Uphill is a village in the civil parish of
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, Oldmixon ...
in
North Somerset, England
North Somerset is a unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the ...
, at the southern edge of the town, on the
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
coast.
History
Bone and stone tools found in caves at Uphill provide evidence of human activity in the Upper Palaeolithic period, and a radiocarbon date of around 28,000 Before Present, which came from a bone point, was the first scientifically derived direct date from the entire British Isles for an artefact of that period (the Aurignacian).
The River Axe enters the
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
at Uphill where it is sheltered by
Brean Down
Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset, England, standing high and extending into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.
Made of Carboniferous Limestone, it is a ...
and it is possible that there was a port at Uphill in Roman times but no archaeological evidence has been found for this.
[Crockford-Hawley (2004) surmises that while ''archaeological evidence has yet to prove portexisted, most local people are quite happy to rely on long-established hearsay!'' Leach (2001) does not claim that there was a port at Uphill in the Romano-British period but does write that ''rivers such as ... the Axe almost certainly carried their share of traffic'' and supported ''ports such as ... Cheddar or Uphill on the River Axe'' and makes it clear that ''so far there have been no recorded discoveries of the remains of Roman ships or river craft in Somerset''.][The suggestion of a port at Uphill in the Roman period rests on the presumption of the existence of a road running westwards from the Charterhouse lead mines at that time. No structural remains of Romano-British date have been recorded at Uphill. The only certain evidence of activity at Uphill in the Roman period comes from stray finds of coins, as both single finds and hoards in the 19th century and all apparently from the caves in Uphill quarry – now for the most part removed (North Somerset Historic Environment Record MNS4 - An 'abridged' version of the North Somerset Historic Environment Record can be viewed on the North Somerset section of the KnowYourPlace website https://maps.bristol.gov.uk/kyp/?edition=nsom). The place-name ''Ad Axium'', often cited as being attached to a putative Roman port at Uphill is a modern name fabricated by antiquarians in the early 19th century. This name does not apply to Uphill itself but to a site on the hillside at Bleadon about to the south-east which modern archaeologists do consider to be probably of Romano-British date (North Somerset Historic Environment Record MNS25). The site is correctly marked on the respective First Editions of the Ordnance Survey's 25-inch ''and'' 6-inch maps. 25-inch: Somerset Sheet 16.8, surveyed 1885, published 1887; 6-inch: Somerset Sheet 16 North-East, surveyed 1885, published 1886 (the 25-inch map can be viewed on the North Somerset section of the KnowYourPlace website). Numerous attemptshave been made to trace a continuous, unbroken route from ]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
London ...
to Uphill but have all ended in failure. Scepticism about the existence of this road has been expressed since at least the early 20th century, most notably by the leading scholar of Roman Britain at that time, Francis Haverfield. In his survey of Roman Somerset for the Victoria County History (1906) he ''found no vestiges, even in ploughed fields and woods, that indicate a Roman road'' (see pages 350 (for the road) and 368 for ''Ad Axium'' and supposed building foundations at Uphill). The current edition of the Ordnance Survey's map of Roman Britain (2016) shows a route from the Roman port 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 ...
(''Clausentum'') to Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
and thence north-west to Charterhouse where it stops dead; it is not shown as continuing westward to Uphill. (Also see Evans and Richards (1984), Gough (1967), Todd (2011), Jamieson (2015) and Margary (1967)
At the time of Domesday Book (1086) the manor of Opopille was in the possession of four knights. 1 serf, 7 villeins and 4 bordars lived and worked here. Ships coming into Uphill fell under the limited jurisdiction 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 it was a
free port
Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which com ...
as it did not have the customs officers to collect revenues which were present at larger ports. In 1591 the captured French ship the ''Gray Honde'' from
Bayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
was brought into Uphill, however; the normal trade from the 16th century was in livestock, brought from
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
to be fattened on the local rich grassland.
During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
the port was used to bring two regiments, about 1,500 men, of the Royalist Army from South Wales before the
Battle of Langport
The Battle of Langport was a Parliamentarian victory late in the First English Civil War which destroyed the last Royalist field army and gave Parliament control of the West of England, which had hitherto been a major source of manpower, ra ...
. It continued as a small landing stage for many centuries including the import of coal and iron and the export of local produce.
After the
Enclosure Act of 1813 a public wharf was constructed for trade and was also used occasionally by passenger excursion ships.
[
In the late eighteenth century visitors started to come to the area for health reasons. The philanthropist ]Hannah More
Hannah More (2 February 1745 – 7 September 1833) was an English religious writer, philanthropist, poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, who wrote on moral and religious subjects. Born in Bristol, she taught at a ...
convalesced at uphill in 1773 and a few years later Jane Biss was advertising summer accommodation in the village while the landlord of the Ship Inn had a bathing machine
The bathing machine was a device, popular from the 18th century until the early 20th century, to allow people to change out of their usual clothes, change into swimwear, and wade in the ocean at beaches. Bathing machines were roofed and walled woo ...
for hire. A 'Sea Bathing infirmary' was in operation from 1826 for a short while.
The Bristol to Exeter railway line runs through a deep cutting between Uphill and nearby 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 ...
. This cutting is spanned by a high brick bridge known as "Devil's Bridge" and designed by 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 "one ...
. The former Bleadon and Uphill railway station served the village from 1871 until 1964.
The parish was part of the Winterstoke
The Hundred of Winterstoke is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which ...
Hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.
In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...
. The parish became a civil parish in 1866. In 1933 the civil parish was abolished and absorbed into Weston-super-Mare.
