50-593: Crewkerne ( / ˈ k r uː k ər n / KROO -kərn ) is a town and electoral ward in south Somerset , England , 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Yeovil and 7 miles (11 km) east of Chard . The civil parish of West Crewkerne includes the hamlets of Coombe, Woolminstone and Henley, and borders the county of Dorset to the south. The town is on the main headwater of the River Parrett , A30 road and West of England Main Line railway, in modern times
100-687: A Norman motte castle. The town grew up in the late mediaeval period around the textile industry, its wealth demonstrated 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
150-489: A Grade I listed building . Crewkerne also contains one of very few Unitarian chapels left in the West Country, Crewkerne Unitarian Church, a tiny chapel tucked away on Hermitage Street. The Methodist church on South Street is shared by Roman Catholic and Methodist congregations, following the closure and proposed redevelopment of St Peter's Catholic Church. Christ Church , a chapel of ease to St Bartholomew's,
200-537: A castle. In Wales, the term electoral ward is used for elections to principal councils ( county councils or county borough councils ). These were formally called electoral divisions . Communities in Wales (the equivalent to the civil parish in England) are sometimes divided into wards for elections to the community council. All of Scotland is divided into over 300 wards for local government elections. Using
250-524: A full Ofsted inspection showed ample progress. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West and ITV West Country . Television signals are received from the Mendip and the local relay transmitters. Crewkerne's local radio stations are BBC Radio Somerset on 95.5 FM, Heart West on 97.1 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South West on 105.6 FM, Radio Ninesprings, a community based station that broadcast on 104.5 FM. . The Chard and Ilminster News
300-714: A key role in establishing the first democratic town government in the American colonies. Ralph Reader an actor, theatrical producer and songwriter , best known for staging the original Gang Show , a Variety show for members of the Scouting Movement, was born in Crewkerne in 1903. The cricketer Michael Barnwell was born in the town in 1943. Crewkerne is twinned with Igny, Essonne and Bures-sur-Yvette in France. Wards and electoral divisions of
350-629: A storehouse. The town was known as Crocern , or Cruaern in the 899 will of Alfred the Great when he left it to his younger son Æthelweard , and by 1066 the manor was held by Edith Swanneck , mistress of King Harold . After the Norman conquest the Domesday Survey of 1086 shows the so-named manor was feudally royal, a possession of William the Conqueror , and the church estate was given to
400-635: A surveyor, adventurer, mapmaker, soldier, and member of the House of Burgesses , the legislature of the colony of Virginia . Another Englishman from Crewkerne who emigrated to the American Colonies was William Phelps who was born around 1599 and became one of the founders of both Dorchester, Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut , foreman of the first grand jury in New England, served most of his life in early colonial government, and played
450-512: Is a Grade II listed building . Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education , social services , the library , roads, public transport , trading standards , waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service , Avon and Somerset Constabulary and
500-407: Is approximately 10 °C (50.0 °F ). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the nation due to nearby shore/land breezes to/from seas. 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 daily readings of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are common. In the summer
550-641: Is around 21,000 sq ft (2,000 m) and opened in November 2008. All of the large supermarkets are situated around the South Street multi-storey car park . The other smaller supermarket is Lidl . Ariel Motor Company is based in Crewkerne, and is one of the UK's smallest automobile companies, with just seven employees, producing fewer than 100 cars per year. It was founded in 1991 and changed its name from Solocrest Ltd in 2001. The company's flagship car
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#1732772905639600-1030: Is divided into wards, which are ancient and very long-standing sub-divisions of the city. The Council of the Isles of Scilly is also a sui generis unitary authority, and has five wards, each returning either 1 or (in the case of St Mary's ) 12 councillors to the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Civil parishes in England are sometimes divided into wards for elections to the parish council (or town / city council ). They need not bear any relation to wards or electoral divisions at district level, but often do. The four most northerly ancient counties of England – Cumberland , Westmorland , County Durham and Northumberland – were historically divided into administrative units called wards instead of hundreds or wapentakes , as in other counties. Wards were areas originally organised for military purposes, each centred on
