105-659: Somerset Cricket Museum in Taunton , Somerset , England, is a small museum housing exhibits on the history of cricket with a particular emphasis on the history of Somerset County Cricket Club . The building, which is within the confines of the County Ground , is the Old Priory Barn, a Grade II* listed building . It is the only surviving building of the Augustinian Taunton Priory which
210-556: A Ministry of Defence body responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements. The UKHO is located on Admiralty Way and has a workforce of about 1100. At the start of the Second World War, chart printing moved to Taunton, but the main office did not follow until 1968. Taunton holds the head offices of Western Provident Association, Viridor and CANDAC. Other professional services are based at Blackbrook near
315-437: A burh with a mint . King Ine of Wessex threw up an earthen castle about 700, but it was levelled in 722 by his queen, Æthelburg of Wessex , to prevent seizure by rebels. A monastery was founded before 904. The bishops of Winchester owned the manor, and obtained the first charter for their "men of Taunton" from King Edward in 904, freeing them from all royal and county tribute. Some time before Domesday, Taunton became
420-426: A lock and two or more half-locks, consisting of a pair of gates to hold back the water, and an agreement to build a towpath between Ham Mills and Taunton was reached in 1724. The number of locks on the navigation varied over the years, and by 1804 there were four full or pound locks , situated at Ham, Creech St Michael , Bathpool and Obridge. In addition, there were at least four half locks. Curry Moor gates were
525-466: A Commission under the Great Seal from King Charles II . This granted him and his heirs sole navigation rights from Bridgwater to Ham Mills, and allowed him to improve the river at his own expense. He saw this as a philanthropic action, as it reduced the price of coal to the poor people of Taunton, as well as improving the transport infrastructure. With the death of Mallett and later his son, work on
630-544: A borough with privileges and a population of some 1,500, including 64 burgesses governed by a portreeve appointed by the bishops. Somerton took over from Ilchester as county town in the late 13th century, but declined; the county-town status passed to Taunton about 1366. Between 1209 and 1311 the Bishop of Winchester's manor of Taunton expanded two-and-a-half times. The parishes of Staplegrove, Wilton and Taunton were part of Taunton Deane hundred . In 1451, during
735-637: A capacity of 1,800,000 cubic metres (64,000,000 cu ft), on the Tone at Taunton. Studies of the potential impact on the hydromorphology were carried out. Download coordinates as: Clatworthy Reservoir is an important wildlife habitat managed by Wessex Water , and offers facilities for fishing and walking. The river and its tributaries support populations of European water vole ( Arvicola amphibius ). There may also be populations of white-clawed crayfish ( Austropotamobius pallipes ) and northern crested newts ( Triturus cristatus ). The fish species in
840-402: A collection of I Zingari memorabilia, a club with which current chairman Charles Clive Ponsonby-Fane has strong family links. Taunton Taunton ( / ˈ t ɔː n t ən / ) is the county town of Somerset , England. It is a market town and has a minster church . Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation , owned by
945-593: A fire, caused, according to the Taunton Courier , by "the excessive friction excited in the stones used in the process of shelling clover seeds" . Stocks of flour, grain and flax valued at £2,500 were destroyed. The mill was rebuilt and later owned by Captain George Beadon. The mill was purchased by Thomas Redler in 1889 on the death of Beadon, but another fire damaged much of it two years later. Redler rebuilt it with safety in mind, and as at Ham, installed
1050-637: A hall of offices for the Rural Community Council and accommodation for the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen. It later fell into disrepair. The Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust with Falcon Rural Housing purchased and restored it for use as four units of social housing. It is a Grade II* listed building. The grounds of Taunton Castle include the Somerset County Museum and The Castle Hotel , which incorporates
1155-513: A long history of improvements to facilitate navigation from Bridgwater to Taunton, and has also been used to power mills along its length. These two objectives are often antagonistic, and this has been the case on the River Tone. The earliest known record of improvements to the river is recorded in a document of 1325 from the Dean and Chapter of Wells Cathedral , where it was proposed to widen
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#17328007740191260-559: A nature reserve along the River Tone , has alder and willow woodland, bramble, scrub and rough grassland. The wetter, flood-prone areas feature hemlock water-dropwort , and yellow flag . Silk Mills Park and Ride offer landscaping and ponds in three areas by the Tone. The woodland and grassland support aquatic and marginal vegetation, with various birds, bats, reptiles and invertebrates . Frieze Hill Community Orchard has turned from allotments to rough grassland and orchard . Among
1365-701: A navigation. Limited traffic continued to use the lower reaches of the Tone, with the last barge using the Burrowbridge to Ham Mills section in 1929. In 1967 the Somerset River Authority applied to the Ministry of Agriculture for permission to remove the navigation rights, and the original acts of parliament were repealed under section 41 of the Land Drainage Act (1930) . This allowed the river through Taunton to be straightened, and
