![Somerset numbered districts 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Somerset_numbered_districts_2019.svg)
The earliest known infrastructure for transport in Somerset is a series of wooden trackways laid across the
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels are a coastal plain and wetland area of Somerset, England, running south from the Mendips to the Blackdown Hills.
The Somerset Levels have an area of about and are bisected by the Polden Hills; the areas to the south a ...
, an area of low-lying
marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...
y ground. To the west of this district lies the
Bristol Channel, while the other boundaries of the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
are along chains of hills that were once exploited for their mineral deposits. These natural features have all influenced the evolution of the transport network. Roads and railways either followed the hills, or needed causeways to cross the Levels. Harbours were developed, rivers improved, and linked to sources of traffic by canals. Railways were constructed throughout the area, influenced by the needs of the city of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, which lies just to the north of Somerset, and to link the ports of the far south-west with the rest of England.
Today, the trunk road and rail routes to the south-western counties of
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
and
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
pass through Somerset. This gives the county good connections to Wales,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, and the north of England. A major port and an international airport are situated in the north of the county. Older infrastructure, such as canals and defunct railway lines, have been adapted to serve present day demands for leisure use.
History
Early developments
![Sweet Track replica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Sweet_Track_replica.jpg)
The oldest
timber trackway
Historic roads (historic trails in USA and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient trackways ...
known in
Northern Europe, and perhaps the oldest road in the world,
is the
Sweet Track
The Sweet Track is an ancient trackway, or causeway, in the Somerset Levels, England, named after its finder, Ray Sweet. It was built in 3807 BC (determined using dendrochronology) and is the second-oldest timber trackway discovered in ...
across part of the
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels are a coastal plain and wetland area of Somerset, England, running south from the Mendips to the Blackdown Hills.
The Somerset Levels have an area of about and are bisected by the Polden Hills; the areas to the south a ...
, the low-lying land in the centre of the county.
Analysis of the timbers has enabled very precise dating, showing it was built in the spring of 3806
BCE
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...
. It extended across the
marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...
from what was then an island at
Westhay
Westhay is a village in Somerset, England. It is situated in the parish of Meare, north west of Glastonbury on the Somerset Levels, in the Mendip district.
The name means 'The west field that is enclosed by hedges' from the Old English ''west' ...
, to the
Polden Hills at
Shapwick. Named after Ray Sweet, who discovered it while cleaning ditches, it is just one of a network of at least 43 tracks that once crossed the Levels.
Pack horse tracks and trails developed later on the higher, drier ground. These could be negotiated by people on foot, or horse and donkeys carrying larger loads. Many of these ancient routes are still in existence across farm land as bridleways and public footpaths, such as that at
Midford which links the Pack Horse bridge to the villages of
Combe Hay
Combe Hay is a village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset. It falls within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish has a population of 147.
History
Combe Hay was known in the Domesday Book as Cumb. The pari ...
and
Twinhoe. Other examples can be seen on older Ordnance Survey maps prepared during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Early trackways were limited in use by the conditions of the underlying soil. The temperate
Climate of south-west England can be very erosive to any manmade structures. During winter in particular, whilst a horse and rider could cover a significant distance in a day, any attempt to convey heavy goods such as building materials could be extremely difficult and time-consuming.
Roman era
![Fosse Way](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Fosse_Way.JPG)
After the
Roman conquest of Britain in 43
CE they built a number of forts to impose their authority. They included one built inside the earlier
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
at
Ham Hill, one at
Charterhouse
Charterhouse may refer to:
* Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order
Charterhouse may also refer to:
Places
* The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery
* Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey
Londo ...
on the
Mendip Hills, and probably another at
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a nota ...
where a settlement developed around an important crossroads and river crossing. While earlier trackways continued to be used, a number of relatively straight, well drained
Roman roads
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
were built to facilitate communications between the forts and allow the rapid movement of troops.
One of the most important roads in the Roman's British network was the
Fosse Way from
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
to
Exeter which ran south-westwards across Somerset. From Bath the route is now used by parts of the
A367 road
List of A roads in zone 3 in Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island ...
through
Radstock
Radstock is a town and civil parish on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, about south-west of Bath and north-west of Frome. It is within the area of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset. The Radstoc ...
and
Stratton-on-the-Fosse
Stratton-on-the-Fosse is a village and civil parish located on the edge of the Mendip Hills, south-west of Westfield, north-east of Shepton Mallet, and from Frome, in Somerset, England. It has a population of 1,108, and has a rural agricultu ...
. It then crosses open country along farm tracks and minor roads, passing through the eastern suburbs of Shepton Mallet to
Cannard's Grave. The route then becomes the
A37 through Street-on-the-Fosse and
Lydford-on-Fosse almost as far as Ilchester. After passing through the town the route then follows a section of the
A303
The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a pri ...
under the ramparts of the fort at Ham Hill.
The Dorchester Road ran south-eastwards from Ilchester, following the line of the present-day A37 through
Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...
. Another road ran westwards along the
Polden Hills to Crandon Bridge near the mouth of the
River Parrett, a district important at the time for its salt production. The Fosse Way was crossed at Beacon Hill north of
Shepton Mallet by a road that linked lead and silver mines at Charterhouse with a harbour at
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. Hot springs were discovered near where the Fosse Way crossed the
River Avon and the town of
Aquae Sulis
Aquae Sulis (Latin for ''Waters of Sulis'') was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is the English city of Bath, Somerset. The Antonine Itinerary register of Roman roads lists the town as ''Aquis Sulis.'' Ptolemy records t ...
(now the city of
Bath) developed there. Just a little further north the Fosse Way crossed a long road between London and
Sea Mills.