650-581: Is now central London . The only remaining one with the galleries to the bedrooms above is The George Inn, Southwark , owned by the National Trust and still run as a pub. Many have been demolished and plaques mark their location. The Nomura building close to the Museum of London on London Wall commemorates the "Bull and Mouth" Inn. The Golden Cross House, opposite St Martin's in the Fields recalls
700-632: Is on the route of the Monarch's Way a 615-mile (990 km) long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester . Crewkerne is a small market town centre with many cafes, shops and supermarkets. Crewkerne also has a wide selection of public houses . The largest supermarket is the Waitrose store which
750-582: Is probably the oldest Welsh coaching inn. Other historic inns in Wales include the Black Boy Inn (built 1522) and the Groes Inn (1573). The Bear, Oxford , was founded in 1774 as 'The Jolly Trooper' from the house of the stableman to the coaching inn 'The Bear Inn', on High Street . It acquired the name The Bear, and the history of the coaching inn, when The Bear Inn was converted into a private house in 1801. There were many coaching inns in what
800-460: Is served by South Western Railway on what was the main south western railway line before it was outranked by the Taunton line . Trains operate to London Waterloo (two and a half hours away) via Salisbury (70 minutes), and in the opposite direction to Exeter St Davids (under an hour). There is also a service provided by Great Western Railway to London Paddington . The station was opened by
850-529: Is served by South Western Railway . There are local supermarkets and local shops, and some local industry. The town is the birthplace of several notable people and has varied cultural and sporting facilities including those at Wadham Community School . The name Crewkerne is thought to be derived from Cruc-aera ; from the British cruc – a spur of a hill, and the Old English aera – a house, especially
900-457: Is the Ariel Atom , an extremely light, high performance car. St Bartholomew's Parish Church stands on high ground to the west of the town. The first Saxon church was founded before the end of the 9th century as a "minster", or main church of a Saxon royal estate that included an area which later became the parishes of Seaborough , Wayford and Misterton . This church was replaced after
950-595: Is the local newspaper that serves the town. The Henhayes Centre provides conference facilities and has also featured exhibitions. Crewkerne and District Museum is part of a wider heritage centre which includes local archives and a meeting room. The museum opened in 2000 in an old house with an 18th-century frontage. It was restored with the help of grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund , Somerset County Council , South Somerset District Council and Crewkerne Town Council. The development of Crewkerne during
1000-512: 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. The following roads pass through Crewkerne: Crewkerne railway station , in nearby Misterton ,
1050-536: The Abbaye-aux-Hommes in Caen , Normandy . In 1499, John de Combe , a precentor of Exeter Cathedral and former vicar of Crewkerne, founded Crewkerne Grammar School . The school survived until 1904. The parish was part of the hundred of Crewkerne . Crewkerne Castle was possibly a Norman motte castle on a mound to the north-west of the town, which is known as Castle Hill. The town grew up in
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#17327729056391100-560: The Azores high pressure normally extends to the Region, yet convective cloud will on some days form inland, cutting sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours. Most of 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
1150-473: The Isle of Wight and Shropshire Councils ) instead use the term electoral division . In non-metropolitan county areas with both wards (used for district council elections) and electoral divisions (used for county council elections), the boundaries of the two types of divisions may sometimes not coincide, but more often the county electoral divisions will be made up of one or more complete wards. In urban areas,
1200-496: The Local Government (Boundaries) (NI) Order 1972 (No. 131) and DEAs were first created by the Local Government (District Electoral Areas) Regulations 1973 (No.94) Coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn ) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway , providing a resting point ( layover ) for people and horses. The inn served
1250-559: The London and South Western Railway on 19 July 1860. It was designed by Sir William Tite and has been designated as a Grade II listed building . The town is served by Stagecoach South West with buses to Yeovil via Kithill, Misterton and Haselbury Plucknett and Chard . Buses also run to Merriott , South Petherton and Ilminster and Taunton . First West of England has service to Bridport via Beaminster and Broadwindsor , Yeovil via East Chinnock and West Coker and Chard. It
1300-536: The Norman Conquest with a larger stone cruciform building, with a central tower. This was almost completely rebuilt and enlarged in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. This is, for the most part, the church building visible today. It is an excellent example of the Perpendicular style with many unusual and individual features. These include the west front, the nave , the six-light aisle windows and
