Berkley, Somerset

Berkley
Church of St Mary, Berkley
Berkley Location within Somerset
Population	344
OS grid reference	ST810493
District	Mendip
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	FROME
Postcode district	BA11 0
Dialling code	01373
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Somerton and Frome

Berkley (grid reference ST810493) is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 344. The village is north-east of Frome.

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, 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 the responsibility of the council.

The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Mendip, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Frome Rural District, which is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.

It is also part of the Somerton and Frome county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and 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.

Church

The Church of St Mary, which was erected in 1751, is dedicated to St Mary, and includes a recently restored organ. It is a Grade II* listed building.

School

Berkley First School is a small village school catering for 4 to 9 year olds.

Famous residents

Alexander Barclay, author of The Ship of Fools, was a native of this village. He died in 1552.

Other Listed Buildings

• "Barn, About 100m SW of church". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Barn, About 50m N of Home Farm". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Barn, about 60 metres South of Home Farm Farmhouse". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Berkley Grange". Images of England. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
• "Berkley House". Images of England. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
• "Gate piers and side walls and piers, about 180 metres North, Church of St Mary". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Granary at Home Farm Farmhouse". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Home Farm Farmhouse". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Home Farm Farmhouse". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Stables at Berkley House". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Fairoak Farmhouse". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "The Pheasantry". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Berkley Lodge". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
• "Redbridge Cottage". Images of England. Retrieved 28 June 2006.

External links

Media related to Berkley at Wikimedia Commons