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Rode, Somerset

Civil parishes in SomersetVillages in Mendip District
Rode centre
Rode centre

Rode (formerly Road) is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Somerset in England, 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Frome and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Trowbridge. The small settlement of Rode Hill, northeast of Rode village, is now contiguous with it. The village lies within a mile of the Wiltshire border and is the easternmost settlement in Somerset. The Wiltshire village of Southwick is 2 miles (3 km) to the northeast.

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Rode, Somerset
High Street, Mendip

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Wikipedia: Rode, SomersetContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.285 ° E -2.281 °
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Address

High Street

High Street
BA11 6PA Mendip
England, United Kingdom
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Rode centre
Rode centre
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Christ Church, Rode
Christ Church, Rode

The Anglican Church of St Peter in Rode, within the English county of Somerset, dates from 1824. It is a redundant church and a Grade II* listed building.The church was built by Henry Goodridge for Charles Daubeny, the Archdeacon of Sarum. At that time Rode Hill was in Wiltshire while the adjacent village of Rode was in Somerset, and Daubeny wished to deter parishioners from attending Rode's church, St Lawrence, which was over the border and within the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Therefore he raised subscriptions for the building of the new church at Rode Hill.The design with a tall nave and chancel was inspired by King's College Chapel, Cambridge. The church was a chapelry of North Bradley until 1933, when it was reassigned to the parish of Rode.A bell cast for the church by Rudhall of Gloucester in 1823 did not have enough room to swing and was used for static chiming. When the church was declared redundant in 1995 and sold into private hands, the bell was obtained by the Keltek Trust and is now in a church in Menangle, New South Wales.In the 1990s the fabric of the church was in need of repair and in 1993 a corbel fell into the church. Following this, insurance cover was withdrawn and insufficient funds could be found for the repair. After the church was made redundant, repairs were needed to the south steeple and roof which were supported by a grant from English Heritage.The church now serves as a house and shop for Andrew Hooker Violins. It is also used for music concerts.

Farleigh Hungerford Castle
Farleigh Hungerford Castle

Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, who made his fortune as steward to John of Gaunt. The castle was built to a quadrangular design, already slightly old-fashioned, on the site of an existing manor house overlooking the River Frome. A deer park was attached to the castle, requiring the destruction of the nearby village. Sir Thomas's son, Sir Walter Hungerford, a knight and leading courtier to Henry V, became rich during the Hundred Years War with France and extended the castle with an additional, outer court, enclosing the parish church in the process. By Walter's death in 1449, the substantial castle was richly appointed, and its chapel decorated with murals. The castle largely remained in the hands of the Hungerford family over the next two centuries, despite periods during the War of the Roses in which it was held by the Crown following the attainder and execution of members of the family. At the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle, modernized to the latest Tudor and Stuart fashions, was held by Sir Edward Hungerford. Edward declared his support for Parliament, becoming a leader of the Roundheads in Wiltshire. Farleigh Hungerford was seized by Royalist forces in 1643, but recaptured by Parliament without a fight near the end of the conflict in 1645. As a result, it escaped slighting following the war, unlike many other castles in the south-west of England. The last member of the Hungerford family to hold the castle, Sir Edward Hungerford, inherited it in 1657, but his gambling and extravagance forced him to sell the property in 1686. By the 18th century, the castle was no longer lived in by its owners and fell into disrepair; in 1730 it was bought by the Houlton family, Trowbridge clothiers, when much of it was broken up for salvage. Antiquarian and tourist interest in the now ruined castle increased through the 18th and 19th centuries. The castle chapel was repaired in 1779 and became a museum of curiosities, complete with the murals rediscovered on its walls in 1844 and a number of rare lead anthropomorphic coffins from the mid-17th century. In 1915 Farleigh Hungerford Castle was sold to the Office of Works and a controversial restoration programme began. It is now owned by English Heritage, who operate it as a tourist attraction, and the castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.