Bridgwater services

The Bridgwater Canalside Centre was renamed 'The Canalside' in February 2008 and is a facility located near to the village of Huntworth on the outskirts of Bridgwater in Somerset, England. The site was formerly known as the Hinkley Point Sports and Social Club and was owned by British Energy until it was bought by a charity called Brunstad Christian Church - Huntworth. It is currently operated by Somerset Solutions Ltd. The property is less than a mile from Junction 24 of the M5 motorway. It is situated alongside the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal and adjacent to large areas of farmland. The entire site is approximately 8 acres (32,000 m2) and comprises 7,000 sq ft (650 m2) building complex containing, large conference hall, function rooms, commercial kitchen and ancillary rooms. Outside there are 2 full-sized football pitches, flood-lit tennis courts, children's play areas and parking for around 100 cars. It was launched in 2006 as a venue for conferences and training, functions, entertainment as well as a range of sport and community activities. The property is used by the Somerset and Sedgemoor District Councils as well as the National Health Service. It has also been the venue of match between the world darts champions in June 2007 and a Paul Stockman event in October 2007. The Bridgwater Canalside Centre is also used as a parking site for the annual Bridgwater carnival, the profits of which are donated to charity. In 2008, the venue was host to Our NHS Our Future — led by top surgeon Lord Ara Darzi from the Ministry of Health and the NHS Review, a week later.

Huntworth is a small hamlet and farming community (population approximately 50), within the civil parish of North Petherton 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the M5 motorway 3 miles (4.8 km) from Bridgwater, Somerset, England. Huntworth was in the news on 5/12/19 as it was the epicentre of a 3.2 magnitude earthquake.

Robert Blake Science College is a mixed secondary school in Bridgwater, Somerset, England.The school, which was established in 1956, has specialist Science College status, has 719 students between the ages of 11 and 16. The school is named after Robert Blake (1599 — 17 August 1657), one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England, and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century, who was born in Bridgwater. Bridgwater was selected as the first town in the South West level to be selected for the UK governments Building Schools for the Future initiative, which aimed to rebuild and renew nearly every secondary school in England. Within Bridgwater, Building Schools for the Future was to develop all of the 4 secondary schools along with 2 special provision schools, Elmwood School and Penrose School at an expected cost of around £100 Million. This included the complete relocation and rebuilding of a new school combining both the Haygrove and Penrose Schools. In July 2010 several components of the scheme for Bridgwater schools were cancelled and others were still under discussion.

Petherton Park (also known as North Petherton Park or Newton Park) was a Deer park around North Petherton within the English county of Somerset. The origins are unclear but the area was part of an earlier Royal Forest stretching from the River Parrett to the Quantock Hills. According to the late 13th century Hundred Rolls, King Henry II of England (d. 1189) gave William of Wrotham lands at North Petherton. During the reigns of Henry II (1154–1189) and Richard I (1189–1199), the royal forest of Petherton Park, was held from the crown by Osbert and William Dacus by grand serjeanty of being the king's Forester of Petherton. William de Plessis, who died in 1274 was granted Petherton Park and it was inherited by his son Richard de Barbeflote or Plessis.The park was the only part of the royal estate which had not been granted away from royal ownership by the end of the 13th century. From 1391 until his death in 1400 the poet Geoffrey Chaucer was one of the foresters. He was succeeded by his son Thomas Chaucer. At various points during the 13th and 14th centuries, the park was the source of venison for royal feasts. The park was also a source of timber, which was granted by the king often to religious houses such as the Buckland Priory and the Friary and Nunnery in Ilchester. Between 1513 and 1535 Sir William Courtenay (d.1535) of Powderham, Devon was the keeper of North Petherton Park.The park was visited by John Leland in 1538 who recorded that there were around 2000 deer in the park. Its extent was shown on the map of 1575 by Christopher Saxton and again in a map of 1610 by John Speed.In 1583 the park was recorded as being owned by absentee landlords and falling into decline, although it was still a source of timber for sale. In 1584 part of the park was enclosed and leased. In 1638 the keeper Sir Thomas Wroth, of the Wroth baronets who had held the park since the reign of Elizabeth I, started to break up the park and by 1665 it had been divided into 11 different holdings, and by 1676 there were 15.The Alfred Jewel, an Anglo-Saxon artefact made of enamel and quartz enclosed in gold, was discovered in the park in 1693, and is now one of the most popular exhibits at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It has been dated from the late 9th century. It was made in the reign of Alfred the Great and is inscribed "AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN", meaning 'Alfred ordered me made'. The jewel was once attached to a rod, probably of wood, at its base. After decades of scholarly discussion, it is now "generally accepted" that the jewel's function was to be the handle for a pointer stick for following words when reading a book. It is an exceptional and unusual example of Anglo-Saxon jewellery. There is a replica of the jewel in the Church of St Mary, North Petherton. Maunsel House at North Newton, which was within the area of the earlier park, was built in the late 14th or early 15th century. Between 1648 and 1726 it was owned by the Bacon family who turned some the land into gardens, orchards and a fish pond.The house which takes the name of Petherton Park was built in the 17th century. It is a Grade II listed building. It is now known as Petherton Park Farmhouse and has been divided into two separate houses. The two storey building has an eleven bay front. Two gatepiers at the entry to the site are also listed.

