Castle Street in

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

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 , lor ...

, England was built in the 1720s, on a site previously occupied by

Bridgwater Castle Bridgwater Castle was a castle in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England. The stone castle was built around 1220 and contributed to the development of the town. It was surrounded by a moat and included a watergate giving access to the quay. In ...

, by Benjamin Holloway or Fort and Shepherd, the Duke's London surveyors for

James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, (6 January 16739 August 1744) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1698 until 1714, when he succeeded to the peerage as Baron Chandos, and vacate ...

. It was originally called Chandos Street. Many of the buildings have been designated as Grade I

Listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

s. The buildings are made of red and yellow Flemish-bond brick, with moulded stone coping to the parapet, and follow very similar lines. They form an important group, unusual for their scale and ambition outside London's West End. The buildings close to the quay on the

River Parrett The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the Somerset Levels to i ...

were built for the merchants who managed trade through the port, with the first bridge having been constructed in 1200 AD.Dunning (1992), page 193.

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 locati ...

s were built in 1424; with another quay, the ''Langport slip'', being built in 1488 upstream of the town bridge. The river was navigable, with care, to Bridgwater town bridge by 400–500 tonne vessels.Fitzhugh (1993). pp. 6-7. By trans-shipping into barges at the town bridge the Parrett was navigable as far as

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 (via the River Yeo) to

Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish, situated on the River Yeo (South Somerset), River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the England, English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman Britain, Roman town, and ...

. Many of the buildings still have

undercroft An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area which is relatively open ...

vaults, some of which were used by the Customs House which was once at the lower end of Castle Street and led to the naming of Bond Street which adjoins Castle Street. Castle Street was used as a location in the 1963 film ''

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...

''. In 2008, during sewer renovation work under Castle Street, a section of the curtain wall of the castle and a tunnel used to transport goods from the port were discovered.

South side

Number 1 on the corner with West Quay and very close to the

was built as the Harbour Master's house and is now used as offices. Number 3 and 5 were originally separate houses but have now been made into one building and are used as offices. Number 7 and 9 follow the same pattern.

Numbers 11 and 13 have been used as Bridgwater Arts Centre since 1946. Many of the original interior of the building has been lost but the plaster ceiling mouldings and the fireplace are original, as are the wooden side cupboards, the window panels and window seats. It was the venue for the first post-war meeting of the

Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1947. Number 9 was purchased by Bridgwater Borough Council in 1966, which then passed into the ownership of

Sedgemoor Sedgemoor is a low-lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense). The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part Wes ...

District Council in 1974. Number eleven Castle Street was acquired as part of the arts centre in 1982. Number 15 is known as Legion House. It was originally built as a private house in the mid 18th century but is now used by the

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in n ...

North side

Number 2 which is on the corner with West Quay has the same Flemish-bond brick but has been painted. Number 4 has a vertical joint to Number 1 Bond Street on the left. Castle Street Bridgwater nursing home plaque

Castle Street Bridgwater nursing home plaque

Numbers 6, 8, 10 and 12 were originally a merchants houses and was used as nursing home from 1920 to 1990. The district nurses home originally opened in 1902 at Number 2 King Square to commemorate

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

but was moved to Castle Street in 1926. Numbers 6 to 14 were also built as merchants houses and are now offices.

References

{{reflist, 33em Grade I listed buildings in Sedgemoor Bridgwater Streets in Somerset Roads in Somerset

South side

North side

See also

References