1470-414: A painted ceiling. It has been classed by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building . St Margaret's Almshouses was founded as a leper colony in the 12th century. Glastonbury Abbey acquired patronage of it in the late 13th century and rebuilt it as almshouses in the early 16th. From 1612 to 1938 the building continued as such, cared for by a local parish. In the late 1930s it was converted into
1575-919: A rebellion, defeated at the Battle of Sedgemoor . Judge Jeffreys led the Bloody Assizes in the Castle's Great Hall. The Grand Western Canal reached Taunton in 1839 and the Bristol and Exeter Railway in 1842. Today it hosts Musgrove Park Hospital , Somerset County Cricket Club , is the base of 40 Commando , Royal Marines , and is home to the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office on Admiralty Way. The popular Taunton flower show has been held in Vivary Park since 1866, and on 13 March 2022, St Mary Magdalene parish church
1680-491: A reminder of the location of the lock there. After Knapp bridge, the sluice at Newbridge marks the upper tidal limit of the river. Curry and Hay Moors , an area of low-lying fenland close to the river, are a Site of Special Scientific Interest . A railway bridge carries the Taunton to Castle Cary railway line over the river, after which is the Curry Moor pumping station. Two more road bridges at Athelney and Stanmoor cross
1785-531: A single unitary authority called Somerset Council with elections for the new authority's 110 councillors (two per electoral division) having taken place on 5 May 2022. Taunton and Wellington is a county constituency of the House of Commons . It is based on the town, but extends to Wellington . The current MP is Gideon Amos of the Liberal Democrats . Taunton lies on the River Tone between
1890-485: A south-easterly course and drops around 490 feet (150 m) before discharging into Clatworthy Reservoir , which also impounds the waters of 5 other streams. The river continues as the outflow from the main dam of the reservoir, passing to the west of the village of Clatworthy before following a southerly course which passes to the east of Huish Champflower . The river enters a steeply wooded section at Washbattle bridge. The B3227 road from Wiveliscombe crosses from
1995-468: A steam-driven turbine as water levels were often inadequate to power the wheels. Two more turbines followed, and the water wheels were removed. Steam from the turbines was also used to heat bread ovens, which were amongst the first in the country to be heated in this way. In September 1915, another fire gutted the building, which was not rebuilt, and the ruins were demolished in the 1920s. There were originally mills at Firepool and Obridge as well. Because of
2100-413: A weir to be constructed at Firepool, to improve the flood defences for Taunton. Above the weir, the river is still navigable as far as French Weir. Ham Mills was a site of milling activity from mediaeval times until about 1914. The mill was situated on an island in the middle of the river, with a weir and bypass channel to the north and the lock channel to the south. The Conservators were required to light
2205-577: Is Priory Fields in Priory Avenue, with eight units and an anchor store, Wickes . It was redeveloped in 2003 to modernise a rather worn-out retail park and increase retail floor space. The Old Market was a farmers' market in the Parade in front of Market House, but then moved to the Firepool area, although cattle trading on the site ceased only in 2008. A large indoor shopping centre to the east of
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#17328007740192310-647: Is a river in the English county of Somerset . The river is about 33 kilometres (21 mi) long. Its source is at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills , and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir . The reservoir outfall continues through Taunton and Curry and Hay Moors , which are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest . Finally, it flows into the River Parrett at Burrowbridge . An act of Parliament granted in 1699,
2415-434: Is the area along the river between Firepool and Tangier. The plans are to extend riverside retail and attract smaller, boutique businesses such as those found at Riverside. Plans for the town centre include more pedestrianisation and greater sizes and numbers of retail units. Several sites along the River Tone are set for renovation. Firepool Weir lock, long silted up, was to be dredged in 2011 to allow boats to pass from
2520-530: The River Tone Navigation Act 1698 ( 10 Will. 3 . c. 8) authorised work that made the river navigable as far as Taunton. The act specified that profits should be used to benefit the poor of Taunton, but the proprietors succeeded in avoiding their obligation until 1843, when they used the proceeds from the sale of the navigation to fund a wing of the Taunton and Somerset Hospital, and to aid
2625-756: The Bishops of Winchester , which was rebuilt as Taunton Castle by the Normans in the 12th century. Parts of the inner ward house were turned into the Museum of Somerset and Somerset Military Museum. For the Second Cornish uprising of 1497 , Perkin Warbeck brought an army of 6,000; most surrendered to Henry VII on 4 October 1497. On 20 June 1685 in Taunton the Duke of Monmouth crowned himself King of England in
2730-739: The Brewhouse Theatre . Towards the centre are the Zinc Nightclub, Bridge Street and Goodlands Gardens. A current regeneration programme north of Bridge Street will include redeveloping the County Cricket Ground , which hosted open-air concerts for Elton John in 2006 and 2012 and for Rod Stewart in 2014. Hankridge Farm, a retail park close to the M5 motorway, has stores that include Currys PC World , Oak Furniture Land , Hobbycraft , Halfords , B&Q , The Range and
