.9755°N 3.2243°W / 50.9755; -3.2243
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset, England, situated 7 miles (11 km) 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. The town has a population of 13,696, which includes the residents of the parish of Wellington Without, and the villages of Tone and Tonedale.
Known as Weolingtun in the Anglo-Saxon period, its name had changed to Walintone by the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. Wellington became a town under a royal charter of 1215 and during the medieval period it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol to Exeter. Major rebuilding took place following a fire in the town in 1731, after which it became a centre for clothmaking. Wellington gave its name to the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, who is commemorated by the nearby Wellington Monument. The Grand Western Canal reached the town in 1835 and then the Bristol and Exeter Railway in 1843. The town's own railway station survived until 1964. Wellington was home of Fox, Fowler and Company, which was the last commercial bank permitted to print their own sterling banknotes in England and Wales. In the 20th century closer links with Taunton meant that many of the residents of Wellington commuted there for work, and the M5 motorway enabled car journeys to be made more easily.

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Wells
Coordinates: 51°12′26″N 2°39′07″W / 51.2073°N 2.6519°W / 51.2073; -2.6519
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. It is the second smallest English city in terms of area and population after the City of London although, unlike the latter, Wells is not part of a larger metropolitan conurbation, and is consequently described in some sources as being England's smallest city.
The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral. There was a small Roman settlement around the wells, but its importance grew under the Saxons when King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church in 704, around which the settlement grew. Wells became a trading centre and involved in cloth making before its involvement in both the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion during the 17th century. In the 19th century, transport infrastructure improved with stations on three different railway lines.

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West Somerset
West Somerset is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The council covers a largely rural area, with a population of 35,075 in an area of 740 square kilometres (290 sq mi). According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics in 2009, the population of West Somerset has the oldest average age in the United Kingdom at 52. The largest centres of population are the coastal towns of Minehead (population 10,000) and Watchet (4,400).
The council's administrative headquarters is located in the village of Williton, with an additional office in Minehead.
The district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the previous urban districts of Minehead and Watchet, along with Dulverton Rural District and Williton Rural District.
There are 33 Grade I listed buildings in West Somerset, the oldest being Culbone Church, which is one of the smallest churches in England, and pre-Norman in origin and Tarr Steps which may originate in the Bronze Age, although others date them from around 1400.Dunster has the greatest concentration of Grade I listed buildings including Dunster Castle, the Yarn Market, Gallox Bridge and Priory Church of St George. Other sites include manor houses such as Nettlecombe Court and Orchard Wyndham. The most recent buildings included in the list are Crowcombe Court which was completed in 1739 and the Church of St John the Baptist in Carhampton which was rebuilt in 1863. There are numerous religious structures in Somerset, with the largest number being Anglican parish churches, dating from Norman or medieval eras. Some of the churches are included in the Somerset towers, a collection of distinctive, mostly spireless Gothic church towers.

wn.com/West_Somerset
Weston-super-Mare
Coordinates: 51°20′46″N 2°58′37″W / 51.346°N 2.977°W / 51.346; -2.977
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, 18 miles (29 km) south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Oldmixon, West Wick and Worle. Its population according to the 2001 census was 71,758. Since 1983, Weston has been twinned with Hildesheim, Germany.
Although there is evidence in the local area of occupation since the Iron Age, it was still a small village until the 19th century when it became a seaside resort, and was connected with local towns and cities by a railway, and two piers were built. The growth continued until the second half of the 20th century, when tourism declined and some local industries closed. During the 21st century a regeneration programme is being undertaken. Attractions include the Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare Museum, the Grand Pier and the SeaQuarium aquarium. The Paddle Steamer Waverley and MV Balmoral offer day sea trips from Knightstone Island to various destinations along the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. Cultural venues include The Playhouse, The Winter Gardens, and The Blakehay Theatre & Community Arts Centre.

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Westonzoyland
Coordinates: 51°06′22″N 2°55′23″W / 51.106°N 2.923°W / 51.106; -2.923
Westonzoyland is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated on the Somerset Levels, 4 miles (6.4 km) south east of Bridgwater.
The name of the parish derives from its location on the "island" of Sowy, an area of slightly higher ground on the Somerset Levels between the River Cary and the River Parrett. The parish of Westernzoyland was created in 1515 when the parish of Sowy was divided. Westonzoyland refers to the western-most settlement on Sowy. The parish of Westonzoyland was part of the Whitley Hundred,
The area around Westonzoyland was farmed as common land when it was owned by the Abbey at Glastonbury, who during the 12th and 13th centuries encouraged tenants to undertake large scale reclamation of the marshland. 722 acres (292 ha) were enclosed in 1234. With the dissolution of the Abbey in 1539, the land was divided among owners, with the soil belonging to the Crown. Cornelius Vermuyden was active in the region in the mid 17th century, building small-scale drainage schemes at Cossington, Catcott, Huntspill and Puriton, but despite the devastation caused by extensive flooding in 1607, was unable to convince the communities of Sedgemoor of the benefits that a drainage scheme would bring, as they feared that improved pastures would prejudice their common rights. A series of Acts of Parliament were passed between 1777 and 1801, which authorised the construction of drainage schemes in the Somerset moors and levels.

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Willow Man
51°09′02″N 2°58′52″W / 51.15046°N 2.98120°W / 51.15046; -2.98120Coordinates: 51°09′02″N 2°58′52″W / 51.15046°N 2.98120°W / 51.15046; -2.98120
Willow Man is a large outdoor sculpture by Serena de la Hey. It is situated in a field next to the northbound carriageway of the M5 motorway, near Bridgwater in Somerset, South West England, near to the Bristol to Exeter railway line and junction 23 of the motorway. It stands 40 feet (12 m), with a 16-foot (5 m) arm span, and is made of black maul willow withies woven over a 3-tonne steel frame.
Willow Man was commissioned by South West Arts, for the Year of the Artist, and was unveiled in September 2000. It marks the millennium and celebrates the role of willow in the ecology and craft tradition of the Somerset Levels.
The first sculpture was burnt down in an arson attack on 8 May 2001. The sculpture was rebuilt by the same artist in October 2001, and a 130-foot (40 m) circular moat was excavated around it as a precaution against further attacks.

wn.com/Willow_Man
Wincanton
Coordinates: 51°03′21″N 2°24′37″W / 51.0559°N 2.4102°W / 51.0559; -2.4102
Wincanton is a small town in south Somerset, southwest England. The town lies on the A303 road, the main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. The town has a population of 4,643.
One of the First buildings was built around the 14th century, but the town has been about longer.
Windmill Hill was the site of a Bronze Age Beaker culture burial, and contemporary artefacts have been found on the Selwood Ridge.
Prior to the Norman Conquest Wincanton and was frequently the scene of battles between the Britons, Danes and Saxons. During the reign of Edmund Ironside, the English, under his command, defeated the Danes forcing them to leave England.
In the Domesday Book the name of the town was spelled as Wincaleton thought to mean Pleasant town on the Cale.Cockroad Wood Castle, which is now in the parish of Charlton Musgrove, was a motte and bailey castle, probably built after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The castle sits close to the contemporary Norman castles of Ballands and Castle Orchard, and may have been built a system of fortifications to control the surrounding area. By 1086 the surrounding land was held by Walter of Douai, although no documentary evidence of the castle remains.

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Wiveliscombe
Coordinates: 51°02′35″N 3°18′49″W / 51.0431°N 3.3137°W / 51.0431; -3.3137
Wiveliscombe is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 9 miles (14 km) west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The town has a population of 2,670. The parish includes the nearby hamlet of Maundown.
North west of the town are Clatworthy Camp an Iron age hill fort and Clatworthy Reservoir. Nearby is Elworthy Barrows an unfinished Iron Age hill fort rather than Bronze Age barrows. The Neolithic hillfort at King's Castle is 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the town.
The parish of Wiveliscombe was part of the Kilmersdon Hundred,
The Town Hall was built in 1840 by Richard Carver for Lord Ashburton. It housed a fish market, a butchers’ market and a pig market with an assembly room above them. It is a Grade II listed building. It was bought by The Cooperative Society in 1929 and converted to shops, with the hall being left unused. Plans have now been drawn up for the creation of an Arts, Media, Cultural and Heritage Venue.

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Woolavington
Coordinates: 51°10′12″N 2°56′02″W / 51.170°N 2.934°W / 51.170; -2.934
Woolavington is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the English county of Somerset. It forms part of the District of Sedgemoor, and is 5.2 miles (8.4 km) north east of Bridgwater, 7.2 miles (11.6 km) south east of Burnham on Sea and 11.9 miles (19.2 km) west of Glastonbury. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,163.
The village name means the settlement of Hunlaf's people and was known as Hunlavintone in the Domesday Book of 1086. The parish of Woolvington was part of the Whitley Hundred,
Close to the village is the Royal Ordnance Factory ROF Bridgwater, a factory which produced high explosives for munitions from 1941 until its closure in 2008.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

wn.com/Woolavington
Yeovil
Coordinates: 50°56′43″N 2°38′13″W / 50.9452°N 2.6370°W / 50.9452; -2.6370
Yeovil ( /ˈjoʊvɪl/ YOH-vil) is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 60,000, although the wider urban area had a population of 72,140. The town lies within the local district of South Somerset and the Yeovil parliamentary constituency,situated at the Southern Boundary of Somerset, 130 miles from London, 40 miles south of Bristol and 30 miles from Taunton.
It has palaeolithic remains, was on an old Roman road and was recorded in the Domesday Book as the town of Givle, and later became a centre for the glove making industry. During the Middle Ages the population of the town suffered from the Black Death and several serious fires. In the 20th century it developed into a centre of the aircraft and defence industries, which made it a target for bombing in the Second World War, with one of the largest employers being AgustaWestland who manufacture helicopters. Several other manufacturing and retail companies also have bases in the town. In the 21st century Yeovil became the first town in Britain to institute a system of biometric fingerprint scanning in nightclubs and the first English council to ban the children's craze Heelys. Plans have been proposed for various regeneration projects in the town.

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Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (German: [ˈadɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ] ( listen); 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and dictator of Nazi Germany (as Führer und Reichskanzler) from 1934 to 1945. Hitler is commonly associated with the rise of fascism in Europe, World War II, and the Holocaust.
A decorated veteran of World War I, Hitler joined the German Workers' Party, precursor of the Nazi Party, in 1919, and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923, he attempted a coup d'état, known as the Beer Hall Putsch, in Munich. The failed coup resulted in Hitler's imprisonment, during which time he wrote his memoir, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, antisemitism, and anticommunism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. After his appointment as chancellor in 1933, he transformed the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, a single-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of Nazism. His aim was to establish a New Order of absolute Nazi German hegemony in continental Europe.

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Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (Old English: Ælfrēd, Ælfrǣd, "elf counsel"; 849 – 26 October 899) was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.
Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by his death had become the dominant ruler in England. He is the only English monarch to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons". Details of his life are described in a work by the 10th century Welsh scholar and bishop Asser. Alfred was a learned and merciful man who encouraged education and improved his kingdom's legal system and military structure.
Alfred was born in the village of Wanating, now Wantage, Oxfordshire. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex, by his first wife, Osburh.
In 853, at the age of four, Alfred is said to have been sent to Rome where, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he was confirmed by Pope Leo IV who "anointed him as king". Victorian writers interpreted this as an anticipatory coronation in preparation for his ultimate succession to the throne of Wessex. However, his succession could not have been foreseen at the time, as Alfred had three living elder brothers. A letter of Leo IV shows that Alfred was made a "consul"; a misinterpretation of this investiture, deliberate or accidental, could explain later confusion. It may also be based on Alfred's later having accompanied his father on a pilgrimage to Rome where he spent some time at the court of Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, around 854–855.

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Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature.
From the first bishop until the sixteenth century the Bishops of Exeter were in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. However during the Reformation the church in England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, at first temporarily and later more permanently. Since the Reformation, the Bishop and Diocese of Exeter has been part of the Church of England and of the Anglican Communion.
The current bishop is the Right Reverend Dr. Michael Langrish, the seventieth Lord Bishop of Exeter, who signs Michael Exon.
The history of Christianity in the South West of England remains to some degree obscure. At a certain point the historical county of Devon formed part of the diocese of Wessex. About 703 Devon and Cornwall were included in the separate Diocese of Sherborne and in 900 this was again divided, the Devon bishop having from 905 his seat at Tawton (now Bishop's Tawton) and from 912 at Crediton, birthplace of St Boniface. Lyfing became Bishop of Crediton in 1027 and shortly afterwards became Bishop of Cornwall.

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Breaker Morant
Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant (9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902) was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, poet, soldier and convicted war criminal whose skill with horses earned him the nickname "The Breaker". The bulk of his published work appeared in The Bulletin magazine.
During service in the Second Boer War, Morant participated in the summary execution of several Boer (Afrikaner) prisoners and the killing of a German missionary, Daniel Heese, who had been a witness to the shootings. His actions led to his controversial court-martial and execution for murder.
In the century since his death, Morant has become a folk hero to some in Australia. His story has been the subject of several books, a stage play, and a major Australian feature film.
Accounts of Morant's life before the Boer War vary considerably, and it appears that Morant fabricated a number of these romantic legends. Morant is often described as being 'well-educated' and claimed to have been born in 1865 at Bideford, Devon, England and to have been the illegitimate son of Admiral Sir George Digby Morant of the Royal Navy; a claim repeated as fact by later writers, although the admiral denied it. It is alleged that Morant entrusted his cigarette case and other personal belongings to Major Bolton, the prosecuting officer during the later courts martial with the words "see that my family gets them". Years later, when Bolton's daughter allegedly tried to hand them to the family of Sir George, she was sent away and told Morant was not related to them.^{[citation needed]} It has been suggested^[who?] that the young Morant came into the care of a wealthy Scottish author, soldier, hunt-master and golfer, George Whyte-Melville. Like other stories there is no evidence for this theory.

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Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha (meaning "the awakened one" in Sanskrit and Pāli). The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end ignorance (avidyā), craving (taṇhā), and suffering (dukkha), by recognizing dependent origination and sunyata, and attain Nirvana.
Two major branches of Buddhism are recognized: Theravada ("The School of the Elders") and Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle"). Theravada has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana is found throughout East Asia and includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon, Tiantai (Tendai) and Shinnyo-en. In some classifications, Vajrayana—practiced mainly in Tibet and Mongolia, and adjacent parts of China and Russia—is recognized as a third branch, while others classify it as a part of Mahayana. There are other categorisations of these three Vehicles or Yanas.

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David Luckes
David James Luckes MBE (born 24 April 1968 in Newport, Monmouthshire) is a former field hockey goalkeeper, who participated in three Summer Olympics for Great Britain: 1992, 1996 and 2000.
Luckes played club hockey for Surbiton and East Grinstead. He also helped in UK 2012 Olympic bid and is now in charge of Sport Competition for London Organising Committee. Luckes was raised in Bridgwater, Somerset.

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Donald Crowhurst
Donald Crowhurst (1932–1969) was a British businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. Crowhurst had entered the race in hopes of winning a cash prize from The Sunday Times to aid his failing business. Instead, he encountered difficulty early in the voyage, and secretly abandoned the race while reporting false positions, in an attempt to appear to complete a circumnavigation without actually circling the world. Evidence found after his disappearance indicates that this attempt ended in insanity and suicide.
Crowhurst was born in 1932 in Ghaziabad, British India. His mother was a school teacher and his father worked on the Indian railways. After India gained its independence, his family moved back to England. The family's retirement savings were invested in an Indian sporting goods factory, which later burned down during rioting after the Partition of India.
Crowhurst's father died in 1948. Due to family financial problems, he was forced to leave school early and started a five-year apprenticeship at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough Airfield. He later received a Royal Air Force commission as a pilot, but was asked to leave the Royal Air Force for reasons which remain unclear. He later joined the British Army. After leaving the Army due to a disciplinary incident, he eventually moved to Bridgwater and started a business called Electron Utilisation Ltd. He was active in his local community as a member of the Liberal Party and in 1967 was elected to represent the Central Ward of Bridgwater Town Council.

