Sedgemoor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor
Shown within Somerset
Geography
Status: Non-metropolitan District
Region: South West England
Admin. County: Somerset
Area:
- Total
Ranked 88th
564.36 km²
Admin. HQ: Bridgwater
ONS code: 40UC
Demographics
Population:
- Total (2006 est.)
- Density
Ranked 193rd
111,000
197 / km²
Ethnicity: 98.9% White
Politics
Sedgemoor District Council
http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/
Leadership: Leader & Cabinet
Executive: Conservative
MPs: David Heathcoat-Amory, Ian Liddell-Grainger

Sedgemoor is a local government district of Somerset in England.

A low lying area of land close to sea level between the Quantock and Mendip hills, historically largely marsh (or moor) and contains the bulk of the area also known as the Somerset Levels, including the World's oldest known engineered roadway, the Sweet Track.

The district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal borough of Bridgwater, the Burnham-on-Sea urban district, Bridgwater Rural District and part of Axbridge Rural District.

Contents

[edit] Place-name meaning

Sedgemoor does not mean "sedge moor", but is instead "marsh of a man called Sicga" from the Old Norse personal name Sicga and Old English mor "moor".[citation needed] The name was recorded as Secgamere in 1165.

[edit] Towns

[edit] Villages

[edit] Rivers

[edit] Battles

[edit] Industry

Light industry now predominates, but traditional trades include peat extraction, willow crafts and cider making can still be found, in addition to livestock farming. The River Parrett provides a source of eels (anguilla anguilla) and elvers during January through to May.

However also notable is the new Isleport trading estate at Highbridge which houses many global businesses such as Geest (Isleport Foods) who make yoghurt under franchise to Ski & Muller, Brake Brothers who supply the catering trade, BFP wholesale who supply dry goods to bakeries etc, Woodbury & Haines who supply furniture globally, Polybeam Limited who supply GRP radio masts to customers such as Marconi, and also AT&T whose centre there controls all internet cable traffic to and from the US

Industry in Bridgwater has also seen major growth recently with the opening of "Express Park" which houses Gerber Foods who are a global fruit juice supplier, NHS Logistics depot and Eddie Stobart depot. Also south of Bridgwater at Huntworth is a large Somerfield depot which supplies their Somerfield and former Kwik Save stores in the south west.

[edit] External links