2835-788: The Local Government Act 1972 , by merging the municipal borough of Taunton, Wellington urban district , Taunton Rural District , and Wellington Rural District , was granted borough status in 1975, perpetuating the mayoralty of Taunton. The district was named as an alternate form of the Taunton hundred . Taunton Deane Council, once based at the Municipal Buildings in Corporation Street, moved to modern facilities at Deane House on Belvedere Road in spring 1987. Taunton Deane merged with West Somerset to form Somerset West and Taunton in 2019, and
2940-597: The Morte Slates , a thick faulted and folded sequence of Devonian age sedimentary rocks. It then flows through an alluvial floodplain underlain by sub-alluvial gravels, underlain by rocks of the Mercia Mudstone Group . The floodplain is between 5 metres (16 ft) and 50 metres (160 ft) above the ordnance datum (mean sea level). The surrounding land is dominated by wet meadow and wooded areas including willow trees. Water quality in
3045-705: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 . South Taunton Streams is an urban wetland. The northern suburbs include the Children's Wood riverside reserve, a movement corridor for animals such as otters along the banks of the Tone. Birds include the kingfisher , dipper , grey wagtail , mute swan , grey heron and reed warbler and butterflies the small and large skipper , marbled white , small heath and small copper , along with dragonflies and damselflies . Weirfield Riverside,
3150-792: The Quantock , Blackdown and Brendon hills. The area is known as the Vale of Taunton. It is surrounded by many other large towns and cities seen on this directional compass: Taunton is 38 miles (61 km) south-west of Bristol , 28 miles (45 km) north-east of Exeter , 63 miles (101 km) north-east of Plymouth and 40 miles (64 km) north-west of Weymouth . The Taunton area has Permian red sandstones and breccia outcrop 295–250 million years old. Rocks of Triassic age (248–204 million years ago) underlie much of Somerset's moors and levels. The several local nature reserves in and around Taunton are protected under Section 21 of
3255-615: The Wars of the Roses , Taunton saw a skirmish between the Earl of Devon , and Baron Bonville . Queen Margaret and her troops passed through in 1471 to defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury . In the Second Cornish uprising of 1497 most Cornish gentry supported Perkin Warbeck 's cause and on 17 September a Cornish army some 6,000 strong entered Exeter before advancing on Taunton. Henry VII sent his chief general, Giles, Lord Daubeney , to attack
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3360-502: The water beetles Agabus uliginosus , Hydaticus transversalis and Helophorus nanus are among the aquatic invertebrates living in the ditches. Significant numbers of waterfowl with several thousand northern lapwing , hundreds of snipe and some golden plover and dunlin can be found on the flooded fields in winter. The site is also of international importance for Bewick's swans . Raptor species such as Short-eared owls , merlins and peregrines are among raptors which use
3465-418: The 15th century, and then to the east near Upcott bridge, where there were two mills. At Roughmoor its course is crossed by Silk Mills Road. There is a scheme to make the river navigable from here to the town centre as a way of encouraging transport with less environmental impact. The French weir in Taunton is the head of navigation as boats can not be taken upstream of this point. As it makes its way through
3570-556: The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, which opened in 1827, directly affected the River Tone Navigation, as it provided a more direct route between Taunton and Bridgwater. The Conservators attempted to limit the supply of water from the river to the canal, while the canal company breached the river bank near Firepool lock, in order to ensure that boats could reach Taunton Bridge wharf from the canal. In order to compete with
3675-581: The Castle Bow archway. With the municipal buildings they form a three-sided group just beyond the Castle Bow archway from Fore Street. A plain brick Mecca Bingo hall fills the west side of it. The frontage of the Fore Street Tudor Tavern , now a Caffè Nero branch, dates from 1578, but the rest is thought to be from the 14th century. The riverside area north of the centre is edged by Morrisons supermarket, retirement housing and
3780-571: The Conservators should have the river in February 1830. A further series of legal actions followed, after which the canal company attempted to obtain a new act of parliament to obtain the Tone by compulsory purchase. The Conservators then decided to negotiate, and an act of parliament passed in July 1832 authorised the takeover. Under the terms of the act, the canal company inherited the debts of
3885-552: The Conservators, and paid them an additional £2,000. They were required to rebuild part of the North Town Bridge in Taunton, and to return the Tone Navigation to good order. The Conservators were empowered to carry out an annual inspection, and to re-possess the river if the canal was not properly maintained. The £2,000 was held by the Conservators until 1838, when they applied for an order to dispose of it, but it
3990-628: The Cornish. When Warbeck heard that the King's scouts were at Glastonbury he panicked and deserted his army. On 4 October 1497, Henry VII reached Taunton, where he received the surrender of the remaining Cornish army. Ringleaders were executed and others fined a total of £13,000. Taunton Castle changed hands several times in the Civil War of 1642–1645, as did the town. During the Siege of Taunton it
