St Andrew's Church, Steart

Steart (pronounced Ste-art), historically also called Stert, is a small village in Somerset, England. It lies in an isolated position on the Steart Peninsula on the Bristol Channel coast, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Bridgwater. The toponym is derived from the Old English steort, meaning "tail, projecting piece of land". Steart was historically in the ancient parish of Stockland Bristol, except for the foreshore on the Bristol Channel coast, which was in the parish of Stogursey. In 1885 it was transferred to the civil parish of Otterhampton.A medieval chapel at Steart was disused by 1611. The church of St Andrew was built in 1882. The Bethel Congregational church was open between 1847 and 1938. During World War 2, two small radio direction-finding stations were located in Steart. They were part of a secret MI6 organisation called The Radio Security Service listening to and locating the communications of German spies and their handlers. These stations intercepted the messages of the Abwehr, the German Secret Intelligence Service, and provided a large volume of high level intelligence throughout the war. In December 1945, in the nearby village of Combwich The Freedom of Steart was conferred upon Captain Louis Varney, the officer in command of the DF Stations.The West Somerset Coast Path and River Parrett Trail both start at Steart.

The Steart Peninsula (grid reference ST274459) is a peninsula in Somerset, England. At its outermost tip is Fenning Island (now joined to the mainland), at the tip of which is Stert Point (sometimes spelt Steart Point) which is the eastern end of the West Somerset Coast Path. North of Stert Point lies Stert Island, which was joined to the peninsula until about 1798. The peninsula consists largely of low-lying flat farmland, and projects northwards on the west side of Stockland Reach, the lower stretches of the estuary of the River Parrett. The main settlement on the peninsula is the village of Steart, but two other villages, Stockland Bristol and Otterhampton sit at the peninsula's base. A single minor road links the village of Steart to these other villages. The River Parrett Trail runs along the peninsula. West of the peninsula are the villages of Stolford and Hinkley Point, and to the south is the village of Combwich. From 1927 to the 1950s, Stert Flats, the mudflats north-west of the peninsula, were used as a RAF range, the Stert Flats Air Gunnery and Bombing Range. A few structures from this time remain.

The River Huntspill (or Huntspill River) is an artificial river, in the Somerset Levels, in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It was built in 1940 to supply process water to ROF Bridgwater, and has resulted in reduced flooding of the lower Brue Valley. Huntspill Sluice at the river's western end, also known as West Huntspill Sluice, separates it from the River Parrett. A large section of the river and its surrounding lands has been designated as a national nature reserve which is managed by the Environment Agency.

Stert Island is a low-lying uninhabited island in the Bristol Channel, off the coast of Somerset, England. It lies opposite Burnham-on-Sea, and is part of the Bridgwater Bay Nature Reserve. Stert Island was formed in about 1798, when it broke off from the Steart Peninsula. The island is noted for its birds, including spotted redshank and whimbrel, which have a major night roost on the island.Each year, a 2.4 km (1.5 mi) swim is organised from Burnham-on-Sea to the island.Administratively the island is in the civil parish of Otterhampton. Until 1885 it was in the parish of Stogursey, and from then until 1933 it was in the parish of Huntspill.

St Peter's Church is a Church of England church in Combwich, Somerset, England. The church, which was designed by Charles Knowles, was built in 1867–70 and has been a Grade II listed building since 1985.

Combwich ( KUM-ij) is a village in the parish of Otterhampton within the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula. The village lies on Combwich Reach as the River Parrett flows to the sea and was the site of an ancient ferry crossing. In the Domesday book it was known as Comiz which means 'The settlement at the short, broad, open valley' (from Old English cumb). This is clearly a reference to the valley of exactly this topographical description, immediately to the south of the village, and through which the South Moor Brook flows westwards into the River Parrett. One derivation of -wich is thought to be from Latin 'vicus', and there are archaeological indications that there was a settlement at Combwich in the Romano-British period, based around a ferry across the Parrett at this point. The exact meaning of the second element here is uncertain at present, as Old English -wic can have a variety of meanings attributed to it.It served as a port for the export of local produce and the import of timber from the 15th century. It also served the local brick and coal yard until the creek silted up in the 1930s. Brick and tile making was first recorded in the village in 1842. As of 2019, Combwich wharf is being used for the delivery of large equipment for the building of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.The Steart Peninsula has flooded many times during the last millennium. The most severe recent floods occurred in 1981. By 1997, a combination of coastal erosion, sea level rise and wave action had made some of the defences distinctly fragile and at risk from failure. As a result, in 2002 The Environment Agency produced the Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study to examine options for the future.