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Edward IV of England
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England. The first half of his rule was marred by the violence associated with the Wars of the Roses, but he overcame the Lancastrian challenge to this throne at Tewkesbury in 1471 to reign in peace until his sudden death. Before becoming king he was 4th Duke of York, 7th Earl of March, 5th Earl of Cambridge and 9th Earl of Ulster. He was also the 65th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Edward of York was born at Rouen in France, the second child of Richard, 3rd Duke of York (who had a strong genealogical claim to the throne of England), and Cecily Neville. He was the eldest of the four sons who survived to adulthood. His younger brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland, died along with his father fighting for the Yorkist cause. The Duke of York's assertion of his claim to the crown in 1460 was the key escalation of the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. When his father was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, Edward inherited his claim.

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F. W. S. Craig
Frederick Walter Scott Craig (10 December 1929 – 23 March 1989) was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compiling election results in his spare time which were published by the Scottish Unionist Party. In the late 1960s he launched his own business as a publisher of reference books, and also compiled various other statistics concerning British politics.
Craig also had a political career of his own, initially as an election agent and then as a candidate. Efforts to get elected in his native Glasgow being unsuccessful, after he moved to Chichester in 1970 he was first elected to the District Council and later to West Sussex County Council. However he fell out with a faction in the local Conservative Party and launched a rebel group which led to his expulsion. Late in his life he suffered severe depression and he committed suicide.
Craig was a native of Glasgow. He became interested in election statistics while still at school. He was active in the Scottish Unionist Party Association, and in 1954 began to contribute the 'Scottish Parliamentary Election Manual' of election results to the Yearbook for Scotland, which the party published. Craig was unhappy with existing sources for election statistics and undertook research himself to correct the vote figures and discover the source of independent candidates, and his election manual became highly respected.

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George Hennet
George Hennet (1799–1857) was a railway engineer and contractor. He undertook many contracts for Isambard Kingdom Brunel's broad gauge railways in the South West of England and funded the provision of extra facilities on the South Devon Railway, these formed the basis of a general trading business that he conducted.
George Hennet was born in May 1799 in York. His early career was as a school master but he developed a talent for surveying. In 1829 he married Rosamond Follet, daughter of a timber merchant from Topsham, Devon.
During his work for Brunel he was living in London, close to Brunel's offices, but later moved to an address in Bristol near Temple Meads station. About 1849 he moved further west to Teignmouth in Devon from where he could better manage his contracts with the South Devon Railway. He owned a house called "Fonthill" in Shaldon, on the other side of the River Teign, and took an active part in the life of Teignmouth.
In 1853 he was declared bankrupt, owing about £350,000. His trading business continued for some years but his railway maintenance contract was cancelled and he had to sell much of his property in Dawlish and Teignmouth.

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Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Fawkes was born and educated in York. His father died when Fawkes was eight years old, after which his mother married a recusant Catholic. Fawkes later converted to Catholicism and left for the continent, where he fought in the Eighty Years' War on the side of Catholic Spain against Protestant Dutch reformers. He travelled to Spain to seek support for a Catholic rebellion in England but was unsuccessful. He later met Thomas Wintour, with whom he returned to England.
Wintour introduced Fawkes to Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. The plotters secured the lease to an undercroft beneath the House of Lords, and Fawkes was placed in charge of the gunpowder they stockpiled there. Prompted by the receipt of an anonymous letter, the authorities searched Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November, and found Fawkes guarding the explosives. Over the next few days, he was questioned and tortured, and eventually he broke. Immediately before his execution on 31 January, Fawkes jumped from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of the mutilation that followed.

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Henry III of England
Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272) was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready. England prospered during his reign and his greatest monument is Westminster, which he made the seat of his government and where he expanded the abbey as a shrine to Edward the Confessor. He is the first of only five monarchs to reign in the Kingdom of England or its successor states for 50 years or more, the others being Edward III (1327–1377), George III (1760–1820), Victoria (1837–1901) and Elizabeth II (1952–present).
He assumed the crown under the regency of the popular William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, but the England he inherited had undergone several drastic changes in the reign of his father. He spent much of his reign fighting the barons over Magna Carta and the royal rights, and was eventually forced to call the first "parliament" in 1264. He was also unsuccessful on the Continent, where he endeavoured to re-establish English control over Normandy, Anjou, and Aquitaine.

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Ian Liddell-Grainger
Ian Richard Peregrine Liddell-Grainger (born 23 February 1959) is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bridgwater between the 2001 general election, when he succeeded Tom King, and 2010, when the constituency underwent boundary changes, and became Bridgwater and West Somerset.
Liddell-Grainger was born in Edinburgh to Anne Liddell-Grainger and David Liddell-Grainger and educated at Wellesley House in Kent and Millfield School in Somerset, then South Scotland Agricultural College in Edinburgh, gaining a National Certificate of Agriculture. Before entering Parliament he ran a 250-acre (1.0 km²) farm in the Scottish Borders from 1980-5 and later became a company director in Newcastle of his family holdings in the City. He was also a Major in the Territorial Army with the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, commanding the machine-gun Platoon and then X Company of the Battalion in Newcastle upon Tyne and an adviser to the Ministry of Defence. In the 1997 general election Liddell-Grainger contested Torridge and West Devon, where he came second to the Liberal Democrat candidate John Burnett.

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James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. Joyce is best known for Ulysses (1922), a landmark work in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in an array of contrasting literary styles, perhaps most prominently the stream of consciousness technique he perfected. Other major works are the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939). His complete oeuvre includes three books of poetry, a play, occasional journalism, and his published letters.
Joyce was born to a middle class family in Dublin, where he excelled as a student at the Jesuit schools Clongowes and Belvedere, then at University College Dublin. In his early twenties he emigrated permanently to continental Europe, living in Trieste, Paris and Zurich. Though most of his adult life was spent abroad, Joyce's fictional universe does not extend beyond Dublin, and is populated largely by characters who closely resemble family members, enemies and friends from his time there; Ulysses in particular is set with precision in the streets and alleyways of the city. Shortly after the publication of Ulysses he elucidated this preoccupation somewhat, saying, "For myself, I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal."

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James Sully
James Sully (3 March 1842 – 1 November 1923) was an English psychologist.
He was born at Bridgwater, and was educated at the Independent College, Taunton, the Regent's Park College, University of Göttingen, where he studied under Lotze, and at Humboldt University, Berlin where he studied under DuBois-Reymond and Helmholtz. Originally destined for the Nonconformist ministry and in 1869 he became classical tutor at the Baptist College, Pontypool. In in 1871 he adopted a literary and philosophic career. He was Grote professor of the philosophy of mind and logic at University College, London, from 1892 to 1903, when he was succeeded by Carveth Read. An adherent of the associationist school of psychology, his views had great affinity with those of Alexander Bain. He wrote monographs on subjects such as pessimism, and psychology textbooks, some of the first in English, including The Human Mind (1892). His 1881 Ilusions was commended by Freud and Wundt.
Sully opened an experimental psychology laboratory at University College London in January 1889. In 1901 he was one of the founder members of the British Psychological Society and in fact called the meeting at which the Society was formed.

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Kim Newman
Kim Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's Dracula at the age of eleven—and alternate fictional versions of history. He has won the Bram Stoker Award, the International Horror Guild Award, and the BSFA award.
Newman was born in London and was raised in Aller, Somerset. He was educated at Dr. Morgan's Grammar School in Bridgwater, and set his experimental semi-autobiographical novel Life's Lottery (1999) in a fictionalised version of the town called Sedgwater. He studied English at the University of Sussex.
Early in his career, Newman was a journalist on the City Limits listings magazine and Knave.
Newman's first two books were both non-fiction; Ghastly Beyond Belief: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of Quotations (1985), co-written with his friend Neil Gaiman, is a light-hearted tribute to entertainingly bad prose in fantastic fiction, and Nightmare Movies: A critical history of the horror film, 1968-88 (1988) is a serious history of horror films. An expanded edition, bringing his overview of post-1968 genre cinema up to date, was published in 2011.

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Martin Frobisher
Sir Martin Frobisher (c. 1535 or 1539 – 15 November 1594) was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage. All landed in northeastern Canada, around today's Resolution Island and Frobisher Bay. On his second voyage, Frobisher found what he thought was gold ore and carried 200 tons of it home on three ships, where initial assaying determined it to be worth a profit of £5.1 per ton. Encouraged, Frobisher returned to Canada with an even larger fleet and dug several mines around Frobisher Bay. He carted 1,350 tons of the ore back where, after years of smelting, it was realized that both that batch of ore and the earlier one he had taken were worthless iron pyrite. As an English privateer/pirate, he collected riches from French ships. He was later knighted for his service in repelling the Spanish Armada in 1588.
As early as 1560 or 1561, Frobisher had formed a resolution to undertake a voyage in search of a Northwest Passage as a trade route to India and China (referred to at that time as Cathay).

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Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove (born 26 August 1967) is a British politician, who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Education and as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also an author and former Times journalist who remains on friendly terms with proprietor Rupert Murdoch.
Born in Edinburgh, Gove was raised in Aberdeen and made an early career as a journalist. He was first elected to parliament in the 2005 general election, as the MP for the safe Conservative seat of Surrey Heath in South East England. He was first promoted to the shadow cabinet in 2007 under David Cameron, as the Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
After the formation of the coalition government in 2010, Gove was appointed the Secretary of State for Education.
Gove was born in Edinburgh. At four months old, he was adopted by a Labour-supporting family in Aberdeen, where he was brought up. His father ran a fish processing business; his mother was a lab assistant at the University of Aberdeen before working at the Aberdeen School for the Deaf.

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Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader who was part of the joint republican, military and parliamentarian effort that overthrew the Stuart monarchy as a result of the English Civil War, and was subsequently invited by his fellow leaders to assume a head of state role in 1653. As such, Cromwell ruled as "Lord Protector" for a five-year segment (1653–58) of the 11-year period of republican Commonwealth and protectorate rule of England, and nominally of Ireland, Wales and Scotland. As one of the commanders of the New Model Army, he played an important role in the defeat of the King's forces, the royalists in the English Civil War. After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, Cromwell dominated the short-lived Commonwealth of England, conquered Ireland and Scotland, ruling as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658.
Cromwell was born into the ranks of the middle gentry, and remained relatively obscure for the first 40 years of his life. Along with his brother, Henry, he kept a small holding of chickens and sheep, selling eggs and wool to support himself. His lifestyle resembled that of a yeoman farmer until he received an inheritance from his uncle. After undergoing a religious conversion during the same decade, Cromwell made an independent style of puritanism an essential part of his life. He took a generally (but not completely) tolerant view towards the many Protestant sects of his period. As a ruler he executed an aggressive and effective foreign policy and did as much as any English leader to shape the future of the land he governed. But his Commonwealth collapsed after his death and the royal family was restored in 1660. An intensely religious man—a self-styled Puritan Moses — he fervently believed God was guiding his victories.

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Peter Haggett
Peter Haggett, CBE Sc.D. FBA (b. 24 January 1933) is an eminent British geographer and academic, Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow in Urban and Regional Geography at the School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol.
Haggett was born 1933 in the rural Somerset village of Pawlett, and he was educated at Dr Morgan's Grammar School in Bridgwater. He would later credit the time spent in his childhood walking and cycling around the district for the development of his keen interest in geography.
In 1951 he entered undergraduate studies at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he read in Geography. Peter Hall (later Sir Peter), the noted urban geographer, was one of his contemporaries. Haggett graduated in 1954, obtaining a "Double First" (First-Class Honours in parts I and II of the Tripos).
In an academic career spanning half a century, Professor Haggett is noted for his significant research contributions to the field of human geography, and is the author or editor of over 30 books on geographical practice, theory and individual research topics. He has held numerous teaching posts and visiting professorships at institutions around the world, but is most particularly associated with the University of Bristol where he has been a lecturer and professor of geography since 1966. Among the many awards and distinguished recognitions conferred, Haggett was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1993, for "services to urban and regional geography".

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Richard Mantell
Richard Mantell (born 17 August 1981 in Bridgwater, Somerset) is an English field hockey full back, who made his international senior debut for the national squad on 10 February 2003. He is nicknamed Rick or Ricky or Tricky, and played club hockey for Canterbury.
Currently Mantell is playing for Reading. He was a member of the English squad that finished fifth at the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup in Mönchengladbach. His younger brother Simon was also on that side.

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Robert Dibble
Robert Dibble (15 November 1882 - ?) was a rugby union international who represented England from 1906 to 1912. He also captained his country.
Robert Dibble was born in 1882 in Bridgwater. His father was Robert Dibble (1848–1938) his mother Fanny Boon (1848–1930). Despite being illiterate, his father rose to be the respected manager of the local brickworks.
Dibble made his international debut on 17 March 1906 at Inverleith in the Scotland vs England match. Of the 22 matches he played for his national side he was on the winning side on 11 occasions. He played his final match for England on 16 March 1912 at Inverleith in the Scotland vs England match.

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Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer. He was the only son of George Stephenson, the famed locomotive builder and railway engineer; many of the achievements popularly credited to his father were actually the joint efforts of father and son.
He was born on the 16th of October, 1803, at Willington Quay, east of Newcastle Upon Tyne, the only son of George Stephenson and his wife, Fanny. At the time, George and Fanny were living in a single room and George was working as a brakesman on a stationary colliery engine. In 1804, the family moved to a cottage in West Moor when George was made brakeman at West Moor Colliery. In 1805 Fanny gave birth to a daughter who died after a few weeks. The next year Robert’s mother died of consumption. George then went and worked in Scotland for a short time, leaving the infant Robert with a local woman. However, George soon returned to West Moor, and his sister Nelly came to live at the cottage to look after Robert.

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Saint Matthew
Saint Matthew (מַתִּתְיָהוּ Mattityahu or מתי Mattay "Gift of YHVH"; Greek: Ματθαῖος, Matthaios) was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.
Among the early followers and apostles of Jesus, Matthew is mentioned in Mt 9:9 and Mt 10:3 as a former tax collector from Capernaum who was called into the circle of the Twelve by Jesus. He is also named among the number of the Twelve, but without identification of his background, in Mk 3:18, Lk 6:15 and Acts 1:13. He is often equated with the figure of Levi, son of Alpheus, also a tax collector, who is mentioned in Mk 2:14 and Lk 5:27. He may have collected taxes from the Hebrew people for Herod Antipas. Matthew was "called" by Jesus of Nazareth to be one of the Twelve Disciples. According to the New Testament he was one of the witnesses of the Resurrection and the Ascension.
Matthew was a first century Galilean (presumably born in Galilee, which was not part of Judea or the Roman Iudaea province) and the son of Alpheus. During the Roman occupation (which began in 63 BC with the conquest of Pompey), Matthew collected taxes from the Hebrew people for Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. His tax office was located in Capernaum. Jews who became rich in such a fashion were despised and considered outcasts. However, as a tax collector he would have been literate in Aramaic and Greek.

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Simon Mantell
Simon Douglas Mantell (born 24 April 1984 in Bridgwater, Somerset) is an English field hockey forward, who made his international senior debut for the national squad on 9 November 2005 versus Ireland at Beeston. He is the younger brother of Richard Mantell.
Mantell was educated at Millfield School, an independent school in the village of Street in Somerset, followed by the University of Birmingham.
Currently Mantell is playing in the Netherlands for HGC, having previously played for Reading. He was a member of the English squad that finished fifth at the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup in Mönchengladbach.
Mantell has also been selected to represent Great Britain. He was part of the Great Britain side that returned victorious from the Olympic qualifying event in Chile. There Great Britain secured qualification for Beijing by beating India in final.