1350-554: The Perry Street and District League . With Crewkerne ladies football club playing in the Somerset Women's County league . There are also 2 Lawn Bowls clubs in the town. Thomas Coryat a traveller and writer of the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean age was born in Crewkerne around 1577. Mathematician John Caswell was also born here. A later traveller Colonel Joshua Fry was born in the town in 1699 before becoming
1400-611: The River Parrett . The main residential areas are around the town centre with Kithill and Park View to the South and Wadham Park to the North. In the northern outskirts of the town is the Bincombe Beeches 5 hectares (12 acres) Local Nature Reserve . which is managed by the town council and includes a line of beech trees, some of which are between 150 and 200 years old. Between 2002 and 2005 grants were obtained to improve access to
1450-797: The South Western Ambulance Service . It is served by the Yeovil seat 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. Before Brexit in 2020 it was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament from that area's 1979 inception. The town lies west of
1500-571: The Tudor -style chapels and windows in the north east corner. The building material is golden-coloured Ham Hill stone , quarried nearby. There is a notable pair of 'green man' carvings within the church. No major alterations have been made since the Reformation in the 1530s and 1540s, but there have been many changes to the interior to accommodate various phases of Church of England worship. Among these are an oven used for baking communion bread in
1550-558: The non-metropolitan district of South Somerset , which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , having previously been Crewkerne Urban District. The district council is responsible for local planning and building control , local roads, council housing , environmental health , markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling , cemeteries and crematoria , leisure services, parks, and tourism . This electoral ward includes Misterton and at
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1600-653: The single transferable vote , most wards elect either three or four councillors. Starting from the 2022 Scottish local elections , the Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020 , allows electoral wards to have between one and five councillors. Districts in Northern Ireland are divided into electoral areas, with each electing between five and seven councillors by single transferable vote. These are themselves sub-divided into wards, but these wards have no official function. Post-1973 wards were first created by
1650-510: The 18th and 19th centuries the main industry was cloth making, including webbing, and sails for the Royal Navy . The town council takes charge of some local issues so sets an annual precept (local rate) to cover its costs and makes annual accounts for public scrutiny. It evaluates local planning applications; it works with the 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
1700-412: The 18th and 19th centuries, with particular emphasis on the flax and linen industry is illustrated with a permanent display. Other collections relate to local archaeology, Coins and Medals, Costume and Textiles, Fine Art, Music, Personalities, Science and Technology, Social History, Weapons and War. The Crewkerne Aqua Centre also provides swimming pool and fitness gym facilities to the town, located on
1750-526: The 2011 Census had a population of 7,826. Crewkerne Town Hall occupies part of the Victoria Hall in the Market Square. The Hamstone building was rebuilt around 1742, altered in 1836, when a south piazza was added after the demolition of the shambles. In 1848-9 it became a museum, reading room and library and was remodelled in 1900 by Thomas Benson of Yeovil to create shops and offices. It
1800-549: The Golden Cross, Charing Cross coaching inn. A pair of coaching inns along Watling Street in Stony Stratford are claimed to have given rise to the term " cock and bull stories ". The claim is that stories by coach passengers would be further embellished as they passed between the two hostelries, "The Cock" and "The Bull", fuelled by ale and an interested audience. Hence any suspiciously elaborate tale would become
1850-416: The UK. An average area of wards or electoral divisions in the United Kingdom is 28.109 km (10.853 sq mi). The London boroughs , metropolitan boroughs and non-metropolitan districts (including most unitary authorities ) are divided into wards for local elections. However, county council elections (as well as those for several unitary councils which were formerly county councils, such as
1900-716: The United Kingdom The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors . The ward is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil parishes and borough and district councils, the electoral ward is the unit used by Welsh principal councils , while the electoral division is the unit used by English county councils and some unitary authorities . Each ward/division has an average electorate of about 5,500 people, but ward population counts can vary substantially. As of 2021 there are 8,694 electoral wards/divisions in