The waters of the Bristol Channel and rivers such as the Avon were used for transport. The small vessels in use at that time could
navigate
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
quite some distance upstream, indeed the
River Yeo shows evidence of being straightened near Ilchester. Harbours were established near river mouths at Sea Mills (River Avon),
Uphill (
River Axe), Crandon Bridge and possibly
Combwich
Combwich ( ) 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 anc ...
(River Parrett).
After the Romans
![NortonStPhilipTheGeorge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/NortonStPhilipTheGeorge.jpg)
The Romans left the area to its own devices after 410 CE, although most of the established settlements and infrastructure continued in use for many years. Over time new settlements were established, often related to crossing points on rivers such as
Highbridge,
Bridgwater and
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
. When
Daniel Defoe surveyed the county in 1724 he reported that there were two routes between Taunton and Bristol. The 'Lower Way' which was often impassable due to flooding, and the busier 'Higher Way' over the Mendip Hills. A causeway was created across the flood plains at
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* F ...
on the route between
Highbridge and
Wells.
Unlike today's mechanical transport, the long journeys at this time used animal power and were undertaken in small stages, fresh horses were required at intervals, hence the name
'stage' coaches. Coaching inns provided travellers with refreshments and overnight accommodation required. The
George Inn, at
Norton St Philip
Norton St Philip is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The village lies about south of the city of Bath and north of the town of Frome on the eastern slopes of the Mendip Hills. It is situated on the A366 be ...
, is one of a number of establishments that claims to be Britain's oldest tavern, is located in the centre of the village. It was built in the 14th or 15th century, as a wool store for the priory at
Hinton Charterhouse __NOTOC__
Hinton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hinton, New South Wales
Canada
*Hinton, Alberta
** Hinton/Entrance Airport
** Hinton/Jasper-Hinton Airport
** Hinton CN railway station
England
* Hinton, Dorset, a civil parish
**Hinton Martell, D ...
and to accommodate travellers and merchants coming to the annual wool fairs that were held in the village from the late 13th century until 1902. In the 15th century the timber-framed upper floors were added. The inn became part of the stage coach route between London and the South West. On 12 June 1668 the noted diarist
Samuel Pepys, with his wife and servants, passed through the village on their way to Bath from Salisbury.
From the eighteenth century a number of
turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individual acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal roads in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the peak, in the 1830s, ...
s were set up to build and maintain roads. For instance, the Taunton Turnpike Trust was established in 1752 to improve the roads around that town. The network of
turnpikes speeded traffic. Before the end of the century the time taken by the mail coach from Taunton to London had been halved from four to just two days; by 1823 the journey took just 23 hours. The turnpikes were funded by tolls charged on users. Some individuals also had powers to charge road users, often where bridges replaced ferries across rivers. An example of a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...
which has survived into the twenty-first century is between the villages of Bathampton and Batheaston across the river Avon. This was built to replace a man-powered cable supported punt ferry in 1870.
The early roads were improved by the use of
tarmacadam
Tarmacadam is a road surfacing material made by combining crushed stone, tar, and sand, patented by Welsh inventor Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1902. It is a more durable and dust-free enhancement of simple compacted stone macadam surfaces invented ...
construction in the early 20th century. A feature of the
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
south of
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
, built in the 1970s, is the use of concrete "rafts" to overcome the water-logged soil in that area.
Waterways
![Dunball Wharf](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Dunball_Wharf.jpg)
The waters of the Bristol Channel are a natural highway and several of the county's rivers used to be
navigable
A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against di ...
to small vessels. A small harbour was established in Roman times at
Uphill at the mouth of the
River Axe. The river was navigable to the settlement at
Weare and overseas trade was carried out from the wharf at
Rackley during the Middle Ages, although this village is no longer on the river as the course has been diverted. By 1388 Thomas Tanner of
Wells was exporting
cloth
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
and
corn from Rackley to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, and receiving
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
and
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
in exchange. Slate was imported through this route at a later date, but an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
in 1915 authorised the drainage of the Axe and installation of a flood gate at
Bleadon
Bleadon is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is about south of Weston-super-Mare and, according to the 2011 census, has a population of 1,079.
History
Bleadon was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Bledone'', meaning 'c ...
, which is now the tidal limit on the river. Lympsham Wharf near Bleadon had also been used for many years but the arrival of the railway in 1841 made this the furthest navigable point. It was last used by the ketch ''Democrat'' in 1942. In 1915 an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
authorised the drainage of the Axe and installation of a flood gate at
Bleadon
Bleadon is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is about south of Weston-super-Mare and, according to the 2011 census, has a population of 1,079.
History
Bleadon was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Bledone'', meaning 'c ...
, which is now the tidal limit on the river.
In the medieval period the River Parrett was used to transport
Hamstone
Hamstone is the name given to a honey-coloured building stone from Ham Hill, Somerset, England. It is a well-cemented medium to coarse grained limestone characterised by marked bedding planes of clay inclusions and less well-cemented material ...
from the quarry at
Ham Hill for the construction of churches throughout the county. The nearest bridge to the river's mouth was established at Bridgwater in 1200 AD. A
ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
, usable only at low tide, and later a
ferry operated across the mouth of the river at Combwich, it is thought, since
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
times. The crossing lay on the route of a
Saxon ''
herepath
A herepath or herewag is a military road (literally, an army path) in England, typically dating from the ninth century AD.
This was a time of war between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England and Viking invaders from Denmark. The Engli ...
''; and in the 15th century was regarded as part of the ''King's Highway''. The ''White House Inn'', a
licensed victualler
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the t ...
, on the
Pawlett bank traded from 1655 to 1897 but the ferry has since fallen out of use, and the former ''White House Inn'' was demolished round about 1930.
The River Parrett was originally part of the
Port of Bristol
The Port of Bristol comprises the commercial docks situated in and near the city of Bristol in England. They are now operated by the Bristol Port Company, which owns both Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks. Until 1991 the Port of Bristol Authori ...