Geography
The manor is recorded in Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
as ''Opopille'' which derives from the Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''Uppan Pylle
Pylle is a village and civil parish south west of Shepton Mallet, and from Wells, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It has a population of 160. The parish includes the hamlet of Street on the Fosse.
The village is very close to ...
'' meaning "above the creek". The Pill is a tidal creek which joins the River Axe near where the river flows into Weston Bay
Weston Bay is an inlet of the Bristol Channel in North Somerset, England.
It lies between Brean Down, which is now owned by the National Trust, is rich in wildlife, history and archaeology, and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific In ...
to the north of Brean Down
Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset, England, standing high and extending into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.
Made of Carboniferous Limestone, it is a ...
. The Pill is connected to the Great Uphill Rhyne which drains the moors to the east of the village.
The village is dominated on its southern side by a large hill, the southern slope of which and the quarry at its western end form the Uphill Cliff
Uphill Cliff () is a 19.8 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of Uphill, North Somerset, although it is in the Avon Area of Search used by English Nature which is based on the 1974-1996 county system.
The s ...
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
, notable for its species-rich calcareous grassland. It consists of species-rich calcareous grassland and rock-face situated on Carboniferous Limestone. Steeper banks and knolls in the grassland have a flora which includes orchids
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
, Somerset Hair Grass (''Koeleria vallesiana
''Koeleria vallesiana'', the Somerset hair grass, is a grass species of the genus ''Koeleria''. It grows in Europe, temperate Asia, and North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely withi ...
''), and Honewort (''Trinia glauca
''Trinia glauca'' (honewort) is a low-growing umbellifer found in rocky areas.
Description
Honewort is a low-growing glabrous plant. Its stems can reach 20 cm, and are surrounded by abundant fibrous remains of petioles at the base. It is mu ...
''), and the Goldilocks Aster (''Galatella linosyris
''Galatella linosyris'' (also called goldilocks aster, and often known by the synonyms ''Aster linosyris'' and ''Crinitaria linosyris'') is a species of perennial plant from family Asteraceae found in Eastern, Central and Southern Europe. It can ...
'') along with several species of butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
and Weevil
Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They b ...
(''Curculionoidea''). The hill and Walborough common, which are adjacent to each other, are local nature reserves making a total area of . There are a range of flowers including cowslip, primrose and green-winged orchid
''Anacamptis morio'', the green-winged orchid or green-veined orchid ( synonym ''Orchis morio''), is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It usually has purple flowers, and is found in Europe and the Middle East.
Description
It f ...
. The Salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...
has sea barley, slender hare's-ear and sea clover and limestone grassland with Somerset hair-grass, honewort, green-winged and early purple orchids. These attract redshank, dunlin
The dunlin (''Calidris alpina'') is a small wader, formerly sometimes separated with the other "stints" in the genus ''Erolia''. The English name is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531–1532. It derives from ''dun'', "dull brown ...
, shelduck
The shelducks, most species of which are found in the genus ''Tadorna'' (except for the Radjah shelduck, which is now found in its own monotypic genus ''Radjah''), are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biologi ...
, black-tailed godwit, skylark
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
, linnet
The common linnet (''Linaria cannabina'') is a small passerine bird of the finch family, Fringillidae. It derives its common name and the scientific name, ''Linaria'', from its fondness for hemp seeds and flax seeds—flax being the English n ...
, rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and meadow pipit
The meadow pipit (''Anthus pratensis'') is a small passerine bird, which breeds in much of the Palearctic, from southeastern Greenland and Iceland east to just east of the Ural Mountains in Russia, and south to central France and Romania; an isol ...
.
The Old Church of St Nicholas is situated on the hill and used to serve as a landmark for ships on the Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
.[ Also on the hill is a tower, the remains of a windmill. Although sometimes claimed to be medieval its construction date is unknown. It is most likely to be of the 18th century although map evidence suggests that it had gone out of use by 1782.
Links Road, which runs along below the hill, links the village with the beach to the west. ]Weston General Hospital
Weston General Hospital is an NHS district general hospital in the town of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, operated by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. , the hospital had 261 beds and around 1,800 clinical and ...
is at the west end of the village adjacent to the A370 road
The A370 is a primary road in England running from the A4 Bath Road, near Bristol Temple Meads railway station to Weston-super-Mare before continuing to the village of East Brent in Somerset. A more direct route from Bristol to East Brent is th ...
. The old road to Weston-super-Mare runs northwards past Uphill Manor (which is known locally as Uphill Castle).[ The ]Mendip Way
The Mendip Way is an long-distance footpath across the Mendip Hills from Weston-super-Mare to Frome. It is divided into two sections.
The West Mendip Way was opened in 1979 and starts at the Bristol Channel at Uphill Cliff. It climbs the Me ...
long-distance footpath has its western trailhead at Uphill near the wharf.
Religious sites
On top of the hill stands the unroofed Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Old Church of St Nicholas. It is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. The charity cares for over 350 churches of architectural, cultural and historic significance, which have been transferred in ...
.
The present day Church of St Nicholas is situated on lower ground towards the north end of the village.
In addition, a separate Methodist Church is present in the village, located on Uphill Road South.
Public services
Uphill is home to Weston General Hospital
Weston General Hospital is an NHS district general hospital in the town of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, operated by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. , the hospital had 261 beds and around 1,800 clinical and ...
. ''Weston Hospicecare'', a hospice providing palliative care
Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...
to patients from the surrounding area with terminal illnesses, is also based here.
Notes
References
Further reading
These works provide more detailed information discussed in the notes section.
*
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*
External links
{{commons category, Uphill, Somerset
Village website
Weston Hospicecare
Ports and harbours of Somerset
Villages in North Somerset
Populated coastal places in Somerset
Weston-super-Mare
Former civil parishes in Somerset