1950-713: The grounds next to Henhayes Park, which used to be the Grammar Schools Playing fields. St. Martins School retained the use of the playing fields until the junior section was closed in 2003, as regular sports days were a tradition dating back to the Grammar school era in the town. A further sports centre is situated on the Wadham School campus. Crewkerne Cricket Club play in the Somerset Cricket League whilst Crewkerne Rangers F.C. play in
2000-427: The high street in the late 1970s). Its Senior and Juniors School closed in 2003, leaving a pre-school nursery. Its gym was on Gouldsbrook Terrace, converted since. Wadham School has students from 11 to 18 years old and includes those travelling from surrounding villages. In November 2005, Wadham was placed into Special measures after failing an Ofsted inspection. In June 2007 the school successfully left these, after
2050-516: The late mediaeval period around the textile industry, its wealth preserved in its fifteenth century parish church . It later prospered as a coaching stop in the Georgian period . The Manor Farmhouse in Henley was built from hamstone in the early 17th century, but possibly incorporates medieval fragments. The building is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building . During
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2100-472: The maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. The current council, elected on 5 May 2022, consists of six Liberal Democrats , and five independents . The town falls within
2150-825: The needs of travellers, for food, drink, and rest. The attached stables, staffed by hostlers , cared for the horses, including changing a tired team for a fresh one. Coaching inns were used by private travellers in their coaches , the public riding stagecoaches between one town and another, and (in England at least) the mail coach . Just as with roadhouses in other countries, although many survive, and some still offer overnight accommodation, in general coaching inns have lost their original function and now operate as ordinary pubs . Coaching inns stabled teams of horses for stagecoaches and mail coaches and replaced tired teams with fresh teams. In America, stage stations performed these functions. Traditionally English coaching inns were seven miles (11 km) apart but this depended very much on
2200-418: The site and support the planting of new trees. The Millwater biological Site of Special Scientific Interest consists of a complex mosaic of pasture , wet grassland , tall-herb fen, standing and running water, alder and willow carr. Along with the rest of South West England , Crewkerne has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature
2250-410: The slower route between the capital and the southwest peninsula , having been eclipsed by the Taunton route . The earliest written record of Crewkerne is in the 899 will of Alfred the Great who left it to his youngest son Æthelweard . 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
2300-581: The south east corner of the north chapel. During the Civil War , considerable damage was done including the destruction of nearly all of the medieval stained glass . William III of England worshipped in the church following his landing in the Glorious Revolution of 1689. By the early 19th century, all the medieval furnishings, except the Norman font had disappeared. New pews were made and
2350-568: The terrain. Some English towns had as many as ten such inns and rivalry between them was intense, not only for the income from the stagecoach operators but for the revenue for food and drink supplied to the passengers. Barnet , Hertfordshire still has an unusually high number of historic pubs along its high street due to its former position on the Great North Road from London to Scotland. The Black Lion in Cardigan (established 1105)
2400-558: The wards within a local authority area typically each contain roughly the same number of electors, and each elect three councillors. In local authorities with mixed urban and rural areas, the number of councillors may vary from one to three, depending on the size of the electorate. Where civil parishes exist, a ward can be adjacent with a civil parish or consist of groups of civil parishes. Larger civil parishes (such as Shrewsbury ) can be divided into two or more wards. The City of London has its own sui generis form of local government and
2450-525: The west galleries were added in 1808–11. The latest restoration that has left the church interior visible today, took place in the late 19th century; it was more sympathetic to the church's architectural character than many Victorian restorations . At this time, the central section of the west gallery was removed to reveal the great west window and the organ was relocated to the south transept. The pews date from around 1900 and have attractive carved bench-ends. The church has been designated by English Heritage as
2500-457: Was built on South Street in 1852–54. It was declared redundant in 1969 and demolished in 1975. It is now the site of the residential Christchurch Court. The primary schools in Crewkerne are St. Bartholomew's on Kithill, Ashlands on North Street and Maiden Beech Primary Academy on Lyme Road. Crewkerne Grammar School was at DeCombe House, until it closed in the late 1960s, to combine into St Martin's School long on Abbey Street (having moved from
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