, however in 1348 a Port of Bridgwater was created. This encompassed of the Somerset coast line, from the Devon border to the mouth of the River Axe. Some
quay
A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locatio ...
s were built in Bridgwater in 1424 and another quay, the Langport Slip, was built in 1488 upstream of the town bridge. The river was navigable, with care, as far as the town bridge by 400–500 tonne vessels. Goods arriving by sea were trans-shipped into barges that could navigate the River Parrett to
Langport
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The parish, which covers only part of the town, has a population of 1,081. Langport is contiguous with Huish Episcopi, a separate ...
and, by using the
River Yeo, to
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a nota ...
. Barges could also reach
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
by using the
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal after it opened in 1827.
Combwich Pill, a small creek near the mouth of the river, has been used for shipping since the 14th century; and the wharf in the 18th century was used for the unloading of
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
and
tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
s. From the 1830s, with the development of the
brick and tile industry in the Bridgwater area, it was used by two brickyards to import coal and to export tiles to other harbours on the Bristol Channel. This traffic ceased in the 1930s but in 1950 the wharf was taken over by the
Central Electricity Generating Board
The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s.
It was established on 1 Janua ...
to bring in materials for the construction of
Hinkley Point
Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, north of Bridgwater and west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett.
Excavations in 2014 and 2015, carried out by Cotswold Archaeology and fund ...
nuclear power station.
Following the passing of the Port of Bridgwater Act in 1845 all river traffic between the mouth of the River Parrett and the first bridge fell under the jurisdiction of the Port of Bridgwater. In 1998
Sedgemoor District Council took over the
pilotage services for the river which had previously been operated by
Trinity House
"Three In One"
, formation =
, founding_location = Deptford, London, England
, status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity
, purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons
, he ...
.
![Firepool lock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Firepool_lock.jpg)
On the northern edges of the county, the
River Avon provided a route from the Bristol Channel through Bristol to Bath. An Act was passed in 1712 to 'clearing, making and effecting a passage for boats, lighters and other vessels', although work did not start until 1724. At Bath the river linked with the
Kennet and Avon Canal. This was completed in 1810 and, enabling narrow boats to work through to London.
The
Somerset Coal Canal
The Somerset Coal Canal (originally known as the Somersetshire Coal Canal) was a narrow canal in England, built around 1800. Its route began in basins at Paulton and Timsbury, ran to nearby Camerton, over two aqueducts at Dunkerton, through a ...
was surveyed under the supervision of John Rennie, in June 1795 a tender from Houghton and Son was accepted and the first work started at Gooseyard bridge near Paulton. In 1798 the first delivery of coal from Dunkerton to Bath took place. It was built in the early 19th century to reduce the cost of transportation of coal and other heavy produce. It was one of the few canals in England to become economically viable, and was eventually sold to the
Great Western Railway Company in 1904. The first , from a junction with the Kennet and Avon Canal at
Dundas Aqueduct to
Paulton
Paulton () is a large village and civil parish, with a population of 5,302, located to the north of the Mendip Hills, very close to Norton Radstock in the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), England.
Paulton is a forme ...
, was in use by 1805 together with several
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
ways. A feature of the canal was
the variety of methods used at Combe Hay to overcome height differences between the upper and lower reaches of the canal. This was initially done by the use of
Caisson lock
The caisson lock is a type of canal lock in which a narrowboat is floated into a sealed watertight box and raised or lowered between two different canal water levels. It was invented in the late 18th century as a solution to the problem posed ...
s. These failed and were replaced by an
inclined plane
An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...
and then by a flight of 22
locks
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
. A branch to Radstock was started but instead a tramway was laid along its towing path.
[Aspects of Somerset History]
Canals
In 1871 the tramway was purchased by the
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with a branch from Evercreech ...
(S&DJR), and operated until the 1950s.
A
Dorset and Somerset Canal
The Dorset and Somerset Canal was a proposed canal in southwestern England. The main line was intended to link Poole, Dorset with the Kennet and Avon Canal near Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. A branch was to go from the main line at Frome to the ...
was proposed in 1792, but the little of it that was constructed was closed in 1803. Further canals were constructed in Somerset during the nineteenth century, including the
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal (1827),
Glastonbury Canal
The Glastonbury Canal ran for approximately through two locks from Glastonbury to Highbridge in Somerset, England, where it entered the River Parrett and from there the Bristol Channel. The canal was authorised by Parliament in 1827 and op ...
(1834),
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 Lands ...
(1839),
Westport Canal
The Westport Canal was built in the late 1830s to link Westport and Langport in Somerset, England. It was part of a larger scheme involving improvements to the River Parrett above Burrow Bridge. Langport is the point at which the River Yeo join ...
(1840) and
Chard Canal (1842).
![Birnbeck Pier 1890s 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Birnbeck_Pier_1890s_1.jpg)
Steam ships were operating in the Bristol Channel and calling at
Portishead in the 1820s. Pleasure trips for passengers were being operated from the harbours at
Minehead,
Watchet
Watchet is a harbour town, civil parish and electoral ward in the county of Somerset, England, with a population in 2011 of 3,785. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The town lies at the mouth of ...
and Weston-super-Mare in the 1850s. The construction of piers at
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
(in 1867) and Clevedon (1869) offered further landing places for a number of steamer operators for more than a century. The last commercial pleasure steamers were operated by
P and A Campbell in 1979, although two preserved ships still make regular appearances.
