Saltford
Coordinates: 51°24′05″N 2°27′33″W / 51.4015°N 2.4592°W
| Saltford | |
 St Mary's Church, Saltford |
|
 Saltford
Saltford shown within Somerset |
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| Population | 4,153 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST681670 |
| Unitary authority | Bath and North East Somerset |
| Ceremonial county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS31 |
| Dialling code | 01225 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | North East Somerset |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Saltford is a large village and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. It lies between the cities of Bristol and Bath.
It lies on the A4 road and River Avon, to which the Saltford and Kelston locks provide access. The low-lying area is prone to flooding.
The local primary school (Saltford C of E Primary School) has good results.
There are four public houses in the village: The Bird in Hand, The Jolly Sailor, The Crown and The Riverside. Saltford is home to a number of listed buildings.
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[edit] History
The parish of Saltford was part of the Keynsham Hundred,[2]
[edit] Governance
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 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 or community centre, playing fields and playgrounds, 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.
Noted here that the community hall (www.saltfordhall.co.uk) is actually run and maintained by a local charity called the Saltford Community Association not the Parish Council. The SCA produces a magazine free for all Saltford residents and all the trustees are volunteers.
The parish falls within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. it is also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the Great Western Ambulance Service.
Bath and North East Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in Bath. Between April 1, 1974 and April 1, 1996, it was the Wansdyke district and the City of Bath of the county of Avon.[3] Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Keynsham Urban District.[4]
The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of North East Somerset.[5] It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It is also part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.
[edit] Old buildings
St Mary's Church, Saltford, is a Norman church which dates back to the 12th century and is a Grade II listed building.[6] The tower dates from Saxon times, although it has been extensively repaired and the top 10 feet were added later. The church used to include an external porch, but this was demolished in the nineteenth century and the stone used to build the vestry; the line of the porch can still be viewed on the ground, by the layout of the drainage. In the nineteenth century, there were not only external changes to the church, but also internal; the gallery which houses the church organ, for example, was constructed in the early part of the century.[7]
Saltford Manor House, which lies west of the church, dates from around 1160, and was found by a survey by Country Life to be the oldest continuously occupied house in England.[8][9] Architectural historian John Goodall believes the house has details, particularly in the ornate windows, which date it securely to before 1150, and probably to around 1148, the completion date of Hereford Cathedral, with which it has some similarities.[10] The front facade of the house is newer and dates from the 17th century.[11]
The 18th-century Old Brass Mill is, like the Manor House, listed as Grade II*[12] and is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[13] The Brass Mill was one of a series of mills along the Avon Valley which were powered by waterwheels.[14]
[edit] Sport
The village is the location of the Avon County Rowing Club, a club which is available for local community from a young age to adults, the site is also used by Bristol University for training. The club has competed at both and national level, having success from its veteran 4 at racing events like Henley Royal Regatta and other events like the British Rowing Championships.[15]
There is also a sports and social club behind Saltford Hall that maintains a large area of open land leased from BANES that is used mainly for football and cricket. The club is not for profit and has close links with Saltford Community Association.
[edit] Education
Saltford has had a primary school in the village for a number of centuries. Originally housed in what is now St Mary's Church Hall, the school is now located off Claverton Road. A Church of England school, it has its own swimming pool, large fields, a pond and a playground. The school has invested greatly in IT facilities and its library. It has recently received outstanding reviews in five key areas by Ofsted inspections.[16]
The school will shortly have a purpose built before and after school nursery on site, run by a local business.
[edit] Public transport
Bus services connect Saltford with Bath, Keynsham and Bristol.
The Saltford Environment Group is campaigning for the reopening of Saltford railway station on the Bath-Bristol line. The station closed in 1970.[17]
[edit] Notable residents
[edit] References
- ^ "Population Statistics for Bath & North East Somerset". Statistics and Census Information. Bath and North East Somerset. http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/councilanddemocracy/statisticsandcensusinformation/Pages/default.aspx. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995". HMSO. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950493_en_1.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Keynsham Urban District
- ^ "Somerset North East: New Boundaries Calculation". Electoral Calculus: General Election Prediction. http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/cgi-bin/calcwork.pl?seat=Somerset%20North%20East. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
- ^ "Church of St Mary". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=485123. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ "Official St Mary's, Saltford Website". http://www.stmaryssaltford.org.uk/. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ^ "Oldest occupied house named". BBC News August 2003. 2003-08-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/3186765.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ "Saltford Manor House". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=485125. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ Kennedy, Maev (2003-08-28). "Britain's longest-inhabited dwelling". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/aug/28/arts.artsnews1. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ^ Nikolaus Pevsner. North Somerset and Bristol. Page 254.
- ^ "Old Brass Mill". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=485129. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ "Brass Mill". Listed Buildings Online. English Heritage. http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=485129&resourceID=5. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ "History". About the Saltford Brass Mill. http://www.tcsafety.co.uk/2010_01_16_saltford_brassmill_002.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ "Avon County Rowing Club". Avon County Rowing Club. http://www.avoncountyrowingclub.org.uk/page1g.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Saltford C of E Primary School". http://www.saltford.bathnes.sch.uk/index.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ^ "Saltford Station Campaign News". http://www.saltfordenvironmentgroup.org.uk/station.html. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
[edit] External links
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