Weston | |
---|---|
Southern High Street, Weston, 2010 | |
Location within Somerset | |
Population | 5,237 (ward, 2011) [1] |
OS grid reference | ST728665 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BATH |
Postcode district | BA1 |
Dialling code | 01225 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Avon |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Weston is a suburb and electoral ward of Bath in Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, England, located in the northwest of the city. [2] Originally a separate village, Weston has become part of Bath as the city has grown, first through the development of Lower Weston in Victorian times and then by the incorporation of the village into the city, with the siting of much local authority housing there in the period after World War II.
The ward includes Upper Weston, Weston village, Weston Park and the lower slopes of Primrose Hill. The area known as Lower Weston, south of Weston Road, is within Newbridge ward. [3]
The earliest evidence of occupation comes from two Celtic caddy spoons found in the village in 1825. There are believed to have been used as ceremonial anointing regalia. [4]
During the 10th century, Weston had been divided into two estates. One, on the slopes of Lansdown was given by Edmund I to Aethelare in 946. [5] Weston was the birthplace of Saint Alphege who was born around 954. [6] Two manors with 41 households are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086: one held by Bath Abbey and the other by Arnulf de Hesding. [7]
During the 12th and 13th centuries Weston had close ties with the monks of the abbey, and in the late 13th century the first vicar of Weston was appointed by the church. [8] Weston was part of the hundred of Bath Forum, [9] [10] with a manorial court or halmote being held in the parish. [11] The land continued to be owned by the church and leased to tenants until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, [12] after which the estates in Weston reverted to the king. In 1628 the land was sold to the Corporation of London although the king continued to receive rent until 1671, when it was sold to Sir Walter Long, [13] Member of Parliament for Bath from 1679 (the Habeas Corpus Parliament) to 1681. Following the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643, some of the defeated Roundheads took refuge in Weston. [14]
The village expanded during the 19th century with many areas being drained, the church rebuilt and new schools established. The Georgian expansion of Bath saw many houses built in Weston, and in 1834 Partis College was built nearby in Newbridge. Developments continued into the Victorian era with Weston Park and Combe Park being developed. [15]
Weston was an ancient parish extending from the River Avon to the Gloucestershire boundary north of Lansdown. It became a civil parish in 1866. The southern parts of the parish were absorbed into Bath in 1911 and 1951, and the remaining, more rural, parts were absorbed into the civil parishes of Charlcombe and Kelston on 1 April 1953. [16] In 1951 the parish had a population of 175. [17]
Parts of Weston are at risk of flooding due to old watercourses, sinks and springs in the area. West Brook now runs underground below the High Street, but floods periodically. In 2013 the Weston Catchment alleviation scheme was announced to further protect the area. [18]
Bath's main hospital, the Royal United Hospital, is just over the ward boundary in Newbridge, on one of the roads from central Bath into Weston.
Weston has two primary schools: Weston All Saints C.E. V.C Primary School, [19] and St Mary's Catholic Primary School. [20] Lower Weston is served by Newbridge School; an earlier primary school called Weston St John's closed when the primary departments at Newbridge expanded in the 1970s.
Weston has many local amenities, including a recreation ground [21] and youth club, and shops and services including a bakery, Spar off-licence, post office, pharmacy, a takeaway, a bike shop and a newsagents. There is also a carpet shop and two hair salons. The village is dominated by a Tesco Express supermarket.
Weston village is home to the 66th Bath Scout Group who meet at the former school on the High Street. [22] In Lower Weston, the 69th Bath Scout Group meet at the Methodist church. [23] Bath Scouts also own a campsite on the edge of Weston at Cleeve Hill. Rainbows, Brownies and Guides also meet within the village, along with a Boys' Brigade Company.
The village parish church is All Saints, founded no later than 1156. The current church dates from 1832 and was designed by the local architect John Pinch the younger, except for the tower which dates from the 15th century. [26] The Lower Weston parish church is St John's, barely a mile from Bath's city centre, and now in Kingsmead ward. There is also a Moravian church sited at the bottom of Lansdown Lane; the nearest Catholic church is St. Mary's on Julian Road.
Weston is served by three main bus routes providing connections towards Lower Weston, Newbridge, Bath City Centre, Combe Down, and Odd Down.