The arrival of railways on the Somerset coast brought new traffic to its harbours. A siding from the
Bristol and Exeter Railway to Dunball Wharf opened in 1844, and a branch was opened to the docks at Bridgwater the following year. The
West Somerset Mineral Railway
The West Somerset Mineral Railway was a standard gauge line in Somerset, England. Originally expected to be long its length as built was , with a branch to Raleigh's Cross Mine. The line's core purpose was to carry iron ore northwards from ...
opened in 1857 to carry iron ore from the
Brendon Hills
The Brendon Hills are a range of hills in west Somerset, England. The hills merge level into the eastern side of Exmoor and are included within the Exmoor National Park. The highest point of the range is Lype Hill at above sea level with a secon ...
to the harbour at Watchet, and the
West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway (WSR) is a heritage railway line in Somerset, England. The freehold of the line and stations is owned by Somerset County Council; the railway is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc (WSR plc); which i ...
connected it with the main railway network in 1862. In 1858 the
Somerset Central Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with a branch from Evercree ...
opened as part of a project to link Wales with France by way of a jetty near
Burnham-on-Sea railway station. The railway also used a wharf near
Highbridge railway station. A jetty was opened on the
River Yeo at
Wick St. Lawrence in about 1915, which was served by the
Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway
The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway (WC&PR) was a standard gauge light railway in Somerset, England. It was conceived as a tramway in the 1880s, opening between the coastal towns of Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon in 1897 and compl ...
. The
Royal Portbury Dock was opened near
Portishead in 1977 to provide extra capacity for the Port of Bristol, which lead to the reopening of part of the
Portishead branch line for freight traffic on 7 January 2002.
Railways
![GWR Dragon at Taunton 1892](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/GWR_Dragon_at_Taunton_1892.jpg)
The period of canals as an important transport network was short-lived. Before the Chard Canal had been completed the
Great Western Railway (GWR) had opened a route following the River Avon from
Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is located away from London Paddington. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city; there are bus services to many parts of the city ...
to
Bath Spa. This was on 31 August 1840, and the railway was completed through to
London Paddington
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great ...
ten months later. Shortly before this the
Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) had opened to and . Both these companies engaged
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...
as engineer and used his
broad gauge. The B&ER was extended to Taunton in 1842 and
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
in 1843 and a branch line was added to in 1847.
Another GWR line that would eventually link
Chippenham and Weymouth reached in 1850 and started to carry coal from the collieries at Radstock in 1854. Its main line was finally extended from Frome to
Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...
in 1856 and a branch opened from
Witham to Shepton Mallet and Wells in 1858/1862. The B&ER had opened its own
Yeovil Branch Line from the Taunton direction in 1853. Another company, the
Somerset Central Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with a branch from Evercree ...
, built lines across the Somerset Levels from
Highbridge & Burnham to in 1854 and in 1858. A branch line to
Wells Priory Road was added the following year.
![GWR map Somerset](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/GWR_map_Somerset.jpg)
In the meantime the
London & South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...
(LSWR) had been promoting railways from
London Waterloo through the south of the county, reaching ,
Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...
and in 1860, and Chard in 1863. The
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
opened a line from Bristol to
Bath Green Park railway station in 1869. These two companies acquired a shared interest in the
Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (now in south-east Dorset but then in Hampshire), with a branch from Evercre ...
(S&DJR), as the Somerset Central Railway had become.
Templecombe became an important railway junction between the LSWR and S&DJR, especially after 1874 when a new S&DJR main line was opened across the Mendips from to Bath, creating a link from the south coast to the Midland Railway.
Meanwhile, the B&ER opened lines to
Watchet
Watchet is a harbour town, civil parish and electoral ward in the county of Somerset, England, with a population in 2011 of 3,785. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The town lies at the mouth of ...
in 1862 (extended to Minehead in 1874),
Chard in 1866,
Portishead in 1867,
Cheddar and Wells in 1869/1870, and
Wivelsicombe in 1873. The B&ER and GWR had by now made a start on converting their lines to carry both broad and standard gauge trains. The GWR opened a
Bristol and North Somerset Railway to Radstock in 1873 as a purely standard gauge line but full conversion of all lines to standard gauge was not completed until 1892, 16 years after the B&ER had been absorbed into the GWR.
The
Light Railways Act 1896
The Light Railways Act 1896 (59 & 60 Vict. c.48) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
History
Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be o ...
made it easier to build railways cheaply. The
Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway
The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway (WC&PR) was a standard gauge light railway in Somerset, England. It was conceived as a tramway in the 1880s, opening between the coastal towns of Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon in 1897 and compl ...
(WCPLR) opened between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon in 1897 and between Clevedon and Portishead in 1907, where there was a connection with the GWR. This connected three coastal towns, which were all on the end of GWR branch lines. The GWR also made use of the Light Railways Act to open a
Wrington Vale Light Railway
The Wrington Vale Light Railway was a railway from Congresbury on the Cheddar Valley line to Blagdon, and serving villages in the Yeo Valley, North Somerset, England. Construction of the line started in 1897 and it opened in 1901. Never more tha ...
in 1901, however it also built the
Langport and Castle Cary Railway
The Langport and Castle Cary Railway is a railway line from Castle Cary railway station to Cogload Junction near Taunton, Somerset, England, which reduced the length of the journey from London to Penzance by .
History
Through trains from Lond ...
which linked the line through Frome with the old B&ER route at Taunton and thus allowed the GWR to offer a shorter route from London to Taunton and the South West from 1906.
![Evercreech Junction Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Evercreech_Junction_Station.jpg)
By now motor bus services were starting to appear. At first they were often operated by the railway companies as a way of offering services to new destinations, but after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the tramway companies and private individuals gradually offered more and more routes. The first significant railway closures were the Wrington Vale Light Railway in 1931, and the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway in 1941. On 1 January 1948 the railways that were still operating were
nationalised to become
British Railways. This didn't stop the closures: the Burnham-on-Sea branch closed in 1951, the line from Bristol to Radstock and Frome in 1959, Taunton to Chard in 1962, and Yatton to Cheddar and Witham in 1963. Despite this rationalisation British Railways was losing £140m a year in the 1960s. The ''
Reshaping of British Railways
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the ...
