87-580: Wessex Bus was a bus operator in the West of England that operated from June 2007 until September 2018. In June 2007 the bus side of the South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach company was purchased by Rotala subsidiary Flights Hallmark , trading as Wessex Connect. The purchase included 68 buses and was completed in stages until 31 March 2008, this being dictated by the need for Bristol City and South Gloucestershire councils to approve
174-828: A Celtic nation . The South West is known for Cheddar cheese , which originated in the Somerset village of Cheddar ; Devon cream teas , crabs , Cornish pasties , and cider . It is home to the Eden Project , Aardman Animations , the Glastonbury Festival , the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta , trip hop music and Cornwall's surfing beaches. The region has also been home to some of Britain's most renowned writers, including Daphne du Maurier , Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton , all of whom set many of their works here, and
261-638: A Local Transport Plan (LTP) which outlines their strategies, policies and implementation programme. The most recent LTP is that for the period 2006–11. In the South West region the following transport authorities have published their LTP online: Bournemouth U.A., Cornwall U.A., Devon , Dorset , Gloucestershire , Plymouth U.A., Somerset , Swindon U. A., Torbay U. A. and Wiltshire unitary authority . The transport authorities of Bath and North East Somerset U. A., Bristol U. A., North Somerset U. A. and South Gloucestershire U. A. publish
348-616: A branded Uni-Connect U18 service between University of Bath and Lower Oldfield Park via Bath city centre. All commercially operated bus services from the university were withdrawn in September 2017. Due to the success of the Uni-Connect services that Wessex operated in Bath, further services were launched duplicating existing First Somerset & Avon routes. On 27 September 2010, Wessex commenced operation of new routes 5 and 10 under
435-519: A cultural and historic unity or identity of itself, which has led to criticism of it as an "artificial" construct. The large area of the region, stretching as it does from the Isles of Scilly to Gloucestershire, encompasses diverse areas which have little more in common with each other than they do with other areas of England. The region has several TV stations and newspapers based in different areas, and no single acknowledged regional "capital". Many people in
522-417: A few of whom appear to have been descended from pre-Conquest families. In 1140, during the civil war of King Stephen 's reign, the castles of Plympton and Exeter were held against the king by Baldwin de Redvers and this gave rise to the defensive castles at Corfe Castle , Powerstock , Wareham and Shaftesbury . The period saw the growth of towns such as Truro , Totnes , Okehampton and Plympton in
609-852: A higher proportion of people live in such areas than in any other English region. There are two major regional cities in terms of population, which are Bristol and Plymouth (although Bristol is larger by some consideration), and two major conurbations which are the South East Dorset Conurbation (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) and the Bristol Metropolitan Conurbation (which includes the City of Bristol and areas of South Gloucestershire). Cities and Towns with specific tourist and cultural sites of interest include Bath, Bristol, Salisbury, Plymouth, Exeter, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Weston-super-Mare, as well as
696-773: A military road, or Herepath , to allow his army to cover Viking movements at sea. The Herepath has a characteristic form which is familiar on the Quantocks: a regulation 20 m wide track between avenues of trees growing from hedge laying embankments. A peace treaty with the Danes was signed at Wedmore and the Danish king Guthrum the Old was baptised at Aller . Burhs (fortified places) had been set up by 919, such as Lyng . The Alfred Jewel , an object about 2.5-inch (64 mm) long, made of filigree gold, cloisonné -enamelled and with
783-567: A network of routes to link the satellite campuses of Bower Ashton, St Matthias and Glenside with Frenchay campus and student accommodation on a cost contract basis. The services were branded as Ulink. The services proved popular with staff and students at UWE, and passenger numbers in September 2008 were around 6,000 per day. By September 2011, the network had been re-branded as Wessex Red and had grown from three routes requiring five buses in 2007 to eight routes requiring 26, with regular duplicate vehicles in operation particularly on route U4. In 2012
870-505: A rock crystal covering, was found in 1693 at Petherton Park , North Petherton . This is believed to have been owned by King Alfred. Monasteries and minster churches were set up all over Somerset, with daughter churches of the minsters in manors. There was a royal palace at Cheddar , which was used at times in the 10th century to host the Witenagemot . In the late pre-Norman period, the east coast of modern-day England came under
