Draycott, Somerset

Coordinates: 51°15′23″N 2°45′03″W / 51.2563°N 2.7507°W / 51.2563; -2.7507
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the other Draycott in Somerset, see Limington.

Draycott
Avon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°15′23″N 2°45′03″W / 51.2563°N 2.7507°W / 51.2563; -2.7507

Draycott is a village in Somerset, England, neighbouring the village of Cheddar on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is now the larger village in the civil parish of Rodney Stoke.

History

There is some evidence of occupation of the site in the Iron Age including an unfinished earthwork enclosure on the hill above Draycott.[1]

The village was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Draicote, meaning 'The dray shelter' from the Old English dragan and cot.[2] Another derivation is from the Brythonic from Tre meaning settlement and Coet meanings woods.

Geography

Close to the village is the Draycott Sleights nature reserve which has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Halesland Airfield is situated just to the north of the village and is home to the

old railway station
is called The Strawberry Special.

The A371 road runs north to south through the village's longest axis. Despite being classified as an A-road, it significantly narrows at certain points along the southern part of the village and has been the cause of congestion during times of increased traffic flow such as during the summer tourist season.

Church

The church of

wrought-iron rood screen (1894), and the neo-Norman font by William Burges.[5]

Controversially, in 2006, the church attempted to sell the font for £110,000.

Court of Arches, one of the Church of England's highest courts. The court found "no compelling need to dispose of the font had been demonstrated" and concluded that, if allowed, "much of which adorns and adds interest, both historically and architecturally, to our churches would be lost to future generations."[8]

Former railway station

The former railway station was part of the Strawberry Line, which ran out of Yatton (Somerset), towards Wells. Draycott Station was the stop after Cheddar. The station opened in 1878. The line closed in the early 1960s.

Notable residents

  • Henry Barber (1841–1924), English amateur cricketer, died in Draycott.
  • Barry Rose (b. 1934), English choir trainer and organist.

References

  1. ^ "Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (PDF). Somerset County Council Archeological Projects. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  2. ISBN 1-874336-03-2
    .
  3. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Peter (1058589)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 July 2006.
  4. ISBN 0-7153-7297-1
    .
  5. ^ "Church of St Peter". Retrieved 17 July 2006.
  6. ^ "Historic Font to Remain at Draycott — Heritage and History". Heritageandhistory.com. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Font sale go ahead will help church in need of repair :: Christian Publishing and Outreach (CPO) Central". CPO. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Cambridge Journals Online - Fulltext". Journals.cambridge.org. Retrieved 19 February 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Draycott.
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