4095-547: The Curry Moor pumping station, situated on the banks of the river below the railway bridge. The programme began in 1965 and was completed in 1967. During the winter flooding of 2013–14 on the Somerset Levels , the River Tone overflowed at new year, during the rain and storms from Storm Dirk, with many residents asking for the Environment Agency to resume river dredging. On 24 January 2014, in light of
4200-454: The Dean and Chapter of Wells. There is also mention of boats using the river at this time, as their use was restricted by the construction of the new mill at Ham. Navigation on the first 7 miles (11 km) from Burrowbridge to Ham Mill was much easier than on the final stretch to Taunton, and in 1638, John Mallett , the Sheriff of Somerset and member of parliament for Bath , obtained
4305-575: The Parade covers a site that was once a pig market. Although its official name is now Orchard, and before that the Old Market Centre, locals still call it the Pig Market; one existed there from 1614 to 1882. County Walk is a small indoor shopping arcade in the town centre with an anchor supermarket, Sainsbury's , and several other large national retailers such as Subway , Costa Coffee , and Savers . River Tone The River Tone
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4410-521: The South West. The Firepool area, just north of the town centre by the main railway station, includes vacant or undeveloped land. The council is promoting sustainable, high-quality, employment-led mixed-use development to attract 3,000 new jobs and 500 new homes. In Tangier, a brownfield area between Bridgwater and Taunton College and the bus station, the project proposed to build small offices and more riverside housing. The "Cultural Quarter"
4515-475: The Taunton Market Trust. The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal opened in 1827, which provided an easier route than the river, and protracted legal battles followed over ownership of the river and water rights for the canal. These were not finally resolved until 1832, when the canal company formally took over the river navigation. The ability to navigate the river gradually deteriorated, not helped by
4620-468: The Tone on an aqueduct which now carries a footpath. The river passes over weirs at Greenham , Tone and Nynehead, after which it is crossed by the Bristol and Exeter Railway . A disused bridge, constructed in 1817, spans the river at Nynehead. The river turns to the north-east near Bradford on Tone , with its two listed bridges, including the Bradford Bridge which was originally built by
4725-569: The Upper Tone have been classified as having good ecological status, whereas the section from Wellington to Taunton and downstream of Taunton are rated as moderate. Water quality of the River Tone in 2019: Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in
4830-565: The abandonment of the River Parrett as a navigation in 1878. Following flooding in Taunton in 1960, much of the river between there and its mouth was straightened, and the navigation locks were removed. That at Ham was blown up by the Territorial Army . Navigation rights were repealed in 1967. The river is about 33 kilometres (21 mi) long. Its source is at Beverton Pond. Over its first 1.8 miles (2.9 km) it follows
4935-423: The accounts, because the likelihood of the poor ever benefitting from the navigation was receding. After much negotiation, the capital debt was reduced to £13,000. The River Tone Navigation Act 1804 ( 44 Geo. 3 . c. lxxxiii) enshrined this position, and ensured that interest was limited to six percent, with profits being used to reduce the debt. By 1828, the amount owing had reduced to £4,426. The building of
5040-527: The apples grown are Kingston Black and Yarlington Mill . Like most of South West England , Taunton has a temperate climate, wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is about 10 °C (50.0 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme because of the adjacent sea. The summer months of July and August have mean daily maxima of about 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter, mean minimum temperatures of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are common. In
5145-498: The area after a boatman fell into the river and drowned while attempting to use the lock after dark in March 1826. The coroner who instructed that the lighting should be installed noted that "boats were passing at all hours of the night." Water levels in the river fell as more water was extracted further upstream, and by the 1890s the waterwheels were assisted by a steam-driven turbine which the miller installed. Milling ceased in 1914, when
5250-435: The assessment. There are three monitoring stations on the river tracking the water levels. At Greenham the normal level of the river in average weather conditions is between 0.15 metres (5.9 in) and 0.50 metres (1 ft 8 in) with the highest recorded being 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) on 7 December 2000. At Bishops Hull the normal range is 0.09 metres (3.5 in) to 0.54 metres (1 ft 9 in) and
5355-472: The boiler which supplied the steam was removed by the War Department, so that it could be fitted into a minesweeper. A surviving mill house which dates from the early 19th century has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. There had been a mill at Bathpool for several centuries, which had been rebuilt or adapted as required. In March 1812, the structure was burnt down by
