Portal:Somerset/Did you know

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Did you know 1

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/1 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that St Andrews Church, Chew Stoke (pictured) includes 156 statues of angels?
... that in 1795 John Billingsley advocated straightening sections of the rivers Brue, Axe and Parrett, to increase reclamation of the Somerset Levels?
... that on March 28th 1944, a Junkers Ju88 was brought down by cannon fire from a de Havilland Mosquito of the Royal Air Force, and crashed on the drive to the historic Hestercombe House?
... that in the 18th and 19th centuries, members of Friendly Societies in the west of England would hold annual parades carrying poles topped by elaborate brass emblems?
... that Dowlish Wake was the home of John Hanning Speke who explored Africa in the mid–19th century in search of the source of the Nile?

Did you know 2

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/2 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the Sun (pictured) and Pluto are only 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) apart on the Somerset Space Walk?
... that Chard Museum in Somerset, England, includes a collection of early articulated artificial limbs?
... that The George Inn in Norton St Philip, Somerset, was used as an army headquarters during the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, and then as a courtroom to try the rebels in the Bloody Assizes?
... that Jasper Conran bought the 18th-century Ven House in rural Somerset and complained about plans to extend a slurry pit and install polytunnels close to the land?
...that the small Land Yeo river in Somerset, England, has powered at least ten watermills in the last 1,000 years?

Did you know 3

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/3 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the 13th-century Hanging Chapel (pictured) in Langport has been a town hall, grammar school, museum and armoury before becoming a masonic hall?
... that Bridgwater Bay is the location of the last mudhorse fisherman in England?
... that when Farleigh Hungerford Castle was fortified from an existing manor house between 1370 and 1380, it was done without the appropriate "licence to crenellate" from the king?
... that Meare Pool was an important source of fish for Glastonbury Abbey before being drained between 1500 and 1750?
... that the busiest route of the Weston-super-Mare Tramways ran from an Old Pier to a Sanatorium?

Did you know 4

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/4 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that medieval Perpendicular Gothic Somerset Towers typically feature pinnacles, lacy tracery windows and bell openings, gargoyles, arches, buttresses, merlons, and external stair turrets?
... that Gants Mill is an historic watermill now generating hydroelectric power from the River Brue?
... that the village of Selworthy was rebuilt by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland in 1828 as a Model village for the aged and infirm of his Holnicote Estate?
... that Midford Castle was built in the shape of the ace of clubs (♣)?
... that Porlock Bay in England contains a submerged forest?

Did you know 5

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/5 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that Mute Swans ring for lunch at the Bishop's Palace (pictured) in Wells, UK?
... that the Crowcombe church spire was damaged by lightning in 1724 and the top has been planted in the churchyard ever since?
... that a bronze bowl from the Iron Age Glastonbury Lake Village was made from the remnants of two separate vessels, before it was deposited in the peat?
... that the earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain was found at Aveline's Hole, at Burrington Combe in the limestone of the Mendip Hills?
... that Culbone Church is the smallest English parish church still holding services?

Did you know 6

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/6 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that Burnham-on-Sea has had three lighthouses; the Round Tower, High Lighthouse and Low lighthouse (pictured), but only the last, the smallest, is still operating?
... that Weston-super-Mare's Birnbeck Pier has the longest lifeboat slipway in England?
... that Simonsbath on Exmoor is the largest parish in Somerset covering 56 square miles (145.0 km²) but only has 75 houses?
... that Banwell Castle served as Area Headquarters for the barrage balloon section of the Royal Air Force during World War II?
... that the serial sex offender Batman rapist has committed at least 17 attacks in Bath since 1991 and is the subject of Britain's longest-running serial rape investigation?

Did you know 7

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/7 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that West Indians Viv Richards (pictured) and Hallam Moseley top the batting and bowling charts in List A cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club?
... that the offices at Stogumber railway station are on the east side of the line, but the platform is on the west?
... that the Anglo-Bavarian Brewery, constructed in Somerset in 1864 and now designated as an historic site, was the first brewery in Britain to produce lager?
... that the medieval village of Babington in Somerset, England was destroyed around 1705 to make way for a new Manor House?
... that Bathwick Hill, Bath is the site of a large Italianate villa, built by Henry Goodridge as his own house?

Did you know 8

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/8 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the Building of Bath Museum was originally constructed in 1765 as a chapel for Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (pictured)?
... that the Bilbie family produced more than 1,350 bells, from the late 1600s to the early 1800s?
... that Bath, the only entire city in England to be a World Heritage Site, was awarded that status largely because of its buildings and architecture?
... that Charterhouse Cave is the deepest cave in Southern England?
... that a road in Charlcombe, Somerset, England is closed for two months every spring to allow frogs and toads to cross safely?