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Sir Francis Fox
Sir Francis Fox (1844 - 1927) was an English civil engineer, who was responsible for the bridges over the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi and Sydney Harbour, the Mersey Railway Tunnel and the Liverpool Overhead Railway, and extending the London Underground.
Born in Derby, England, he was one of three sons of the noted engineer and contractor Sir Charles Fox.
Educated at Brighton College, he entered into business with his father and his brother Charles Douglas in 1857. In 1860 the three formed a partnership, the firm being known as Sir Charles Fox and Sons. Fox was also a consultant for the Simplon Tunnel and in 1878 constructed the replacement train shed at Bristol Temple Meads railway station. He became an engineer for the Great Central Railway and, in 1889, collaborated with his brother Douglas and H.W. Braddock in the construction of Marylebone station, London. He also assisted his brother in the construction of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, which was opened in 1893.
Fox also assisted in the shoring-up of several great cathedrals including St Paul's Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral in 1905, where he employed tie-rods and grouting to bind the walls together.

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Sir Paul Dukes
Sir Paul Dukes KBE (1889–1967) was a British author and MI6 officer.
Born Paul Henry Dukes on 10 February 1889 in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, the son of an Anglican clergyman, Rev. Edwin J. Dukes and his wife, neé Edith M. Pope, he was educated at Caterham School in England, and Petrograd Conservatoire in Russia.
As a young man he took a position as a language teacher in Riga, Latvia. He later moved to St. Petersburg, where he was a secret agent in Imperial Russia. During this time he worked at the Petrograd Conservatoire as a concert pianist and deputy conductor to Albert Coates. He set up elaborate plans to help prominent White Russians escape from Soviet prisons and smuggled hundreds of them into Finland.
Known as the "Man of a Hundred Faces," Dukes continued his use of disguises, which aided him in assuming a number of identities and gained him access to numerous Bolshevik organizations. He successfully infiltrated the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Comintern, and the political police, or CHEKA. Dukes also learned of the inner workings of the Politburo, and passed the information to British intelligence.

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Tommy Woods (rugby)
Thomas "Tommy" Woods (born 9 February 1883 in Bridgwater — died 12 April 1955(1955-04-12) (aged 72) in Rochdale) was an English dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1900s and '10s, playing representative level rugby union (RU) for England, and at club level for Bridgwater & Albion RFC [2], as a Forward, and playing representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Rochdale Hornets, as a Hooker, or Second-row, i.e. number 9, or, 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums.
Tommy Woods was born in 1883 in Bridgwater, and later played rugby union for Bridgwater & Albion RFC, alongside Robert Dibble.
Tommy Woods won a cap for England (RU) while at Bridgwater & Albion RFC against Scotland at Inverleith on 21 March 1908, and won caps for England (RL) while at Rochdale in 1911 against Australia, in 1912 against Wales, in 1913 against Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Rochdale in 1911 against Australia, and in 1912 against Australia.

wn.com/Tommy_Woods_(rugby)
Vernon Bartlett
Charles Vernon Oldfield Bartlett CBE (30 April 1894, Westbury, Wiltshire - 18 January 1983) was an English journalist, politician and author who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1938 to 1950.
After education at Blundell's School Bartlett was invalided out of the Army in World War I. As a journalist he worked for the Daily Mail, and was a foreign correspondent for The Times. In 1922 he was appointed director of the London office of the League of Nations. Bartlett, who had been working for the BB, did not have his contract renewed after his coverage of Hitler's decision to leave the League of Nations in 1933 was deemed "not beastly enough" when talking about Germany. In 1933 he joined the News Chronicle, and was its diplomatic correspondent for 20 years, including a period in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
He was elected to the House of Commons for the Somerset seat of Bridgwater as a Popular Front candidate opposed to appeasement in a by-election held on 18 November 1938. He held the seat for 12 years.

wn.com/Vernon_Bartlett

Bridgwater - Wiki Article

Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrativ...

published: 27 Oct 2012

author: WikiPlays

1001 Hastings DEMU Cabview Channel Two Weston-super-Mare to Bridgwater 07.07.12

Cabview from Hastings DEMU 1001 Power Car 60116. After arriving at Weston-super-Mare 1001 ...

published: 13 Jul 2012

author: MrGettingtooold

Bridgwater town in Photos (Sep 2007 - Sep 2011)

Created by Enter, www.cbe.me.uk I used ~ 511 photos to make video. Some good Bridgwater to...

published: 11 Sep 2011

author: eShark UK

Bridgwater Collapse.mp4

River Parret 04 11 11...

published: 09 Nov 2011

author: 7487peter

Stephen Hawking's lecture on Bridgwater

...

published: 13 Oct 2009

author: slowchewey

Studying at Bridgwater College

...

published: 14 Nov 2011

author: BridgwaterCollege

bridgwater cts ep 5.wmv

the best show in bridgwater...

published: 07 Feb 2012

author: jordoncts mclaren

Dee Dee Bridgwater - To Billy with Love - Fano Jazz by the Sea - 2012

Dee Dee Bridgewater - voce Craig Handy - sax tenore, flauto Edsel Gomez - pianoforte Stefa...

published: 31 Jul 2012

author: michele alberto sereni

Gremlins CC Revolution - Bridgwater Carnival 2012

Here we have gremlins cc with there entry Revolution for the Bridgwater Carnival 2012...

published: 03 Nov 2012

author: AgriVidsProductions

37667 and 37682 with 6V74 and 6M67 at Bridgwater on 13th December 2012.

37667 and 37682 seen arriving into Bridgwater Station then propel into Bridgwater Yard wit...

published: 13 Dec 2012

author: 47840chaser

Bridgwater Skateboarding 2012

Another big edit taken in good ol' Bridgwater. Filmed in around 2 weeks, thanks to anyone ...

published: 19 May 2012

author: APushWithWood

Bridgwater carnival 2012| Music | Part 3/5

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published: 15 Dec 2012

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2012 Bridgwater carnival - various entries

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published: 04 Nov 2012

author: SOMERSETCARNIVALS

Bridgwater carnival 2012 highlights

Bridgwater carnival 2012 highlights...

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http://twitter.com/#!/Peter_Snelling Smashed is a thrilling and moving drama about four f...

published: 20 Sep 2009

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published: 13 Jun 2011

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Bridgwater College

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author: Bridgwater College

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photo: AP / Guang Niu, Pool

A Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine sails during an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of People's Liberation Army Navy Thursday, April 23, 2009 off Qingdao, China's Shandong Province. China on Thursday displayed for the first time its nuclear-powered submarines, a sign of the navy's growing confidence and its aspirations to become a major sea pow

Russian expert warns America about Chinese nukes

The Examiner

16 Dec 2012

Retired Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin yesterday wrapped up a visit to the United States during which he met with officials at the Pentagon, State Department as well as members of Congress warning about underestimating China’s tactical nuclear weapons buildup ... Yesin warns that U.S. and Western arms specialists are dramatically underestimating China’s nuclear arsenal ... Somewhere between the higher and lower estimates is no doubt the truth ... Mr ... Mr ... ....(size: 4.0Kb)

photo: AP / Jason DeCrow

Newtown Police Officer Maryhelen McCarthy carries flowers near a memorial for shooting victims Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012 in Newtown, Conn.

Gunman forced his way into Connecticut school, governor says

Chicago Sun-Times

16 Dec 2012

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The gunman in the Connecticut shooting rampage committed suicide as first responders closed in, the governor said Sunday, raising the specter that Adam Lanza had planned an even more gruesome massacre and was stopped short. Lanza blasted his way into the building and used a high-power rifle to kill 20 children and six adults, including the principal who tried to stop him, authorities said ... Among the questions ... H ... The Rev....(size: 8.8Kb)

photo: AP / David Goldman

A police officer takes up a position behind the rectory of the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in response to a bomb threat as onlookers watch from a Starbucks parking lot, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn.

Gun control debate begins to simmer after massacre

Denver Post

17 Dec 2012

WASHINGTON—Democrats say meaningful action in the wake of last week's elementary school shooting must include a ban on military-style assault weapons and a look at how the nation deals with individuals suffering from serious mental illness. Several Democratic lawmakers and Independent Sen ... Gun control was a hot topic in the early 1990s, when Congress enacted a 10-year ban on assault weapons ... He added ... Sen ... Rep ... ———....(size: 5.3Kb)

photo: AP / Newtown Bee, Shannon Hicks

In this photo provided by the Newtown Bee, police officers are on the scene outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where authorities say a gunman opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

No motive for attack by 'brilliant but remote' killer Adam Lanza in Connecticut

The Independent

15 Dec 2012

The massacre of 26 children and adults at an elementary school in the US state of Connecticut elicited horror and soul-searching around the world even as it raised more basic questions about why the gunman, a 20-year-old described as brilliant but remote, would have been driven to such a crime and how he chose his victims ... He paused for several seconds to keep his composure as he teared up and wiped an eye ... ... "I'm numb ... Yes, yeah....(size: 8.8Kb)

photo: AP / Jessica Hill

Law enforcement canvass an area following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. where authorities say a gunman opened fire, leaving 27 people dead, including 20 children, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

'Why? Why?': 26 dead in elementary school massacre

CNN

15 Dec 2012

December 15, 2012 -- Updated 0947 GMT (1747 HKT). Newtown, Connecticut (CNN) -- The bodies of children and educators lay where they fell in a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school -- in classrooms and hallways -- as investigators worked to identity the dead early Saturday while piecing together the path of the gunman ... J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the Connecticut State Police. Timeline. School violence in U.S ... J ... HIDE CAPTION. << ... 1....(size: 24.9Kb)

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Cannington residents build own flood defences

BBC News

17 Dec 2012

A community from Somerset badly affected by last month's floods has built its own ditch to stop it happening again. Residents have removed hedges and trees in Cannington, near Bridgwater, so that they can build an escape route for the flood water ... Last month 40 homes in the area were severely flooded. Mr Dyer said ... 'Finite pot' ... ....(size: 1.6Kb)

Peterborough Chase switched to Exeter

Sporting Life

13 Dec 2012

Trainer David Bridgwater feels moving the race to Exeter may even be an advantage to his possible Peterborough runner The Giant Bolster, although he plans to check on the fresh entries before committing him to a run ... Chase at Haydock and Bridgwater feels his stable star is in much better shape now than he was a month ago....(size: 1.7Kb)

The Peterborough Chase has been switched to Exeter following the abandonment of Huntingdon

Sky Sports

13 Dec 2012

Trainer David Bridgwater feels moving the race to Exeter may even be an advantage to his possible Peterborough runner The Giant Bolster, although he plans to check on the fresh entries before committing him to a run ... reappearance in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and Bridgwater feels his stable star is in much better shape now than he was a month ago....(size: 2.0Kb)

Secure your saddlery – advice after tack thefts (Somerset ) (Avon and Somerset Police)

noodls

13 Dec 2012

(Source. Avon and Somerset Police) ADDED. Today 17.27 ... A number of stables, farm outbuildings and barns have been targeted in the Bridgwater area, particularly along the A39 Polden Hills, in the last month. Horse blankets, tack, saddlery and other equipment were taken ... PC Sam Iddon from Bridgwater Police Station said. "Tack and other equestrian equipment can be expensive and is very attractive to thieves ... Please call us on 101 ... (noodl....(size: 4.9Kb)

New nuclear plant, Hinkley Point C, design unveiled

BBC News

13 Dec 2012

The design for the first UK nuclear power stations to be built for 25 years will be granted approval later. After a five year process, regulators have said the European Pressurised Reactor, designed by two French firms, is safe and environmentally sound ... The firms are weighing up the economic case amid concerns about rising costs ... The new power plants will be built next to the old Hinkley Point plants, near Bridgwater, Somerset ... Changes....(size: 3.0Kb)

Twiston-Davies hot streak continues

Sporting Life

13 Dec 2012

Sam Twiston-Davies made plenty of use of the Irish import, trained by his father Nigel, and always had the 11-4 favourite up with the pace. Rajdhani Express loomed as a serious challenger but he came down at the third last, leaving the leader clear ... "I was impressed by him ... Keevil said ... Okafranca struck over the same course and distance for the second time in a fortnight when winning the Bathwick Tyres Bridgwater Handicap Hurdle ... ....(size: 3.4Kb)

Appeal for help to find stolen dogs (Barrow Gurney ) (Avon and Somerset Police)

noodls

12 Dec 2012

(Source. Avon and Somerset Police) ADDED. Today 9.38 Have you seen these dogs? Three dogs stolen in burglary ... The incident occurred overnight between Thursday 6th December and Friday 7th December 2012 at a property on the A38 Bridgwater Road ... distributed by ... (noodl. 16928007) ....(size: 2.1Kb)

Thursday's Tips

Sky Sports

12 Dec 2012

. Embankment can continue on an upward curve in the 32Red Handicap at Kempton. There was every chance his new connections had got a bargain when picking up the Juddmonte cast-off for 40,000 guineas at the sales in October. Formerly with Amanda Perrett, for whom he won a Windsor maiden earlier that month, he is now in the care of William Jarvis ... Canadian Dreamer is the choice in the Bathwick Tyres Bridgwater Handicap Hurdle at Taunton ... ....(size: 3.2Kb)

Bank on Jarvis runner

Sporting Life

12 Dec 2012

GOWRAN. 12.35 Bayan, 1.05 Umpact, 1.35 Treat Yourself, 2.05 Sizing Gold, 2.35 Mini Vic, 3.05 Kashline, 3.35 Super Mix. KEMPTON. 4.00 Ishigunnaeatit, 4.30 Roland, 5.00 Elusive Thought, 5.30 EMBANKMENT (NAP), 6.00 Bay Laurel, 6.30 Miss Blakeney, 7.00 Kingscroft, 7.30 Coach Montana. TAUNTON ... DOUBLE. Embankment and Ishigunnaeatit ... Canadian Dreamer is the choice in the Bathwick Tyres Bridgwater Handicap Hurdle at Taunton ... ....(size: 3.0Kb)

Sedgemoor District Council responds to transmission plans (Sedgemoor District Council)

noodls

12 Dec 2012

(Source. Sedgemoor District Council). Sedgemoor District Council is to send a message to National Grid that its draft route for a new high voltage connection between Bridgwater and Avonmouth is 'generally following a reasonable route' but that more work needs to be done on its design and on considering alternative options. 12/12/12 ... All nine speakers wanted National Grid to consider alternatives to overhead lines ... distributed by....(size: 4.1Kb)

Unemployment: the key UK data and benefit claimants for every constituency

The Guardian

12 Dec 2012

North East North East 7.4 3.6 93,488 5.5 6.45 0.3 Berwick-upon-Tweed North East 4.2 2.5 1,530 3.3 9.52 0.3 Bishop Auckland North East 7.3 3.7 2,966 5.5 12.14 0.6 Blaydon North East 5.7 2.7 2,270 4.2 4.03 0.2 Blyth Valley North East 7.3 3.6 2,843 5.4 7.57 0.4 City of Durham North East 3.9 2 2,061 3 3.1 0.1 Darlington North East 8.3 4.1 3,398 6.2 ......(size: 256.0Kb)

J24 cattle market in Bridgwater gets health centre

BBC News

10 Dec 2012

The room at J24 Auction Centre in Bridgwater will allow farmers to take advantage of screening programmes, as well as a drop-in clinic ... Katherine Mead, the managing director of the auction centre, said ... Bridgwater Agriculture Society has contributed £5,000 towards the centre ... ....(size: 1.3Kb)

Wyck Hill could take his chance in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow

Sky Sports

10 Dec 2012

David Bridgwater will take his time before deciding whether Wyck Hill will take his chance in the Coral Welsh National on December 27 ... He is around 25-1 for the Chepstow marathon, but Bridgwater may ......(size: 1.0Kb)

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For similarly-spelled things, see Bridgewater (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 51°07′41″N 2°59′35″W / 51.128°N 2.993°W / 51.128; -2.993

Bridgwater
Corn Exchange, Church of St Mary and statue of Robert Blake
Bridgwater Bridgwater shown within Somerset
Population	33,698 ^[1]
OS grid reference	ST305370
Civil parish	Bridgwater
District	Sedgemoor
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRIDGWATER
Postcode district	TA5, TA6, TA7
Dialling code	01278
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Bridgwater and West Somerset
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England. According to the 2001 census, the town had a population of 33,698.^[1]

Bridgwater is situated, on the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country, having to the north the Mendip range and on the west the Quantock hills. The town lies along both sides of the River Parrett, 10 miles (16 km) from its mouth, has been a major port and trading centre and maintains a large industrial base. It is linked to Taunton by the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. Bridgwater is located between two junctions of the M5 motorway and Bridgwater railway station is on the main railway line between Bristol and Taunton.

