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Midsomer Norton

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Midsomer Norton
River Somer and War memorial at Midsomer Norton
OS grid referenceST664540
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townRADSTOCK
Postcode districtBA3
Dialling code01761
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireAvon
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset

Midsomer Norton is a town in Somerset, England, 10 miles (16.1 km) south-west of Bath, 10 miles (16 km) north-east of Wells and 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Frome, also 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Bristol. It is part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton Radstock, and the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset.

History

Midsomer Norton was originally called Norton Canonicorum being linked to Merton Priory in London until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1546. It later became Midsummer Norton, Midsummer's Day (24th June) being the Feast Day of the Parish Church's Patron Saint, St.John the Baptist. It was inaccessible at times during the year caused by frequent flooding especially in winter (problem now alleviated by a storm water tunnel). Sometime, it is believed, in the early 19th century the name was changed to Midsomer Norton to reflect its location on the River Somer.

It was previously served by a station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway but this closed in 1966, and by a second station on the Bristol and North Somerset Railway at Welton in the valley. The railways were separate,the S&D being administered by the Midland and Southern Companies and the North Somerset, the Great Western. The stations were both called "Midsomer Norton and Welton" (the B&NSR station was originally called just "Welton"); under British Railways, the S&D station was renamed as Midsomer Norton South after a short period as Midsomer Norton Upper and is currently being restored with occasional open weekends with engines in steam. The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust one day hope to operate steam trains for a mile up to Chilcompton Tunnel but there remains much to do before this longed for event can happen.

Geography

Midsomer Norton lies on the River Somer which rises to the west of Chilcompton and also the Wellow Brook which rises near the village of Ston Easton. The town therefore occupies two valleys of the Mendip Hills and these merge west of Radstock. The combined river then flows east reaching the River Avon near Midford, thence to Bath and through Bristol into the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth.

Religious sites and communities

File:Mnchurch.JPG
Midsomer Norton church

The oldest building in Midsomer Norton is the Catholic Church of the Holy Ghost, which is a 15th century tithe barn converted by the famous architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It is a grade II* listed building.[1] . The local Catholic community are served by Benedictine monks from nearby Downside Abbey, coming under the Diocese of Clifton. The Anglican church of St John the Baptist has a 17th century west tower, but the rest was rebuilt in Gothic style by John Pinch the younger in 1830-1831 and was extended in the 20th century with new chancel and lady chapel. It is also a grade II* listed building.[2] The churchyard includes a memorial to the 12 miners killed in 1839 when their rope was severed.[3] St. John's is part of the Bath & Wells Diocese which now celebrating 1100 years of history. The Patronage vests in Christ Church, Oxford.

The Methodist Church in the town's picturesque High Street is celebrating its 150th Anniversary in 2009.[4] In 1746, John Wesley's preachers, based in Bristol were invited to preach in the town, the man himself first coming in 1767. By the middle of the 1800s, the congregation had outgrown the original chapel (now demolished) in Rackvernal Road. In the 1990s, the church building and adjoining hall were totally refurbished and linked, the facilities being well used by the local community. Local Methodists are part of the Bristol District of the Methodist Church and in the North East Somerset & Bath Circuit.

The Baptist Church have their building in Welton but usually hold their main Sunday service at a local school to accommodate the congregation.

The Salvation Army meet in their citadel at Stones Cross.

Education

Norton Hill School was described by Ofsted in 2007 as outstanding in every respect.[5]

Somervale School is the only school in the country to have its own community radio station.

Excellent first schools include Midsomer Norton Primary, St. John's Church of England, Welton Primary and Longvernal Primary.

Norton Radstock College provides further education.

Industry and Commerce

Following the demise of the coalmining industry, the existing print and packaging firms expanded on local trading estates and in Welton. Regrettably some of the larger firms have disappeared due to relocation and retrenchment. Inadequate transport links and lack of access to the national motorway network has been a handicap. However the business parks are busy and the town and environs has its share of national trading companies including DIY, supermarkets and retail outlets. The town's High Street is a bustling and pleasant place to shop, there being free parking. Many inhabitants commute to Bath and Bristol for employment and major retail therapy. Ring & Ride services for the elderly and handicapped are well used. The town's free newspaper 'the Midsomer Norton & District Journal' indicates that the area is very much alive. The 'Somerset Guardian', part of the Daily Mail Group is also well read.

The High Street, in common with many towns, now houses several well-known chains such as Argos, Sainsburys and LIDL.