The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the Somerset Levels to its mouth at Burnham-on-Sea, into the Bridgwater Bay nature reserve on the Bristol Channel, the Parrett and its tributaries drain an area of 660 square miles (1,700 km2) – about 50 per cent of Somerset's land area, with a population of 300,000.The Parrett's main tributaries include the Rivers Tone, Isle, and Yeo, and the River Cary via the King's Sedgemoor Drain. The 37-mile (60 km) long river is tidal for 19 miles (31 km) up to Oath. The fall of the river between Langport and Bridgwater is only 1 foot per mile (0.2 m/km), so it is prone to frequent flooding in winter and during high tides. Many approaches have been tried since at least the medieval period to reduce the incidence and effect of floods and to drain the surrounding fields. In Anglo-Saxon times the river formed a boundary between Wessex and Dumnonia. It later served the Port of Bridgwater, and enabled cargoes to be transported inland. The arrival of the railways led to a decline in commercial shipping, and the only working docks are at Dunball. Human influence on the river has left a legacy of bridges and industrial artefacts. The Parrett along with its connected waterways and network of drains supports an ecosystem that includes several rare species of flora and fauna. The River Parrett Trail has been established along the banks of the river.

The River Brue originates in the parish of Brewham in Somerset, England, and reaches the sea some 50 kilometres (31 mi) west at Burnham-on-Sea. It originally took a different route from Glastonbury to the sea, but this was changed by Glastonbury Abbey in the twelfth century. The river provides an important drainage route for water from a low-lying area which is prone to flooding which man has tried to manage through rhynes, canals, artificial rivers and sluices for centuries. The Brue Valley Living Landscape is an ecological conservation project based on the Somerset Levels and Moors and managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. The valley includes several Sites of Special Scientific Interest including Westhay Moor, Shapwick Heath and Shapwick Moor. Much of the area has been at the centre of peat extraction on the Somerset Levels. The Brue Valley Living Landscape project commenced in January 2009 to restore and reconnect habitat that will support wildlife. The aim is to be able to sustain itself in the face of climate change while guaranteeing farmers and other landowners can continue to use their land profitably. It is one of an increasing number of landscape scale conservation projects in the UK.

All Saints Church in Otterhampton, Somerset, England, overlooks the River Parrett. The church dates from the 14th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It was declared redundant on 1 March 1988, and was vested in the Trust on 2 August 1989.A church was established on the site in the 12th century, was valued at £5 in 1291, although the current building largely dates from the 14th. The Perpendicular west tower was added later and has an Elizabethan bell-frame with 4 bells, one of which dates from the 16th century and two others are dated 1617 and 1737. The original dedication was to Saint Peter, however it was later renamed All Saints.The interior includes a Norman font with a Jacobean cover, a screen from the 16th century, and 17th-century communion rails. It was closed in 1988, and is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Otterhampton is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula. The civil parish includes the larger village of Combwich and the small village of Steart.

Stockland Bristol (formerly Stockland Gaunts) is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula.

Cannington brook is a stream in Somerset, England that originates in the Quantock Hills, which is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Various streams, including Peart Water, flow into Hawkridge Reservoir near Spaxton, which was built between 1960 and 1962, to provide drinking water for Bridgwater. The Peart Water continues in a northeast direction to the Ashford Reservoir which was constructed in 1934. Below the Ashford Reservoir the Peart Water joins the Currypool Stream to form the Cannington brook.The brook discharges into the River Parrett, south east of Combwich.