957-489: A single Joint Local Transport Plan as part of the West of England Partnership . There is evidence from flint artefacts in a quarry at Westbury-sub-Mendip that an ancestor of modern man, possibly Homo heidelbergensis , was present in the future Somerset from around 500,000 years ago. There is some evidence of human occupation of southern England before the last ice age , such as at Kents Cavern in Devon, but largely in
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#17327754593401044-539: A temporary Roman occupation. The massacre at Cadbury Castle seems to have been associated with the later Boudiccan Revolt of AD 60–61. The Roman invasion, and possibly the preceding period of involvement in the internal affairs of the south of England, was inspired in part by the lead mines of the Mendip Hills , which also offered the potential for the extraction of silver. Forts were set up at Bath and Ilchester . The lead and silver mines at Charterhouse in
1131-621: A yearly tribute or danegeld to Sweyn and later Canute, all three areas retained their autonomy from the Danes. Ultimately, the Danes lost control of Wessex in 1042 on the death of both of Canute's sons. Edward the Confessor retook Wessex for the Saxons. In 1016 Edmund Ironside was crowned king at Glastonbury. After the Norman Conquest the region was controlled by various Norman as well as Breton lords and later by local gentry,
1218-581: Is an area of South West England around the River Avon . The area has a local government combined authority that consists of the unitary authorities of Bristol , South Gloucestershire , and Bath and North East Somerset . The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan Norris . The city of Bristol is the region's largest population centre. Before the region, from 1974 until 1996,
1305-572: Is classed as oceanic ( Cfb ) according to the Köppen climate classification . The oceanic climate typically experiences cool winters with warmer summers and precipitation all year round, with more experienced in winter. Annual rainfall is about 1,000 millimetres (39 in) and up to 2,000 millimetres (79 in) on higher ground. Summer maxima averages range from 18 °C (64 °F) to 22 °C (72 °F) and winter minimum averages range from 1 °C (34 °F) to 4 °C (39 °F) across
1392-668: Is currently the only county in the region where there are electric trains, though the Great Western Main Line and the South Wales Main Line in Wiltshire, Somerset, Greater Bristol and Gloucestershire is being electrified . SWR operate services to and from London Waterloo and serves every county in the region except Gloucestershire and Cornwall. GWR serves all counties in the region and operate to various destinations, some of which run to South Wales and
1479-473: Is generally considered that Cornwall came fully under the dominion of the English Crown in the time of Athelstan 's rule, i.e. 924–939. In the absence of any specific documentation to record this event, supporters of Cornwall's English status presume that it then became part of England. However, in 944, within a mere five years of Athelstan's death, King Edmund issued a charter styling himself "King of
1566-596: Is led by a Mayor , following the first election in May 2017 . The government's stated vision is to create a "Western Powerhouse" analogous to the government's Northern Powerhouse concept. It is said that the proposal could bring nearly £1 billion of investment to the region. The term is also used by the University of the West of England , the Royal West of England Academy , and by voluntary groups and clubs such as
1653-523: The Battle of Lose-coat Field . The organisation of the region remained based on the shires and Church estates, which were largely unchanged throughout the period. Some of the most important nobles in the South West included the Courtenays Earl of Devon, William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville , and Humphrey Stafford, earl of Devon whose wider influence stretched from Cornwall to Wiltshire. After 1485,
1740-687: The Danelaw . Sweyn ruled Wessex, along with his other realms, from 1013 onwards, followed by his son Canute the Great . But Cornwall was not part of his realm of Wessex. A map by the American historian called "The Dominions of Canute" (pictured just above) shows that Cornwall, like Wales and Scotland, was part neither of Sweyn Forkbeard's nor of Canute's Danish empire. Neither Sweyn Forkbeard nor Canute conquered or controlled Scotland, Wales or Cornwall; but these areas were "client nations": subject to payment of
1827-632: The Devon border to the mouth of the River Axe . 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. Quays were built in 1424; with another quay, the Langport slip , being built in 1488 upstream of the Town Bridge. In Bristol the port began to develop in the 11th century. By the 12th century Bristol
