West Harptree

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West Harptree
Coordinates: 51.3085° N 2.6291° W
Population	approx. 300
OS grid reference	ST561568
Unitary authority	Bath and North East Somerset
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRISTOL
Postcode district	BS40
Dial code	01275
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	Great Western
UK Parliament	Wansdyke to be North East Somerset from next general election.
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

West Harptree (grid reference ST561568) is a small village within the Chew Valley, Somerset in the unitary district of Bath and North East Somerset. The village is 8 miles south of Bristol and 10 miles from Bath. It is just south of Chew Valley Lake on the A368. The village has a pub and several shops including a post office. With its close neighbour East Harptree the villages are collectively known as the Harptrees.

According to Robinson it is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as Herpetreu meaning 'The military road by the wood' from the Old English herepoep and treow.^[1]

The shape of some of the existing fields with cross-slope and down-slope field banks and cultivated ridges forming an interleaving irregular mosaic suggest they are of medieval origin.^[2]

Contents 1 Government and politics 2 Demographics 3 Buildings 3.1 Church 3.2 Gourney Court 3.3 Grade II listed buildings 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Government and politics

West Harptree, has a Parish council which has some responsibility for local issues, and, along with East Harptree and Hinton Blewett, is part of the Mendip Ward which is represented by one councillor on the Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority which has wider responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc. The village is a part of the Wansdyke constituency, which will become North East Somerset at the next general election and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2001 Census The Mendip Ward (which includes East Harptree and Hinton Blewett), had 1,465 residents, living in 548 households, with an average age of 39.0 years. Of these 79% of residents describing their health as 'good', 22% of 16-74 year olds had no qualifications; and the area had an unemployment rate of 1.5% of all economically active people aged 16-74. In the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004, it was ranked at 25,387 out of 32,482 wards in England, where 1 was the most deprived LSOA and 32,482 the least deprived.^[3]

[edit] Buildings

[edit] Church

The Church of St Mary dates from the 12th Century and is a Grade II* listed building (Church of St. Mary at Images of England)

[edit] Gourney Court

Gournay Court is a Grade II* Country house. Circa 1600 (Gournay Court at Images of England) The entrance Gates and railings are grade II (Entrance Gates and Railings at Images of England) as are the Gatepiers to the west (Gatepiers to west of Gournay Court at Images of England)

[edit] Grade II listed buildings

• (Barn to north west of Gournay Court at Images of England)
• (Gatepiers to boundary wall, south of Tilley Manor Farmhouse at Images of England)
• (Tilley Manor Farmhouse at Images of England)
• (Parsonage Farmhouse at Images of England)
• (The Old Vicarage at Images of England)
• (Turnpike Parish Boundary Marker at Images of England)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Area 4 - Mendip Slopes. BANES Environmental Services. Retrieved on April 23, 2006.
• Photos of West Harptree in 3d (Anaglyphs)