Historically, the town had a politically radical tendency, being involved in several events of note on the national stage, and was defended by its own castle. The battlefield of the Battle of Sedgemoor, where the Monmouth Rebellion was finally crushed in 1685 is nearby. Among several places of worship the chief is the Church of St Mary. A house in Blake Street, largely restored, was the birthplace of Admiral Blake in 1598, and is now the Blake Museum. The town has its own arts centre and plays host to the annual Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival.

Etymology [link]

It is thought that the town was originally called Brigg, meaning quay. It has been argued that the name may instead come from the Old English brycg (gang plank) or Old Norse bryggja (quay), though this idea has been opposed on etymological grounds.^[2] In the Domesday Book the town is listed as Brugie, while Brugia was also used. After the Norman invasion the land was given to Walter of Douai,^[3] hence becoming known variously as Burgh-Walter, Brugg-Walter and Brigg-Walter, eventually corrupted to Bridgwater. An alternative version is that it derives from "Bridge of Walter" (i.e. Walter's Bridge).^[4]^[5]

History [link]

Bridgwater is mentioned both in the Domesday Book and in the earlier Anglo-Saxon Chronicle dating from around 800, owing its origin as a trade centre to its position at the mouth of the chief river in Somerset. It was formerly part of the Hundred of North Petherton.^[6] In a legend of Alfred the Great, he burnt some cakes while hiding in the marshes of Athelney near Bridgwater, after the Danish invasion in 875, while in 878 the major engagement of the Battle of Cynwit may have been at nearby Cannington.^[7]

Old map showing the main roads and the river.

A map of Bridgwater from 1946

William Briwere was granted the lordship of the Manor of Bridgwater by John of England in 1201,^[5] and founded Bridgwater Friary.^[8] Through Briwere's influence, King John granted three charters in 1200; for the construction of Bridgwater Castle, for the creation of a borough, and for a market.^[2]^[9] Bridgwater Castle was a substantial structure built in Old Red Sandstone, covering a site of 8 or 9 acres (32,000 to 36,000 m²). A tidal moat, up to 65 feet (20 m) wide in places, flowed about along the line of the modern thoroughfares of Fore Street and Castle Moat, and between Northgate and Chandos Street. The main entrance opposite the Cornhill was built with a pair of adjacent gates and drawbridges. In addition to a keep, located at the south-east corner of what is now King Square, documents show that the complex included a dungeon, chapel, stables and a bell tower. Built on the only raised ground in the town, the castle controlled the crossing of the town bridge. A 12 feet (4 m) thick portion of the castle wall and water gate can still be seen on West Quay, and the remains of a wall of a building that was probably built within the castle can be viewed in Queen Street. The foundations of the tower forming the north-east corner of the castle are buried beneath Homecastle House.^[10] William Briwere also founded St John's hospital^[11] which, by the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, was worth the substantial sum of almost 121 pounds,^[12] as well as starting the construction of the town's first stone bridge. William Briwere also went on to found the Franciscan Bridgwater Friary in the town.^[13]

During the 11th century Second Barons' War against Henry III, Bridgwater was held by the barons against the King. Other charters were granted by Henry III in 1227 (confirmed in 1318, 1370, 1380), which gave Bridgwater a gild merchant which was important for the regulation of trade allowing gild members to trade freely in the town, and to impose payments and restrictions upon others.^[5] Bridgwater's peasants under Nicholas Frampton took part in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381,^[14] sacking Sydenham House, murdering the local tax collectors and destroying the records.^[15]

It was incorporated by charter of Edward IV (1468),^[2] confirmed in 1554, 1586, 1629 and 1684. Parliamentary representation began in 1295 and continued until the Reform Act of 1870 when the original borough constituency was disenfranchised for corruption in 1870.^[16] From 4 July 1870 the town was incorporated within the county constituency of West Somerset. When there was a redistribution of Parliamentary seats to take effect at the 1885 general election, a new county division of Bridgwater was created.^[17] A Saturday market and a fair on 24 June were granted by the charter of 1201. Another fair at the beginning of Lent was added in 1468, and a second market on Thursday, and fairs at Midsummer and on 21 September were added in 1554. Charles II granted another fair on 29 December. The importance of these markets and fairs for the sale of wool and wine, and later of cloth in declined after medieval times. The shipping trade of the port revived after the construction of the new dock in 1841, and corn and timber have been imported for centuries.^[18]

Gunpowder Plotter Guy Fawkes is celebrated as a local hero during the carnival season, including a grand illuminated procession through Bridgwater town centre, which culminates in the Squibbing.^[19]

File:Blake statue bridgwater.jpg

The statue of Robert Blake at Cornhill, Bridgwater, with St Mary's Church in the background (1998).

In the English Civil War the town and the castle were held by the Royalists under Colonel Francis Wyndham, a personal acquaintance of the King. British history might have been very different had his wife, Lady (Crystabella) Wyndham, been a little more accurate with a musket shot that missed Cromwell but killed his aide de camp.^[20] Eventually, with many buildings destroyed in the town, the castle and its valuable contents were surrendered to the Parliamentarians on 21 July 1645. The castle itself was deliberately destroyed the following year, while in 1651 Colonel Wyndham made arrangements for Charles II to flee to France following the Battle of Worcester.^[18]

Following the restoration of the monarchy, in 1663 the non-conformist Reverend John Norman, vicar from 1647 to 1660, was one of several 'religious fanatics' confined to their homes by Lord Stawell's militia. A large religious meeting house, thought to have been Presbyterian, was demolished and its furniture burned on the Cornhill in 1683.^[21] By 1688, matters had calmed down enough that a new chapel, Christ Church, was founded in Dampiet Street, the congregation of which became Unitarian in 1815.^[21]^[22]

In the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion, the rebel James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth was proclaimed King on the Cornhill in Bridgwater and in other local towns. He eventually lead his troops on a night-time attack on the King's position near Westonzoyland.^[23] Unfortunately surprise was lost when a musket was accidentally discharged, and the Battle of Sedgemoor resulted in defeat for the Duke. He later lost his head in the Tower of London,^[24] and nine locals were executed for treason.^[18]

Bridgwater became the first town in Britain to petition the government to ban slavery in 1785.^[25] In 1896, the trade unionists of Bridgwater's brick and tile industry were involved a number of strikes. The Salisbury government sent troops to the town to clear the barricades by force after the reading of the Riot Act.^[26]

A by-election in 1938 enabled the town to send a message to the government and Hitler, when an Independent anti-appeasement candidate, journalist Vernon Bartlett was elected.^[27]

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. The first bombs fell on Bridgwater on 24 August 1940, destroying houses on Old Taunton Road, and three men, three women and one child were killed. Later a prisoner of war camp was established at Colley Lane, holding Italian prisoners.^[28] During the preparations for the invasion of Europe, American troops were based in the town.^[29]

The first council estate to be built was in the 1930s at Kendale Road, followed by those at Bristol Road. The 1950s saw the start of a significant increase in post-war housebuilding, with council house estates being started at Sydenham and Rhode Lane and the former cooperative estate near Durleigh.^[30]

On 4 November West Quay alongside the River Parrett and 19 adjoining properties were evacuated after a 40 metres (130 ft) stretch of the retaining wall partially collapsed after heavy rain and flooding.^[31]^[32]

Port of Bridgwater [link]

Metal bridge over the river. In the background are coloured houses and several trees.

Bridgwater Town Bridge

In the medieval period the River Parrett was used to transport Hamstone from the quarry at Ham Hill,^[33] Bridgwater was part of the Port of Bristol until the Port of Bridgwater was created in 1348,^[5] covering 80 miles (130 km) of the Somerset coast line, from the Devon border to the mouth of the River Axe.^[34]^[35] Under an 1845 Act of Parliament the Port of Bridgwater extends from Brean Down to Hinkley Point in Bridgwater Bay, and includes parts of the River Parrett (to Bridgwater), River Brue and the River Axe.^[36]

Historically, the main port on the river was at Bridgwater; the river being bridged at this point, with the first bridge being constructed in 1200 AD.^[37] Quays were built in 1424; with another quay, the Langport slip, being built in 1488 upstream of the Town Bridge.^[38] A Customs House was sited at Bridgwater, on West Quay; and a dry dock, launching slips and a boat yard on East Quay.^[39] The river was navigable, with care, to Bridgwater Town Bridge by 400 to 500 tonnes (440 to 550 tons) vessels.^[40] By trans-shipping into barges at the Town Bridge the Parrett was navigable as far as Langport and (via the River Yeo) to Ilchester. After 1827, it was also possible to transfer goods to Taunton via the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal at Huntworth.^[41] A floating harbour was constructed between 1837–1841 and the canal was extended to the harbour.^[42] The harbour area contained flour mills, timber yards and chandlers.^[42]

Shipping to Bridgwater expanded with the construction of the docks and reached a peak in the nineteenth century between 1880 and 1885; with an average of 3,600 ships per year entering the port.^[42] Bridgwater also built some 167 ships; the last one being the Irene launched in 1907.^[43] Peak tonnage occurred in 1857, with 142 vessels totalling 17,800 tonnes (19,600 tons).^[44]

Combwich Pill, a small creek near the mouth of the river, had been used for shipping since the 14th century; and a wharf in the 18th century was used for the unloading of coal and the loading of tiles. From the 1830s, with the development of the brick and tile industry in the Bridgwater area, Combwich wharf was used by two local brickyards to import coal and export tiles to Wales and parts of Gloucestershire.^[45] This traffic ceased in the 1930s; and in the late 1950s the wharf was taken over by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) to bring in materials for the construction of the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations.^[46] Hinkley Point A nuclear power station being ordered in 1957, with a scheduled completion date of 1960, but was not completed until 1965.^[47] This was followed by Hinkley Point B nuclear power station which began operation in 1976.^[48]

A cargo boat moored at a wharf with cranes and others machines. To the right is a metal gate opening to the water which flows past the boat.

Dunball Wharf. To the right is Dunball clyce where the King's Sedgemoor Drain flows into the River Parrett

Dunball wharf was built in 1844 by Bridgwater coal merchants,^[49] and was formerly linked to the Bristol and Exeter Railway by a rail track which crossed the A38. The link was built in 1876 by coal merchants, and was originally operated as a horse-drawn tramway. In 1875, the local landowner built The Dunball Steam Pottery & Brick & Tile Works adjacent to the wharf.^[50]

Although ships no longer dock in the town of Bridgwater, 90,213 tonnes (99,443 tons) of cargo were handled within the port authority's area in 2006, most of which was stone products via the wharf at Dunball.^[51] It is no longer linked to the railway system. The link was removed as part of the railway closures made as a result of the Beeching Report in the 1960s. Dunball railway station, which had opened in 1873, was closed to both passengers and goods in 1964.^[52] All traces of the station, other than "Station Road" have been removed. The wharf is now used for landing stone products, mainly marine sand and gravels dredged in the Bristol Channel.^[53] Marine sand and gravel accounted for 55,754 tonnes (61,458 tons) of the total tonnage of 90,213 tonnes (99,443 tons) using the Port facilities in 2006, with salt products accounting for 21,170 tonnes (23,340 tons) in the same year,^[51] while the roll-on roll-off berth at Combwich is used occasionally for the transfer of heavy goods for the two existing Hinkley Point nuclear power stations. With the possible future construction of the two Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations by EDF Energy, it is proposed that Combwich wharf be employed to transfer heavy goods to the sites.^[54] Combwich Pill is the only site where recreational moorings are available in the estuary.^[36]

Sedgemoor District Council acts as the Competent Harbour Authority for the port, and has provided pilotage services for all boats over 98 feet (30 m) using the river since 1998, when it took over the service from Trinity House. Pilotage is important because of the constant changes in the navigable channel resulting from the large tidal range, which can exceed 39 feet (11.9 m) on spring tides. Most commercial shipping travels upriver no further than Dunball wharf, which handles bulk cargoes.^[36]

Governance [link]

Statue on a plinth in park area, with buildings behind.

The War Memorial in King's Square with the offices of Sedgemoor District Council in the background

The Local Government Act 1972 removed the historic status of Bridgwater as a Borough, as it became part of the district of Sedgemoor, which has its headquarters in King's Square.

Bridgwater Town Council was created in 2003,^[55] with sixteen elected members representing six wards of the town; Bower (three), Eastover (two), Hamp (three), Quantock (three), Sydenham (three) and Victoria (two). With powers or functions over allotments, bus shelters, making of byelaws, cemeteries, clocks, crime prevention, entertainment and arts, highways, litter, public buildings, public conveniences, recreation, street lighting, tourism, traffic calming, community transport and war memorials.

Bridgwater and West Somerset 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. The current MP is Ian Liddell-Grainger, a member of the Conservative Party.^[56]

Members of Parliament [link]

The Bridgwater constituency has been represented in Parliament since 1295. After the voting age was lowered in January 1970, Susan Wallace became the first 18-year-old person to vote in the UK,^[57] during the 1970 Bridgwater by-election that elected Tom King, who took the title Baron King of Bridgwater in 2001.^[58] At the in 2010 it became part of the new Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency.^[59]

Residents of Bridgwater also form part of the electorate for the South West England constituency for elections to the European Parliament.^[60]

Twinning [link]

Bridgwater is twinned with Uherské Hradiště, in the Czech Republic (since 1991),^[61] La Ciotat in France, Homberg, Efze in Germany,^[62] and Marsa in Malta.^[63]

Geology [link]

Bridgwater is centred on an outcrop of marl in an area dominated by low-lying alluvial deposits. There are local deposits of gravels and sand.^[2] It is situated in a level and well-wooded area, on the edge of the Somerset Levels. To the north are the Mendip range and on the west the Quantock hills. The town lies along both sides of the River Parrett, 10 miles (16 km) from its mouth, which then flows to discharge into the Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve. It consists of large areas of mud flats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1989,^[64] and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.^[65] The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.^[66]

Climate [link]

Street scene with pedestrians and vehicles in road lined with shops. There is snow on the ground.