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#17327754593401914-646: The Frome Hoard , one of the largest ever hoards of Roman coins discovered in Britain, was found by a metal detectorist. The hoard of 52,500 coins dated from the 3rd century AD and was found buried in a field near Frome , in a jar 14 inches (36 cm) below the surface. The coins were excavated by archaeologists from the Portable Antiquities Scheme . After the Romans left at the start of
2001-489: The Mendip Hills . The human bone fragments it contained, from about 21 different individuals, are thought to be roughly between 10,200 and 10,400 years old. During this time the tundra gave way to birch forests and grassland and evidence for human settlement appears at Salisbury Plain , Wiltshire and Hengistbury Head , Dorset. At the end of the last Ice Age the Bristol Channel was dry land, but subsequently
2088-696: The New Forest is also within the region); and four World Heritage Sites : Stonehenge , the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape , the Jurassic Coast and the City of Bath . The northern part of Gloucestershire, near Chipping Campden , is as close to the Scottish border as it is to the tip of Cornwall. The region has by far the longest coastline of any English region. Following the abolition of
2175-813: The Pagans Hill Roman Temple at Chew Stoke . In October 2001 the West Bagborough Hoard of 4th-century Roman silver was discovered in West Bagborough . The 681 coins included two denarii from the early 2nd century and 8 miliarensia and 671 siliquae all dating from AD 337 to 367. The majority were struck in the reigns of emperors Constantius II and Julian and derive from a range of mints including Arles and Lyons in France, Trier in Germany, and Rome. In April 2010,
2262-542: The Purbeck Hills . These downs are the principal area of arable agriculture in the region. Limestone is also found in the region, at the Cotswolds , Quantock Hills and Mendip Hills , where they support sheep farming. All of the principal rock types can be seen on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon, where they document the entire Mesozoic era from west to east. The climate of South West England
2349-499: The Roman baths . Excavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake also uncovered Roman remains, indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the 1st century until the 3rd century AD. The finds included a moderately large villa at Chew Park, where wooden writing tablets (the first in the UK) with ink writing were found. There is also evidence from
2436-537: The Royal Bath brand name. Running to Twerton and Southdown respectively, they were in addition to frequent services on both of those routes run by First. On 3 October 2010, Wessex Connect took over operation of route 620 between Tetbury and Bath, after previous operator Cotswold Green withdrew from the route. Wessex operated two park & ride services in Bristol : The company's bids were unsuccessful for
2523-569: The South West Regional Assembly in 2008 and Government Office in 2011, South West Councils provide local government coordination in the region. Bristol , South Gloucestershire , and Bath and North East Somerset are part of the West of England Combined Authority . The region is known for its rich folklore , including the legend of King Arthur and Glastonbury Tor , as well as its traditions and customs. Cornwall has its own language, Cornish , and some regard it as
2610-522: The West Midlands through Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset to Exeter. The A38 serves as a western extension to Plymouth. There are three other smaller motorways in the region, all in the Bristol area . Passenger airports in the region include Bristol , Exeter , Newquay and Bournemouth . Within the region the local transport authorities carry out transport planning through the use of
2697-471: The south east . The British mainland was connected to the continent during the ice age and humans may have repeatedly migrated into and out of the region as the climate fluctuated. There is evidence of human habitation in the caves at Cheddar Gorge 11,000–10,000 years BC, during a partial thaw in the ice age. The earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Great Britain was found at Aveline's Hole in
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2784-478: The 1930s for civil defence administration and subsequently used for various statistical analyses. The region is also similar to that used in the 17th-century Rule of the Major-Generals under Cromwell . (For further information, see Historical and alternative regions of England ). By the 1960s, the South West region (including Dorset, which for some previous purposes had been included in a Southern region),
