Witham Charterhouse

This station in Somerset is closed. For the open station in East Anglia, see Witham railway station.Witham (Somerset) railway station was a station serving the Somerset village of Witham Friary and was located on the Frome to Yeovil section of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway that opened in 1856.In 1858, the East Somerset Railway opened a branch line from Witham first to Shepton Mallet and then, in 1862, to Wells; in 1870, this line linked up to the Bristol and Exeter Railway branch from Yatton to Wells, the Cheddar Valley line, and through services began. All of these railways were allied to, and were eventually subsumed within, the Great Western Railway. The Westbury, Wiltshire to Castle Cary section of the WS&WR also later formed part of the GWR's new express route to South-West England, avoiding Swindon, Bath and Bristol, that opened in 1906. Witham station was known as "Witham" for most of its life, but was renamed "Witham (Somerset)" under British Railways to avoid confusion with the town (and station) of the same name in Essex. Passenger services on the Yatton to Witham line through Cheddar, Wells and Shepton Mallet were withdrawn in 1963 under the Beeching Axe. The station retained services on the WS&WR route until 1966, when it was one of several village stations on the line to close. The station buildings have now been demolished. The junction at Witham remains and has been heavily used for freight trains carrying stone from Merehead Quarry, just off the East Somerset line at Quarry Junction. Part of the East Somerset Railway has also been re-opened as a heritage railway, starting at Cranmore. Today, the Reading to Taunton Line passes through the site of the station.

The Church of St Mary in Witham Friary, Somerset, England, dates from around 1200 and it has been designated as a Grade I listed building.The church was originally part of the priory which gave the village its name. The Witham Charterhouse, a Carthusian Priory founded in 1182 by Henry II, which had peripheral settlements including one at Charterhouse and possibly another at Green Ore. It is reputed to be the first Carthusian house in England. One of only nine Carthusian Houses, the priory did not survive the Dissolution of the Monasteries. At the dissolution it was worth £227; the equivalent of £52,000 today (2006).Although the original building dates from around 1200 it was altered in a transitional style in 1828, and then rebuilt and extended 1875 by William White in "Muscular Gothic" style. It has a three-bay nave and continuous one bay apsidal chancel, built of local limestone rubble, supported on each side by four massive flying buttresses. The plastered interior is entered through a Norman style doorway. Inside the church is a scraped octagonal font dating from around 1450. The Jacobean pulpit contains medieval work and there is a royal arms of 1660 at the west end. The stained glass windows contain fragments of medieval glass, with those in the south being made by Sir Ninian Comper.

Witham Friary is a small English village and civil parish located between the towns of Frome and Bruton in the county of Somerset. It is in the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the ancient Forest of Selwood.

North Brewham Meadows (grid reference ST743379) is an 8.9 hectare (21.9 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at North Brewham in Somerset, England, notified in 1987. These traditionally-managed species-rich meadows support a neutral grassland community of the nationally rare common knapweed crested dog's-tail type. Breeding butterflies typical of unimproved neutral grassland include small copper (Lycaena phaeas), meadow brown (Maniola jurtina), grayling (Hipparchia semele) and ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus).

Postlebury Wood (grid reference ST740430) is an 87 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Trudoxhill in Somerset, notified in 1987. Postlebury Wood is a large and relatively undisturbed woodland with the first records of the woodland being from documents dated 1182, shortly after which it was incorporated in the Royal Forest of Selwood, and has been coppiced and has been used for charcoal production in the past.The wood is largely composed of Oak (Quercus robur), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Hazel (Corylus avellana). The ground flora is well developed, ranging from communities of Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum), Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella). Plants of particular interest include Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum), Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha), Bird's Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis), Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) and Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale).Postlebury Wood supports large populations of homostyle Primroses, a plant found in only one area outside south-east Somerset. These plants, which are unique in that they represent a self-fertile form of a normally self-sterile species, are of international significance in providing opportunities for genetic studies.

Trudoxhill is a village and civil parish near Nunney in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.

The Church of St Mary in Cloford, Wanstrow, Somerset, England was built in the 15th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Marston Moat is the site of a fortified manor house in the parish of Trudoxhill, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is now on the Heritage at Risk Register due to animal burrowing.The 23 feet (7.0 m) wide moat which measures 108 feet (33 m) by 188 feet (57 m) has a 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and 1 foot (0.30 m) high bank on its south and east sides. It is situated east of the River Frome. The site was held by the Bigot family of Marston Bigot before 1195. There is some evidence that they fortified it without a licence to crenellate from Edward II. As a result of this and an insult to the King's messenger Richard Bigot lost his titles to land, which were assigned to William de Meriet and John de Meriet. It was leased as a farmhouse by the reign of Edward IV however none of the stone remains, and no full excavation has ever been carried out.

Upton Noble is a village and civil parish on the River Frome. It is roughly 4.5 miles (7 km) north-east of Bruton, and 7 miles (11 km) from Frome town centre, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. There was a 17th-century village pub called The Lamb Inn (now closed), a village hall, a primary school, a church, a post office and a garage.

Wanstrow is a village and civil parish 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Frome in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Cloford.

Marston Bigot is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Trudoxhill in the Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is near Nunney and 3 miles (5 km) south of Frome. In 1931 the parish had a population of 117.

Marston Bigot Park encompasses approximately 222 hectares (2,220,000 m2) and includes Marston House, Marston Pond and the remains of the medieval shrunken village of Lower Marston. It is in the village of Marston Bigot within the English county of Somerset, England. The house is a Grade II* listed building.