29-484: The River Yeo (often referred to as the Congresbury Yeo , after the village of Congresbury , through which it flows, to avoid confusion with other similarly named rivers) is a river which flows through North Somerset , England . The river rises in the centre of Compton Martin village, in the district of Bath and North East Somerset , as a spring which feeds the village duckpond. From there it flows past
58-484: A Grade I listed building. There is a Methodist chapel on Brinsea Road ( B3133 ) which was constructed in 1878 to seat 150 people. Congresbury has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V . Sporting facilities for the football club, tennis club, and cricket club (formed in 1844), are provided by the umbrella organisation, the Congresbury Recreation Club. The Recreation Club
87-507: A ceramic pot 45 cm (18 in) in diameter, and date from AD 253 to 305. Most of the coins are made from debased silver or bronze. The hoard is one of the largest ever found in Britain, and is also important as it contains the largest group ever found of coins issued during the reign of Carausius , who ruled Britain independently from 286 to 293 and was the first Roman emperor to strike coins in Britain. The Museum of Somerset acquired
116-578: A quiet sanctuary, the Millennium Green has also played host to a village music festival. Near to the Millennium Green there is a basketball court . The village has many recreational groups, including Cubs , Scouts and Brownies , a bell-ringing club, a youth club and the Congresbury Youth Partnership. In the heart of the village there is also a bowls club, which has an annual competition open to all. There
145-599: A two-year refit, and reopened as the Museum of Somerset on 29 September 2011. Central to the new museum is the Tree of Somerset, a sculpture carved from oak from the Quantock Hills , which depicts events from Somerset's history. The museum hosts a collection of toys and dolls, sculpture , natural history , fossils , fine silver, remains of pottery, and it also contains a collection of archaeological items, including
174-489: Is North Somerset Council. Congresbury has a pre-school and St Andrews Primary School. Secondary education is not available in the village and so many of Congresbury's children commute daily to the nearby village of Churchill to attend Churchill Academy and Sixth Form . The Anglican Church of St Andrew in Congresbury dates from the 13th century but was extensively altered in the 15th century and has been designated as
203-709: Is a large village and has several public houses with a wide variety of shops and other businesses. Opposite the village cross in the High Street is Broad Street, an unusually wide street suggesting it was a planned arrangement for the weekly market and annual fair. Congresbury also has a medical practice, library and War Memorial Hall constructed in 1920. Congresbury community cafe opened at Bridge House in February 2019. Managed entirely by volunteers, it raises funds to support village activities / organisations and local charities, The local council responsible for education
232-632: Is a village and civil parish on the northwestern slopes of the Mendip Hills in North Somerset , England, which in 2011 had a population of 3,497. It lies on the A370 between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport , 13 miles (21 km) south of Bristol city centre, and 7 miles (11 km) east of Weston-super-Mare . The Congresbury Yeo river flows through the village. The parish includes
261-619: Is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county . Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare . Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon . Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Axbridge Rural District . An electoral ward exists in Congresbury. The area and population are the same as shown above. The parish
290-571: Is also home to several skittles teams and darts teams. The village also offers fishing in purpose built lakes and the River Yeo itself. The hamlet of Brinsea is home to the Mendip Spring Country Club and Golf Course. In the beginning of the 21st century, Congresbury opened a Millennium Green situated next to the River Yeo and a Millennium Bridge spanning the river to join north and south Congresbury. As well as being
319-441: Is also responsible for education , social services , libraries , main roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through Avon Fire and Rescue Service , Avon and Somerset Constabulary and South Western Ambulance Service . North Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it
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#1732771809416348-630: Is an annual village fete held at the primary school. Congresbury lies next to the Strawberry Line , an old railway line now converted to a pathway for walkers and cyclists to enjoy the countryside with views over the North Somerset Levels and reserves on the Congresbury Moors, which is maintained by the local conservation group, YACWAG. Since late 2011, plans have been publicised for a skatepark to be built in
377-605: Is now in the Museum of Somerset in Taunton . The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred . The village cross dates from the 15th century and is a Grade II* listed building and Scheduled monument . A 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) high 15th century cross on an octagonal plinth. The head of the cross was replaced in the early 19th century. Urchinwood Manor is a Grade II* listed building , part of which
406-958: Is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of the Wells and Mendip Hills . It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was also part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation . Congresbury