2871-574: The 5th century AD, the region split into several Brittonic kingdoms, including Dumnonia , centred around the old tribal territory of the Dumnonii . The upper Thames area soon came under Anglo-Saxon control but the remainder of the region was in British control until the 6th century. Bokerley Dyke , a large defensive ditch on Cranborne Chase dated to 367, delayed the Saxon conquest of Dorset, with
2958-465: The 9th century. Viking raids took place for instance in 987 and 997 at Watchet and the Battle of Cynwit . King Alfred was driven to seek refuge from the Danes at Athelney before defeating them in 878 at the Battle of Ethandun , usually considered to be near Edington, Wiltshire , but possibly the village of Edington in Somerset. Alfred established a series of forts and lookout posts linked by
3045-637: The Chancellor of King Henry I , converted the bishop's hall in Taunton into Taunton Castle . It passed to the king in 1233 and in 1245 repairs were ordered to its motte and towers. During the 11th-century Second Barons' War against Henry III , Bridgwater was held by the barons against the King. During the Middle Ages sheep farming for the wool trade came to dominate the economy of Exmoor . The wool
3132-681: The Durotriges, "water dwellers", whose main settlement is represented by Maiden Castle . Ptolemy stated that Bath was in the territory of the Belgae , but this may be a mistake. The Celtic gods were worshipped at the temple of Sulis at Bath and possibly the temple on Brean Down . Iron Age sites on the Quantock Hills include major hill forts at Dowsborough and Ruborough , as well as smaller earthwork enclosures, such as Trendle Ring , Elworthy Barrows and Plainsfield Camp . At
3219-742: The Earl of Devon, Henry VII's chamberlain, Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney and Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke were also influential. In 1497, early in Henry VII 's reign, the royal pretender Perkin Warbeck , besieged Exeter. The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 led by An Gof and Thomas Flamank ended in a march to Blackheath in London where the Cornish forces were massacred. Great disturbances throughout both Cornwall and Devon followed
3306-639: The Elder built similarly at Barnstaple and Totnes . But sporadic Viking incursions continued until the Norman Conquest , including the disastrous defeat of the Devonians at the Battle of Pinhoe . In 876 King Alfred the Great trapped a Danish fleet at Arne and then drove it out; 120 ships were wrecked at Studland . Although King Alfred had lands in Cornwall, it continued to have a British king. It
3393-568: The English and ruler of this province of the Britons ". Thus we can see that then the "province" was a territorial possession, which has long claimed a special relationship to the English Crown. Corfe Castle in 978 saw the murder of King Edward the Martyr , whose body was taken first to Wareham and then to Shaftesbury . Somerset played an important part in stopping the spread of the Danes in
3480-763: The Mendip Hills were run by the military. The Romans established a defensive boundary along the new military road known the Fosse Way (from the Latin fossa meaning "ditch"). The Fosse Way ran through Bath , Shepton Mallet , Ilchester and south-west towards Axminster . The road from Dorchester ran through Yeovil to meet the Fosse Way at Ilchester. Salt was produced on the Somerset Levels near Highbridge and quarrying took place near Bath, named after
3567-818: The Romano-British remaining in Dorset for 200 years after the withdrawal of the Roman legions. The Western Wandsdyke earthwork was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. This area became the border between the Romano-British Celts and the West Saxons following the Battle of Deorham in 577. The Anglo-Saxons then gained control of the Cotswold area; but most of Somerset, Dorset and Devon (as well as Cornwall) remained in British hands until
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3654-461: The South West is also the location of Thomas Hardy's Wessex , the setting for many of his best-known novels. Most of the region is located on the South West Peninsula , between the English Channel and Bristol Channel . It has the longest coastline of all the English regions, totalling over 700 miles (1,130 km). Much of the coast is now protected from further substantial development because of its environmental importance, which contributes to
3741-490: The UWE branding was replaced by Wessex Red. The U prefix to the route numbers was replaced by a '1' (e.g. U1 became 11) to make the network appeal to the ordinary travelling public as well as students. On 1 September 2014 Wessex Red was renamed Wessex Star. In November 2015 a new route commenced named The One, followed by The One 2. The latter was withdrawn in December 2016, and all Wessex Star services were withdrawn by July 2017. On 11 May 2009, Wessex Connect started operating
