Warleigh is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in the

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 ...

of Bathford, 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. ...

district, in the ceremonial 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 ...

, England. It lies east 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 ...

, on the River Avon, it is primarily known as the location of Warleigh Weir and Warleigh Manor.

History

Warleigh Manor

The Skrine family lived at Warleigh from 1643. The present Warleigh Manor was built in 1815 as a

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

for Henry Skrine (d.1853); his father Henry Skrine (d.1803) was known for his writings on his travels in Great Britain. John Webb, a Staffordshire architect, designed the house in the revivalist Tudor style. Skrines owned the house for the next seven generations; it was altered and extended in 1907. The building was designated as

Grade II* listed 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, H ...

in 1956 as an early example of the Tudor revival. In the same year, the contents were sold and the house and its stable block were occupied by a series of educational establishments: Rodbourne College, Bathford College, and Warleigh Manor School. In 1999, it was renovated and converted into residential units. Close to the house are the former stables (around three sides of a courtyard) and the former

orangery An orangery or orangerie is a room or dedicated building, historically where orange and other fruit trees are protected during the winter, as a large form of greenhouse or conservatory. In the modern day an orangery could refer to either ...

. Both are of the same period as the house – early to mid 19th century – and are now in residential use.

Warleigh Weir

Warleigh Weir was originally built to supply a head of water from the Avon to a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

in Claverton. The

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

was raised by 12 inches between 1809 and 1813 as part of the construction program for the

Claverton Pumping Station Claverton Pumping Station in the village of Claverton, in the English county of Somerset, pumps water from the River Avon to the Kennet and Avon Canal using power from the flow of the river. It is a Grade I listed building, having been upgrade ...

, built on the site of the mill. The weir is not publicly accessible from Warleigh, although previously a

ferryman A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

operated from Ferry Cottage in Warleigh to the river island, at least until the 1950s. The weir can be accessed from a bridge on the Claverton side of the river. The weir and the bridge to the island are both owned by the

Canal & River Trust The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the ...

. Today the weir is a popular wild swimming spot and has been for at least 100 years.

References

{{reflist Hamlets in Bath and North East Somerset