'' report was announced on 27 March 1963, proposing massive cuts to lines and services. Thousands of people, many in remote rural areas, were shocked at losing their local services and mounted opposition to the closures. This had little effect as the Taunton to Yeovil branch and the Portishead branch in 1964. 1966 saw most of the remaining cross-country routes closed: Bristol to Bath Green Park; Bath Green Park to Templecombe, Highbridge to Evercreech, Yatton to Clevedon, and Taunton to Wiveliscombe. The Taunton to Minehead line was kept open until January 1971 but was reopened as a
heritage railway by the
West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway (WSR) is a heritage railway line in Somerset, England. The freehold of the line and stations is owned by Somerset County Council; the railway is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc (WSR plc); which i ...
in 1976, although trains now start from rather than Taunton. A short section of the
East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway was once part of the former Cheddar Valley line that ran from Witham to Yatton, meeting the Somer ...
was similarly reopened in 1980.
Proposed reopening
It is hoped to reopen the
Portishead Railway
The Portishead Railway is a branch line railway running from Portishead in North Somerset to the main line immediately west of Bristol, England. It was constructed by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway Company, but it was always operated ...
connecting to . The 2006-2011 Joint
Local Transport Plan
{{Unreferenced, date=April 2008
Local transport plans, divided into full local transport plans (LTP) and local implementation plans for transport (LIP) are an important part of transport planning in England. Strategic transport authorities (count ...
reserves £1 million for the project. In January 2009, it was announced that
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
is to carry out a feasibility study on re-opening the line. Track clearance works began in 2013 and the location for the new station has been decided.
Trams
![Weston-super-Mare Madeira Cove with tram](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Weston-super-Mare_Madeira_Cove_with_tram.jpg)
On-street tramways once operated in three Somerset towns. The first to open was in
Bath on 24 December 1880. The gauge cars were horse-drawn along a route from London Road to the
Great Western Railway station
Great Western railway station is the 61st railway station on the Main Line (which runs between Colombo and Badulla), and is away from Colombo.
It is located at the Great Western estate of Nuwara Eliya District and is situated above sea lev ...
, but the system closed in 1902. These were replaced by electric tram cars on a greatly expanded gauge system that opened in 1904. This eventually extended to some with routes to
Combe Down
Combe Down is a village on the outskirts of Bath, England in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Somerset.
Combe Down village consists predominantly of 18th and 19th century Bath stone-built villa ...
, Oldfield Park,
Twerton
Twerton is a suburb of the city of Bath, Somerset, England, situated to the west of the city, and home to the city's football club, Bath City.
Twerton is served by bus route 5, operated by First West of England buses in the Bath area. For a ti ...
,
Newton St Loe
Newton St Loe is a small Somerset village and civil parish located close to the villages of Corston and Stanton Prior, between Bath and Bristol in England. The majority of the village is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. The parish has a populat ...
,
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
and
Bathford
Bathford (pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable) is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England. The parish, which includes Warleigh, has a population of 1,759 and extends over .
History
The ancient charter ''Codex Diplomat ...
.
The
Taunton Tramway was opened on 21 August 1901. Six double deck cars operated on the gauge line between
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, west of London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, and is operated by Great Western Railway. The station is also served by CrossCountr ...
and East Reach where the depot was situated. The service was withdrawn for two months in 1905 while the track was improved; the original six double-deck cars were replaced at the same time by six single deck cars. A short extension beyond the station to Rowbarton was opened in 1909 making the line long. In 1921 the tram company was in dispute with the council over the cost of electricity. The National bus company offered to operate bus services in the town and so the power was cut off and the tram service ceased on 28 May 1921.
The gauge
Weston-super-Mare Tramways network opened on 12 May 1902. The main route ran from
Birnbeck Pier
Birnbeck Pier, also known as the 'Old Pier', is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, approximately south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an islan ...
along the sea front to the Sanatorium (now Royal Sands); a branch line ran to
the railway station and on to the tram depot in Locking Road. The
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
fleet originally consisted of 12 double deck cars and 4 open-sided "
toast rack
A toast rack or toastrack is a serving piece having vertical partitions (usually from five to eight in number) connected to a flat base, used for holding slices of toast. It often has a central ring handle for carrying and passing round the tabl ...
" cars.
The remaining tram services in Somerset came to an end during the 1930s. In 1937 the Bristol Tramways bought out the Weston-super-Mare Tramways and converted them to bus operation. Bath was not far behind, replacing all its tram routes with buses during 1938 and 1939.
Buses
In 1905 the
Great Western Railway started a
steam bus service from
Highbridge railway station to
Burnham-on-Sea
Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. ...
and
Cheddar
Cheddar most often refers to either:
*Cheddar cheese
*Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named
Cheddar may also refer to:
Places
* Cheddar, Ontario, Canada
* Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar Gorge and t ...
. The following year a number of services were tried that radiated from
Bridgwater, but all had been withdrawn by the end of 1911.
Meanwhile,
Bristol Tramways
Bristol Tramways operated in the city of Bristol, England from 1875, when the Bristol Tramways Company was formed by Sir George White, until 1941 when a Luftwaffe bomb destroyed the main power supply cables.
History
The first trams in Brist ...
started bus services from
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
to towns and villages in north Somerset, first with a service in 1906 linking the tramway systems of Bristol and
Bath. Bristol Tramways opened depots in Bath in 1909,
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
in 1910 and
Wells in 1922, and by 1922 was running services between Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and Wells, and to Bridgwater,
Street and
Frome
Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...
.