3828-411: The United Kingdom. Three major roads enter the region from the east. The M4 motorway from London to South Wales via Bristol is the busiest. The A303 cuts through the centre of the region from Salisbury to Honiton , where it merges with the A30 to continue past Exeter to the west of Cornwall. The A31 , an extension of the M27 , serves Poole and Bournemouth and the Dorset coast. The M5 runs from
3915-399: The West Midlands, though almost all intercity trains operated by GWR run through the region. Transport for Wales also operates services between Maesteg and Cheltenham Spa . West Midlands Railway operated a parliamentary train between Birmingham New Street and Gloucester via Worcester Shrub Hill , which was withdrawn in 2019 (there was once a regular service on the route, but this
4002-417: The West of England Bridge Club, all of which are based in or near Bristol. South West England South West England , or the South West of England , is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom . It consists of the counties of Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly ), Dorset , Devon , Bristol , Gloucestershire , Somerset and Wiltshire . Cities and large towns in
4089-569: The West of England Sport Trust, as a synonym for the former Avon area, which existed as a local government unit between 1974 and 1996. Some aspects of transport planning and policy are coordinated using the Travelwest logo. The West of England Combined Authority is a combined authority for the area, originally intended to comprise the local authorities of the former county of Avon, including Bristol , South Gloucestershire , Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset , but North Somerset declined to participate. The combined authority
4176-416: The area sometimes called Greater Bristol , which includes parts of South Gloucestershire ; and the South East Dorset conurbation , covering Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch . The population of the South West in 2009 was about five million. The region lies on several main line railways . The Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Bristol , Exeter , Plymouth , and Penzance in
4263-458: The area was under the County of Avon with North Somerset . The term has been used in the Bristol and Bath area since at least the 18th century. The Royal Bath and West of England Society was named the Bath and West of England Society in 1790. The Royal West of England Academy received its present title in 1913. More recently the term has been used by organisations such as the West of England Partnership, Connexions West of England, and
4350-476: The area. The highest point of the region is High Willhays , at 2,038 feet (621 m), on Dartmoor . In North Devon the slates of the west and limestones of the east meet at Exmoor National Park. The variety of rocks of similar ages seen has led to the county's name being given to that of the Devonian period. The east of the region is characterised by wide, flat clay vales , and chalk and limestone downland . The vales, with good irrigation, are home to
4437-465: The coast. Snowfalls are more frequent in comparison to the coast, but less so in comparison to higher ground. It experiences the lowest wind speeds and sunshine total in between that of the coast and the moors. The climate of inland areas is more noticeable the further north-east into the region. In comparison to inland areas, the coast experiences high minimum temperatures, especially in winter, and it experiences slightly lower maximum temperatures during
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#17327754593404524-676: The county of Cornwall on a widespread scale. The region is home to six universities: University of Bristol, University of The West of England (UWE), University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, Plymouth Marjon University, University of Gloucestershire (Gloucester and Cheltenham), and Falmouth University (Cornwall). The largest cities and towns in order of population are: Bristol (700,000) Plymouth (300,000) Bournemouth (250,000) Swindon (230,000) Poole (180,000) Gloucester (180,000) Exeter (160,000) Cheltenham (150,000) Torbay (150,000) Bath (130,000) Weston-super-Mare (80,000) Taunton (70,000) Salisbury (50,000) Weymouth (50,000). The largest conurbations are
4611-490: The east seems to have been halted by battles between the British and Saxons, for example at the siege of Badon Mons Badonicus (which may have been in the Bath district, perhaps at Solsbury Hill ), or Bathampton Down . The Battle of Bedwyn was fought in 675 between Escuin , a West Saxon nobleman who had seized the throne of Queen Saxburga , and King Wulfhere of Mercia . The earliest fortification of Taunton started for King Ine of Wessex and Æthelburg , in or about
4698-435: The end of the ice age; however, it is unclear whether the region was continuously inhabited during the previous 4000 years, or if humans returned to the gorge after a final cold spell. A Palaeolithic flint tool found in West Sedgemoor is the earliest indication of human presence on the Somerset Levels. During the 7th millennium BC the sea level rose and flooded the valleys, so the Mesolithic people occupied seasonal camps on