North Petherton is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the eastern foothills of the Quantocks, and close to the edge of the Somerset Levels. The town has a population of 6,730 as of 2014. The parish includes Hamp, Melcombe, Shearston, Woolmersdon and Huntworth. Dating from at least the 10th century and an important settlement in Saxon times, North Petherton became a town only in the late 20th century, until then claiming to be the largest village in England. A former market and administrative centre, North Petherton is now largely a dormitory town for workers in Bridgwater, 3 miles (5 km) to the north east, and Taunton, 8 miles (13 km) to the south west. The centre of the town is designated an Area of High Archaeological Potential (AHAP), and a number of buildings have been given listed building status.

Bridgwater railway station serves Bridgwater in Somerset, England. It is on the Bristol to Taunton Line and is operated by Great Western Railway. It is 151 miles 47 chains (151.59 mi; 244.0 km) from the zero point at London Paddington via Box.Originally built to the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the station is now a Grade II* listed building.

The Bridgwater Town Mill is at the end of Blake Street, Bridgwater, England, next to the Blake Museum. It is fed by the Durleigh Brook, which discharges into the River Parrett through St Saviour's Clyse. It dates from the Middle Ages and later known as the Lytel Mill, and ground corn for the town. It is a Grade II listed building.It was mentioned in the Domesday Book, 1086, in a list of the town's resources, with a value of 5 shillings.It was also mentioned in various Bridgwater Borough documents between 1361 and 1380 and again in 1413.It featured in the Borough's Royal Charter of Elizabeth: Elizabeth I. 4 July 1587 And in consideration of the promises and for the great Gratuity by us unto the Inhabitants of the said Borough bestowed we will and Rightly enjoyne and command the Mayor, Recorder and Aldermen of the said Borough that neither they nor any of them from henceforth forever do suffer or allow any persons or persons being inhabitants of the said Borough, Suburbs or Precincts to utter or sell any ale or Beer within the said Borough or to exercise the Art Mystery or Offices of a Brewer or Brewers within the said Borough Liberties or precincts thereof, but only such as from time to time do Grind or cause to be Ground all and all manner of Corne, Malt and Grain at our Mills called the Little Mills in or near Bridgwater aforesaid, the ministers of us our Heirs and Successors, or the Ministers or Millers of the Tenants or Farmers of us our Heirs and Successors for the time being assigned or appointed there for Grinding the same Grain and Malt and Corn if the same Farmers or Millars may or can conveniently or in reasonable time Dispatch or do the same, taking such and like reasonable Tolne [Toll], as on Old times the t have used and ought to do.In 1694 it was converted to pump water from the brook to a cistern under town's High Cross on Cornhill, from where hawkers carried water to the inhabitants. Bored elm pipes were installed below the streets, many of which have been dug up during roadworks over the years. The work was undertaken by Richard Lowbridge, a Stourbridge ironmonger, and Daniel Dunnett, a carpenter, who was perhaps responsible for the construction of the machinery. They established waterworks at Exeter and Barnstaple at about the same time. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the High Cross was demolished, and the town did not have a proper water supply until the 1870s, when the Borough Council built the Ashford Waterworks.The Mill was offered for sale in April 1804. It had a 15 feet (4.6 m) diameter breast-shot wheel, but very little is known about the machinery used. The surviving nineteenth-century gearing indicates the millstones were on the upper floor, It was used during the nineteenth century as a corn mill and in 1858 converted to steam power for which an extension was built housing the engine and boiler with its chimney. A broadside advertising the mill for rent, published c1860 noted that there was at 10 HP steam engine and 3 pairs of mill stones. Soon after it became a saw mill. It became unused by the end of the C19, and then occupied by a builder who was also the Borough's Weights and Measures inspector. Between c1920-c1940 it housed a firm making wicker furniture, which was an extensive local trade then. It was then used by a local builder, and during the second world war was a distribution centre for Civil Defence. It came on the market in 1987 and was purchased by the Bridgwater Museum Development Trust as an extension to the Blake Museum. An archaeological survey was done, and architect's plans made to restore the mill and incorporate it into the museum, but it was damaged by fire in 1995 before work could begin and most of the roof and upper floor of the main mill were destroyed. Part of the roof of the end of the museum was damaged, and a number of the paintings by John Chubb suffered smoke damage and required conservation. The mill was subsequently bought by Sedgemoor District Council and as a safety measure the Council dropped the upper walls of the damaged part, leaving them standing to first-floor level. The Museum was transferred to the Bridgwater Town Council in 2009 and is managed now by volunteers. They cleared the rubble from inside and refurbished the roof of the standing portion, so space could be used as storage for the museum's collection of artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations. Later, a wooden floor was inserted over the cellar area of the main mill so ready access to the building could be had from the street. The Bridgwater Town Council authorised a project in 2017 to restore the main mill to its original profile and also the wheel, and the designs and estimates are being prepared. The work is being organised by the Friends of Blake Museum. When finished it will be a valuable addition to the facilities of the museum and the town.