Service 14 operates up to every 9 minutes on weekdays; up to every 12 minutes on Saturdays; and up to every 20 minutes on Sundays on the following route:
Service 9 operates between Upper Weston and City Centre Bus Station via High Street, Weston, Penn Hill Road, Newbridge Hill, Upper Bristol Road, and Bath City Centre.
Services 20A/C are city circular services and provide connections to many parts of Bath.
The Weston (Bath) railway station was at Lower Weston and closed in 1953, although the platform building and the stationmaster's house still exist. The station was on the Midland Railway line from Bath to Bristol and to the north, which itself closed in 1966. [27]
Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Bristol. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was later added to the transnational World Heritage Site known as the "Great Spa Towns of Europe" in 2021. Bath is also the largest city and settlement in Somerset.
Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in Somerset, South West England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset.
North Somerset is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The council is based in Weston-super-Mare, the area's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead, along with a number of villages and surrounding rural areas. Some southern parts of the district fall within the Mendip Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Backwell is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset and in 2011 had a population of 4,589. The village lies about 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Bristol, south of the A370 to Weston-super-Mare. The parish includes the hamlets of Backwell Common, Backwell Green, and Backwell Farleigh, and the districts of Backwell West Town and Downside.
Long Ashton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset and is one of a number of large villages just outside the boundary of city of Bristol urban area. The parish has a population of 6,044. The parish includes the hamlet of Yanley, and the residential area of Leigh Woods.
Combe Down is a village on the outskirts of Bath, England, in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority area, within the ceremonial county of Somerset.
Monkton Combe is a village and civil parish in north Somerset, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Bath. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Tucking Mill, had a population of 554 in 2013. It was formerly known as Combe, owing to its geography, while it was also known as Monckton Combe and Combe Monckton until last century.
Peasedown St John is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, standing on a hilltop roughly 5 miles (8 km) south-southwest of the city of Bath, and 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town of Radstock at the foot of the Mendip Hills. Peasedown used to be a coal mining village, and after the last of the mines shut in the 1970s it became a dormitory village for Bath, Trowbridge and to a lesser extent Bristol. Its size was increased by substantial housing developments in the 1960s, 1970s and late 1990s, making it one of the largest villages in Somerset.
Lansdown is a suburb of the World Heritage City of Bath, England, that extends northwards from the city centre up a road of the same name. Among its most distinctive architectural features are Lansdown Crescent and Sion Hill Place, which includes a campus of Bath Spa University.
Churchill is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It is located on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, about 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Weston-super-Mare, and about 15 miles (24.1 km) south-west of Bristol. The parish, which includes the village of Lower Langford and the hamlet of Upper Langford, has a population of 2,250.
High Littleton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) north of Paulton and 7.5 miles (12 km) south-west of Bath. The parish includes the small village of Hallatrow and the hamlets of White Cross, Greyfield and Mearns; the northeastern part of High Littleton village is known as Rotcombe.
Worle is a village in the civil parish of Weston-Super-Mare, in the North Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is joined to the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare on its western edge. It, however, maintains a very separate identity, and may now be bigger than its more famous neighbour. Worle pre-dates Weston and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. In the book, it is said that Worle was owned by Walter of Douai, and consisted of 750 acres (3.0 km2) and valued at 6.5 hides. "Walter of Douai holds of the King, Worle. Edgar held it in the time of King Edward, and gelded for six hides and a half." The parish church of St Martin's sits on the side of Worlebury Hill and overlooks the village.
The Royal United Hospital (RUH) is a major acute-care hospital in the Weston suburb of Bath, England, which lies approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the city centre. The hospital has 565 beds and occupies a 52 acres (21 ha) site. It is the area's major accident and emergency hospital, with a helicopter landing point on the adjacent Lansdown Cricket Club field. The hospital is operated by the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.
Newbridge is a largely residential electoral ward on the western edge of Bath, Somerset, England.
Farmborough is a small village and civil parish, 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Bath in Somerset, England. It straddles both the A39 and A368 roads. The parish has a population of 1,035.
Charlcombe is a civil parish and small village just north of Bath in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 422 in 2011, and includes the villages of Woolley and Langridge and the hamlet of Lansdown.
Sparkford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Weston Bampfylde.
Kingsmead is an electoral ward within Bath, England, which encompasses most of Bath city centre and stretches west along the A4 to meet Newbridge and Weston wards. The ward elects two councillors to the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority.
The 2015 Bath and North East Somerset Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Bath and North East Somerset Council in England. This coincided with other local elections and the 2015 general election.