Timsbury, Somerset
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Timsbury is a village and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in England, in the
Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority district in Somerset, South West England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. ...
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
of the county of
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
. It lies south-west of
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
, close to the
Cam Brook The Cam brook is a small river in Somerset, England. It rises near Hinton Blewitt, flows through Cameley, Temple Cloud, Camerton, Dunkerton and Combe Hay. It then joins the Wellow Brook at Midford to form Midford Brook before joining t ...
river. The parish, which includes the
hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...
of Radford and Wall Mead, and part of Meadgate hamlet, had a population of 2,624 in 2011.


History

The village has been known as Timfborough, Tymmersbarue, Timsbarrow (meaning Timbered grove), Timsbyre (wooded hillside) and Temsbury throughout its long history. Timsbury has been a settlement since the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
. Among the earliest written records is entry in the Norman
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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086:
"Williams holds Timsbury from the Bishop of Coutance. Ape held it before 1066. It paid tax for 3 hides, land for 3 ploughs, in lordship, 1 plough, 2 slaves, one and one half hides, 2 villagers and 1
smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technolo ...
with 1 plough and one and one half hides, 2 parts of a mill which pays two shillings, meadow 26 acres. Pasture as well, 1 cob, 9 cattle, 14 pigs and 60 sheep, the value was 26 shillings, now 50 shillings."
The entry then goes on to describe the mill at Radford, to the south of the village. The parish was part of the
hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
of
Chew Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by the teeth. It is the first step in the process of digestion, allowing a greater surface area for digestive enzymes to break down the foods. During the mastication proc ...
. Timsbury House was a large mansion house owned by the Samborne family. Built towards the end of the 15th century by Richard Samborne. His successor Barnaby Samborne was knighted for his services to Queen
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
. The building was demolished in 1961, and St. Marys Green and Somerset Folly estates now occupy the original site. One unusual feature of the estate was the presence of a
ha-ha A ha-ha ( or ), also known as a sunk fence, blind fence, ditch and fence, deer wall, or foss, is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier (particularly on one side) while preserving an uninterrupted view of the lan ...
(sunken path). This was constructed to allow the Samborne family privacy from the local inhabitants as they passed the house. Pitfour House in the High street was built in the mid 17th century. The terrace of houses at Crook Barton dates back to around 1700. In 1795, the Gooseyard bridge in Timsbury parish was the starting point for 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, throug ...
which served the seven coal mines at Amesbury, Mearns, Tyning, Hayeswood, Old Grove, and Upper and Lower Conygre, around the village which formed a major part of the
Somerset Coalfield The Somerset Coalfield in northern Somerset, England is an area where coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973. It is part of a larger coalfield which stretched into southern Gloucestershire. The Somerset coalfield stretched from Cromh ...
. Lower Conygre (Conigre in some old spellings) was sunk in 1847 and in 1896 was merged with the older Upper Congyre which had been started in 1791. They were owned by Samborne Smith and Company in 1908, and then by Beaumont, Kennedy and Co. The Amesbury pit opened before 1701 and closed in the early 19th century. Hayeswood colliery opened in 1750 and closed in 1862. Tyning opened in 1766 followed by Mearns which was sunk in 1783 and closed in 1824. The canal was later replaced by a railway line in the early 1900s, the
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
Radford and Timsbury Halt served the needs of passengers from the village. The Coal canal brought prosperity to the village and several other large houses were built in the area. Renny's on Love's Hill, as was its neighbour, Vale House. Parish's House on the south eastern side of the village was an 1816 extension of a much earlier house. It is attributed to Thomas Baldwin of Bath for Captain Parish R.N., is fronted by an ornate
balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...
, and includes a stable block from the same date. Greenhill House was also constructed in the early 1800s. Originally owned by St Johns Hospital in Bath, it has passed through the hands of various institutions during its history. It was eventually purchased by the charity originally known as The Cheshire Foundation Homes for the Sick, in 1976 it became the Leonard Cheshire Foundation. In July 2007 it changed to its current name,
Leonard Cheshire Disability Leonard Cheshire is a major health and welfare charity working in the United Kingdom and running development projects around the world. It was founded in 1948 by Royal Air Force officer Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC. Leonard Cheshire's a ...
. In 1978, the core of the village, centred around the Square and the High Street, was designated a
conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
, which is now considered "at risk". Many of its buildings constructed from the local White Lias stone in the 1700s are now protected from inappropriate development. The Miners Memorial Garden, close to the Square, marks the village's long association with coal mining. It was in built in 1995 to mark the centenary of an underground explosion at Upper Conygre pit in 1895, which claimed the lives of seven miners and four horses.