The Blake Museum is in Bridgwater, Somerset, England at what is believed to be the birthplace of Robert Blake, General at Sea (1598–1657). Since April 2009 it has been run by Bridgwater Town Council with help from the Friends of Blake Museum. It has been an Accredited Museum since 2006. It is next door to the Bridgwater Town Mill, and there are plans to develop this as an extension of the museum.

Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The population was estimated at 41,276 in 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sides of the River Parrett; it has been a major inland port and trading centre since the industrial revolution. Most of its industrial bases still stand today. Its larger neighbour, Taunton, is linked to Bridgwater via a canal, the M5 motorway and the GWR railway line. Historically, the town had a politically radical tendency. The Battle of Sedgemoor, where the Monmouth Rebellion was finally crushed in 1685, was fought nearby. Notable buildings include the Church of St Mary and Blake Museum, which is a largely restored house in Blake Street and was the birthplace of Admiral Blake in 1598. The town has an arts centre and plays host to the annual Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival.

Bridgwater Friary was a Franciscan monastery in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, established in 1245 and dissolved in 1538. It was founded by William Briwere and moved from another location. Further buildings were added in 1278 and 1284. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century and consecrated in 1445. After the dissolution of the monasteries it became a mansion house. There have been various attempts to excavated the site with decorated tiles, and other building fragments now in the Blake Museum. The only visible remains are an old door in Silver Street.The site is also crossed by a linear feature thought to date from the English Civil War.

The Somerset Brick and Tile Museum is in Bridgwater, Somerset, England and is administered by The South West Heritage Trust. The museum is dedicated to the Brick and Tile Industry of Somerset. Bridgwater had been a centre of trade and industry since the Middle Ages, benefiting from local clay from the alluvial deposits of the River Parrett to make bricks and tiles. In the 1840s there were 1,300 people in Bridgewater employed making bricks and tiles.The Chandos Glass Cone was built in 1725 as a glasswork firing kiln by James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos as part of an industrial development. After a short period of use for glassmaking it was converted for the production of pottery, bricks and tiles, which continued until 1939. The majority of the brickwork cone was demolished in 1943. The bottom 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) has been preserved and scheduled as an ancient monument.It incorporates the last surviving 'pinnacle kiln' in Bridgwater, which dates from the 19th century, and has been scheduled as an ancient monument and Grade II* listed building. It used to be one of six at the former Barham Brothers' Yard at East Quay. The industry declined during the 20th century as the products of the London Brick Company were more uniform than those produced in Bridgwater, and the increasing use of concrete after World War II. The kiln was last fired in 1965, the year that the works closed. The other kiln, built in 1858 by Alfred Barham, was originally used for up-draught firing and converted to the more energy efficient down-draught firing.The existing works were converted into a museum in the 1990s. Demonstrated inside are the tools, methods and processes involved in making a variety of bricks, tiles, and terracotta plaques.

The Blake Statue in Bridgwater, Somerset, England was unveiled in 1900 to commemorate naval commander Robert Blake. The hollow bronze life size sculpture was crafted by F. W. Pomeroy. It is a Grade II* listed building.