Dulverton
| Dulverton | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 All Saints, Dulverton | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SS9128 |
| Location: | 51°2’46"N, 3°33’-0"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,486 (2001) |
| Post town: | Dulverton |
| Postcode: | TA22 |
| Dialling code: | 01398 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Somerset West and Taunton |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Bridgwater & W. Somerset |
Dulverton is a small town in Somerset, near the border with Devon. The town had a recorded population of 1,486 in 2001. Dulverton is a popular tourist destination for exploring Exmoor, and the Exmoor National Park Authority has its headquarters here.
The civil parish of the same name includes the hamlets of Battleton and Ashwick, the latter some 3½ miles northwest of Dulverton. To the west of the hamlet lies Ashwich House, built in the Edwardian style in 1901.[1]
History
The name Dulverton was first recorded in 1084 as Dieglaford-tun meaning "hidden ford village". The Domesday Book records it as Dolvertune and suggests it was a royal manor before the Norman Conquest.[2]
The town lies below the Iron Age hillforts of Oldberry Castle,[2] Mounsey Castle[3] and Brewer's Castle.[4]
The manor was granted to the Turbervilles by William I and in the late 12th century they gave the church and some land to Taunton Priory. The remainder of the manor passed to the Shete family.[2]
The Middle Ages saw continued growth and the establishment of fairs and markets, with several small industries based upon the traditions of upland farming and the wool trade.[3] These include related works such as laundries: originally used for the washing of sheep fleeces in the leats feeding the wide and fast-flowing River Barle, the surviving 19th-century industrial laundries[5] continue to provide a service to surrounding businesses. The market house in Fore Street, which is believed to date from 1760, was converted into the town hall in 1866,[3] with the porch and external double staircase being added in 1930 by Sir Albert Richardson.[6]
The manor was held by the Sydenhams, who had acquired it in 1568, until 1858 when it was sold to the Earl of Carnarvon.[3]
Exmoor House was built as the Dulverton Union Workhouse in 1855. It is now the headquarters of the Exmoor National Park Authority.[7][8]
Private housing stock generally ranges from medium-size to substantial Georgian to late Victorian family houses, with a small estate of post-war modern houses and bungalows towards the north of town.
Churches
The parish Church of All Saints in Bank Square has a tower from the 15th century, which was extensively restored between 1853 and 1855 when the rest of church was rebuilt by Edward Ashworth. It has been designated as Grade II* listed building.[9]
The Congregational Church in Chapel Street was built in the 19th century with adjoining schoolrooms.[10]
Geography
The town lies in the deep, wooded valley of the River Barle, at an ancient route convergence and river crossing.[2] The river and the Barle Valley are both designated as biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The river passes under the Tarr Steps a prehistoric clapper bridge possibly dating from 1000 BC. The stone slabs weigh up to 5 tons each. According to local legend, they were placed by the devil to win a bet. The bridge is 180 feet long and has 17 spans.[11] It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.[12] The other bridges over the Barle include the five span Barle Bridge which is mediæval in origin. It has double rings on the downstream side and single rings on the upstream side.[13] It was repaired in 1624, and subsequently widened in 1819 by John Stone.[13] It was further repaired in 1866 and in 1952–1953 after flood damage.[14] The 18th century Marsh Bridge was altered in 1866 when the central pier was removed and an iron bridge inserted. The parapet was destroyed in 1952 and reconstructed in steel in 1979.[15] Towards Brushford the River Barle is crossed by the New Bridge dating from 1870, which led to Pixton Park,[16] which was the home of John Dyke Acland and his wife Harriet Acland and later the family of Evelyn Waugh and Auberon Waugh.
The other major river in the parish is the River Exe, which is on the parish boundary with Brompton Regis, which is crossed by the mediæval Chilly Bridge[17] and Hele Bridge,[18] and the 18th century Weir Bridge.[19]
In between the town centre and the river is a large recreation meadow.
South of the town is Briggins Moor a biological Site of Special Scientific Interestwhich provides an example of unimproved mire of a type which is restricted to south-west England and Wales and which has been significantly reduced in extent in the recent past. Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) and Meadow Thistle (Cirsium dissectum) are abundant. There is a large colony of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Eurodryas aurinia).[20]
Transport
Two miles from Dulverton is the village of Brushford, where the Dulverton railway station on the Taunton to Barnstaple line used to be. It opened in 1873 and closed to passengers, who transferred to Dulverton by bus, in 1963. The station buildings are still visible and it is clear where the lines used to run as the railway embankment is still visible and worn in places although the rails have been lifted.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Dulverton) |
References
- ↑ Jacobs, Brian, Ashwick House near Dulverton, Exmoor Encyclopedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gathercole, Clare. "A brief history of Dulverton". Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey. Somerset County Council. http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/EUS_DulvertonText.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. pp. 87–88. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
- ↑ National Monuments Record: No. 35635 – Archaeological Aerial Survey in the Northern Mendip Hills: A Highlight Report for the National Mapping Programme
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429315) Dulverton Laundry
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429345) Market Hall
- ↑ Dunning, Robert (2003). A History of Somerset. Somerset County Library. p. 109. ISBN 0-86183-476-3.
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429310) Exmoor House
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429209) Church of All Saints
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429314) Congregational Church
- ↑ Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books. pp. 63–64. ISBN 0-906456-98-3.
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429207) Tarr Steps
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Otter, R.A. (1994). Civil Engineering Heritage: Southern England. London: Thomas Telford Ltd. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-7277-1971-3.
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429309) Barle Bridge
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429205) Marsh Bridge
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429206) New Bridge
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (265598) Chilly Bridge
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429171) Hele Bridge
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429208) Weir Bridge
- ↑ English Nature citation sheet for the site . Retrieved 9 August 2006.