Saltford

Saltford
St Mary's Church, Saltford
Saltford  Saltford shown within Somerset
Population	4,073 [1]
OS grid reference	ST681670
Unitary authority	Bath and North East Somerset
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRISTOL
Postcode district	BS31
Dialling code	01225
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	Great Western
EU Parliament	South West England
List of places UK England Somerset

Saltford is a large village and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. It lies between the cities of Bristol and Bath, and adjoins Keynsham on the same route.

It lies on the A4 road and River Avon, to which the Saltford and Kelston locks provide access. The low-lying area is prone to flooding.

The local primary school (Saltford C of E Primary School) has good results.

There are four public houses in the village: The Bird in Hand,^[2] The Jolly Sailor, The Crown and The Riverside.^[3] Saltford is home to a number of listed buildings.

Saltford has a strong community. In 1960 the residents of Saltford started a community fund that was used to build the Saltford Hall, which was completed in 1961. The Hall was built by residents who gave their time freely to dig the foundations and build the main Hall. The Saltford Community Association, which is a charity run by volunteers, have run the hall since it was built.^[4] The SCA has a fundraising committee which raises funds not only to maintain and improve the Hall but also supports local charities. The Hall is used to provide the local community facilities such as Blood donation evenings, citizens advice, community support and entertainment. The SCA has recently introduced a week long village festival which has been very successful.

History

The parish of Saltford was part of the Keynsham Hundred.^[5]

Governance

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council provides an opinion on local planning applications and works with the district council officers on matters of planning enforcement and contraventions. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the community centre, playgrounds, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of playing fields, other open spaces, highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council. The Chair and Vice Chair of Saltford Parish Council are Councillor Duncan Hounsell (Liberal Democrat) and Councillor Kim Johnson (Independent) respectively.^[6]

The parish falls within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. it is also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, Trading Standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the Great Western Ambulance Service.

Saltford elects two councillors to the unitary authority, Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES) every four years. Since B&NES's inception, Saltford has continuously elected two Conservative candidates. The sitting councillors are Francine Haeberling, first elected to B&NES in 1999, and Mathew Blankley, first elected in 2011.^[7][8]

Bath and North East Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in Bath. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Wansdyke district and the City of Bath of the county of Avon.^[9] Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Keynsham Urban District.^[10]

The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of North East Somerset.^[11] It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election; the sitting MP is Jacob Rees-Mogg.^[12] It is also part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Old buildings

St Mary's Church, Saltford, is a Norman church which dates back to the 12th century and is a Grade II listed building.^[13] The tower dates from Saxon times, although it has been extensively repaired and the top 10 feet were added later. The church used to include an external porch, but this was demolished in the nineteenth century and the stone used to build the vestry; the line of the porch can still be viewed on the ground, by the layout of the drainage. In the nineteenth century, there were not only external changes to the church, but also internal; the gallery which houses the church organ, for example, was constructed in the early part of the century.^[14]

Saltford Manor House, which lies west of the church, dates from around 1160, and was found by a survey by Country Life to be the oldest continuously occupied house in England.^[15][16] Architectural historian John Goodall believes the house has details, particularly in the ornate windows, which date it securely to before 1150, and probably to around 1148, the completion date of Hereford Cathedral, with which it has some similarities.^[17] The front facade of the house is newer and dates from the 17th century.^[18]

The 18th-century Old Brass Mill is, like the Manor House, listed as Grade II*^[19] and is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument.^[20] The Brass Mill was one of a series of mills along the Avon Valley which were powered by waterwheels.^[21]

Sport

The village is the location of the Avon County Rowing Club, a club which is available for local community from a young age to adults, the site is also used by Bristol University for training. The club has competed at both and national level, having success from its veteran 4 at racing events like Henley Royal Regatta and other events like the British Rowing Championships.^[22]

There is also a sports and social club behind Saltford Hall that maintains a large area of open land leased from BANES that is used mainly for football and cricket. The club is not for profit and has close links with Saltford Community Association.

Education

Saltford has had a primary school in the village for a number of centuries. Originally housed in what is now St Mary's Church Hall, the school is now located off Claverton Road. A Church of England school, it has its own swimming pool, large fields, a pond and a playground. The school has invested greatly in IT facilities and its library. It has recently received outstanding reviews in five key areas by Ofsted inspections.^[23]

The school will shortly have a purpose-built before and after school nursery on site, run by a local business.

Public transport

Bus services connect Saltford with Bath, Keynsham and Bristol.

The Saltford Environment Group is campaigning for the reopening of Saltford railway station on the Bath-Bristol line. The station closed in 1970.^[24]

Notable residents

• Horace Batchelor
• Racey Helps

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saltford.

• Saltford Community Association's website
• Bi-annual festival run by Saltford Community Association
• Saltford village website
• St Mary's Church website
• Saltford CofE Primary School Website