Fore street with a very rare covering of snow. Admiral Robert Blake statue and Cornhill just visible in the background

Along with the rest of South West England, Bridgwater has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.^[67] The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50.0 °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.^[67] 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.^[67] 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 (28 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.^[67]

Yeovilton climate: Average maximum and minimum temperatures, and average rainfall recorded between 1971 and 2000 by the Met Office.
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average max. temperature °C (°F)	8.1 (46.6)	8.3 (46.9)	10.6 (51.1)	12.9 (55.2)	16.5 (61.7)	19.3 (66.7)	21.7 (71.1)	21.5 (70.7)	18.6 (65.5)	14.8 (58.6)	11.1 (52.0)	9.0 (48.2)	14.4 (57.9)
Average min. temperature °C (°F)	1.4 (34.5)	1.3 (34.3)	2.7 (36.9)	3.7 (38.7)	6.8 (44.2)	9.7 (49.5)	11.9 (53.4)	11.7 (53.1)	9.6 (49.3)	6.9 (44.4)	3.6 (38.5)	2.4 (36.3)	6.0 (42.8)
Rainfall mm(inches)	72.0 (2.84)	55.6 (2.19)	56.6 (2.23)	47.3 (1.86)	48.9 (1.93)	57.2 (2.25)	48.9 (1.93)	56.6 (2.23)	64.5 (2.54)	67.9 (2.67)	65.8 (2.59)	83.3 (3.28)	724.5 (28.52)
Source: Met Office

Demography [link]

Bridgwater had a population of 35,800 according to the 2001 census^[1] (up from 22,718 in 1951, 3,634 in 1801, and 7,807 in 1831).

Population since 1801 - Source: A Vision of Britain through Time & ONS, 2006 Population projections; 2001 Census
Year	1801	1851	1901	1911	1921	1931	1941	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2008	2011*
Population Sedgemoor^[68]^[69]	27,205	48,575	49,907	51,263	52,082	52,917	57,964	63,497	71,684	80,933	88,544	99,317	105,867	113,500	117,300

Economy [link]

Three and four storey buildings on the far side of a river.

West Quay and the River Parrett

As early as 1300, the port exported wheat, peas and beans to Ireland, France and Spain, and by 1400 was also exporting cloth from Somerset and the adjoining counties. By 1500 it was the largest port in Somerset,^[70] later becoming the fifth largest in England,^[71]^[72]^[73] until eclipsed by Bristol in the 18th century.^[74] In its heyday, imports included wine, grain, fish, hemp, coal and timber. Exports included wheat, wool, cloth, cement, bricks and tiles. Unlike Bristol, Bridgwater was never involved in the slave trade and, in 1797, was the first town in Britain to petition the government to ban it.^[75]

The Bridgwater ship the Emanuel was one of three that took part in Martin Frobisher's 1577 search for the Northwest Passage. In 1828, 40 ships were registered in the port, averaging 60 tons each.^[76]

Industry [link]

Bridgwater was the leading industrial town in Somerset and remains a major centre for manufacturing.^[77] A major manufacturing centre for clay tiles and bricks in the 19th century, including the famous "Bath brick", were exported through the port.^[78] In the 1890s there were a total of 16 brick and tile companies, and 24 million bricks per annum were exported during that decade alone.^[79] These industries are celebrated in the Somerset Brick and Tile Museum on East Quay.^[80]

These industries collapsed in the aftermath of World War II due to the failure to introduce mechanisation, although the automated Chilton Tile Factory, which produced up to 5 million tiles each year, lasted until 1968.^[81] The importance of the Bath Brick declined with the advent of detergents and other cleaning products. Dunware ponds used to make bricks and can still be found along the paths.

During the 19th century, Castle House (originally named Portland Castle after Portland cement), reputedly the first domestic house in the UK to be built from concrete,^[82] was constructed in 1851 by John Board, a local brick and tile manufacturer. The building is now Grade II* listed,^[83] and in 2004 was featured in the BBC television programme Restoration.^[84]

In the 19th century, Bridgwater was also home to a number of iron foundries. George Hennet's Bridgwater Iron Works worked on bridges, railways and machinery for Brunel and Robert Stephenson. This location allowed the import by boat of raw materials from Wales and the dispatch of finished work to south Devon using the Bristol and Exeter Railway. The carriage workshops for the latter were on an adjacent site. The works passed to his son and then traded as Hennet, Spink & Else. Some of the ironwork was produced for the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash, Cornwall. In 1873 it became the Bridgwater Engineering Company Limited but this failed in 1878.^[85] W&F Wills Ltd produced steam locomotives and fingerposts.^[25]

At the start of World War II, the government built a factory to manufacture high explosives at Puriton near Bridgwater.^[86] Called ROF Bridgwater, the plant is today owned by BAE Systems and closed after decommissioning was completed in July 2008.^[87]

British Cellophane Ltd, a joint venture between La Cellophane SA and Courtaulds opened a major factory producing cellophane in Bridgwater 1937. The factory produced Bailey Bridges during World War II for the invasion of Europe. Bought by UCB Films in 1996, the town suffered a blow in 2005 when Innovia Films closed the cellophane factory.^[88] At one time the factory employed around 3,000 people, although at the time of closure this had been reduced to just 250. However recovery has begun with the establishment of new businesses on the Express Park business park including the relocation of Gerber Juice and new enterprises Toolstation and Interpet as well as the Exel centre for the NHS Logistics Authority.^[89]

Bridgwater is now a major centre of industry in Somerset, with industries including the production of plastics, engine parts, industrial chemicals, and foods. Bowerings Animal Feed Mill is now the only industry still located at the docks. Being close to the M5 motorway and half way between Bristol and Exeter, Bridgwater is also home to two major distribution centres, while retailer Argos has a regional distribution centre based at Huntworth. A new £100 m Regional Agricultural Business Centre opened in 2007, following construction which began in 2006.^[90]^[91]

Landmarks [link]

File:CastleHouseBridgwater.JPG

Castle House

Bridgwater is home to the Somerset Brick and Tile Museum, built on part of the former Barham Brothers site (brick and tile manufacturers between 1857 and 1965). Castle House was built in 1851 and was one of the first to make extensive use of concrete demonstrating "an innovative interpretation of traditional masonry features in concrete".^[82]

A house in Blake Street, largely restored, is believed to be the birthplace of Robert Blake in 1598, and is now the Blake Museum. It was built in the late 15th or early 16th century, and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building.^[92] His statue from 1898 by D W Pomeroy has been repositioned from the front of the Corn Exchange to face down Cornhill.^[93] Sydenham Manor House was previously a manor estate built in the early 16th century, which was refronted and rebuilt after 1613.^[94] It now stands in the grounds of the former British Cellophane plant. Its owners were on the losing side in the Civil War and again in the Monmouth Rebellion.^[95] The public library by E Godfrey Page dates from 1905.^[96]

Transport [link]

Bridgwater railway station, on the main line from Bristol to Taunton.

As trade expanded during the Industrial Revolution, Bridgwater was linked to Taunton by the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal (1827), although initially it ran from a basin south of Bridgwater at Huntworth. As trade grew docks were built in the town, linked to an extension of the canal, with both opening in 1841. The docks were dredged by a scraper-dredger Bertha similar to the one Brunel had designed for the Bristol Floating Harbour. 14 June 1841 saw the opening of the Bristol and Exeter Railway from Bristol to Bridgwater. The railway also opened a coach and wagon works in the town; the last of the buildings is currently in 2005 scheduled for demolition. Bridgwater railway station, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel is now a Grade II listed building.^[97] An end to the unequal competition between rail and canal came in 1867 when the Bristol and Exeter Railway purchased the canal.^[98] A number of local branches were also built, for example to serve the Northgate Brewery (now replaced by a car park north of Angel Crescent) and the former British Cellophane factory. The Somerset and Dorset branch line to Edington was opened in 1890.^[99] Its former Bridgwater station is now occupied by J Sainsbury.

Old photograph of a crane on the quayside.

Bridgwater Docks South Side in 1968

The importance of shipping and the docks started to decline after 1886, the year in which the opening of the Severn Tunnel caused a severe drop in coal imports by sea. The situation worsened as the railways were extended into Somerset and beyond, and ships became too big for the port. The last commercial use of the docks was when coal imports ceased on 31 July 1971, and although they now house a marina they are currently little used. The surrounding quays have been developed for housing, although the remains of wooden quays on the riverbank can still be seen. All but a small remnant of the mump (a huge mound of spoil from the original dock excavations) was removed in the 1980s to make way for the development on the north side of the dock. Due to the port, ship building was also an important industry, and around 140 ships were built in the town during the 19th century by companies including David Williams, Joseph Gough, Watsons and William Lowther. F J Carver and Son owned a small dry dock on East Quay and constructed the last ship to be built in the town — the Irene.^[100] The former associated industry of rope making is commemorated in street furnishings and paving on East Quay and in the name of Ropewalk street.

The Drove Bridge, which marks the current extent of the Port of Bridgwater is the nearest to the mouth and the newest road bridge to cross the river. With a span of 184 feet (56 m), the bridge was constructed as part of the Bridgwater Northern Distributor road scheme (1992), and provides a navigable channel which is 66 feet (20 m) wide with 8.2 feet (2.5 m) headroom at normal spring high tides.^[101] Upstream of this is the retractable bridge built in 1871 to the design of Sir Francis Fox, the engineer for the Bristol and Exeter Railway. It carried a railway siding over the river to the docks, but had to be movable, to allow boats to proceed upriver. An 80-foot (24 m) section of railway track to the east of the bridge could be moved sideways, so that the main 127-foot (39 m) girders could be retracted, creating a navigable channel which was 78 feet (24 m) wide.^[102] It was manually operated for the first eight months, and then powered by a steam engine, reverting to manual operation in 1913, when the steam engine failed. The bridge was last opened in 1953, and the traverser section was demolished in 1974, but public outcry at the action resulted in the bridge being listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and the rest of the bridge was kept.^[103] It was later used as a road crossing, until the construction of the Chandos road bridge alongside it, and is now only used by pedestrians. Parts of the steam engine were moved to Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum in 1977.^[102]

The next bridge is the Town Bridge. There has been a bridge here since the 13th century, when Bridgwater was granted a charter by King John. The present bridge was designed by R. C. Else and G. B. Laffan, and the 75-foot (23 m) cast iron structure was completed in 1883.^[74]^[104] It replaced an earlier bridge, which was the first cast iron bridge to be built in Somerset when it was completed in 1797.^[104] The stone abutments of that bridge were reused by the later bridge, which formed the only road crossing of the river in Bridgwater until 1958.^[102] Above the bridge there were two shoals, called The Coals and The Stones, which were a hazard to barge traffic on the river, and bargees had to choose carefully when to navigate the river, to ensure that there was sufficient water to carry them over these obstructions.^[105] In March 1958 a new reinforced concrete road bridge, the Blake Bridge, was opened as part of a bypass to take traffic away from the centre of Bridgwater.^[106] It now carries the A38 and A39 roads. On the southern edge of Bridgwater there is a bridge which carries the Bristol and Exeter Railway across the River Parrett. Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed a brick bridge, known as the Somerset Bridge, with a 100 feet (30 m) span but a rise of just 12 feet (3.7 m). Work started in 1838 and was completed in 1841. Brunel left the scaffold supporting the centre of the bridge in place as the foundations were still settling but was forced to remove it in 1843 to reopen the river for navigation. Brunel demolished the brick arch and had replaced it with a timber arch within six months without interrupting the traffic on the railway. This was in turn replaced in 1904 by a steel girder bridge.^[107] Slightly further east is a modern concrete bridge which carries the M5 motorway over both the river and the railway line. It was started in 1971 and opened in 1973.^[108]

Education [link]

Red brick building with central clock tower. In the foreground are plants and parked cars.

Haygrove School

The primary and infant schools in Bridgwater include: Eastover Community Primary School, Hamp Community Junior School, Sedgemoor Manor School, St John and St Francis Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, St Mary's Primary School, Somerset Bridge Primary School, Spaxton Church of England Primary School, Westover Green Primary School and Hamp Nursery and Infants School. Secondary schools include: Robert Blake Science College, Brymore School, Chilton Trinity Technology College, East Bridgwater Community School which was previously known as Sydenham School and is a Performing and Visual Arts College,^[109] and Haygrove School which has specialist Language College status.^[110] Special schools in the town include: Elmwood Special School, New Horizon Centre School and Penrose School.

Bridgwater was selected as the first town in the South West, outside of Bristol, to be selected for the UK government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative, which aimed to rebuild and renew nearly every secondary school in England.^[111] Within Bridgwater, BSF was to redevelop all of the four secondary schools and two special provision schools at an expected cost of around £100 million.^[112] This included the complete relocation and rebuilding of a new school combining the both Haygrove and Penrose School. In July 2010, several components of the Bridgwater BSF programme were cancelled and others were singled out for further review.^[113]^[114] Following a meeting with Education Secretary Michael Gove, Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Granger announced that the fate of all six affected schools would be subject to review, including the ones that were cancelled.^[115]

Further Education is provided by Bridgwater College which was formerly Bridgwater Technical School.^[116] The site of the Poplar School Of Engineering And Navigation was later used for Dr Morgan's Grammar School For Boys. Other schools which have since closed include: Bridgwater Grammar School For Boys, Bridgwater Grammar School For Girls and Westover Senior Council School.

Religious sites [link]

Among several places of worship the chief is the Church of St Mary; this has a north porch and windows dating from the 14th century, besides a 170 feet (52 m)^[9] slender spire; but it has been much altered by restoration. It possesses a fine painted reredos, and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.^[117]

The Church of St John the Baptist in Blake Place was built by John Brown in 1843.^[118] Elim Pentecostal Church on Church Street was a public house after being used as a church and is now a shop.^[119] There is a Salvation Army Citadel located in Moorland Road, on the Sydenham Estate and St Joseph's Roman Catholic in Binford Place. Classes in Buddhism and meditation are held in the Quaker Meeting House on Friarn Street.^[120]

Arts [link]

Nearing Bridgwater on the M5 motorway it is possible to see the Willow Man sculpture, a striding human figure constructed from willow, sometimes called the Angel of the South (see also Angel of the North). Standing 12 metres (39 ft) tall, it was created by sculptor Serena de la Hey and is the largest known sculpture in willow, a traditional local material.^[121]

The Bridgwater Arts Centre was opened on 10 October 1946, the first community arts centre opened in the UK with financial assistance from the newly established Arts Council of England. It is situated in a Grade I listed building in the architecturally protected Georgian Castle Street, designed by Benjamin Holloway for the Duke of Chandos, and built over the site of the former castle.^[122] Holloway was also the architect of the Baroque Lions building on West Quay, constructed around 1730.^[123] Bridgwater Arts Centre was the venue for the first post-war meeting of the Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne in 1947.^[124]

Somerset Film (then Somerset Film & Video) opened their community media centre, The Engine Room, in March 2003. The centre allows the public to drop in and use the computers and equipment for free (on certain days) to teach themselves how to edit video, design websites or screen films at open evenings. Cameras and edit suites can also be hired and day courses on using creative software are run regularly. The founder is Phil Shepherd. Bridgwater was chosen as the location as it was in the centre of Somerset.

Castle Street was used as a location in the 1963 film Tom Jones.^[125] Horror writer and film journalist Kim Newman was educated at Dr Morgan's school in Bridgwater, and set his 1999 experimental novel Life's Lottery in a fictionalised version of the town (Sedgwater).^[126] A sailor who had sailed "from Bridgwater with bricks" and found "There was lice in that bunk in Bridgwater" features in James Joyce's Ulysses (Chapter 16).^[127]

Annual events [link]

Night time photograph of lorry and trailer illuminated with thousands of light bulbs to make pictures. In the foreground and to the side are pedestrians.