Did you know 9

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/9 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the Church of Saint Andrew (pictured) in High Ham, Somerset, England, has a 12th century lead-lined font on a stem with rope moulding?
... that the coldest temperature in south-west England on record was −16.1 °C (3.0 °F) at Yeovilton, Somerset, in January 1982?
... that the Wells and Mendip Museum has a skeleton believed to be that of the Witch of Wookey Hole?
... that Cothelstone Manor was largely destroyed during the English Civil War and rebuilt 200 years later?
... that the Cheddar Yeo forms the largest underground river system in Britain?

Did you know 10

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/10 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that St John's Hospital in Bath was founded around 1180, by Bishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin beside the hot springs of the Cross Bath (pictured)?
... that the Frome Hoard was found by a metal detectorist just 35 cm (14 in) below ground in Somerset and contained 52,503 Roman coins?
... that the Great Western Railway operated road motor (bus) services in England and Wales from 1903 until 1933 as it was cheaper than building new railways?
... that Hadspen House has been owned by the family of Henry Hobhouse since 1785?
... that the fossilised remains of lions have been found at Crook Peak in Somerset, England?

Did you know 11

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/11 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that while playing for Lansdown Cricket Club in 1865, W.G. Grace (pictured) and two of his brothers took all of the opposition United England Eleven's twenty wickets?
... that the remains of Melanie Hall who went missing in 1996 were discovered by the M5 motorway in October 2009?
... that following the purchase of British Energy by Electricité de France, plans for a new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station have been announced?
... that the Castle Cary Cut-Off reduced the 325½ mile distance between London Paddington and Penzance railway stations by 20¼ miles?
... that Lilstock church only holds one service a year, and the last marriage held there was in 1834?

Did you know 12

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/12 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that in 1907, the medieval Great Hall of Lytes Cary manor house (pictured) was being used as a cider store?
... that Brian Rose was Somerset County Cricket Club's most successful captain, leading the side to five one-day trophies in as many years?
... that Long Ashton Research Station closed in 2003 having served agriculture and horticulture for exactly 100 years?
... that stained glass in Marston Bigot church in Somerset, England is from the abbey of Altenberg in Germany and depicts a scene from the early life of St Bernard?
... that Richard Perceval, who was born at Nailsea Court,

Did you know 13

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/13 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that before he died, Dr William Oliver (pictured) gave his coachman £100, 10 sacks of flour and a recipe for a type of biscuit named after its inventor that is still eaten today?
... that a wicket was first laid at the North Perrott Cricket Club Ground soon after the Second World War?
... that astronomer William Herschel was the first organist at the Octagon Chapel in Bath?
... that the Old Church of St Nicholas in Uphill, Somerset, England, which was built around 1080, is still used for services even though the nave has no roof?
... that Saltford Manor House is thought to be the oldest continuously occupied private house in England?

Did you know 14

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/14 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the architect Hans Price was responsible for the distinctive look of buildings in Weston-super-Mare, England, during the Victorian era (example pictured)?
... that Portbury Ashlands is a new nature reserve on the site previously used to dump the waste from Portishead power stations?
... that Poundisford Park was set up as a medieval deer park by the Bishop of Winchester?
... that the Salisbury and Yeovil Railway has been described as "the most successful of all railways in Southern England"?
... that the Norman church in Pawlett, Somerset has a stained glass window showing Christ blessing children who are in modern dress and holding a teddy bear and toy boat?

Did you know 15

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/15 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that during World War II, Shepton Mallet (pictured), the oldest operating prison in Britain, was used as the protective storage of important government documents including the Magna Carta and Domesday Book?
... that the Shapwick Hoard, found by metal detecting cousins in 1998, contained the largest number of silver denarii ever found in Great Britain and was equivalent to ten years' pay for a Roman legionary?
... that the village of Sharpham in Somerset, is the birthplace of Elizabethan poet Sir Edward Dyer, writer Henry Fielding and cleric William Gould?
... that Simonsbath House was the only house in the Royal Forest of Exmoor for 150 years?
... that the only working, full sized, Caisson lock ever built, was on the Somerset Coal Canal at Combe Hay, Somerset in England between 1795 and 1805?

