Somerton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Somerton (disambiguation).
Somerton is a town in Somerset, England, near Yeovil and Street, in the South Somerset district.
The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon Sumer-tūn, meaning summer farmstead.
It was the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 901 AD.
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[edit] Landmarks
The village's most noted feature is its roofed market cross (the Butter Cross) in the Square; there is also a fine, if short railway viaduct crossing the River Cary. The fine Square has many buildings of interest, including the so-called "Town Hall", next to the Butter Cross. This building has never fulfilled the function of Town Hall, but looks the part! Also on the square are the church (see below) and the Lady Smith Memorial Hall, also known as the "Parish Rooms".
The Anglican Church, St Michael's and All Angels, is notable for a fine carved roof, with splendid lions and a small cider barrel purportedly carved by the monks of Muchelney Abbey. Sir John Betjeman was also inspired by an inscription on the candelabra.
Somerton has two schools - the County Infants' school on Etsome Terrace and the Monteclefe CEVA Junior school on Kirkham street.
[edit] History
Somerton made its major impact on the map of England in the 7th century when it was the administrative centre for the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. Its name was extended to the people in the area it controlled and the area became known as Somerset, although Somerton soon ceased to be the most important settlement and never grew into a large town. It is a lovely place with a wide market square surrounded by old stone houses and an octagonal, roofed Market Cross as a focal point at the centre.
The church is quite plain on the outside but inside is one of the finest wooden carved roofs in the county. It is shallow pitched with massive, richly decorated tie beams and short king posts. The whole area of the roof is divided into square carved panels set in the framework of the structural timbers which are decorated with carved bosses where they intersect. There are 640 panels each carved with the same quatrefoil design but the bosses have many patterns and even include a cider barrel. In the triangular spaces above each beam are the chief glory of the roof, 22 fantastic and monstrous dragons facing each other in pairs, superbly designed and executed.
Before the days of National Insurance and the Health Service, Provident Societies were important in most rural communities. Somerton Men's Club, one of these, flourished for over a century. Every summer there was a Club Day which was a local holiday with a church service, processions and a fair in the market square.
Many historical tales have grown up about Somerton, notably the myth that it once possessed a castle, but this stems from a confusion with Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire.
Somerton was hit by a (misdirected) bomb during World War Two, resulting in the loss of lives at the Cow and Gate Dairy. A memorial at the dairy site (later to become a district council depot, and recently bought by the Town Council for possible use as the site of a new hall) commemorates those killed.
Somerton has almost doubled in size during the last 25 years but it has not lost its community spirit and still retains a village atmosphere.
[edit] Culture
Like many quaint county towns in this area, Somerton has little to offer in the way of entertainment. During the 1980's, escalating into the mid 1990's, local children began to amuse themselves by congregating at the fire station, the park behind the station, various car parks and areas around the town square to drink alcohol and abuse drugs. Crime and drug abuse escalated until cctv cameras were installed all over the town, an open container ban was also put into use, banning all open alcohol containers from town streets and public areas. At the time these were experimental tactics, now common place in the UK.
In the past few years, projects aiming to modernize Somerton have been undertaken with a great deal of success. The Square was heavily revamped, creating a central parking area with easy access to the local amenities. The effect has been enormous, redefining Somerton as a less archaic village and allowing more contact and socialization between residents and visitors.
[edit] References
- Victoria History of the County of Somerset: Vol 3: Somerton, R.W.Dunning (1974)
[edit] External links
- Somerton community website
- The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: Somerton, by Miranda Richardson
- Photos of Somerton in 3d (Anaglyphs)