"Genghis Khan" float by Wick CC, parading in the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival

Bridgwater is now best known for the illuminated "Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival" that attracts around 150,000 people from around the country and overseas. Now held annually on the Friday after the first Thursday of November (i.e. - the nearest Friday to 5 November). It consists of a display of over 100 large vehicles ("Carnival floats") up to 100 feet (30 m) long, festooned with dancers (or team member in tableaux) and up to 22,000 lightbulbs, that follows a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) route over 2 to 3 hours. Later in the evening of the Carnival, there is the simultaneous firing of large fireworks (known as squibs) in the street outside the town hall, known as "squibbing".^[128]

Bridgwater Fair normally takes place in September — it starts on the last Wednesday in September and lasts four days. The fair takes place on St Matthew's Field, better known locally as the Fair Field. The fair is now a funfair, ranked as second largest in England after the Nottingham Goose Fair. It originated in 1249 as a horse and cattle fair, lasting for eight days near St Matthew's day (21 September), giving the venue its name.^[129] During the first weekend of July, the annual "Somerfest" arts festival is held in Bridgwater. The event includes an extensive programme of rock, jazz and classical music, dance, drama and visual arts with national and local participants.^[130]

Sports [link]

Bridgwater Town F.C. are a football club based at Fairfax Park. The original version of the club was founded in 1898. The club currently plays in the Southern League Division One South and West.^[131] Bridgwater & Albion RFC are Somerset's highest- placed rugby team, playing in National League 3 South and are based at College Way.^[132] It was originally founded in 1875.^[133] The cricket club play at The Parks on Durleigh Road.^[134] Bridgwater Hockey Club were formed in the 1920s but now play their matches at Burnham-on-Sea.^[135]

East Bridgwater Sports Centre offers badminton courts, outside football pitches, squash courts and a fitness room.^[136]

Bridgwater had a series of swimming pools from 1890 until 2009. The first pool, in Old Taunton Road, was replaced by the Bridgwater Lido on Broadway, opened in 1960^[137] by Princess Alexandra.^[138] The lido, which had three pools, a diving bay and paddling pool, was demolished in the late 1980s to make way for a supermarket, and to fund the indoor Sedgemoor Splash swimming pool in Mount Street, which opened in 1991.^[137] In 2009, after the local council were unable to raise the funds needed to upgrade the pool, it was closed and demolished to make way for another supermarket.^[139]^[140] A new pool was planned as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) rebuild of Chilton Trinity Technology College,^[141] however, the government's review of the BSF programme may result in the cancellation of the new school and pool build.^[114]

Notable people [link]

Admiral Robert Blake was born in Bridgwater, and attended the local grammar school (Bridgwater Grammar School For Boys). His home is now the Blake Museum and contains details of his career amongst its exhibits of local history and archaeology.^[142]
Donald Crowhurst (1932–69), who tried to fake a round-the-world solo yacht journey, set up his business in the town and was a Town Councillor.^[143]
Sir Paul Dukes was born in Bridgwater, an alumnus of Caterham School, and went on to be the premier SIS agent in pre-revolution Russia. Known as the Man with a Hundred Faces, he eluded Bolshevik capture and is still the only man to be knighted based on his exploits as a spy.^[144]
Peter Haggett CBE FBA (b.1933), eminent academic geographer and professor at University of Bristol, educated at Dr Morgan's Grammar School in Bridgwater^[145]
Chris Harris, English performer, director and writer who starred in Into the Labyrinth. He has starred in and directed the pantomime at the Theatre Royal, Bath since 2001.^[146]
Charles Kent, England rugby player.^[147]
Robert Dibble, England rugby player. Played club rugby for Bridgwater & Albion RFC and Newport RFC.^[148]
Tommy Woods (rugby), England rugby player. Played club rugby for Bridgwater & Albion RFC and Rochdale Hornets.^[149]
Sergeant Ben Knight, Bridgwater airman who died in an Afghanistan RAF Nimrod plane crash. Sgt Knight was only 25 when he was killed along with 13 comrades from the 120 Squadron when the Nimrod came down near Kandahar on 2 September 2006.^[150]
David Luckes MBE. England and Great Britain hockey player - 1989-2000 brought up in Bridgwater.^[151]
Simon (1984) and Richard Mantell (1981), brothers and field hockey players for England, were both born in Bridgwater.^[152]^[153]
Breaker Morant Anglo-Australian Boer War Soldier.^[154]
Kim Newman, science fiction novelist, horror film expert, TV presenter and film critic, educated at Dr Morgan's Grammar School in Bridgwater.^[155]
Henry Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter, born in Bridgwater in 1778.^[156]
Andrew Plimer, portrait miniature artist, born in Bridgwater 1763.^[157]
Jean Rees, artist and co-founder of the Bridgwater Arts Centre. b 1914.^[158]
James Sully, psychologist, born in Bridgwater in 1842.^[159]

References [link]

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v t e Towns, villages and hamlets in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England

	Ashcott · Axbridge · Badgworth · Bawdrip · Berrow · Brean · Brent Knoll · Bridgwater · Broomfield · Burnham-on-Sea · Burtle · Cannington · Catcott · Chapel Allerton · Cheddar · Chedzoy · Chilton Polden · Chilton Trinity · Compton Bishop · Cossington · Durleigh · East Brent · Huntspill · Edington · Edithmead · Enmore · Fiddington · Goathurst · Greinton · Highbridge · Lympsham · Lyng · Mark · Middlezoy · Moorlinch · Nether Stowey · North Petherton · Othery · Otterhampton · Over Stowey · Pawlett · Puriton · Shapwick · Shipham · Spaxton · Stawell · Stockland Bristol · Thurloxton · Weare · Wedmore · Wembdon · Westonzoyland · Woolavington

v t e Ceremonial county of Somerset

Somerset Portal

Unitary authorities	Bath and North East Somerset North Somerset

Boroughs or districts	Mendip Sedgemoor South Somerset Taunton Deane West Somerset

Major settlements	Axbridge Bath Bridgwater Bruton Burnham-on-Sea Castle Cary Chard Clevedon Crewkerne Dulverton Frome Glastonbury Highbridge Ilminster Keynsham Langport Midsomer Norton Minehead Nailsea North Petherton Portishead Radstock Shepton Mallet Somerton South Petherton Taunton Watchet Wellington Wells Weston-super-Mare Wincanton Wiveliscombe Yeovil See also: List of civil parishes in Somerset

Rivers	Alham Aller Avill Avon Axe (Bristol Channel) Axe (Lyme Bay) Badgworthy Water Banwell Barle Brue Cam Brook Cary Chew East Lyn Exe Fivehead Frome Haddeo Hoar Oak Water Holford Horner Huntspill Isle Land Yeo Mells Midford Brook Oare Water Parret Severn Estuary Sheppey Somer Sowy Tone Washford Wellow Brook West Lyn Whitelake Yeo (Congresbury) Yeo (South Somerset)

Topics	County Council Culture of Somerset Economy of Somerset Geography of Somerset Geology of Somerset History of Somerset Museums Transport in Somerset Geographic areas: Blackdown Hills Brendon Hills Chew Valley Exmoor Mendip Hills Polden Hills Quantock Hills Somerset Levels South West Coast Path West Somerset Coast Path

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Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking at NASA, 1980s
Born	Stephen William Hawking (1942-01-08) 8 January 1942 (age 70) Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Residence	United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Fields	Mathematics Theoretical physics
Institutions	Cambridge University California Institute of Technology Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Alma mater	Oxford University Cambridge University
Doctoral advisor	Dennis Sciama
Other academic advisors	Robert Berman
Known for	Black holes Theoretical cosmology Quantum gravity Hawking radiation
Influences	Dikran Tahta
Notable awards	Albert Einstein Award (1978) Wolf Prize (1988) Prince of Asturias Award (1989) Copley Medal (2006) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009)
Spouse	Jane Hawking (m. 1965–1991, divorced) Elaine Mason (m. 1995–2006, divorced)

Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. His key scientific works to date have included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding gravitational singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation (or sometimes as Bekenstein–Hawking radiation).

He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and in 2009 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. Subsequently, he became research director at the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.

Hawking has a motor neurone disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a condition that has progressed over the years. He is now almost completely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device. He has been married twice and has three children. Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; these include A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

Early life and education [link]

Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 to Frank Hawking, a research biologist, and Isobel Hawking.^[1] He has two younger sisters, Philippa and Mary, and an adopted brother, Edward.^[2] Although Hawking's parents were living in North London, he was born in Oxford as his parents felt it was safer to stay in Oxford for the later stages of the pregnancy. (London was under attack at the time by the Luftwaffe).^[3]

When his father became head of the division of parasitology at the National Institute for Medical Research^[1] in 1950, Hawking and his family moved to St Albans, Hertfordshire.^[3] Hawking attended St Albans High School for Girls from 1950 to 1953 (At that time, boys could attend the girls' school until the age of 10).^[2] and then from the age of 11, he attended St Albans School, where he was a good, but not exceptional, student.^[3]

Inspired by his mathematics teacher, Hawking originally wanted to study the subject at university. However, Hawking's father wanted him to apply to University College, Oxford, where his father had attended. As University College did not have a mathematics fellow at that time, applications were not accepted from students who wished to study that discipline. Hawking therefore applied to read natural sciences with an emphasis in Physics. He was accepted and gained a scholarship.^[3] While at Oxford, he coxed a rowing team, which, he stated, helped relieve his immense boredom at the university.^[4] His physics tutor, Robert Berman, later said "It was only necessary for him to know that something could be done, and he could do it without looking to see how other people did it. ... his mind was completely different from all of his contemporaries".^[3]

Hawking's unimpressive study habits resulted in a final examination score on the borderline between first and second class honours, making an "oral examination" necessary.^[3] Berman said of the oral examination: "And of course the examiners then were intelligent enough to realize they were talking to someone far more clever than most of themselves".^[3] After receiving his B.A. degree at Oxford in 1962, he left for graduate work at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.^[3]

Career [link]

1962-1975 [link]

Hawking in Cambridge

Hawking with string theorists David Gross and Edward Witten

Although Hawking started developing symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as soon as he arrived at Cambridge and did not distinguish himself in his first two years at Cambridge, he returned to working on his PhD after the disease had stabilised and with the help of his doctoral tutor, Dennis William Sciama.^[5]

When Hawking began his graduate studies In the 1960s, there was much debate in the physics community about the opposing theories of the creation of the universe: big bang, and steady state.^[5] Hawking and his Cambridge friend and colleague, Roger Penrose, showed in 1970 that if the universe obeys general relativity and if the universe fits any of the Friedmann models, then the universe must have begun as a singularity.^[6] This work showed that, far from being mathematical curiosities which appear only in special cases, singularities are a fairly generic feature of general relativity.^[7]

Hawking's work with Brandon Carter, Werner Israel and D. Robinson, strongly supported John Wheeler's no-hair theorem – that any black hole is fully described by the three properties of mass, angular momentum, and electric charge.^[8] With Bardeen and Carter, he proposed the four laws of black hole mechanics, drawing an analogy with thermodynamics.^[9] In 1974, he calculated that black holes should thermally create and emit subatomic particles, known today as Bekenstein-Hawking radiation, until they exhaust their energy and evaporate.^[6]

Hawking was elected one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society in 1974,^[10] and in the same year he accepted the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar visiting professorship at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to work with his friend, Kip Thorne, who was a faculty member there.^[11] He continues to have ties with Caltech, spending a month each year there since 1992.^[12]

1975-present [link]

The mid to late 1970s were a period of growing fame and success for Hawking, his work was now much talked about, he was appearing in popular television documentaries and in 1979 he was made the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a post he held for 30 years until his retirement in 2009.^[13]^[14] Hawking's inaugural lecture as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics had the title "Is the end in sight for Theoretical Physics" and promoted the idea that supergravity would help resolve many of the outstanding problems physicists were studying. ^[14]

In collaboration with Jim Hartle, Hawking developed a model in which the universe had no boundary in space-time, replacing the initial singularity of the classical Big Bang models with a region akin to the North Pole: one cannot travel north of the North Pole, as there is no boundary.^[15] While originally the no-boundary proposal predicted a closed universe, discussions with Neil Turok led to the realisation that the no-boundary proposal is also consistent with a universe which is not closed.^[16]

Along with Thomas Hertog at CERN, in 2006 Hawking proposed a theory of "top-down cosmology", which says that the universe had no unique initial state, and therefore it is inappropriate for physicists to attempt to formulate a theory that predicts the universe's current configuration from one particular initial state.^[17] Top-down cosmology posits that in some sense, the present "selects" the past from a superposition of many possible histories. In doing so, the theory suggests a possible resolution of the fine-tuning question.^[18]

Thorne–Hawking–Preskill bet [link]

Main article: Thorne–Hawking–Preskill bet

U.S. President Barack Obama talks with Stephen Hawking in the Blue Room of the White House before a ceremony presenting him and 15 others the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 12 August 2009. The Medal of Freedom is the United States' highest civilian honour.

In 1997 Hawking made a public scientific wager with Thorne and John Preskill of Caltech concerning the black hole information paradox.^[19] Thorne and Hawking argued that since general relativity made it impossible for black holes to radiate, and lose information, the mass-energy and information carried by Hawking Radiation must be "new", and must not originate from inside the black hole event horizon. Since this contradicted the idea under quantum mechanics of microcausality, quantum mechanics would need to be rewritten. Preskill argued the opposite, that since quantum mechanics suggests that the information emitted by a black hole relates to information that fell in at an earlier time, the view of black holes given by general relativity must be modified in some way.^[20] The winner of the bet was to receive an encyclopedia of the loser's choice, from which information may be accessed.^[19]

In 2004, Hawking announced that he was conceding the bet, and that he now believed that black hole horizons should fluctuate and leak information, in doing so providing Preskill with a copy of Total Baseball.^[19] Comparing the useless information obtainable from a black hole to "burning an encyclopedia", Hawking commented, "I gave John an encyclopedia of baseball, but maybe I should just have given him the ashes".^[19]

Recognition [link]

Acclaim [link]

On 19 December 2007, a statue of Hawking by artist Ian Walters was unveiled at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, University of Cambridge.^[21] The Stephen W. Hawking Science Museum in San Salvador, El Salvador, is named in honour of Stephen Hawking, citing his scientific distinction and perseverance in dealing with adversity.^[22] The Stephen Hawking Building in Cambridge opened on 17 April 2007. The building belongs to Gonville and Caius College and is used as an undergraduate accommodation and conference facility.^[23]

Awards and honours [link]

1975 Eddington Medal^[1]
1976 Hughes Medal of the Royal Society^[1]
1979 Albert Einstein Medal^[1]
1981 Franklin Medal^[24]
1982 Commander of the Order of the British Empire^[1]
1985 Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society^[1]
1986 Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences^[1]
1988 Wolf Prize in Physics^[1]
1989 Companion of Honour^[1]
1999 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical Society^[25]
2003 Michelson Morley Award of Case Western Reserve University^[1]
2006 Copley Medal of the Royal Society^[26]
2008 Fonseca Prize of the University of Santiago de Compostela^[27]
2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States^[28]

Personal life [link]

Stephen Hawking being presented by his daughter Lucy Hawking at the lecture he gave for NASA's 50th anniversary

Hawking has stated that, having been diagnosed with ALS during an early stage of his graduate work, he did not see much point in obtaining a doctorate if he were to die soon after. Hawking later said that the real turning point was his 1965 marriage to Jane Wilde, a language student.^[29] Jane cared for him until 1990 when the couple separated.^[1] They had three children: Robert, Lucy, and Timothy.^[1] Hawking married his personal care assistant, Elaine Mason, in 1995; ^[1] the couple divorced In October 2006^[30] amid claims by former nurses that she had abused him.^[31] In 1999, Jane Hawking published a memoir, Music to Move the Stars, detailing the marriage and its breakdown; in 2010 she published a revised version, Travelling to Infinity, My Life with Stephen.^[32]