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#17328007740195460-548: The canal, they chose to reduce the tolls, although they were unsure of the legality of this action while they had outstanding debts. The canal company challenged their right to reduce the tolls in court, but the action was defeated, and the tolls remained at the lower level. On 28 August 1827, the canal company announced that they were taking over the River Tone Navigation, under the terms of their acts of parliament of 1811 and 1824. This they did in November, when William Goodland,
5565-425: The capital was repaid, and that after that the tolls were to be reduced, while profits were to be used for "the benefit and advantage of the poor of Taunton" , particularly by the building of hospitals. Local landowners complained about rights of access across their land and increased flooding in a petition of 1707, however in 1708 another act was passed to allow the completion of the navigation to Taunton. Because
5670-404: The channel was still only capable of discharging 2,500 cubic feet per second (71 m /s), whereas the channels through Taunton were designed to handle 4,500 cu ft/s (130 m /s), and were unlikely to overflow until discharges reached 6,000 cu ft/s (170 m /s). Curry Moor is therefore used as a washland, and excess water floods over it, to be pumped out at a later date by
5775-636: The continued flooded extent of the Somerset Moors and forecast new rainfall as part of the winter storms of 2013–14 in the United Kingdom , both Somerset County Council and Sedgemoor District Council declared a major incident , as defined under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 . As a result of the extensive flooding dredging work was carried out. In addition plans were developed for a flood storage area or "Superpond" with
5880-483: The difficulties of navigating past the mill pools, the Conservators of the River Tone decided to buy the mill at Firepool in December 1793 with a view to demolishing it "for the benefit of the navigation", and they obtained it for just £32. In 1797, they decided to follow the same course with Obridge Mill. The mill at Creech St Michael was the subject of a court action at the King's Bench. In October 1830, while replacing
5985-423: The ditches and rhyne support has led to its designation as an SSSI. Frogbit ( Hydrocharis morsus-ranae ), flowering rush ( Butomus umbellatus ), wood club-rush ( Scirpus sylvaticus ) and lesser water-plantain ( Baldellia ranunculoides ) are among the aquatic and bankside vascular plants which have been identified. The nationally rare soldier fly , ( Odontomyia ornata ) and nationally scarce species including
6090-563: The early 1860s. The canal company used a similar accounting practice to manage the Tone debt, inflating it at six per cent each year, to ensure that they could demonstrate that the river was unprofitable. Navigation was further affected by the passing of the Somersetshire Drainage Act on 1 July 1878, which resulted in the River Parrett being taken over by the Drainage Commissioners, and abandoned as
6195-407: The east to the west side of the valley at Waterrow bridge. By the time it reaches Stawley bridge and turns south-east, it has lost another 410 ft (120 m) and is just 330 ft (100 m) above sea level. At Greenham, the river turns to run generally north-east. The river passes to the north of Wellington , and a mile further on the course of the derelict Grand Western Canal crosses
6300-402: The high 2.59 metres (8 ft 6 in) on 30 October 2000. At Taunton market the normal range is 0.88 metres (2 ft 11 in) to 0.93 metres (3 ft 1 in) with a high of 2.77 metres (9 ft 1 in) on 24 December 2013. The flow in two tributaries and two points on the river is also monitored, primarily to act as an early flood warning system for Taunton. On Halsewater
6405-474: The junction with the River Parrett. The flooding revealed that although these properties were not normally affected by floods, there was significant seepage through the banks. There was no likelihood of sufficient money being available to buy all the houses to demolish them, and so a program of constructing concrete cores in the centre of the banks began in 1956 and continued until 1964. Rainfall in October 1960
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#17328007740196510-601: The larger borough of Taunton Deane, which includes the town of Wellington and surrounding villages. This had an estimated population of 109,883 in 2010. The figures here are for the Taunton Deane area. In 2011, Taunton built-up area had a population of 60,479 and the surrounding borough of Taunton Deane one of 110,187. Of Taunton's residents 91.6 per cent were White British in 2011, compared with 93.4 per cent for Taunton Deane. Taunton's ethnic mix resembles that of South West England – 91.8 per cent White British in
6615-532: The lower reaches, near the junction with the Parrett to increase the channel flow to reduce flooding. The use and storage of the dredged material in bank restoration may also have an impact. In 1998 improvements were sought to treatment works and surface water outfalls to improve water quality. A vegetable washing plant on the Chelston stream at Wellington was also identified as a source of pollution. The waters of
6720-414: The lowest on the river, which were followed by a second half lock 100 yards (91 m) further upstream, just below Newbridge. A third gate was located 450 yards (410 m) below Ham lock, and the fourth one was just below the lock at Bathpool. The 1699 act of parliament had stipulated that the Conservators could receive dividends of six per cent on the money they had invested into the undertaking, until
6825-490: The maintenance of the river ceased, and its condition declined. By 1697, trade was threatened, and a group of 34 merchants and traders petitioned parliament for powers to take over the navigation. An Act of Parliament dated 24 March 1699 created the Conservators of the River Tone , giving them powers "for making and keeping the River Tone navigable from Bridgewater to Taunton, in the county of Somerset", which included