435-694: The Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society who own the castle. Until 2008 the museum was known as the Somerset County Museum . Heritage Lottery Fund support was obtained to improve the museum, and the new museum reopened at the end of September 2011. Exhibits include the Frome Hoard , the Low Ham Roman Mosaic , the bronze-age South Cadbury shield and a range of other objects relating to
464-428: The 1870s that was split into separate infant and junior schools in the early 1970s. In September 2009, the two schools were re-joined as one primary school. 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
493-605: The Museum of Somerset. A substantial proportion of the items held by the Museum were originally collected by the Society. Queen Elizabeth II , accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh , visited the museum on 8 May 1987. In October 2007, plans for a £6.5 million improvement to the museum and the castle were submitted by Somerset County Council to the Heritage Lottery Fund . It closed to the public on 18 April 2008 for
522-651: The Severn Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest , Special Protection Area and Ramsar site . The river falls within the area of the West Mendip Internal Drainage Board , which has a range of policies and guidance about flood prevention and conservation in the area. Levees or high embankments have been erected where the river runs parallel to the A370 and the river is regularly dredged. Congresbury Congresbury
551-454: The area. The second part of the name is thought to come from burh meaning fortified place. The remains of an Iron Age hill fort at Cadbury Hill have been discovered, as well as a Roman villa , temple and hoard of coins. Christian burial grounds have also been discovered on Cadbury Hill. The archaeologist Mick Aston identified an Anglo-Saxon sculpture of St Congar which is believed to have come from St Andrew's Church , and which
580-586: The council. The parish falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992 . It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning and building control , local roads, council housing , environmental health , markets and fairs, refuse collection , recycling , cemeteries , crematoria , leisure services, parks, and tourism. It
609-579: The hamlet of Brinsea . The nearest railway station is Yatton , with trains provided by Great Western Railway , but Congresbury once had its own railway station on the Cheddar Valley Line from Yatton to Wells . It was also the starting point for the Wrington Vale Light Railway , which went to nearby Wrington and Blagdon . Congresbury is named after St Congar , who is said to have performed three miracles in
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#1732771809416638-590: The history of the county. The collections also includes material collected by self-taught archaeologist Mary Harfield . In 1874 the castle was bought by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society and between 1899 and 1900 the Great Hall was repaired and refitted as their chief museum space. In 1908-9 the Adam Library was created to house the society's growing collection of books. The society now leases it to Somerset County Council to house
667-418: The local community and authorities to benefit local conservation initiatives, conservation-based education and the local economy. Museum of Somerset The Museum of Somerset is located in the 12th-century great hall of Taunton Castle , in Taunton in the county of Somerset , England. The museum is run by South West Heritage Trust , an independent charity, and includes objects initially collected by
696-594: 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, such as the village hall or community centre , playing fields and playgrounds , 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 of interest to
725-686: The mosaic found at the Low Ham Roman Villa . Also included is the Somerset Military Museum where visitors are enabled to follow the fortunes of the Somerset Light Infantry as they carried out their campaigns across the world. Exhibits include the Frome Hoard , a hoard of 52,503 Roman coins found in April 2010 by metal detectorist Dave Crisp near the town of Frome . The coins were contained in
754-674: The site of a Roman villa before crossing under the M5 motorway and emptying into the Severn Estuary in Woodspring Bay, downstream from Clevedon and west of the village of Kingston Seymour . Close to the mouth on the Severn Estuary on land owned by Environment Agency and leased by the Avon Wildlife Trust are Blake's Pools which were dug between 1983 and 1987 to attract wildlife. It forms part of
783-410: The village of Ubley and enters Blagdon Lake (created in the 1890s by damming the river) just north of the village of Blagdon . From the lake the river flows south of Wrington and Iwood , where there were once a series of watermills along its banks. Its route then takes it around the northern outskirts of Congresbury, and across the North Somerset Levels roughly parallel to the A370 road , past
812-480: The village. Potential sites have been identified including the King George IV playing fields, Glebelands and the Millennium Green. By December 2012 campaigners had raised £15,000 of the estimate £100,000 cost, and in 2013 a further donation of £5,000 was made from a police fund. In 2013 Congresbury became the site for The North Somerset Butterfly House, a tropical butterfly house with a remit to work with
841-409: Was built around 1620 with additions being made in the 17th century. The house and surrounding estate has been bought and sold many times over the centuries with the estate now being used as an equestrian centre. The Vicarage includes an early 19th-century vicarage and former Priest's House from around 1446. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building . The village had a school founded in
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