Governance

Since 1894, the parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and
neighbourhood watch A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch (see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also called a crime watch or neighbourhood crime watch, is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime a ...
groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the
village hall A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local gover ...
or
community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...
,
playing field Play is a range of Motivation#Intrinsic and extrinsic, intrinsically motivated activities done for recreation. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other high ...
s and
playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
s, community library, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council. The parish falls within the
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
of
Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority district in Somerset, South West England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. ...
which was created in 1996, as established by the
Local Government Act 1992 The Local Government Commission for England was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of local government in England from 1992 to 2002. It was established under the Local Government Act 1992, replacing the Local Government Boundary ...
. It provides a single tier of
local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including
local planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...
and building control, local roads,
council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...
,
environmental health Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with all aspects of the natural environment, natural and built environment affecting human health. To effectively control factors that may affect health, the requirements for a hea ...
, markets and fairs,
refuse collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of list of waste treatment technologies, treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes th ...
,
recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...
,
cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...
,
crematoria Cremation is a method of final disposition of a corpse through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and Syria, cremation on an open-air pyr ...
, leisure services, parks, and tourism. They are also responsible for
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
,
social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...
,
libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
, main roads, public transport, Trading Standards,
waste disposal Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final Waste disposal, disposal. This includes the Waste collection, collection, transport, Sewage treatment, treatm ...
and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the
Avon Fire and Rescue Service Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) is the fire and rescue service covering the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire in South West England. The headquarters of the service is c ...
,
Avon and Somerset Constabulary Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the five unitary authority areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, all in South West Englan ...
and the
Great Western Ambulance Service The Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS) was a National Health Service (NHS) trust which provided emergency and non-emergency patient transport services to Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Swin ...
. Bath and North East Somerset's area covers part of the
ceremonial county Ceremonial counties, formally known as ''counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies'', are areas of England to which lord-lieutenant, lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch's repres ...
of
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
but it is administered independently of the
non-metropolitan county A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government. The non-metropolitan counties were originally created in 1974 as part of a reform of local government in England and Wales, and ...
. Its administrative headquarters is in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Wansdyke
district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
and the
City of Bath Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...
of the
county of Avon Avon ( ) was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England that existed between 1974 and 1996. The county was named after the River Avon, which flows through the area. It was formed from the county boroughs of Bristol and ...
. Before 1974 that the parish was part of the
Clutton Rural District Clutton was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894 as a successor to the rural sanitary district. In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972. The ...
. The village has one
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
with the same area and population as the parish. The parish is represented in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...
as part of North East Somerset and Hanham. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the
first past the post First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or First-preference votes, first-preference, and the cand ...
system of election.


Geography

The village is located on a plateau above sea level in the north east of Somerset. To the south is the northern edge of the
Mendip Hills The Mendip Hills (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath, Somerset, Bath in Somerset, England. Running from Weston-super-Mare and the Bristol Channel in the west to the River Frome, Somerset ...
, to the north is
Marksbury Marksbury is a small village and civil parish on the eastern edge of the affluent Chew Valley in Somerset, about from Keynsham and from Bath on the A39 where it meets the A368. The parish, which includes the villages of Hunstrete and S ...
plain. Bordered by two water courses, to the north by the Conygre Brook, and to the south by the
Cam Brook The Cam brook is a small river in Somerset, England. It rises near Hinton Blewitt, flows through Cameley, Temple Cloud, Camerton, Dunkerton and Combe Hay. It then joins the Wellow Brook at Midford to form Midford Brook before joining t ...
. Local landmarks to the north west include the Sleight, a small escarpment rising to for a distance of in an east westerly direction. This ridge leads the B3130 to the west of Timsbury past the Hayeswood Road Industrial Estate to connect with the A39. To the east is Tunley hill which rises to a height of , this is the easterly route to Bath via the B3130. There is some remaining managed woodland in the local area, but nothing like the amount there was in the past when the village was given its name of Timsbyre (wooded hillside). Dutch elm disease and the use of wood for building construction, fuel and furniture has denuded much of the local area of its trees.


