Oake is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The village has a population of 765. The parish includes the hamlet of Hillfarrance on

Hillfarrance Brook Oake is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The village has a population of 765. The parish includes the hamlet of Hillfarrance on Hillfarrance Brook a tributar ...

a tributary of the

River Tone The River Tone is a river in the English county of Somerset. The river is about long. Its source is at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through ...

, and the villages of Hillcommon and Heathfield. The Sustrans cycle route 3 from Bristol to Padstow passes through the village, as does the route of the

Grand Western Canal The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Land ...

History

The village was named ''Acon'' in 897 based on the early presence of Oak trees. From Saxon times it formed part of the manor of Taunton Deane which belonged to the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. The parishes of Heathfield and Hillfarrance were part of the

Taunton Deane Taunton Deane was a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council was based in Taunton. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Ta ...

Hundred.

Governance

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. The village falls within the non-metropolitan district of Somerset West and Taunton, which was established on 1 April 2019. It was previously in the district of

, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, and part of Wellington Rural District before that. The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads,

council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

, environmental health, markets and fairs,

refuse collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable m ...

and recycling,

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

and

crematoria Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Somerset County Council Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county. On 1 April 2023 the county counc ...

is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education,

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

, libraries, main roads, public transport,

policing The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. It is also part of the Taunton Deane county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Geography

Between Oake and

Bradford-on-Tone Bradford-on-Tone is a village and civil parish in Wellington, Somerset, England, situated on the River Tone south west of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The parish, which includes Tone Green and Hele, has a population of 622. ...

Lang's Farm Lang's Farm () is a 7.5 hectare (18.5 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Oake and Bradford on Tone in Somerset, notified in 1990. This site is an example of unimproved, herb-rich neutral grassland A grassland is an ...

, a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which provides an example of unimproved, herb-rich neutral grassland of a type now rare in Britain.

Religious sites

The Church of the Holy Cross in Hillfarrance dates from the 14th century, with the tower being added in 1540, and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. In Oake village the Church of St Bartholomew dates from the 13th century, whereas the Church of St John the Baptist in Heathfield retains its 13th century tower but the rest of the church was largely rebuilt in 1841. Hillcommon had a Methodist chapel which was built in 1846 but fell into disuse. It has now been converted into residential accommodation.

References

External links

Hillfarrance Community website
{{Taunton Deane Villages in Taunton Deane Civil parishes in Somerset Grand Western Canal