4785-490: The eve of the Black Death of 1348–49. The plague resulted in a prolonged pause in the growth of Bristol's population, with numbers remaining at 10,000–12,000 through most of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Wars of the Roses , there were frequent skirmishes between the Lancastrian Thomas Courtenay, Earl of Devon and Yorkist William, Lord Bonville . In 1470, Edward IV pursued Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and George, Duke of Clarence as far as Exeter after
4872-400: The far west of Cornwall. The South West Main Line runs from London Waterloo and Southampton to Bournemouth , Poole and Weymouth in Dorset. The West of England Main Line runs from London Waterloo to Exeter via south Wiltshire, north Dorset and south Somerset. The Wessex Main Line runs from Bristol to Salisbury and on to Southampton. The Heart of Wessex Line runs from Bristol in
4959-399: The government of the western counties of England. It was analogous in form to the Council of the North . The council was established in March 1539, with Lord Russell as its Lord President. Members included Thomas Derby, Sir Piers Edgcumbe, Sir Richard Pollard and John Rowe. However, the fall of Thomas Cromwell , the chief political supporter of government by Councils, and the tranquillity of
5046-411: The growing sway of the Norsemen . Eventually England came to be ruled by Norse monarchs, and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fell one by one, Wessex being conquered in 1013 by King Sweyn Forkbeard . Sweyn's realms included Denmark and Norway , and parts of England such as Mercia (an Anglian kingdom roughly coinciding with the English Midlands ), much of which, along with northern England, fell under
5133-422: The growth of both businesses. In 2017, the fleet size stated by the company was 105 with a second depot in Keynsham . Following the loss of most of its local authority subsidised services to other operators, Wessex ceased operations on 1 September 2018, with eight services, nine vehicles and 60 employees transferring to Stagecoach West . One route (the 42 from Odd Down Park and Ride to the Royal United Hospital)
5220-430: The higher ground, indicated by scatters of flints. The Neolithic people continued to exploit the reed swamps for their natural resources and started to construct wooden trackways. These included the Post Track and the Sweet Track . The Sweet Track, dating from the 39th century BC, is thought to be the world's oldest timber trackway and was once thought to be the world's oldest engineered roadway. The Levels were also
5307-406: The introduction of Edward VI 's Book of Common Prayer . The day after Whit Sunday 1549, a priest at Sampford Courtenay was persuaded to read the old mass . This insubordination spread swiftly into serious revolt. The Cornish quickly joined the men of Devon in the Prayer Book Rebellion and Exeter was besieged until relieved by Lord Russell. The Cornish had a particular motivation for opposing
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#17327754593405394-403: The late 7th century. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , the Saxon Cenwalh achieved a breakthrough against the British Celtic tribes, with victories at Bradford-on-Avon (in the Avon Gap in the Wansdyke) in 652, and further south at the Battle of Peonnum (at Penselwood ) in 658, followed by an advance west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett . The Saxon advance from
5481-457: The location of the Glastonbury Lake Village as well as two lake villages at Meare . Stonehenge , Avebury and Stanton Drew are perhaps the most famous Neolithic sites in the UK. The region was heavily populated during the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age periods. Many monuments, barrows and trackways exist. Coin evidence shows that the region was split between the Durotriges , Dobunni and Dumnonii . The Iron Age tribe in Dorset were
5568-439: The new English language prayer book, as there were still many monoglot Cornish speakers in West Cornwall. The Cornish language declined rapidly afterwards and the Dissolution of the Monasteries resulted in the eventual loss of the Cornish language as a primary language. By the end of the 18th century it was no longer a first language. The Council of the West was a short-lived administrative body established by Henry VIII for
5655-487: The north of the region to Weymouth on the south Dorset coast via Westbury , Castle Cary and Yeovil , with most services starting at Gloucester . The vast majority of trains in the region are operated by CrossCountry , Great Western Railway (GWR) and South Western Railway (SWR). GWR is the key operator for all counties in the region except Dorset where SWR is the key operator. CrossCountry operates services to Manchester Piccadilly , Glasgow and Aberdeen . Dorset