Geology

The local underlying stone is of the
Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...
period, known as White Lias limestone. It is close to the surface on the southern slopes of the village, and has been used extensively for building purposes for hundreds of years. Some of it has undergone slight
metamorphic Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causi ...
transformation and has become quite hardened. This factor is evident in many of the older buildings where the softer layer stone has more readily eroded in places. There is an abundance of freestone (rubble stone) in many of the local fields, and this has provided much of the walling stone for the local farms.


Climate

Along with the rest of
South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...
, Timsbury has a
temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...
which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about with seasonal and diurnal variations, but due to the modifying effect of the sea, the range is less than in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between . July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around . In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The south west of England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the
Azores High The Azores High also known as North Atlantic (Subtropical) High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda- High, is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure typically found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse ...
extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK.
Cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...
often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduces exposure to sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1600 hours.
Rainfall Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...
tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower clouds and a large proportion of the annual precipitation falls from showers and
thunderstorms A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are som ...
at this time of year. Average rainfall is around . About 8–15 days of
snowfall Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...
is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest. The predominant wind direction is from the south west.


Location


Local amenities

Timsbury has four churches catering for various denominations and two cemeteries. The parish Church of St Mary the Virgin was rebuilt in 1826–32 and the east end added in 1852 by Sir
George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
. It has been designated by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
as a Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. In the churchyard are monuments to James Collins, Robert Langford, the Parsons family, two Smith monuments and one unidentified. The old rectory dates from around 1820. South road Methodist Church hall is home to various local groups including the Timsbury Ladies Choir. Tabor Free Methodist Church occupies a fine building of local stone on North Road. Its records show that the stained glass windows, the pews and the entrance screens were designed and made within the village. It was established as a church in 1865. In 1930 the then trustees decided against joining the Methodist Union and Tabor remains a free church under the control of the local trustees. The former Christadelphian church has been converted into housing. The village currently (2010) maintains a pre-school and primary school, a village hall and Youth club hall. The Conygre hall is used for village meetings, shows including antique fairs, flower shows and the village amateur dramatic society performances, local art group exhibitions and provate events. It has been extended in recent years and its other uses include short mat bowling, dance classes and also the local polling station. There is also a community-run library. The Conygre hall was built in 1973 and took its name from the Upper Conygre pit previously located opposite. Its cost was financed equally by local subscription, and the generosity of Major B.G.S. Cayzer, who was the second son of the Union Castle Shipping Line family and owned Parish's House. It is located in a former Miners welfare field purchased for their benefit and financed by a levy of a penny per ton of all coal mined in the local area. There are facilities for recreation and sport, including two
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
pitches,
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
and
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...
. There are two tennis courts and a well equipped enclosed children's play park area. There is a social hall for a branch of the British Legion in Newmans Lane, a YMCA building and one public house, the ''Seven Stars,'' on North Road. Statistical data (2007) provided by Bath and North East Somerset local council shows that Timsbury, (area 90 in the data), has above average access to local Authority services, has good health care facilities, a lower than average crime rate and good environmental living standards. Timsbury has its own pharmacy in the High Street and doctors' surgery in St Marys Close.


Notable residents

* Singer
Susan Chilcott Susan Chilcott (8 July 1963 – 4 September 2003) was an English soprano, considered one of the best of her generation. She died of breast cancer at the age of 40. She had success in many of the major opera houses around the world and was pa ...
grew up in the village. * Entertainer
Fred Wedlock Peter Frederick Wedlock (23 May 1942 – 4 March 2010) was an English folk singer best known for his UK hit single "The Oldest Swinger in Town", which was covered by German comedian Karl Dall as "Der älteste Popper der Stadt". He performed ...
* Actor
Anthony Head Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, ...
* Author Mark Boyle


References


External links

*
Timsbury community website (supported by the parish council)
{{Chew Valley Somerset coalfield Civil parishes in Somerset Villages in Bath and North East Somerset