Mells, Somerset
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mells is a village in Somerset, England, near the town of Frome.
Around 1500 Mells seems to have been known as Iron Burgh, as a result of the iron ore extracted in the area.[2]
During the 19th and early 20th centuries Mells and surrounding villages had several coal mines on the Somerset coalfield, much of which may have supplied the iron works of James Fussell. The Old Ironstone Works is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the population of Greater and Lesser Horseshoe Bats.
The nearby railway is now the route of NCR 24 the colliers way.
The village's most notable feature is St Andrew's Church. A grade I listed building predominantly from the late 15th century, the tower, which reaches 104 feet (32 m),[3] dates from the mid 16th century.[4] The centre of the chapel is dominated by an equestrian statue to Edward Horner who fell at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917 by Sir Alfred Munnings. There is also a memorial, designed by Edwin Lutyens, to Raymond Asquith, who died in France in 1916.[3] The churchyard is the last resting place of the poet Siegfried Sassoon and the writer Ronald Knox, among other notables.
Close to the church is the grade I listed 16th century manor house,[5] now the residence of Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith. William Rees-Mogg is another famous resident of the village. The Talbot Inn, a former coaching inn, dates from the 15th century and is grade II* listed.[6]
Mells Church of England First School on the edge of the village green was established in the mid-nineteenth century. It serves Mells and nearby villages and has 78 children on the roll (2006).[7]
Mells Nursery School is now providing full day care for children from 2 years old to school age in a dedicated building which has been constructed adjacent to the school.[8]
Mells holds a daffodil "fayre" on Easter Monday.
Mells manor was purportedly procured by Jack Horner upon discovering the deed in a pie given to him to carry to London by Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury. This act is referenced in the popular nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner. An alternative explanatio is that is Mells Park was bought in 1543. After successive generations Thomas Strangeways Horner moved out of the manor house in the village and commissioned Nathaniel Ireson to build Park House within the park.[9]
[edit] Gallery of images
 New Street, leading towards St Andrews Church |
 Selwood Street |
 War Memorial by Sir Edwin Lutyens |
 Traditional thatched cottages |
Aug2006.jpg/120px-MellsChurchOfEnglandFirstSchool(PatrickMackie)Aug2006.jpg) Mells Church of England First School (photo by Patrick Mackie) |
[edit] References
- ^ Mendip Parish Population Estimates 2002. Somerset County Council. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Toulson, Shirley (1984). The Mendip Hills: A Threatened Landscape. London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN 057503453X.
- ^ a b Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books, 20. ISBN 0906456983.
- ^ Church of St. Andrew. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-05-13.
- ^ Mells Manor. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-05-13.
- ^ The Talbot Inn. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-05-13.
- ^ Mells Church of England First School (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-03.
- ^ Mells Nursery (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-09.
- ^ Firth, Hannah (2007). Mendip from the air. Taunton: Somerset County Council. ISBN 9780861833900.
