Midford
| Midford | |
|---|---|
Avon and Somerset | |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Midford is a village approximately 3 miles (5 km) south-south-east of
). Although all five parishes extend very near to the village centre, most of the residents reside in the parish of Southstoke and are part of the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority.The
Railways and canal
In the village, straddling the B3110 road, is the disused viaduct of the
For about four years from 1911 to 1915, Midford had a second railway station:
Places of interest
On the hillside above Midford is Midford Castle a late 18th-century folly castle built in the shape of the ace of clubs (♣). The castle was built in 1775 by Henry Disney Roebuck. It was owned by the Briggs family who spent 45 years restoring the castle, before its sale in July 2007, to actor Nicolas Cage for £5 million. It changed hands again in 2009.
To the west of the village is upper Midford. Here in 1995 plans were made to create a new plantation to be known as
To the east of Midford village along the restored canal bed and towpath is
Fuller's earth in Horsecombe Vale
In 1883 George Dames and his brother Charles Richard Dames leased land in Horsecombe Vale from the Midford Castle estate and opened a mine and processing works for Fuller's earth. The mines extended nearly 20 acres (8.1 ha) through four adits. In 1915 the works was taken over by the Fuller's Earth Union and despite geological problems continued until the end of World War II. At the bottom of the valley was the pan grinding works where water from Horsecombe Brook was used to make a slurry from which sand settled at the bottom of troughs. The slurry then passed through an earthenware pipe to Tucking Mill just beyond Midford, where a second stage of sedimentation took place.[4]
Transport links
Midford is one of the starting points for a project by Sustrans (sustainable transport) organisation to link with an existing cycle route to the City of Bath via the Two Tunnels Greenway. The project has re-opened the old Devonshire and Combe Down railway tunnels to make the new link.[5]
Local amenities
There is one
References
- ^ "Midford Millennium Wood Management Plan 2012-2017" (PDF). The Woodland Trust 8 January 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "Midford Aqueduct". Avon Industrial Buildings Trust (AIBT) 17 August 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "The titfield thunderbolt". World news 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-899889-32-7.
- ^ "Work beings on Bath Two Tunnels route at famous Devonshire tunnel". Sustrans 8 March 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
Further reading
- Somerset Railway Stations, by Mike Oakley. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press (2002)
- Wiltshire Railway Stations, by Mike Oakley. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press
External links
