Congresbury: Difference between revisions
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==Sport and recreation== |
==Sport and recreation== |
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[[File:Congresbury.jpg|alt=Roofs of houses showing amongst tree with prominent church tower. In the foreground are green fields with hills behind.|thumb|Congresbury]] |
[[File:Congresbury.jpg|alt=Roofs of houses showing amongst tree with prominent church tower. In the foreground are green fields with hills behind.|thumb|Congresbury]] |
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Congresbury has a [[List of King George V Playing Fields (Somerset)|King George's Field]] in memorial to [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]]. |
Congresbury has a [[List of King George V Playing Fields (Somerset)|King George's Field]] in memorial to [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]]. Sporting facilities include the football club, tennis club and cricket club] (formed in 1844)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.congresburycricketclub.co.uk/?page_id=2|title=About|publisher=Congresbury Cricket Club|accessdate=21 March 2010}}</ref> which all have facilities provided by the Congresbury Recreation Club. The Recreation Club is also home to several skittles and darts teams and is the home of the Congresbury CyberCafe. In the village there is also a bowls club. |
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The village has several public houses, including ''The Plough'', ''The Star'', ''The Ship & Castle'' and ''The Old Inn''. Cadbury Garden Centre is situated in the village, and is one of the UK's leading & largest garden centres. There is a wide variety of shops, many of them owned by individuals offering specialist products. |
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Congresbury's history lies mainly as a farming village, but only about seven farms now (2007) remain. |
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In the beginning of the 21st century, Congresbury opened a Millennium Green and a Millennium Bridge, situated next to the River Yeo. As well as being a quiet sanctuary it has also played host to a village music festival. |
In the beginning of the 21st century, Congresbury opened a Millennium Green and a Millennium Bridge, situated next to the River Yeo. As well as being a quiet sanctuary it has also played host to a village music festival. |
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There is an annual village fete held at the primary school. |
There is an annual village fete held at the primary school. |
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Sporting facilities include the football club, tennis club and cricket club] (formed in 1844)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.congresburycricketclub.co.uk/?page_id=2|title=About|publisher=Congresbury Cricket Club|accessdate=21 March 2010}}</ref> which all have facilities provided by the Congresbury Recreation Club. The Recreation Club is also home to several skittles and darts teams and is the home of the Congresbury CyberCafe. In the village there is also a bowls club. |
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maintained by the local conservation group [http://www.wlowman.freeserve.co.uk/Oursite/ YACWAG] and the [[North Somerset Levels]]. |
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maintained by the local conservation group YACWAG. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 15:09, 17 October 2011
| Congresbury | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's Church, Congresbury | |
| Population | 3,400 (2001)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST435635 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode district | BS49 |
| Dialling code | 01934 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Congresbury (locally pronounced "Congsbry") is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the Unitary authority of North Somerset, and in 2001 had a population of 3,400.[1] It lies on the A370, roughly equidistant between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol International Airport, approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Bristol city centre, and 7 miles (11 km) east of Weston-super-Mare. The Congresbury Yeo river flows through the village.
The nearest railway station is in the nearby village of Yatton, although Congresbury once had its own railway station on the Cheddar Valley line from Yatton to Wells. It was also the starting point for the Wrington Vale Light Railway which went to nearby Wrington and then on to Blagdon.
History
Congresbury is named after St Congar, who is said to have performed three miracles in the area.[2] The second part of the name is thought to come from burh meaning fortified place.[3] The archaeologist Mick Aston identified an Anglo-Saxon sculpture of St Congar which is believed to have come from St Andrews Church, and which is now in the Somerset County Museum in Taunton.[4] The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred.[5]
The Vicarage includes an early 19th century vicarage and former Priest's House from around 1446. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[6]
The village cross dates from the 15th century and is a Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.[7]
The village had a school founded in the 1870s that was split into separate infant and junior schools in the early 1970s. In September, 2009 the two schools were re-joined as one primary school.
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.
The parish falls within the unitary authority of North 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.
North 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 the town hall in Weston-super-Mare. Between April 1, 1974 and April 1, 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon.[8] Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Axbridge Rural District.[9]
The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of the Weston-super-Mare county constituency. 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.
Economy
Congresbury is a large village and has several public houses including The Plough, The Star, The Ship & Castle, The Old Inn and The White Hart. Cadbury Garden Centre is situated in the village, and is one of the UK's leading & largest garden centres. There is a wide variety of shops, many of them owned by individuals offering specialist products. In the village precinct on Brinsea Street there is a Costcutter, the Crusty Loaf bakers/sandwich shop, Hodders the butchers, a Post Office, newsagent, a fish & chip shop and nearby, a small car dealership. Near the village cross there is the Ship and Castle pub, a carpet shop, window shop, two hairdresser/beauty shops, a barbers, an Indian cuisine restaurant and an Indian cuisine take-away, an outdoors leisure wear shop and an estate agent. On the other side of the A370 there is a piano shop, hairdresser, and several local businesses. Heading west out of the village towards Weston-super-Mare there is a convenience store, doctors surgery, sports shop, two large car dealerships, a Greek cuisine restaurant and a petrol station. Heading north out the village towards Bristol there is another petrol station and a Tesco Express built in 2011.
Education
The local education authority is North Somerset Council. Congresbury has a pre-school and St Andrews Primary School. Secondary education is not available in the village and so many of Congresbury's children commute daily to the nearby village of Churchill to attend Churchill School.
Sport and recreation
Congresbury has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V. Sporting facilities include the football club, tennis club and cricket club] (formed in 1844)[10] which all have facilities provided by the Congresbury Recreation Club. The Recreation Club is also home to several skittles and darts teams and is the home of the Congresbury CyberCafe. In the village there is also a bowls club. The village is home to the Mendip Spring Country Club and Golf Course, and also offers fishing lakes.
In the beginning of the 21st century, Congresbury opened a Millennium Green and a Millennium Bridge, situated next to the River Yeo. As well as being a quiet sanctuary it has also played host to a village music festival. There is an annual village fete held at the primary school.
Congresbury lies next to the Strawberry Line, an old railway line now converted to a pathway for walkers and cyclists to enjoy the countryside with views over reserves on Congresbury Moor maintained by the local conservation group YACWAG and the North Somerset Levels.
References
- ^ a b "Parish of Congresbury" (PDF). 2001 Census Parish Information Sheet. North Somerset Council. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
- ^ Scott, Shane (1995). The hidden places of Somerset. Aldermaston: Travel Publishing Ltd. p. 37. ISBN 1902007018.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Havinden, Michael. The Somerset Landscape. The making of the English landscape. London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 84. ISBN 0340201169.
- ^ Eggington, Steve (January 2008). "The Time Team Prof". Mendip Times.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "The Vicarage and The Refectory". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
- ^ "Village Cross". Listed Buildings Online. English Heritage. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995". HMSO. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Axbridge Rural District
- ^ "About". Congresbury Cricket Club. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
External links