Hawking supports the children's charity SOS Children's Villages UK^[33] and has stated that his view on how to live life is to "seek the greatest value of our action".^[34] He strongly opposed the Iraq War, calling it "a war crime" and "based on two lies" at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square, where he participated in a public reading of the names of Iraqi war victims.^[35]^[36]

Hawking has named his secondary school mathematics teacher Dikran Tahta as an inspiration.^[37] He maintains his connection with St Albans School, giving his name to one of the four houses and to an extracurricular science lecture series.^[38]

Illness [link]

Hawking on 5 May 2006, during the press conference at the Bibliothèque nationale de France to inaugurate the Laboratory of Astronomy and Particles in Paris and the French release of his work God Created the Integers

Hawking has a motor neurone disease that is related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over the years. He is now almost completely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device. Hawking's illness has progressed more slowly than typical cases of ALS: survival for more than 10 years after diagnosis is uncommon.^[39]^[40]

Symptoms of the disorder first appeared while he was enrolled at University of Cambridge; he lost his balance and fell down a flight of stairs, hitting his head.^[4] The diagnosis of motor neurone disease came when Hawking was 21, shortly before his first marriage, and doctors said he would not survive more than two or three years. By 1974, he was unable to feed himself or get out of bed. His speech became slurred so that he could be understood only by people who knew him well. During a visit to CERN in Geneva in 1985, Hawking contracted pneumonia, which in his condition was life-threatening as it further restricted his already limited respiratory capacity. He had an emergency tracheotomy, and as a result lost what remained of his ability to speak.^[41] A speech generating device was built in Cambridge, using software from an American company, that enabled Hawking to write onto a computer with small movements of his body, and then have a voice synthesiser speak what he typed.^[42]

The particular voice synthesiser hardware he uses, which has an American English accent, is no longer being produced. Asked why he has still kept the same voice after so many years, Hawking stated that he has not heard a voice he likes better and that he identifies with it even though the synthesiser is both large and fragile by current standards. Although a mid-2009 corporate press release said that he had chosen NeoSpeech's VoiceText speech synthesiser as his new voice,^[43] a 30 December 2011 interview with Hawking's technician indicates that Hawking is still using an older synthesiser containing a card "which dates back to the 1980s" and that any upgrade would have to be the same voice, otherwise "it wouldn't be Stephen's voice any more".^[44]

For lectures and media appearances, Hawking appears to speak fluently through his synthesiser; however when preparing answers his system produces words at a rate of about one per minute.^[44] Hawking's setup uses a predictive text entry system, which requires only the first few characters in order to auto-complete the word, but as he is only able to use his cheek for data entry, constructing complete sentences takes time.^[44] During a TED Conference talk, it took him seven minutes to provide a brief answer to a question.^[45]

He describes himself as lucky, despite his disease. Its slow progression has allowed him time to make influential discoveries and has not hindered him from having, in his own words, "a very attractive family".^[42]

In popular culture [link]

Main article: Stephen Hawking in popular culture

Hawking in 2007, experiencing weightlessness

Hawking has played himself on numerous television shows and has been portrayed in many more. He has played himself on a Red Dwarf anniversary special, played a hologram of himself on the episode "Descent" of Star Trek: The Next Generation,^[46] and appeared on the Discovery Channel special Alien Planet.^[47] He has also played himself in several episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama, and has had an action figure made of his Simpsons likeness.^[48] The 2004 BBC4 TV film Hawking dealt with his early life and the onset of his illness. He was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. In 2008, Hawking was the subject of and featured in the documentary series Stephen Hawking, Master of the Universe for Channel 4. In September 2008, Hawking presided over the unveiling of the 'Chronophage' (time-eating) Corpus Clock at Corpus Christi College Cambridge.^[49] His actual synthesiser voice was used on parts of the Pink Floyd song "Keep Talking" from the 1994 album The Division Bell, as well as on Turbonegro's "Intro: The Party Zone" on their 2005 album Party Animals, Wolfsheim's "Kein Zurück (Oliver Pinelli Mix)". On 5 April 2012 he appeared as a guest star in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.^[50]

Space and spaceflight [link]

At the celebration of his 65th birthday on 8 January 2007, Hawking announced his plan to take a zero-gravity flight that year, with an intention to later take a sub-orbital spaceflight. Billionaire Richard Branson pledged to pay all expenses for a future flight on Virgin Galactic's space service, costing an estimated £100,000.^[51] Stephen Hawking's zero-gravity flight in a "Vomit Comet" of Zero Gravity Corporation, during which he experienced weightlessness eight times, took place on 26 April 2007.^[52] He became the first quadriplegic to float in zero gravity. The fee is normally US$3,750 for 10 to 15 plunges, but Hawking was not required to pay. Hawking was quoted before the flight saying:

Many people have asked me why I am taking this flight. I am doing it for many reasons. First of all, I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space.^[53]

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he suggested that space was the Earth's long term hope.^[54] He continued this theme at a 2008 Charlie Rose interview.^[55]

Hawking has indicated that he is almost certain that alien life exists in other parts of the universe, "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like".^[56] He believes alien life not only certainly exists on planets but perhaps even in other places, like within stars or even floating in outer space. He has also warned that a few of these species might be intelligent and threaten Earth.^[57] "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said.^[56] He has advocated that, rather than try to establish contact, humans should try to avoid contact with alien life forms.^[56] At a George Washington University lecture in honour of NASA's fiftieth anniversary, Hawking discussed the existence of extraterrestrial life, believing that "primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare".^[58]

Religious views [link]

In his early work, Hawking spoke of God in a metaphorical sense, such as in A Brief History of Time: "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God."^[59] In the same book he suggested the existence of God was unnecessary to explain the origin of the universe.^[60] In the Channel 4 documentary Genius of Britain, in his 2010 book The Grand Design, and in interviews with the Telegraph, Hawking has clarified that he does not believe in a "personal" God.^[61] Hawking writes, "The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by God for reasons we can't understand, or was it determined by a law of science? I believe the second."^[61] He adds, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing."^[62]

His ex-wife, Jane, has described him as an atheist.^[63] Hawking has stated that he is "not religious in the normal sense" and he believes that "the universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws."^[64] In an interview published in The Guardian newspaper, Hawking regarded the concept of Heaven as a myth, believing that there is "no heaven or afterlife" and that such a notion was a "fairy story for people afraid of the dark."^[59]^[65] Hawking contrasted religion and science in 2010, saying: "There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works."^[66]

Philosophical views [link]

At Google’s Zeitgeist Conference in 2011, Hawking said that "philosophy is dead." He believes philosophers "have not kept up with modern developments in science" and that scientists "have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.” He said that philosophical problems can be answered by science, particularly new scientific theories which "lead us to a new and very different picture of the universe and our place in it”.^[67]

Publications [link]

Hawking's first popular science book, A Brief History of Time, was published on 1 April 1988. It stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.^[68] A Brief History of Time was followed by The Universe in a Nutshell (2001). A collection of essays titled Black Holes and Baby Universes (1993) was also popular. His book, A Briefer History of Time (2005), co-written by Leonard Mlodinow, updated his earlier works to make them accessible to a wider audience. In 2007 Hawking and his daughter, Lucy Hawking, published George's Secret Key to the Universe, a children's book focusing on science that Lucy Hawking described as "a bit like Harry Potter but without the magic."^[69]

Popular [link]

A Brief History of Time, (1988)
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, (1994)
The Universe in a Nutshell, (2001)
On The Shoulders of Giants. The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy, (2002)
A Briefer History of Time, (2005)
God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History, (2005)^[70]
The Grand Design, (2010)^[70]

Children's fiction [link]

These are co-written with his daughter Lucy.

George's Secret Key to the Universe, (2007)
George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt, (2009)^[70]
George and the Big Bang, (2011)

Films and series [link]

A Brief History of Time (1991)
Stephen Hawking's Universe (1997)
Horizon: The Hawking Paradox^[71] (2005)
Masters of Science Fiction (2007)
Stephen Hawking: Master of the Universe^[72] (2008)
Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking^[73] (2010)
Brave New World with Stephen Hawking

References [link]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Larsen 2005, pp. x–xix.
^ ^a ^b Larsen 2005, pp. 3–5.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Ferguson 2011, Chapter 3.
^ ^a ^b Hawking, Stephen W. (1 May 1992). Stephen Hawking's A brief history of time: a reader's companion. Bantam Books. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-553-07772-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=mCmUQgAACAAJ. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ ^a ^b Ferguson 2011, Chapter 4.
^ ^a ^b Ferguson 2011, Chapter 6.
^ Hawking, Stephen; Penrose, Roger (January 1970). "The Singularities of Gravitational Collapse and Cosmology". Proceedings of the Royal Society A 314 (1519): 529–548. Bibcode 1970RSPSA.314..529H. DOI:10.1098/rspa.1970.0021. http://rspa.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/314/1519/529.abstract.
^ Hawking, Stephen W.; Israel, Werner (30 March 1989). Three Hundred Years of Gravitation. Cambridge University Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-521-37976-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=Vq787qC5PWQC&pg=PA278. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ Larsen 2005, p. 38.
^ Larsen 2005, p. 44.
^ Ferguson 2011, Chapter 7.
^ "Stephen Hawking Returns to Caltech – One Night Only". Caltech Features. 6 Jan 2011. http://features.caltech.edu/features/96. Retrieved 7 Jan 2011.
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^ Baird, Eric (30 September 2007). Relativity in Curved Spacetime: Life Without Special Relativity. Chocolate Tree Books. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-9557068-0-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=bU4xUMuJlukC&pg=PA234. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ Yulsman, Tom (2003). Origins: the quest for our cosmic roots. CRC Press. pp. 174–176. ISBN 978-0-7503-0765-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=eh3_GfqlDlMC&pg=PA174. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
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^ "Oldest, space-travelled, science prize awarded to Hawking". The Royal Society. 24 August 2006. http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?year=&id=5066. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
^ "Fonseca Prize 2008". University of Santiago de Compostela. http://www.usc.es/en/cursos/conciencia/premio_fonseca2008.html. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
^ MacAskill, Ewen (13 August 2009). "Obama presents presidential medal of freedom to 16 recipients". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/13/obama-hawking-medal-freedom. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
^ Current Biography Yearbook: 1984. New York City: H. W. Wilson Company. 1985. ISBN 978-99942-3-211-6.
^ Sapsted, David (20 October 2006). "Hawking and second wife agree to divorce". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/20/nhawking20.xml. Retrieved 18 March 2007.
^ "Hawking's nurse reveals why she is not surprised his marriage is over". Daily Mail (UK). 20 October 2006. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-411781/Hawkings-nurse-reveals-surprised-marriage-over.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
^ "Welcome back to the family, Stephen". The Times (UK). 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-12-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20081203111754/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1751518.ece. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
^ "Our Friends". SOS Children's Villages. http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/sos-children-charity/our-friends.htm. Retrieved 6 May 2006.
^ Hough, Andrew (16 May 2011). "Stephen Hawking: 'heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark'". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/stephen-hawking/8515639/Stephen-Hawking-heaven-is-a-fairy-story-for-people-afraid-of-the-dark.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
^ Campbell, Duncan (3 November 2004). "Hawking joins war protest tribute to Iraq dead". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/nov/03/iraq.books. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
^ "Stephen Hawking: Iraq War a 'Crime'". Fox News. 2 November 2004. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137377,00.html. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
^ Hoare, Geoffrey; Love, Eric (5 January 2007). "Dick Tahta". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1983173,00.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
^ "Hawking Lectures Sign Off with Dinner". St-albans.herts.sch.uk. 13 May 2006. http://www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk/sascms/hawking-lectures-sign-off-with-dinner/. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
^ Mitsumoto, Hiroshi; Munsat, Theodore L. (1 January 2001). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a guide for patients and families. Demos Medical Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-888799-28-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=YvTR2asXhNYC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ "How Has Stephen Hawking Lived to 70 with ALS?: Scientific American". Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stephen-hawking-als&page=2. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
^ Larsen 2005, p. 72–81.
^ ^a ^b "Living with ALS – Stephen Hawking". http://www.hawking.org.uk/living-with-als.html. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
^ "Stephen Hawking chooses a new voice". Gizmag. http://www.gizmag.com/go/2708/. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c de Lange, Catherine (30 December 2011). "The man who saves Stephen Hawking's voice". New Scientist. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21323-the-man-who-saves-stephen-hawkings-voice.html.
^ "Stephen Hawking: Asking big questions about the universe (Video time index 8:25)". TED Conferences, LLC. http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/242. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
^ Okuda & Okuda 1999, p. 380.
^ "Discovery Channel :: Alien Planet :: About the Show". http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/alienplanet/about/about.html. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ Cheng, Maria (5 January 2012). "Stephen Hawking to turn 70, defying disease". Boston. http://articles.boston.com/2012-01-05/lifestyle/30594112_1_hawking-first-stephen-hawking-universe/2. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
^ "Time to unveil Corpus Clock". Cambridgenetwork.co.uk. 22 September 2008. http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/article/default.aspx?objid=51566. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
^ "Professor Stephen Hawking films Big Bang Theory cameo". BBC. 12 March 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17337778. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
^ Highfield, Roger (8 January 2007). "Stephen Hawking plans to see space". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1538844/Stephen-Hawking-plans-to-see-space.html. Retrieved 18 March 2007.
^ "Hawking takes zero-gravity flight". BBC News. 27 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6594821.stm. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
^ "Physicist Hawking experiences zero gravity". CNN. 26 April 2007. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070504171857/http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/04/26/hawking.flight.ap/index.html. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
^ Highfield, Roger (16 October 2001). "Colonies in space may be only hope, says Hawking". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/10/16/nhawk16.xml. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
^ "Charlie Rose – A conversation with Dr. Stephen Hawking & Lucy Hawking". Charlie Rose LLC. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/8973. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Stephen Hawking warns over making contact with aliens". BBC News. 25 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8642558.stm. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
^ Hickman, Leo (25 April 2010). "Stephen Hawking takes a hard line on aliens". guardian.co.uk. London: Guardian News and Media. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/26/stephen-hawking-issues-warning-on-aliens. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
^ Highfield, Roger (22 April 2008). "Stephen Hawking: Aliens probably exist". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3340426/Stephen-Hawking-Aliens-probably-exist.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
^ ^a ^b Sample, Ian (15 May 2011). "Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story'". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
^ Burgess, Anthony (29 December 1991). "Towards a Theory of Everything". The Observer: p. 42. "Though A Brief History of Time brings in God as a useful metaphor, Hawking is an atheist"
^ ^a ^b Roberts, Laura (2 September 2010). "Stephen Hawking: God was not needed to create the Universe". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7976594/Stephen-Hawking-God-was-not-needed-to-create-the-Universe.html. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
^ Farmello, Graham (3 September 2010). "Has Stephen Hawking ended the God debate?". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7979211/Has-Stephen-Hawking-ended-the-God-debate.html. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
^ Adams, Tim (4 April 2004). "A Brief History of a First Wife". The Observer (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2004/apr/04/features.review17. Retrieved 5 March 2012. "Jane took much of her dramatic hope at the time from her faith, and still sees something of the irony in the fact that her Christianity gave her the strength to support her husband, the most profound atheist. 'Stephen, I hope, had belief in me that I could make everything possible for him, but he did not share my religious – or spiritual – faith'."
^ "Pope sees physicist Hawking at evolution gathering | Science". Reuters. 31 October 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE49U6E220081031?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
^ "Stephen Hawking: Heaven Is A Myth". www.huffingtonpost.com. The Huffington Post. 16 May 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/stephen-hawking-heaven-is-a-myth_n_862394.html. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
^ Heussner, Ki Mae (7 June 2010). "Stephen Hawking on Religion: 'Science Will Win'". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Technology/stephen-hawking-religion-science-win/story?id=10830164. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
^ The Telegraph: Stephen Hawking tells Google ‘philosophy is dead’
^ Radford, Tim (31 July 2009). "How God propelled Stephen Hawking into the bestsellers lists". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jul/30/stephen-hawking-brief-history-time. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
^ "Man must conquer other planets to survive, says Hawking". Daily Mail (UK). 13 June 2006. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-390524/Man-conquer-planets-survive-says-Hawking.html. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Books – Stephen Hawking". http://www.hawking.org.uk/books.html. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
^ "The Hawking Paradox". BBC. 2005. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/hawking_prog_summary.shtml. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
^ "Master of the Universe – Channel 4". channel4.com. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/master-of-the-universe. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ "Into the Universe, with Stephen Hawking". Discovery Channel. 2010. http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/stephen-hawking/about/about.html. Retrieved 25 April 2010.

