Washford railway station

Washford is a village on the Washford River in the civil parish of Old Cleeve, Somerset, England. The village is next to Cleeve Abbey, one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in England. It centred in a valley close to the Bristol Channel on the A39 road 7 miles (11 km) east of the resort town of Minehead and 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the port of Watchet. The village lies on the route of the Somerset Way and Celtic Way Exmoor Option.

Washford was an intermediate station on the West Somerset Mineral Railway (WSMR), which was built primarily to carry iron ore from mines to Watchet harbour in Somerset, England. The line was unconnected to any other, though it passed under what is now the West Somerset Railway south of the village of Watchet. The line's seven stations were designed by Rice Hopkins. Washford was one of the five which showed a clear family resemblance. It offered the usual goods and passenger facilities.

Cleeve Abbey is a medieval monastery located near the Washford River and village of Washford, in the English county of Somerset. It is a Grade I listed building and has been scheduled as an ancient monument. The abbey was founded in the late twelfth century as a house for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Over its 350-year monastic history Cleeve was undistinguished amongst the abbeys of its order, frequently ill-governed and often financially troubled. The sole member of the community to achieve some degree of historical prominence was John Hooper, a man with an obscure personal history who became a Calvinist, was appointed Anglican Bishop of Gloucester but met his end executed for heresy under Queen Mary I. In 1536 Cleeve was closed by Henry VIII in the course of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the abbey was converted into a country house. Subsequently, the status of the site declined and the abbey was used as farm buildings until the latter half of the nineteenth century when steps were taken to conserve the remains. In the twentieth century Cleeve was taken into state care; the abbey is now looked after by English Heritage and is open to the public. Today Cleeve Abbey is one of the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastic sites in Britain. While the church is no longer standing, the conventual buildings are still roofed and habitable and contain many features of particular interest including the 'angel' roof in the refectory and the wall paintings in the painted chamber.

Old Cleeve is a village 5 miles (8 km) south east of Minehead in Somerset, England, and also a civil parish. The civil parish of Old Cleeve covers an area of 2,092 hectares (5,170 acres) and includes the villages of Old Cleeve, Roadwater and Washford as well as hamlets such as Bilbrook, Chapel Cleeve, Golsoncott and Leighland Chapel. Approximately half the parish lies within the Exmoor National Park. The remaining half is on the southern edge of Exmoor. The village has been in existence since the early 13th century. The village held its first council meeting in 1711. By the 1720s the parish had several churches, in which to meet. The town hall was built in 1727. The first church here was built in 1694, built by the Eastern Christian Society. This church was destroyed in a fire in 1847, and has been rebuilt and restored. In 2011, the population of the parish was 1,672.

Torre was a recognised stopping place, not a formal station, on the West Somerset Mineral Railway (WSMR). The railway's prime purpose was to carry iron ore from mines to Watchet harbour in Somerset, England. It was "general practice to pick up or set down passengers .. at Torre." The line was unconnected to any other, though it passed under what is now the West Somerset Railway south of the village of Watchet. The stopping place was next to a level crossing.

Beggearn Huish is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Nettlecombe, in Somerset, England.

Clitsome was a recognised stopping place, not a formal station, on the West Somerset Mineral Railway (WSMR). The railway's prime purpose was to carry iron ore from mines to Watchet harbour in Somerset, England. It was "general practice to pick up or set down passengers .. at Clitsome." The line was unconnected to any other, though it passed under what is now the West Somerset Railway south of the village of Watchet. The stopping place was next to a level crossing.

Washford Radio Museum has been re-located to 'The Radio Museum' at the former Anchor Inn, 5, Anchor Street, Watchet, Somerset, TA23 0AZ.

Tropiquaria Zoo is a small tropical house and zoo in Somerset, England. It is located at Washford Cross, 16 miles (26 km) from Taunton and 9 miles (14 km) from Minehead. It is based in a 1930s art deco BBC radio transmitter hall of Washford transmitting station, which became a Grade II listed building in 1984. Tropiquaria opened on the site in 1989. The majority of the old transmitting station building became surplus to the BBC's requirements in 1981 when new, smaller equipment was installed in a separate building to the rear. In 1987, a £100,000 scheme to transform the unused part of the building into an aquarium and reptile house was proposed by the consortium Ark Enterprises Ltd, headed by Stephen Smith. Both a 21-year lease on the building and planning permission were acquired in 1987. There is a mainly African theme to the tropical hall and aquarium as well as the large number of outside enclosures. The zoo is a member of BIAZA, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and has successfully bred a number of endangered species of mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Tropiquaria includes a Tropical Hall with a variety of snakes and lizards, and birds. The zoo also features an aquarium with several species of endangered, critically endangered and even extinct in the wild species of fish. Outside are macaws, helmeted curassow, cockatoos, parrots, agoutis, gibbons, serval, wildcats, wallabies, emus, rheas, tapir, cotton-top tamarins, red-handed tamarins, ring-tailed lemurs, ruffed lemurs, brown lemurs, coatis, yellow mongoose and meerkats amongst many others. There are also a number of outdoor play areas, an indoor play area and cafe.

Chapel Cleeve Manor is a Grade II* listed building in Chapel Cleeve, Somerset, England. It started life in the 1450s as a pilgrims' hostel. The building was enlarged in the 19th and 20th centuries when it was a private house and then a hotel.

Washford transmitting station is a medium wave broadcasting station and low-power digital terrestrial television relay near Washford, Somerset. A smaller 45.7 metres (150 ft) mast is used to relay digital terrestrial television services from the Mendip transmitting station. This mast carries the three public service multiplexes at an E.R.P. of 12.4 W. The front portions of the old transmitter building are now part of the Tropiquaria wildlife park and house their tropical hall, aquarium, and nocturnal house. The majority of the old building became surplus to the BBC's requirements in 1981 when new, smaller equipment was installed in a separate building to the rear. Two schemes subsequently failed to materialise for the old building: one to transform it into a public swimming pool and another to replace it with a Little Chef restaurant. In 1987, a £100,000 scheme to transform the site into an aquarium and reptile house was proposed by the consortium Ark Enterprises Ltd, headed by Stephen Smith. Both a 21-year lease on the building and planning permission were acquired in 1987, and Tropiquaria opened in 1989. The transmitter building is a Grade II listed building.

Cleeve Hill (grid reference ST056428) is a 15.1 hectare (37.4 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Old Cleeve and Watchet in Somerset, notified in 1989. The site covers a moderate to steeply sloping south face of the valley of the Washford River. It supports a rich and diverse calcareous grassland community with associated mixed woodland and scrub. The site contains two species of plant which are nationally rare in Great Britain, Nit-grass (Gastridium ventricosum) and Rough Marsh-mallow (Althaea hirsuta).