Further south the National Omnibus & Transport Company opened depots at Bridgwater,
South Petherton
South Petherton is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, located east of Ilminster and north of Crewkerne. The parish had a population of 3,367 in 2011 and includes the smaller village of Over Stra ...
and
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
in 1920, and
Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...
and
Wincanton
Wincanton ( or ) is a small town and electoral ward in South Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. The town and electoral ward has a populati ...
in 1921. National extended northwards to Weston-super-Mare in response to competition from Bristol Tramways. In west Somerset, a network of services was built up by Minehead and District Motor Services, acquired by National in 1927. The Great Western Railway's buses returned to the area with local services at Weston-super-Mare and Portishead in 1928 but by then the railway company was already in negotiation with bus companies about merging their operations. On 1 January 1929 National transferred its Somerset operations to two joint venture companies. The Yeovil area services went to
Southern National, jointly owned by National and the
Southern Railway, and the other services went to
Western National
Western National was a bus company operating in South West England from 1929 until the 1990s.
Early history
Western National Omnibus Company was founded in 1929 as a joint venture between the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the National Om ...
, jointly owned by National and the
Great Western Railway. On the same date the railway company bought a majority of the shares in the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company (although this was reduced to just 50% after 16 months) which took on the railway bus services in its area.
In Bath motor bus services were started by
Bath Electric Tramways Company
Bath Tramways Company and its successors operated a horse drawn tramway service in Bath between 1880 and 1902. From 1903 until its closure in 1939 an expanded route carried electric trams operated by Bath Electric Tramways Company.
History
T ...
in 1905, and from 1920 operated by a separate company, Bath Tramways Motors. Both companies were acquired by Bristol Tramways in 1936.
From 1929 to 1983 most bus services in Somerset were run by Bristol Tramways (renamed Bristol Omnibus Company in 1957) in the north, by Western National in the south and west, and by Southern National (until 1969 when it was merged into Western National) in the south-east. All three companies were nationalised in 1948. In the south-east of the county three independent companies survived for many years. Hutchings and Cornelius of South Petherton operated from 1934 (Hutchings from 1926 and Cornelius from 1928) until 1979. Safeway, also based in South Petherton, operated from 1928 until 2008. Further east, Wakes Services based at Sparkford ran a network of bus services between Yeovil and Shepton Mallet from the 1930s until 1999.
[Countrybus: Wakes Services](_blank)
/ref>
In the 1980s both Bristol Omnibus Company and Western National were privatised. In preparation both companies were split. In 1983, the Somerset operations of Western National were transferred to a new subsidiary company, Southern National, and in 1986 Bristol's Somerset services were transferred to a subsidiary company called Badgerline
Badgerline was a bus operator in and around Bristol from 1985 until 2003. Its headquarters were in Weston-super-Mare. Initially a part of the Bristol Omnibus Company, it was privatised in September 1986 and sold to Badgerline Holdings in a manag ...
. Both companies were sold to their managements. In 1995 Badgerline became part of First Bus, and in 1999 Southern National was acquired by First Bus. First combined and rebranded its Somerset operations in a single company, First Somerset & Avon. In 2014 the services in the south and west of the county were rebranded as The Buses of Somerset
The Buses of Somerset is the trading name used by bus operator First South West for services operated in Somerset from depots in the towns of Taunton and Bridgwater since 2014. The services were formerly managed as part of First Somerset & Avon ...
.
First now has a monopoly in most of the county, although there are some independent operators. In the north Abus
ABUS August Bremicker Söhne KG, commonly known as ABUS, is a German manufacturer of preventative security technology based in Wetter, North Rhine-Westphalia. Its name is an acronym of its original name, August Bremicker und Söhne ("August Bre ...
has operated routes from Bristol into Somerset since 1991, joined more recently by Wessex Connect and other operators. South West Coaches
South West Coaches is a privately owned bus company that operates services around Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire, in South West England.
History
Reggie Wake started bus services from South Barrow in February 1930. Business expanded during Wor ...
has developed a network of services in the Yeovil area, having acquired Wakes Services in 1999 and Safeway in 2008. Webberbus operated some services in south west Somerset and Weston-super-Mare until 2016 while between 2004 and 2017 Nippy Bus
Nippy Bus was a privately owned bus company operating services in Somerset, England. It operated local town services in Yeovil under contract to the Somerset County Council as well as rural services. Nippy Club was launched in 2010 utilising a co ...
operated a small network around Yeovil. Stagecoach South West has also started operations in Somerset. It won some council tenders and opened a depot in Yeovil in 2005, and in 2007 purchased Cooks Coaches of Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
, which operated buses in the Taunton area.
Present day networks
Road
Somerset has of roads, ranging from motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
s to narrow country lanes. There were 32 deaths on the county's roads in 2010, the fewest in 20 years.
The M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
from Birmingham to Exeter provides a north–south trunk route from the Avonmouth Bridge
The Avonmouth Bridge is a road bridge that carries the M5 motorway over the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon into Somerset near Bristol, England. The main span is long, and the bridge is long, with an air draught above mean high water level o ...
in the north, to the Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
border in the south, with eight junctions in the county:
* Junction 19 ( Portishead) with the A369 and close to the Royal Portbury Dock
* Junction 20 (Clevedon
Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 ...
) with the B3133
* Junction 21 (Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
) with the A370 and close to the A371
* Junction 22 (Burnham-on-Sea
Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. ...
) with the A38
* Junction 23 ( Puriton) with the A38 and A39 north of Bridgwater
* Junction 24 (North Petherton
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 includ ...