6930-476: The mean flow is 1.128 cubic metres per second (39.8 cu ft/s) while at Milverton on the Hillfarrance Brook it is 0.53 cubic metres per second (19 cu ft/s) and at Greenham on the river itself it is 1.025 cubic metres per second (36.2 cu ft/s). At Clatworthy Reservoir near the source the flow rate is 0.322 cubic metres per second (11.4 cu ft/s). The river has
7035-406: The mill stones, the millers had opened the flood gates for 16 days, and built a dam across the river, thus preventing navigation. The case was heard in 1831, and the judgement was that both parties were obligated to use the water in a way that did not cause injury to the other party. The first Curry Moor pumping station was built in 1864, to house a steam engine and pump. A cottage for the operator
7140-413: The motorway junction. The first store of the multinational New Look clothing retailer opened in Taunton in 1969. Taunton is also famed for cider . Gray's Almshouses in East Street, founded by Robert Gray in 1615 for poor single women, are red brick buildings bearing the arms of Robert Gray, dated 1635, and another arms of the Merchant Tailors. A small room used as a chapel has original benches and
7245-428: The navigable section of the Tone through Taunton to the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal . Goodland Gardens received a makeover and a new café, The Shed, opened. Projects to develop Somerset Square (a paved area next to the Brewhouse Theatre ) and Longrun Meadow (a country park near Bridgwater & Taunton College) have been put forward. Traffic congestion was identified as an obstacle to further economic growth. Part of
7350-411: The navigation works at Ham proved particularly difficult, and acted as a training exercise for the Territorial Royal Engineers . Men from the 205 (Wessex) Field Squadron RE (TA) used 200 pounds (91 kg) of explosives to blow up the half-lock and a mud-filled barge which could not be moved. The river banks were raised to give more protection to the villages of Creech St Michael, Ham and Ruishton, but
7455-435: 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 includes Holway, once a village in its own right as one of the Five Hundreds of Taunton Deane , the Infaring division or district of three districts that made up Taunton Deane. Taunton is the largest town in the Somerset shire county and forms part of
7560-403: The new parish council were held on 4 May 2023 with 19 Liberal Democrat councillors and one Conservative councillor being elected to represent 14 wards. The council is expected to formally resolve to adopt the style of a Town Council at its first meeting. Taunton was the main settlement and centre of the local government district of Taunton Deane . The district, formed on 1 April 1974 under
7665-485: The purchase of the navigation rights from Bridgwater to Ham Mills from the Mallett estate, for which a price of £330 was agreed. The Conservators applied for a second act of parliament in 1707, as they needed a further £3,800 to finance projects including the building of a half-lock and the removal of a shoal just below Knapp Bridge. Boats carrying 15 tons of cargo could reach Taunton by 1717. The navigation included
7770-412: The receipts were initially insufficient to cover the six per cent dividend on the £5,697 that the Conservators had invested, they added the difference to the capital, so that the debt steadily increased. This state of affairs was challenged in 1735, when it was decreed that the original capital had been repaid, and the poor should now benefit, but the decision was overturned in 1738 on appeal. Profits for
7875-489: The river before it joins the River Parrett at Burrowbridge, where the junction is overshadowed by Burrow Mump . The catchment area of the river is approximately 414 square kilometres (160 sq mi) and the average daily flow for the entire catchment is estimated to be 4.76 cubic metres per second (168 cu ft/s). Water from tributaries such as Hillfarrance Brook , Halse Water , Haywards Water , Three Bridges Stream , Sherford Stream and Broughton Brook feed
7980-440: The river between Ham Mill and a new mill which was to be built at Knapp . The Dean and Chapter owned the river as far as Athelney weir, which was presumably a fish weir, as the river was an important source of fish for the local population. Records from 1494 record the intent to build a new mill at North Curry , which was operational in 1504, and caused flooding in 1505, resulting in the Bishop of Winchester having to complain to
8085-654: The river but are supplemented by controlled releases from Clatworthy and Luxhay Reservoirs during dry periods. The tributaries flowing into the Tone from the south bring water from the Blackdown Hills . The rivers source is in the Brendon Hills which fall within the Exmoor National Park. The hills are quite heavily cultivated unlike their neighbouring upland areas of Exmoor and the Quantock Hills . The Brendon Hills are largely formed from
8190-491: The river can be affected by dredging work. The Environment Agency is responsible for monitoring water quality on the river and its tributaries, which have been divided into seventeen separate water bodies. In 2013, seven water bodies were assessed as having good quality and ten as being moderate. The reasons for not achieving good status included pollution from waste water, pollution from agriculture and physical modifications. The physical modifications include dredging work on
