Beckington

Coordinates: 51°15′54″N 2°17′04″W / 51.2649°N 2.2845°W / 51.2649; -2.2845
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Standerwick" redirects here. For the UK coach operator, see
Standerwick (producer)
.

Beckington
Avon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
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UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°15′54″N 2°17′04″W / 51.2649°N 2.2845°W / 51.2649; -2.2845

Beckington is a village and

civil parish in Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome. According to the 2011 census the parish, which includes the hamlet of Rudge, which has a population of 983, and the hamlet of Standerwick.[1]

History

Beckington is mentioned in the

Frome and, given that a Hundred comprised one hundred hides, the estate would appear to have made up a significant proportion of its hundred.[3]

During the medieval period, Beckington was a major centre for the wool trade.[2] By the 15th century, fulling mills had been built along the banks of the River Frome which supported the spinning and weaving cottage industries.[2]

The English antiquary John Aubrey (1626–1697) noted in his Brief Lives: "Carrots were first sown at Beckington in Somersetshire. Some very old Man there did remember their first bringing hither."[4]

In September 1766, rioters marched to Beckington and set on fire a mill and other property,[2] in spite of being offered money and parish relief for their families.[2]

Governance

The

neighbourhood watch
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, 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 the responsibility of the council.

The village falls within the

crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism
.

waste disposal
and strategic planning.

The village falls in the 'Beckington and Selwood'

2011 census was 2,125.[6]

It is also part of the

MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation
.

Transport

Street scene showing brown stone houses with tiled roofs. Several parked cars in the road.
Bath Road, Beckington

Beckington was on the A36 until a bypass was built in 1989. For years, the T-junction in the centre of the village was in grid-lock during the busy commuter times and holiday season. The location was marked by a large, evergreen bush that was cleverly snipped to the shape of a battle-tank.

Education

Beckington school is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School which was built in 1852.[7] Springmead Preparatory School is also based in the village.[8]

Landmarks

Beckington Castle

Seymours Court Farmhouse dates from the 15th century and is Grade I listed. It was once the home of Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, who married Queen Catherine Parr.[9]

Ravenscroft School between 1945 and 1970, was originally built in the 17th century.[10] It is now home to a company providing technical and procurement support to the Ministry of Defence.[11] The Wool Hall, next door, dates from the 16th century, was substantially restored in the 19th century, and served as a recording studio from the early 1980s until its closure in 2004.[12]

The cottages along Church Street date from around 1720.

Like the Wool Hall, the Woolpack Inn took its name from the village trade and opened as a coaching inn in the 16th century,[13] but the current building was rebuilt on the site in the late 18th.[14]

Beckington is also home to two

village pumps.[15]
One of these described as "smart", is near the church under a hooded wooden structure, whilst the other, described as "altogether less grand", is located on a parkway.

Religious sites

It has a

Church of St George dating from the 14th century. The tower contains two bells dating from 1756 and made by Thomas Bilbie of the Bilbie family.[16] It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.[17]

The Abbey, Beckington, dating from 1502, is a former monastic grange and college for priests later adapted as a house.

Standerwick

The hamlet of Standerwick within the parish of Beckington includes the

public house, The Bell. Its existence is recorded as far back as 1660. Buildings include Standerwick Court, a manor house in the grounds of which is said to be an ancient encampment, perhaps a connecting station between Bath and King Alfred's Tower
at Stourton.

Foxes Drove Farm dates from around 1750.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b "Beckington Parish". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e "History". Beckington Village web site. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  3. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  4. ^ Oliver Lawson Dick, ed. Aubrey's Brief Lives. Edited from the Original Manuscripts (1949), p. xxxv
  5. ^ "Frome RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Beckington and Selwood ward 2011". Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Beckington School". Beckington School. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Springmead School". Springmead School. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  9. ^ Historic England. "Seymours Court Farmhouse (1058220)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  10. ^ Historic England. "The Castle (1296202)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Beckington Castle Directions". S.E.A. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  12. ^ "The Wool Hall, Beckington". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  13. ^ "The Woolpack". The Woolpack. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  14. ^ Historic England. "The Woolpack Inn (1295994)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
  15. ^ "Beckington pumps".
  16. ISBN 0-9526702-0-8
    .
  17. ^ Historic England. "Church of St George (1345317)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
  18. ^ "History". Beckington village. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  19. ^ Ford, David. "Thomas Beckington (1390–1465)". Royal Berkshire History. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  20. ^ Burke, John (1838). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank. Henry Colburn. p. 69.
  21. ^ "SIR WILLIAM ROGER BROWN, Knight Bachelor, Justice of the Peace for the county of Wiltshire, Lord of the Manor of Beckington" in Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, Armorial Families: A Complete Peerage, Baronetage, and a Directory of Some Gentlemen of Coat-armour (1895), p. xxxiv
  22. ^ "Alfred Parsons, R.A." Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 8 May 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beckington.
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