) with the A38 south of Bridgwater
* Junction 25 (Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
) with the A358
* Junction 26 (Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
) with the A38
The older A370 and A38 roads serve many of the same towns as the motorway. The other principal north–south route through the county is the A37 which links Bristol with Shepton Mallet and Yeovil.[
The nearest east–west motorway is the M4 from London to Wales which runs just beyond the northern boundary of the county. It intersects with the M5 at Almondsbury (M5 junction 20, M4 junction 15) north west of ]Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, and serves Bath via the A46 from Junction 18. The equivalent A4 passes inside the county boundary through Keynsham and Bath. The other principal east–west routes are:[
* A371 from Shepton Mallet, Wells and ]Cheddar
Cheddar most often refers to either:
*Cheddar cheese
*Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named
Cheddar may also refer to:
Places
* Cheddar, Ontario, Canada
* Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar Gorge and t ...
to Weston-super-Mare
* A39 from Bath to Wells, Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...
, Bridgwater, Williton
Williton is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, at the junction of the A39, A358 and B3191 roads, on the coast south of Watchet between Minehead, Bridgwater and Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district.
Williton sta ...
, Minehead and north Devon
* A358 from Chard to Ilminster
Ilminster is a minster town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, with a population of 5,808. Bypassed in 1988, the town now lies just east of the junction of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to C ...
, Taunton and Williton
* A303
The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a pri ...
from M3 motorway at Basingstoke to Devon via Wincanton
Wincanton ( or ) is a small town and electoral ward in South Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. The town and electoral ward has a populati ...
and Ilminster.
People are encouraged to use integrated transport routes by maps that show how bus routes link with the railway network. Car-sharing is promoted by multi-occupancy traffic lanes to reduce the number of cars with just a driver and no passengers. The county council, unitary authorities and Bristol City Council subsidise many bus services, for example there is a £70 million scheme to improve services and facilities on ten routes that link Bristol with areas outside the city. This includes of bus lanes and improved bus stops. However cuts in funding across local services in 2011 included a reduction of 46% (that is £2.6 million) in the subsidies paid by Somerset County Council to bus operators, leading to the withdrawal of at least five services and many reductions in routes and service levels during evenings and weekends.
The dominant bus operator in the north and east of the county is which has a network of routes between all the main population centres while sister company The Buses of Somerset
The Buses of Somerset is the trading name used by bus operator First South West for services operated in Somerset from depots in the towns of Taunton and Bridgwater since 2014. The services were formerly managed as part of First Somerset & Avon ...
serves the south and west. Other services are provided by Wessex Connect in the north of the county
and Stagecoach Somerset in the south.
There are also some independent operators such as Abus
and Nippy Bus
Nippy Bus was a privately owned bus company operating services in Somerset, England. It operated local town services in Yeovil under contract to the Somerset County Council as well as rural services. Nippy Club was launched in 2010 utilising a co ...
Park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...
schemes link out-of-town car parks with the centres of both Bath
and Taunton.
Other rights of way
Long-distance footpaths in the county include: Coleridge Way
The Coleridge Way is a long-distance trail in Somerset and Devon, England.
It was opened in April 2005, and the route links several sites associated with the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge starting from Coleridge Cottage at Nether Stowey. Or ...
, Limestone Link, Macmillan Way West, Mendip Way, Monarch's Way
The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol and Yeovil to Shoreham, West Su ...
, Quantock Greenway, River Parrett Trail, Two Tunnels Greenway
The Two Tunnels Greenway is a shared use path for walking and cycling in Bath, Somerset, England. The route links National Cycle Route 24 south of Bath with National Cycle Route 4 in the town centre, and is designated as National Cycle Route 244. ...
and West Deane Way
The West Deane Way is a trail, footpath in the Taunton Deane area of Somerset, England.
It is a circular walk in the Vale of Taunton Deane.
See also
* Long-distance footpaths in the UK
* List of local nature reserves in England
References ...
. The South West Coast Path National Trail
National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, a statutory agency of the UK government, and Natural Resources Wales (successor body to the Countryside Council for Wal ...
has its starting point at Minehead.
The county has one of the first National cycle routes created in Britain 3, 4 and 24 provide cyclists with ways to minimise contact with motor traffic. The Bristol & Bath Railway Path
The Bristol and Bath Railway Path is a off-road cycleway, part of National Cycle Network National Cycle Route 4. It has a wide tarmacked surface, and was used for 2.4 million trips in 2007, increasing by 10% per year.
It was built by the c ...
is a 15-mile off-road cycleway
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...
, following an old railway track that forms part of Route 4. The path consists of a 3-m-wide tarmacked surface, and was used for 2.4 million trips in 2007, increasing by 10% per year. Route 24, otherwise known as the ''Colliers Way'', currently runs from Dundas Aqueduct to Frome
Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...
via Radstock, There were public debates about the various proposals to use part of this network as a rapid transit route.
Rail
Somerset's rail network has three west–east routes linking the county with London. The busiest is the Great Western Main Line through which offers two trains each hour for much of the week from to London Paddington
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great ...
. In the middle of the county the London to Penzance Line links and with Paddington, while in the south the London to Exeter Line links , and with London Waterloo.
The principal north–south route carries frequent local services serving , , , , , , and , and also CrossCountry services between Cornwall/Devon and North of England/Scotland. This route also sees some services from the Great Western Main Line which are extended south of Bristol.[
Another north–south route links , and Bath with , , Castle Cary, and .
Most services and stations are operated by Great Western Railway. The exceptions are the ]West of England line
The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line) is a British railway line from , Hampshire, to in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter; the line intersects with the Wessex Ma ...
( London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids, which is the responsibility of South Western Railway, and trains to the north which are operated by CrossCountry. Most stations have car parking and easy connections to bus services serving local towns and villages, with "PlusBus" ticketing valid on both buses and trains in many areas. The larger stations have a staffed ticket office but elsewhere they can be purchased from ticket vending machines or from the conductor on the train.