Did you know 16

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/16 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the Somerset Women cricket team (pictured) finished as County Championship Division Two champions in 2004 and 2005?
... that the Temple of Harmony, built in the grounds of Halsworth House in Goathurst, Somerset, England in 1767, is a replica of the Temple of Fortuna Virilis in Rome?
... that in 1979 Taunton Town F.C. moved from the Southern section of the Southern Football League to the Midlands section due to the opening of the M5 motorway?
... that Drove Cottage Henge is around 54 metres (177 ft) in diameter, yet is hard to see because repeated ploughing has heavily damaged it?
... that according to legend, Battlegore Burial Chamber is the site of a conflict between the devil and a giant?

Did you know 17

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/17 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that Vicars' Close, Wells (pictured) was called "that rarest of survivals, a planned street of the mid-14th century" by John Julius Norwich?
... that the history of transport in Somerset has gone from the Sweet Track, an ancient causeway, to a modern international airport?
... that near the altar of the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Chewton Mendip, Somerset, England, there is a stone seat for criminals taking sanctuary in the church?
... that Vivary Park in Somerset, England, is named for the medieval fish farm, or vivarium, for Taunton Priory on which it was laid out?
... that 2,273 passengers booked travel from Templecombe railway station, England in 1982, despite it being closed from 1966 to 1983?

Did you know 18

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/18 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that the boathouse for the Burnham Area Rescue Boat (pictured) was built in just three days as part of the Challenge Anneka television series?
... that the medieval chronicler Matthew Paris accused the medieval bishop Hugh of Wells (d. 1235) of being biased against monks, calling him "an untiring persecutor of monks"?
... that horses hauled both passenger and goods trains to Weston-super-Mare railway station, England, from 1841, when the railway opened, until 1851?
... that a coal mining spoil heap at Writhlington, England was the site for the discovery of fossilised remains of the world's earliest known Damselfly?
... that Drove Cottage Henge is around 54 metres (177 ft) in diameter, yet is hard to see because repeated ploughing has heavily damaged it?

Did you know 19

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/19 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that Brent Knoll Camp (pictured) on the Somerset Levels was used for military purposes in the Iron Age and again in World War II?
... that Burnham-on-Sea's lifeboat used to be pulled by horses along a railway line from its lifeboat station to the beach where it could be launched?
... that the Old Priory Barn, which now houses the Somerset Cricket Museum, is the only surviving building of the Augustinian Taunton Priory?
... that Burnett, a village in Somerset, had a civil parish of 608 acres until it was merged into the neighbouring village of Compton Dando?
... that Stokeleigh Camp is one of three Iron Age fortifications overlooking the Avon Gorge near Bristol?

Did you know 20

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/20 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that Ham Hill Hillfort (pictured) is one of the largest hillforts in Britain, and is the only one with a pub in its interior?
... that the restoration of the Tithe Barn, Pilton in Somerset, England was supported by profits from the Glastonbury Festival?
... that the Iron Age Meare Lake Village was built on a peat bog on the Somerset Levels?
... that Montacute Priory was a dependency of Cluny Abbey from its foundation around 1100 until 1407?
... that the Old Orchard Street Theatre in Bath was built as a provincial theatre before becoming a Roman Catholic Church and since 1865 a Masonic Hall?

Did you know 21

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/21 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

... that Beckington Castle (pictured), built in the early 17th century, was not called a castle until 1839?
... that the Roman settlement at Gatcombe, in the modern English county of Somerset, may be the site of Iscalis described by Ptolemy?
... that some criminals were seen on television riding around Weston-super-Mare on an open-top bus?
... that Richmont Castle once overlooked the Chew Valley?
...that in 1737 cooper Charles Milsom discovered a spring in Lyncombe, Bath while fixing a fishpond, and styled himself as a doctor to market the spring water for its health-giving properties?

Did you know 22

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/22 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

at Saltford Brass Mill

... that Saltford Brass Mill (pictured) contains a complete annealing furnace claimed to be one of the best remaining examples of this technology in Britain?
... that a Bastard at Oxford University once dismissed Australian cricket captain Billy Murdoch?
... that RAF Weston-super-Mare in South West England was formed in 1940 when the Royal Air Force took over an existing municipal airport?
... that Ralph Allen built Prior Park of Bath Stone to advertise its qualities as a building material?
... that in 1885, Somerset County Cricket Club suffered two of their heaviest-ever defeats under the captaincy of Edward Sainsbury?

Did you know 23

Portal:Somerset/Did you know/23 From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

...that Somerset cricket captain Jack Meyer (pictured) was entrusted with the education of seven Indian boys, six of them princes, and founded the Millfield School to do so?
...that the use of fireworks has been investigated as a possible cause of the 2011 34 vehicle pile-up on the M5 motorway in Taunton, Somerset?
... that Somerset's Anya Shrubsole was conferred the Most Promising Young Women's Cricketer Award by The Cricket Society in 2008?

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