5742-440: The peninsula where the status of being from the region is less equivocal. In particular, Cornwall 's inclusion in the region is disputed by Cornish nationalists. The cross-party Cornish Constitutional Convention and Cornish nationalist party Mebyon Kernow have campaigned for a Cornish Assembly ever since the idea of regional devolution was put forward. The South West region is largely rural, with small towns and villages;
5829-457: The period, including the remains at Bath. The area of Somerset was part of the Roman Empire from AD 47 to about AD 409. The empire disintegrated gradually, and elements of Romanitas lingered on for perhaps a century. In AD 47, Somerset was invaded from the south-east by the Second Legion Augusta , under the future emperor Vespasian . The hillforts of the Durotriges at Ham Hill and Cadbury Castle were captured. Ham Hill probably had
5916-404: The re-tender of these contracts and in April 2012, they passed to CT Plus and First Bristol respectively. In September 2014, Wessex commenced operating a new park and ride service, the 901 between Portway and Clifton; this service ceasing in September 2016. It also operated the 505 service between Southmead Hospital and Long Ashton park & ride. West of England The West of England
6003-450: The region have some level of a "South West" or "West Country" regional identity, although this may not necessarily correspond to an identification with the official government-defined region . It is common for people in the region to identify at a national level (whether English , British , Cornish or a county, city or town level). Identifying as being from 'the Westcountry', amorphous though it is, tends to be more predominant further into
6090-484: The region include Bath , Bristol , Bournemouth , Cheltenham , Exeter , Gloucester , Plymouth and Swindon . It is geographically the largest of the nine regions of England with a land area of 9,203 square miles (23,836 km ), but the third-least populous, with an estimated 5,764,881 residents in 2022. The region includes the West Country and much of the ancient kingdom of Wessex . It includes two entire national parks , Dartmoor and Exmoor (a small part of
6177-402: The region's attractiveness to tourists and residents. Geologically the region is divided into the largely igneous and metamorphic west and sedimentary east, the dividing line slightly to the west of the River Exe . Cornwall and West Devon's landscape is of rocky coastline and high moorland, notably at Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor . These are due to the granite and slate that underlie
6264-525: The region's dairy agriculture. The Blackmore Vale was Thomas Hardy 's "Vale of the Little Dairies"; another, the Somerset Levels was created by reclaiming wetlands. The Southern England Chalk Formation extends into the region, creating a series of high, sparsely populated and archaeologically rich downs, most famously Salisbury Plain , but also Cranborne Chase , the Dorset Downs and
6351-420: The rest of the southwest (approximately twice as much rainfall as lowland areas), because of their high altitude. Both of these factors also cause it to experience the highest levels of snowfall and the lowest levels of sunshine. Exposed areas of the moors are windier than lowlands and can be almost as windy as the coast. The boundaries of the South West region are based upon those devised by central government in
6438-470: The sea level rose, resulting in major coastal changes. The Somerset Levels were flooded, but the dry points such as Glastonbury and Brent Knoll are known to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunters. The landscape at this time was tundra . Britain's oldest complete skeleton, Cheddar Man , lived at Cheddar Gorge around 7150 BC (in the Upper Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age), shortly after
6525-488: The south-west. It is the second windiest area of the United Kingdom, the majority of winds coming from the south-west and north-east. Government organisations predict the region to rise in temperature and become the hottest region in the United Kingdom. Inland areas of low altitude experience the least amount of precipitation. They experience the highest summer maxima temperatures, but winter minima are colder than
6612-458: The summer. Rainfall is the lowest at the coast and snowfall is rarer than the rest of the region. Coastal areas are the windiest parts of the peninsula and they receive the most sunshine. The general coastal climate is more typical the further south-west into the region. Areas of moorland inland such as: Bodmin Moor , Dartmoor and Exmoor experience lower temperatures and more precipitation than
