The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of
South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of
Cornwall,
Devon,
Dorset,
Somerset,
Bristol, and, less commonly,
Wiltshire,
Gloucestershire and
Herefordshire.
[ "Which counties make up the West Country?", ''YouGov.co.uk'', 23 October 2019]
Retrieved 22 June 2021 The West Country has a distinctive regional English
dialect and accent, and is also home to the
Cornish language.
Extent
The West Country is bounded by the
English Channel in the south and 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 ...
or Herefordshire in the north. The eastern limit is less clearly defined. Some definitions match that of the official
South West England region. Others refer to three counties, Cornwall, Devon and Somerset; while some take in Herefordshire (officially part of the
West Midlands region).
In a 2019
YouGov survey, 72% of respondents considered Cornwall and Devon to be in the West Country, while 70% included Somerset, 69% included Bristol, and 55% included Dorset. Other counties received less than 50% agreement, with 28% including Wiltshire, 27% including Gloucestershire, 12% including Herefordshire and 9% including Worcestershire.
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]
Specific uses
The term West Country derby is used to refer to sports matches between such cities as Bristol and Bath or Gloucester and Bath.
West Country Lamb and West Country Beef are EU Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) covering products from animals born and reared in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire or Gloucestershire. "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar" is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) limited to cheddar cheese made in the traditional way in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset or Somerset.
ITV West Country
ITV West Country is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the South West England franchise area on the ITV network. Previously, between 2009 and 2013, the area was a non-franchise region, branded with the sa ...
is an ITV franchise which broadcasts local news, weather and current affairs programmes over two regions; ITV West Country West covering the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon and parts of Dorset and Somerset with ITV West Country East covering the remainder of Somerset and Dorset together with Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. ITV West Country West was an ITV franchise in its own right until 2014 when it merged with that of ITV West, formerly HTV West
ITV Wales and West, previously known as Harlech Television (HTV), was an ITV franchise area in the United Kingdom until 31 December 2013, licensed to a broadcaster by the regulator Ofcom.
There is no channel, past or present, named "ITV Wales ...
, having been initially launched as Westcountry Television with its main studios in Plymouth in 1993.
West Country Carnival
The West Country Carnival Circuits are an annual celebration featuring a parade of illuminated carts in the English West Country. The celebration dates back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The purpose is to raise money for local charities.
The s ...
s are held in many towns in and around Somerset. A government-supported museum, galleries, and major attractions atlas matched the South West Region, save for Gloucestershire.
The former brewery in Cheltenham traded as West Country Ales; their ceramic plaques can still be seen built into pub walls.
See also
* West Country English
* Scrumpy and Western music
*South West Peninsula
The South West Peninsula is the area of England between the Bristol Channel to the north and the English Channel to the south. It is part of the South West region of England, and includes the counties of Cornwall, Devon, and (depending on its pre ...
* Thomas Hardy's Wessex
*Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
*West of England
West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan ...
* West Country derby
*SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes
The SR West Country and Battle of Britain classes, collectively known as ''Light Pacifics'' or informally as ''Spam Cans'', are air-smoothed 4-6-2 ''Pacific'' steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engin ...
(West Country-class locomotives)
*Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for a Brythonic kingdom that existed in Sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries CE in the more westerly parts of present-day South West England. It was centred in the area of modern Devon, ...
*Durotriges
The Durotriges were one of the Celtic tribes living in Britain prior to the Roman invasion. The tribe lived in modern Dorset, south Wiltshire, south Somerset and Devon east of the River Axe and the discovery of an Iron Age hoard in 2009 at Shalfl ...
References
Further reading
*Jenner, Michael (1996) ''Traveller's Companion to the West Country''. Claremont Books (Godfrey Cave Associates) (first published by Michael Joseph, 1990)
*Weir, John (1993) ''The West Country''. (Great Walks.) London: Ward Lock
{{Authority control
South West England
Southern England