8295-534: The river include: chub , carp , grayling , roach , tench , rudd , perch and pike . Curry and Hay Moors is a 472.8 hectares (1,168 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest adjacent to the Tone. This part of the Somerset Levels and Moors is low-lying and flooding from the River Tone occurs in winter each year. The soil is Altcar series peats over which the river has lain alluvial clays. The range of flora and fauna which this soil and
8400-528: The river superintendent, was evicted from his cottage, the tolls were raised again, and maintenance ceased. This action was ruled to be illegal by the Court of King's Bench , as the canal company had not complied with the time limits enshrined in the act, but the canal company held on to the river despite the order to give it back to the conservators. Both sides took their case to the High Court, which ruled that
8505-448: The river. In 1951, very heavy rainfall resulted in large portions of the Tone valley below Taunton flooding. Analysis of what had happened indicated that the channel was of insufficient size to carry the volume of water, which fell on the hills to the west and then flowed down the river. The easy solution of widening the channel was not available, as there were houses built along the south-eastern bank for around 2 miles (3.2 km) above
8610-399: The same year. It is also matches other major regional centres like Poole and Plymouth . The larger urban area, extending to Monkton Heathfield , Norton Fitzwarren and Bathpool, had a 2011 population of 64,621. Taunton Deane had low unemployment of 4.1 per cent compared with a national average of 5.0 per cent in 2005. Taunton is home to the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO),
8715-425: The site as a hunting ground in winter. Barred grass snake and common frogs along with Otters have been identified on the moor. Southlake Moor is another biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, this one covering 196.1 hectares (485 acres) near the junction of the Tone and Parrett at Burrow Mump and Burrowbridge. Southlake Moor is another SSSI. The marshes and ditches provide grazing. At certain times of
8820-578: The site, but incorporating some of the earlier building. It was a Scheduled Ancient Monument until 1999 when it was descheduled. The building was once used as a chapel by Frenchmen, possibly prisoners during the French Revolutionary Wars or Napoleonic Wars . The Old Priory Barn was purchased by the Somerset CCC Supporters Club when it became available in 1979, as the cricket club was unable to afford it at
8925-424: The strategy was a new road infrastructure consisting of a £7.5 million link road to ease traffic in the town centre (Taunton's "Third Way"), completed in 2011, and a Northern Inner Distributor Road linking Staplegrove Road, the station and Priory Avenue at a planned cost of £21 million, opened in 2017. Taunton is governed by a parish/town council and the unitary authority of Somerset Council . A large part of
9030-493: The summer the Azores high pressure affects the south-west of England, but convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the sunshine hours. Annual sunshine rates are slightly under the regional average of 1,600 hours. Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection – in autumn and winter by the former, which are then at their most active. In summer, much rainfall results from
9135-430: The sun heating the ground, leading to convection, showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is about 700 mm (28 in). Some 8–15 days of snowfall are typical. November to March have the highest mean winds and June to August the lightest. The prevailing wind direction is from the south-west. The town of Taunton (which for population estimates includes the unparished area or former municipal borough plus
9240-597: The time. Over the next ten years the building was restored, and in April 1989 the museum was officially opened to the public. The exhibits and displays in the museum primarily cover the cricket club's history, including Test match players such as Ian Botham and Marcus Trescothick . It also has a section devoted to the England women's cricket team , as the County Ground is their headquarters. The museum also hosts
9345-722: The town centre to Firepool weir and the junction with the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal , it passes under the North Bridge, which was constructed in 1895, and Priory Bridge Road. The Brewhouse Theatre & Arts Centre , is close to the riverside., as is the County Ground , home of Somerset County Cricket Club . Next comes the A358 Obridge viaduct, the A38 Bathpool Bridge and the M5 motorway bridge. Firepool weir
9450-409: The town was unparished from the 1974 local government reorganisation until 1 April 2023, when a new Parish Council came into being following a Community Governance Review held by Somerset West and Taunton Council. While the town was unparished, Charter Trustees made up of the district councillors representing wards in the unparished area elected a Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The first elections to
9555-422: The town's second Sainsbury's . There is a Venue in the park with restaurants, an Odeon cinema and a Hollywood Bowl bowling alley. It is now known as Riverside Retail Park. Taunton has three other such parks. Belvedere is near the town centre. St Johns is just off Toneway, towards the motorway, and consists of two units, occupied by DFS , joined by Go Outdoors in April 2014. Taunton's second largest retail park
9660-414: The undertaking showed a steady rise, due in part to the low maintenance costs of the river. Income from tolls rose from £321 in 1712 to £1,137 by 1802. By this time, traffic consisted of about 11,500 tons of coal carried from Bridgwater upstream out of a total tonnage of 14,000 tons. Dividends for 1797 were 11.5%, but the capital debt had risen to £85,466 by 1800, when the auditors refused to examine