6699-522: The time of the Roman invasion , the inhabitants of the entire area spoke a Brythonic Celtic language. Its descendant languages are still spoken to a greater or lesser extent in Cornwall , Wales, and Brittany . During the Roman era , the east of the region, particularly the Cotswolds and eastern Somerset, was heavily Romanised but Devon and Cornwall were much less so, though Exeter was a regional capital. There are villas, farms and temples dating from
6786-412: The transfer of the routes. In September 2011, Wessex moved into a new depot which was a former timber yard on St Andrew's Road, Avonmouth . The move allowed Wessex to set up a new regional head office for the South West operations, where all the maintenance requirements could be met. The previous depot, which was owned by South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach, was operating at near full capacity following
6873-554: The west of the region, but these were small compared with the established wealth of ancient cathedral cities in the east of the region such as Exeter , Bath and Wells . Wealth grew from sheep farming in the east of the region: church controlled estates such as Glastonbury Abbey and Wells became among the richest in England, while tin and silver mining was important in Devon and Cornwall; Stannary Parliaments with semi-autonomous powers were established. Farming prospered until it
6960-541: The year 710. However, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle this was destroyed 12 years later. Alfred the Great refortified Exeter as a defensive burh , followed by new erections at Lydford , Halwell and Pilton , although these fortifications were small compared to burhs further east, suggesting that they were protection for the elite only. The English defeated a combined Cornish and Danish force at Hingston Down (near Gunnislake) in 838. Edward
7047-449: Was an important port, handling much of England's trade with Ireland. During this period Bristol also became a centre of shipbuilding and manufacturing. Bristol was the starting point for many important voyages, notably John Cabot 's 1497 voyage of exploration to North America. By the 14th century Bristol was one of England's three largest medieval towns after London, along with York and Norwich , with perhaps 15,000–20,000 inhabitants on
7134-721: Was severely hit by the Black Death which arrived in Dorset in 1348 and quickly spread through Somerset, causing widespread death, with mortality rates perhaps as high as 50% in places. The resulting labour shortage led to changes in feudal practices. Crafts and industries also flourished; the Somerset woollen industry was then one of the largest in England. Coal mining in the Mendips was an important source of wealth while quarrying also took place. Many parish churches were rebuilt in this period. Between 1107 and 1129 William Giffard ,
7221-575: Was sold off in 1818. Where conditions were suitable, coastal villages and ports had an economy based on fishing. The larger ports such as Fowey contributed vessels to the naval enterprises of the King and were subject to attack from the French in return. Bridgwater was part of the Port of Bristol until the Port of Bridgwater was created in 1348, covering 80 miles (130 km) of the Somerset coast line, from
7308-469: Was spun into thread on isolated farms and collected by merchants to be woven, fulled, dyed and finished in thriving towns such as Dunster . The land started to be enclosed and from the 17th century onwards larger estates developed, leading to establishment of areas of large regular shaped fields. During this period a royal forest and hunting ground was established, administered by the Warden. The royal forest
7395-495: Was taken over by First West of England . A major contract included with the purchase of South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach was the University of the West of England (UWE) Student Shuttle services. The UWE Flyer service was one of the first routes that Wessex Connect ran for South Gloucestershire, and soon after the Student Shuttle and Bower Aston shuttle. From September 2007, UWE in conjunction with Rotala developed
7482-403: Was widely recognised for government administration and statistics. The boundaries were carried forward into the 1990s when regional administrations were formally established as Government Office Regions. A regional assembly and regional development agency were created in 1999, then abolished in 2008 and 2012 respectively. It has been argued that the official South West region does not possess
7569-581: Was withdrawn in 2009). It has been proposed that the former London & South Western Railway Exeter to Plymouth railway be reopened to connect Cornwall and Plymouth as an alternative to the route via the Dawlish seawall that is susceptible to closure in bad weather. Local bus services are primarily operated by FirstGroup , Go-Ahead Group and Stagecoach subsidiaries as well as independent operators. Megabus and National Express operate long-distance services from South West England to all parts of
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