Bibliography [link]

Ferguson, Kitty (10 November 2011). Stephen Hawking: His Life and Work. Transworld. ISBN 978-1-4481-1047-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=nZLMWpujVUcC. Retrieved 26 March 2012.

Hawking, Stephen W. (1 September 1994). Black holes and baby universes and other essays. Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-37411-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=gTLGnTZabBQC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
Larsen, Kristine (30 June 2005). Stephen Hawking: a biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-32392-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=yL3RBMEI5OgC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
Okuda, Michael; Okuda, Denise (1 October 1999). The Star trek encyclopedia: a reference guide to the future. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-53609-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=VOeZQhAQZHgC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.

External links [link]

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Stephen Hawking's web site
Appearances on C-SPAN
Stephen Hawking at the Internet Movie Database
Stephen Hawking at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
Works by or about Stephen Hawking in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Stephen Hawking collected news and commentary at The Guardian
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Archival material relating to Stephen Hawking listed at the UK National Register of Archives
Portraits of Stephen William Hawking at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Lucasian Professors of Mathematics

Isaac Barrow (1664)
Isaac Newton (1669)
William Whiston (1702)
Nicholas Saunderson (1711)
John Colson (1739)
Edward Waring (1760)
Isaac Milner (1798)
Robert Woodhouse (1820)
Thomas Turton (1822)
George Biddell Airy (1826)
Charles Babbage (1828)
Joshua King (1839)
George Stokes (1849)
Joseph Larmor (1903)
Paul Dirac (1932)
James Lighthill (1969)
Stephen Hawking (1979)
Michael Green (2009)

v t e Copley Medallists

Jacques Miller (2001) John Pople (2002) John Gurdon (2003) Harry Kroto (2004) Paul Nurse (2005) Stephen Hawking (2006) Robert May (2007) Roger Penrose (2008) Martin Evans (2009) David Cox / Tomas Lindahl (2010) Dan McKenzie (2011)

1731–1750 1751–1800 1801–1850 1851–1900 1901–1950 1951–2000 2001–present

v t e Wolf Prize in Physics laureates

Agriculture Arts Chemistry Mathematics Medicine Physics

1970s	Chien-Shiung Wu (1978) George Uhlenbeck / Giuseppe Occhialini (1979)

1980s	Michael Fisher / Leo Kadanoff / Kenneth G. Wilson (1980) Freeman Dyson / Gerardus 't Hooft / Victor Weisskopf (1981) Leon M. Lederman / Martin Lewis Perl (1982) Erwin Hahn / Peter Hirsch / Theodore Maiman (1983–84) Conyers Herring / Philippe Nozières (1984–85) Mitchell Feigenbaum / Albert J. Libchaber (1986) Herbert Friedman / Bruno Rossi / Riccardo Giacconi (1987) Roger Penrose / Stephen Hawking (1988)

1990s	Pierre-Gilles de Gennes / David J. Thouless (1990) Maurice Goldhaber / Valentine Telegdi (1991) Joseph H. Taylor, Jr. (1992) Benoît Mandelbrot (1993) Vitaly Ginzburg / Yoichiro Nambu (1994–95) John Wheeler (1996–97) Yakir Aharonov / Michael Berry (1998) Dan Shechtman (1999)

2000s	Raymond Davis, Jr. / Masatoshi Koshiba (2000) Bertrand Halperin / Anthony Leggett (2002–03) Robert Brout / François Englert / Peter Higgs (2004) Daniel Kleppner (2005) Albert Fert / Peter Grünberg (2006–07)

2010s	John F. Clauser / Alain Aspect / Anton Zeilinger (2010) Maximilian Haider / Harald Rose / Knut Urban (2011) Jacob Bekenstein (2012)

Book:Wolf Prize in Physics Category:Wolf Prize in Physics laureates Portal:Physics

Authority control: PND: 118761285 | LCCN: n81020731 | VIAF: 95185448 | WorldCat

Persondata
Name	Hawking, Stephen
Alternative names	Hawking, Stephen William
Short description	Theoretical Physicist
Date of birth	1942-01-08
Place of birth	Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Date of death
Place of death

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For other uses, see Ali Baba (disambiguation).

Ali Baba by Maxfield Parrish (1909)

Ali Baba (Arabic: علي بابا‎ ʿAli Bāba) is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

This story has been used as a popular pantomime plot such as in the pantomime/musical Chu Chin Chow (1916). Like many other folk tales frequently adapted for children, the original tale is darker and more violent than the more familiar bowdlerised versions. Popular perception of Ali Baba, and the way he is treated in popular media, sometimes implies that he was the leader of the "Forty Thieves": in the story he is actually an "honest man"^[1] whom fortune enables to take advantage of the thieves' robberies.

1 Textual history
2 Story
3 Classification
4 Adaptations
5 In other media
6 Iraq War
7 Gallery
8 References
9 External links

Textual history [link]

Some critics believe that this story was added to One Thousand and One Nights by one of its European translators, Antoine Galland, an 18th-century French orientalist who may have heard it in oral form from a Middle Eastern story-teller from Aleppo, in modern day Syria. In any case, the first known text of the story is Galland's French version. Richard F. Burton, however, claimed it to be part of the original One Thousand and One Nights.

The American Orientalist Duncan Black MacDonald discovered an Arabic-language manuscript of the legend at the Bodleian Library;^[2] however, this was later found to be a counterfeit.

Story [link]

Ali Baba and his elder brother Cassim are the sons of a merchant. After the death of their father, the greedy Cassim marries a wealthy woman and becomes well-to-do, building on their father's business—but Ali Baba marries a poor woman and settles into the trade of a woodcutter.

One day Ali Baba is at work collecting and cutting firewood in the forest, and he happens to overhear a group of forty thieves visiting their treasure store. The treasure is in a cave, the mouth of which is sealed by magic. It opens on the words "iftah ya simsim" (commonly written as "Open Sesame" in English), and seals itself on the words "Close, Simsim" ("Close Sesame"). When the thieves are gone, Ali Baba enters the cave himself, and takes some of the treasure home.

Ali Baba borrows his sister-in-law's scales to weigh this new wealth of gold coins. Unbeknownst to Ali, she puts a blob of wax in the scales to find out what Ali is using them for, as she is curious to know what kind of grain her impoverished brother-in-law needs to measure. To her shock, she finds a gold coin sticking to the scales and tells her husband, Ali Baba's rich and greedy brother, Cassim. Under pressure from his brother, Ali Baba is forced to reveal the secret of the cave. Cassim goes to the cave and enters with the magic words, but in his greed and excitement over the treasures forgets the magic words to get back out again. The thieves find him there, and kill him. When his brother does not come back, Ali Baba goes to the cave to look for him, and finds the body, quartered and with each piece displayed just inside the entrance of the cave to discourage any similar attempts in the future.

Ali Baba brings the body home, where he entrusts Morgiana, a clever slave-girl in Cassim's household, with the task of making others believe that Cassim has died a natural death. First, Morgiana purchases medicines from an apothecary, telling him that Cassim is gravely ill. Then, she finds an old tailor known as Baba Mustafa whom she pays, blindfolds, and leads to Cassim's house. There, overnight, the tailor stitches the pieces of Cassim's body back together, so that no one will be suspicious. Ali and his family are able to give Cassim a proper burial without anyone asking awkward questions.

The thieves, finding the body gone, realize that yet another person must know their secret, and set out to track him down. One of the thieves goes down to the town and comes across Baba Mustafa, who mentions that he has just sewn a dead man's body back together. Realizing that the dead man must have been the thieves' victim, the thief asks Baba Mustafa to lead the way to the house where the deed was performed. The tailor is blindfolded again, and in this state he is able to retrace his steps and find the house. The thief marks the door with a symbol. The plan is for the other thieves to come back that night and kill everyone in the house. However, the thief has been seen by Morgiana and she, loyal to her master, foils his plan by marking all the houses in the neighborhood with a similar marking. When the 40 thieves return that night, they cannot identify the correct house and the head thief kills the lesser thief. The next day, another thief revisits Baba Mustafa and tries again, only this time, a chunk is chipped out of the stone step at Ali Baba's front door. Again Morgiana foils the plan by making similar chips in all the other doorsteps. The second thief is killed for his stupidity as well. At last, the head thief goes and looks for himself. This time, he memorizes every detail he can of the exterior of Ali Baba's house.

The chief of the thieves pretends to be an oil merchant in need of Ali Baba's hospitality, bringing with him mules loaded with thirty-eight oil jars, one filled with oil, the other thirty-seven hiding the other remaining thieves. Once Ali Baba is asleep, the thieves plan to kill him. Again, Morgiana discovers and foils the plan, killing the thirty-seven thieves in their oil jars by pouring boiling oil on them. When their leader comes to rouse his men, he discovers that they are dead, and escapes.

To exact revenge, after some time the thief establishes himself as a merchant, befriends Ali Baba's son (who is now in charge of the late Cassim's business), and is invited to dinner at Ali Baba's house. The thief is recognized by Morgiana, who performs a dance with a dagger for the diners and plunges it into the heart of the thief when he is off his guard. Ali Baba is at first angry with Morgiana, but when he finds out the thief tried to kill him, he gives Morgiana her freedom and marries her to his son. Ali Baba is then left as the only one knowing the secret of the treasure in the cave and how to access it. Thus, the story ends happily for everyone except the forty thieves and Cassim.

Classification [link]

The story has been classified in the Aarne–Thompson classification system as AT 676.^[3]

Adaptations [link]

The story was made into an Egyptian movie in 1942 as "Ali Baba We El Arbeen Haramy" (Alibaba and the Forty Thieves), with Ali AlKassar playing the lead as Ali Baba, and the comedian actor Ismail Yasin as his assistant.
An 1878 British pantomime version was The Forty Thieves.
A French film Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs starring Fernandel and Samia Gamal (1954).
A French telefilm starring Gérard Jugnot and Catherine Zeta-Jones (2007).
In 1970s Alibaba story was adapted in a Bengali film called 'Morgiana Abdulla'.
A Soviet-Indian joint film of 1979 Ali Baba aur 40 Chor, starring Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Rolan Bykov and Zeenat Aman, was largely based on this adventure tale.
A Malaysian comedy film, Ali Baba Bujang Lapok (1960) which quite faithfully adhered to the tale's plot details, but introduced a number of anachronisms for humour, for example the usage of a truck by Kassim Baba to steal the robbers' loot.
There are two Tamil films under the title Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum ("Alibaba and Forty Thieves"). The first film starring N. S. Krishnan as Ali Baba released in 1941, the second film starring M. G. Ramachandran, released in 1956.
The story was adapted in the 1971 anime Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (アリババと４０匹の盗賊, Aribaba to Yonjuppiki no Tozoku^?), storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki.
The concept of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was used for the last installment of Disney's Aladdin series, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, released in 1996, introducing Cassim the King of Thieves as Aladdin's father.
In the television mini-series Arabian Nights, the story is told faithfully with two major changes. The first is that when Morgiana discovers the thieves in the oil jars, she alerts Ali Baba and together with a friend, they release the jars on a street with a steep incline and allow them roll down to break open. Furthermore, the city guard is alerted and arrest the disoriented thieves as they emerge from their containers. Later when Morgiana defeats the thief leader, Ali Baba, who is young and has no children, marries the heroine himself.
A film adaption Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was made in 1944. The film was remade in 1965 as The Sword of Ali Baba. Frank Puglia portrayed the character named Kassim in both versions.
At the United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Squadron 40 was originally nicknamed "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" before eventually changing its name to the "P-40 Warhawks"
A mythopoeic novel by Tom Holt, 'Open Sesame', is based on characters from the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"

In other media [link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011)

A Merrie Melodies Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck cartoon, Ali Baba Bunny, has a similar premise to the concept of the treasure-filled magical cave.

A Popeye cartoon, Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves, features Popeye meeting and defeating the titular group.

In the Disney film Aladdin there are several references to the story. Also, in Aladdin and the King of Thieves the forty thieves play an integral part in the story. However the story is very different than the original Ali Baba story, particularly Cassim's new role as the King of Thieves.

In the Simpsons episode Moe Goes From Rags To Riches, Lisa is Scheherazade and Nelson Muntz is King Shahryar, and Lisa tells him the story.

The 1971 Japanese film, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (アリババと40匹の盗賊, Aribaba to Yonjūbiki no Tozuku^?), for which Hayao Miyazaki was key animator and organizer.

A 1981 computer video game by Quality Software^[4]

Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, a 1982 arcade video game by Taito

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, a computer game for the Apple II published in 1982

A version of Ali Baba appears in Sonic and the Secret Rings, where he is portrayed by the character Tails.

Iraq War [link]

The name "Ali Baba" was often used as derogatory slang by American and Iraqi soldiers and their allies in the War in Iraq to describe individuals suspected of a variety of offenses related to theft and looting.^[5] British soldiers routinely used the term to refer to Iraqi civilians.^[6] In the subsequent occupation it is used as a general term for the insurgents, similar to Charlie for the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War.^[7]

Due to interaction of the two peoples, the term "Ali Baba" was adopted by the Iraqis to describe foreign troops suspected of looting,^[8] and the English-speaking mainstream press mistakenly reported the slang to be native to the locals.^[9]

Gallery [link]

A depiction of the Forty Thieves.
The Forty Thieves attack Cassim.
A member of the Forty Thieves tries to discover the location of the house of Ali Baba.
A member of the Forty Thieves marks the door of Ali Baba
Morgiana pays Baba Mustafa the Cobbler.
Morgiana pours boiling hot oil into the sacks containing the infamous Forty Thieves.
Ali Baba presents treasures from the magical cave of Sesame to Morgiana.

References [link]

^ If a receiver of stolen goods can be described as "honest"!
^ Duncan Black MacDonald, ‘“Ali Baba and the forty thieves” in Arabic from a Bodleian MS’, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (April 1910): 327-386.
^ http://www.verhalenbank.nl/extra.php?info=aarne_thompson&idnummer=CBAK0390&volksverhaal_type=AT%200676&atu_type=
^ Barton, Matt (2007-02-23). "Part 2: The Golden Age (1985-1993)". The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070223b/barton_06.shtml. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
^ Vasagar, Jeevan. Court martial hears of drowned Iraqi's final moments. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
^ Richard Norton-Taylor Guardian 21 September 2009
^ Fumento, Michael. Back to Falluja: The Iraqi Army versus the Keystone Kops insurgency. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
^ Levin, Jerry. Will The Real Ali Baba Please Stand Up Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
^ Human Rights Watch. The Security situation immediately after the fall of Basra. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ali Baba

"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (e-text, in English)
Waller Hastings, "Ali Baba and the forty Thieves": essay
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Arabian Nights and The Sword of Ali Baba at the Internet Movie Database

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Baba

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

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