9765-481: The year sluice gates can be opended to flood the moor. Greater water-parsnip ( Sium latifolium ) is among the 96 aquatic and vascular plant species on the moor. Numerous wildfowl visit the flooded moor; up to 22,000 wigeon ( Anas penelope ), 250 Bewick's swan ( Cygnus bewickii ) and significant populations of pochard ( Aythya ferina ), teal ( Anas crecca ) and tufted duck ( Aythya fuligula ). Signs of European otters ( Lutra lutra ) have also been seen on
9870-521: Was abolished on 1 April 2023 when Somerset Council took over. Somerset County Council , which was based at County Hall in Taunton from 1974-2023, consisted of 55 councillors. The town has broadly six electoral divisions, each of which had a single county councillor: Taunton North; Taunton East; Taunton South; Bishop’s Hull & Taunton West; Comeytrowe & Trull, Monkton & North Curry (which includes rural areas). On 1 April 2023, Somerset's county council and four district councils were replaced by
9975-413: Was built next to it at the same time. This installation lasted until 1955, when a new pumphouse was constructed to house two diesel pumps. The steam engine was retained for historical reasons, and is located in part of the new building. The diesel pumps were supplemented by an electric pump in 1983, and a programme of refurbishment was carried out in 2008, which included the construction of a new outfall into
10080-502: Was defended by Robert Blake from July 1644 to July 1645, and suffered destruction of many medieval and Tudor buildings. On 20 June 1685, the Duke of Monmouth crowned himself King of England at Taunton during the Monmouth Rebellion . In the autumn of that year Judge Jeffreys lived in the town during the Bloody Assizes that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor . The town lacked a charter of incorporation until 1627. This
10185-458: Was elevated to the status of Taunton Minster . The town name derives from "Town on the River Tone " or Tone Town. Cambria Farm , which now hosts a park and ride close to the M5 motorway Junction 25, was the site of Bronze and Iron Age settlement and a Roman farm. There was a Romano-British village near the suburb of Holway . Taunton was important in Anglo-Saxon times as
10290-532: Was enhanced by the arrival of the railway in 1842. A permanent military presence came to Jellalabad Barracks in 1881. In the Second World War, the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal formed part of the Taunton Stop Line , set to curb any advance of a German invasion. Pillboxes can still be seen along its length. A fire aboard a Penzance to London sleeping car train approaching Taunton in 1978 killed 12 passengers and injured 15 others. Taunton
10395-431: Was even heavier, when 9.72 inches (247 mm) fell on the Somerset Levels, representing 249% of the normal levels. Again the valley flooded, and large areas of Taunton were under water to a depth of 3 feet (0.91 m). Plans for a flood relief channel centred at first on the Bridgwater to Taunton Canal, which follows a slightly higher course to the west, and does not run through peat, but the estimated cost of £1.7 million
10500-483: Was founded about 1115, although there is some evidence that its early use was not as a barn but as a guesthouse or quarters for a Priory official. The local stone rubble has been repaired with red brick and has a tie-beam roof covered with tiles . The door and window openings are made of Bishops Lydeard stone. The exact dates of the building are disputed, but is argued to be from the late 15th or early 16th century, and replacing an earlier 13th or 14th-century building on
10605-424: Was not until 1843 that the order was granted. £1,000 was used to build a new wing for the Taunton and Somerset Hospital, and £1,000 was invested in the Taunton Market Trust, in line with the intentions of the 1699 act. Traffic on the river in 1823 was 39,516 tons, which generated tolls of £2,194. After the construction of the canal, traffic steadily declined, until income was insufficient to cover maintenance by
10710-399: Was prohibitive, and so a scheme to upgrade the river costing around one third of that was implemented. This involved straightening of the river where it meandered, widening the bridge openings, and the demolition of navigation locks and weirs. A new sluice was constructed at Newbridge, incorporating tidal gates, which effectively prevent tides from passing further up the river. The removal of
10815-405: Was rated "strategically important" in the government's Regional Spatial Strategy, allowing Somerset County Council to receive funding for large-scale regeneration projects. In 2006, the council revealed plans dubbed "Project Taunton". This would see regeneration of the areas of Firepool, Tangier, the retail town centre, the cultural quarter, and the River Tone, to sustain Taunton as business hub in
10920-473: Was reconstructed in 1967 as part of the plans to straighten the river through the town centre and down to Bathpool in order to provide better flood defences. These works swept away the remains of the original navigation. There is a disused five-arched railway bridge built in 1863 at Creech St Michael. Nearby is the aqueduct that carried the Chard Canal over the river from 1842 until 1866. Ham weir stands as
11025-535: Was renewed in 1677, but lapsed in 1792 due to vacancies in the corporate body, and was not reincorporated until 1877. The medieval fairs and markets (a weekly market remains) were celebrated for the sale of woollen cloth called "Tauntons" made in the town. On the decline of the woollen industry in the west of England, silk-weaving was introduced at the end of the 18th century. In 1839 the Grand Western Canal reached Taunton, aiding southward trade, which
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