The busiest stations are Bath Spa, with more than four million passengers each year, and Taunton and Weston-super-Mare with around one million. The busiest in South Somerset is Yeovil Junction but the least used in the whole county is Bruton.
The statistics show the total number of station entries and exits and cover twelve month periods that start each year in April.
The West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway (WSR) is a heritage railway line in Somerset, England. The freehold of the line and stations is owned by Somerset County Council; the railway is leased to and operated by West Somerset Railway plc (WSR plc); which i ...
operates to ten stations between and on around 240 days each year using heritage steam and diesel trains. A regular bus service links the stations at Bishops Lydeard and Taunton to give connections through to the national railway network.
Water
The largest dock in Somerset is the Royal Portbury Dock, a part of the Port of Bristol
The Port of Bristol comprises the commercial docks situated in and near the city of Bristol in England. They are now operated by the Bristol Port Company, which owns both Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks. Until 1991 the Port of Bristol Authori ...
. Its main traffic is cars, bulk cargoes and forest products.
The other principal port in the county is the Port of Bridgwater. Sedgemoor District Council acts as the Competent Harbour Authority
Competent harbour authorities (CHA) in the United Kingdom are those harbour authorities that have been given statutory powers relating to the provision of pilotage in their waters. The description was created by the Pilotage Act 1987, at which poi ...
for the port and provides pilotage services for all boats over using the River Parrett,
an important service as the large tidal range (which can exceed ) results in frequent changes in the navigable channel. Bulk cargoes are handled at Dunball
Dunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.
Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle a motte-and-bailey castle, which has been designated as ...
wharf.[Sedgemoor District Council, Facts on the Port of Bridgwater]
/ref> Marine sand and gravel accounted for 55,754 tonnes and salt products 21,170 tonnes out of the 90,213 tonnes handled in the port in 2006;
however, in 2008 the only product handled in the port was 46,688 tonnes of sand and gravel. A roll-on roll-off berth at Combwich
Combwich ( ) 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 anc ...
is used occasionally for the transfer of heavy goods for the nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point
Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, north of Bridgwater and west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett.
Excavations in 2014 and 2015, carried out by Cotswold Archaeology and fund ...
.
Combwich Pill and the River Brue
The River Brue originates in the parish of Brewham in Somerset, England, and reaches the sea some 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 twelft ...
estuary at Burnham-on-Sea
Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. ...
both provide recreational moorings.[ Knightstone Island in ]Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
, Minehead harbour, Clevedon Pier
Clevedon Pier is a seaside pier in the town of Clevedon, Somerset, England on the east shore of the Severn Estuary. It was described by Sir John Betjeman, as "the most beautiful pier in England" and was designated a Grade I listed building in ...
and Dunball wharf are used by the MV ''Balmoral'' and PS ''Waverley for leisure trips around the Bristol Channel, Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...
and up the River Avon to Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
.
There are two inland waterways in the county. The western end of the Kennet and Avon Canal is at Bath where it connects with the River Avon. The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, along with the River Tone navigation links the River Parrett at Bridgwater with Taunton. The maximum size of vessels that can navigate the whole length of each canal is given below, but larger ones can be used on most parts of these waterways.
Air
The only public passenger airport in use in the county is Bristol Airport which developed from a former Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
base, Lulsgate Bottom, after World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.[Ashworth, Chris (1982). ''Action Stations, 5. Military airfields of the South-West''. Cambridge: Patrick Stephens. , pp. 119–121.]
A number of privately run air strips and airfields exist, but none are licensed for commercial flights, or flight training. Henstridge Airfield near Henstridge, south east of Wincanton, was commissioned in 1943.
The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance
The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is a registered charity, which uses a helicopter to provide an air ambulance service to the English counties of Dorset and Somerset. The air ambulance came into service in March 2000, following the success ...
operates from there.
Future strategy and proposals
The dominance of the car, and the convenience it offers: local authorities in Somerset have various proposals in place to try to ease the current "gridlock
Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where "continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill". The term originates from a situation possible in a gr ...
" that is now occurring on the roads throughout the county. The removal of traffic from city centres has now become a priority in Somerset, due to the antiquity of many of its towns and cities. These were originally designed for the movement of people, not large metal boxes on wheels. Since the privatisation of many areas of public transport, cities like Bath have many large buses, which in the 1950s would have been full of passengers; these can now be seen (in 2009) conveying only a small number of people at a time.
One outcome that was not foreseen as a result of the closure of many branch lines in the 1960s was the loss of public access to those rights of way established by the various railway companies. Those structures of level ground upon which so much energy and labour was expended, could have been put to good use in the past, e.g. rapid transit routes. The loss of continuity in the system as a whole, means that what remains of these rail trackways are now the subject of competition between human power and motorised rapid transit solutions.
Taunton metro rail
Taunton Metro Rail (TMR) was a light rail network proposed in 2009 to use a combination of existing rail infrastructure and the construction of new infrastructure in and around Taunton, Somerset.
Proposal
Project Taunton, the authority respo ...
(TMR) is a proposed light rail network using a combination of existing rail infrastructure and the construction of new infrastructure in the area of Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
.
A charity, the New Somerset and Dorset Railway __NOTOC__
The New Somerset and Dorset Railway, formed in early 2009, aims to restore the complete line of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway as a modern transport system for the 21st century. The group also has a heritage aspect, to encoura ...
, was set up in 2009 with the aim of purchasing infrastructure and lobbying government.
See also
*Taunton bus station
Taunton bus station was situated on Tower Street, Taunton, Somerset, England. It was opened by the Western National Omnibus Company in 1953 and closed in 2020, by which time it was operated by The Buses of Somerset. In 2015 the Transport Trust ...
*Transport in England
England has a dense and modern transportation infrastructure. The Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network. Transport in England is facilitated with road, air, rail, and water networks. ...
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport in Somerset