Culture

Flanders and Swann

Midsomer Norton's railway heritage has been memorialised in a famous song associated with railway closures, Slow Train, lyrics by Michael Flanders, music by Donald Swann:-

'No more will I go to Blandford Forum and Mortehoe

On the slow train from Midsomer Norton and Munby Road

No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat

At Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street

We won't be meeting you

On the slow train …'

Roald Dahl

Children's author Roald Dahl, prior to his writing fame, used to sell kerosene in Midsomer Norton and the surrounding area in the 1930s. He describes the experience vividly in his autobiographical work Boy: Tales of Childhood (published 1984):

"My kerosene motor-tanker had a tap at the back and when I rolled into Shepton Mallet or Midsomer Norton or Peasedown St John or Huish Champflower, the old girls and the young maidens would hear the roar of my motor and would come out of their cottages with jugs and buckets to buy a gallon of kerosene for their lamps and their heaters. It is fun for a young man to do that sort of thing. Nobody gets a nervous breakdown or a heart attack from selling kerosene to gentle country folk from the back of a tanker in Somerset on a fine summer's day."

Midsomer Murders

The name of the town has more recently given occasional rise to confusion with the popular TV series Midsomer Murders, but there is no known link between them.

Music scene

Midsomer Norton's main live music venue is The Wunderbar. It is a small bar located in the cellar of an estate agents on The High Street. It has been open since October 1994 and hosts regular concerts by local bands and regional touring acts as well as 'open mic' events and plays host to is own internet radio station that specialises in playing local underground rock and punk music. Some of the memorable performances of recent years have been by Blueneck, Thirteen Senses, The Heys, Left Side Brain, The Big and also Patchway Theft, The Volt and Cole Ford at The Wunderbar's first Love Music Hate Racism benefit gig.

Regular concerts and events are held in the town and local leisure centres. Choir concerts (male voices in particular) command a good following and the Lions club is a lively promoter of such attractions.

University of the Third Age

The local U3A is now 10 years old and thriving.

Notable people from Midsomer Norton

Main page: Category:People from Midsomer Norton

Entertainers

Literary Figures

  • Andrew Webb, published poet, whose works include "An Indian Summer", "Flakes of Paint" and "The Circus Act".
  • Uriah Maggs, Midsomer Norton-born founder in 1853 of longest-surviving antiquarian booksellers in the world, London-based Maggs Bros Ltd.

Historical Figures

  • William Bees (12 September 1871 - 20 June 1938), English recipient of the Victoria Cross for services in South Africa in 1901.
  • Kay Beauchamp, sister of Joan (see below), born Midsomer Norton, 27 May 1899, died 25 January 1992. Leading light in the Communist Party of Great Britain in the 1920s. Helped found the Daily Worker (later The Morning Star) and was a local councillor in Finsbury.
  • Joan Beauchamp, sister of Kay (see above). Prominent suffragette and friend of pioneering women’s campaigner Sylvia Pankhurst. One of the first women graduates of the University of London. Also helped found the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1920.
  • Generations of miners who worked in the difficult conditions of the local collieries of the Somerset Coalfield (see Radstock Museum). A great debt is owed to them.

Sportspeople

Academics

  • Professor L.R. (Leslie Rowsell) Moore, son of a Somerset coalminer, professor of Geology at Sheffield University until his retirement in 1977.
  • Geoffrey Tovey, doctor whose scientific contributions in the field of haematology brought him an international reputation. Also an expert in serology and founder and Director of the UK Transplant Service. Born on May 29 1916 at Midsomer Norton, died 19 December 2001.
  • Duncan Steel, Reader in space technology at the Joule Physics Laboratory, University of Salford, author of "Marking Time: The Epic Quest to Invent the Perfect Calendar" and "Eclipse: The Celestial Phenomenon Which Has Changed the Course of History". Also writer of science articles for the Guardian national newspaper. He discovered the asteroid 9767 Midsomer Norton in 1992 which he named after his home town.

Public Servants

  • Sir Ronald Gould - local Primary Head Master and later Secretary of the National Union of Teachers in the mid 20th century.

Historian

  • Norman Voake - (Father of Steve) who has written histories of local schools and Methodism in Midsomer Norton.

See Radstock Museum's Magazine 'Five Arches' for more local history.

Sport

Association Football - Welton Rovers (Toolstation Premier) also Welton Arsenal, Norton Hill Rangers and others.

Cricket - Midsomer Norton also Midsomer Norton Methodists and others.

Rugby Football - Midsomer Norton

South Wansdyke Leisure Centre provides a wide range of activities including swimming. Norton Hill and Somervale School also have sports facilities used by town and local groups.

References

  1. ^ "Church of the Holy Ghost". Images of England. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
  2. ^ "Church of St John the Baptist". Images of England. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
  3. ^ Scott, Shane (1995). The hidden places of Somerset. Aldermaston: Travel Publishing Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 1902007018. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "Midsomer Norton Methodist Church Centre". Midsomer Norton Methodist Church Centre. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  5. ^ "Norton Hill School". Norton Hill School. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
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