Churchill, Somerset
| Churchill | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Churchill seen from Dolebury Warren | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST455605 |
| Location: | 51°20’7"N, 2°47’47"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 2,235 (2011) |
| Post town: | Winscombe |
| Postcode: | BS25 |
| Dialling code: | 01934 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Somerset |
Churchill is a village and parish in the Winterstoke Hundred of Somerset.[1] It is located on the western edge of the Mendip Hills about eight miles east of Weston-super-Mare. The parish, which includes the village of Lower Langford and the hamlet of Upper Langford has a population of 2,235.[2]
The village has a post office with shop and tea rooms, a fish and chip shop, a memorial hall, a doctor's surgery, a hotel, a number of bed and breakfasts, a sports centre with swimming pool, a dry ski slope and outdoor pursuits centre and four pubs: The Crown Inn, The Nelson Arms, The Stag and Hounds and The Churchill Inn.
History
The Churchill family, who gave rise to the first Duke of Marlborough and later Sir Winston Churchill, derives its name from the parish. They had historical connections with it.
The village is around the junction of the A38 and A368 roads and is overlooked by Dolebury Warren, a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which has evidence of occupation of the site during the Iron Age,[3] and Romano-British materials.[4] In addition to the remains of double ramparts of an Iron-Age hill fort still being visible there is also evidence of a mediæval rabbit warren.[5] At Dinghurst south of the village is the site of an Iron-Age univallate hill fort and Roman fort.[6]
The Jubilee Clock Tower was built in 1897 by Foster and Wood of Bristol and was restored in 1977.[7]
Over Langford Manor, (also known as The Old Courthouse (of the infamous Judge Jeffreys) in Upper Langford is a Grade-II listed building dating from the late 15th century.[8]
Jenny Jones, Britain's Olympic snow-boarding medallist trained at the Churchill dry ski slope. She was the first Briton ever to win an Olympic medal for a snow event.[9]
Education
Churchill C.E.V.C. Primary School is the primary school serving both Churchill and Langford. It has around 200 pupils ages 4 to 11. The school, which is located in the adjacent village of Lower Langford, was newly built in 2002 after relocating from its former location at Ladymead Lane.
Churchill Academy and Sixth Form is the state-run secondary school and specialist Arts College serving nearby villages. It has around 1,550 students between the ages of 11 and 18 and is located on Churchill Green. Facilities include the sixth form centre, cafeterias and the neighbouring Churchill Sports Centre with playing fields.
Church
The church of St John the Baptist was built around 1360. The tower has three stages with diagonal buttresses, moulded string courses, north-east polygonal higher corner stair turret with blind panelled embattled cap and pierced quatrefoil lozenge parapet with corner pinnacles and gargoyles.[10]
There is also a Methodist Church.
Life magazine feature
On 18 November 1940, American magazine Life published a major feature on the village its residents. Included were many photographs taken by Cecil Beaton.[11]
References
- ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ↑ "2011 Census Profile" (Excel). North Somerset Council. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140104204530/http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Environment/Planning_policy_and-research/researchandmonitoring/Documents/North%20Somerset%20Small%20area%20geography%20profiles%20tool.xls. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ↑ "Mendip Hills: An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty". Somerset County Council Archaeological Projects. http://www.somerset.gov.uk/media/896B4/MendipAONB.pdf. Retrieved 28 October 2006.
- ↑ "Dolebury". Roman Britain. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100613162359/http://roman-britain.org/celtic/dolebury.htm. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ↑ "Dolebury Warren". Avon Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061009124558/http://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/level1/reserves/dolebury.htm. Retrieved 28 October 2006.
- ↑ "Dinghurst". Fortified England. http://www.fortifiedengland.com/Home/Categories/ViewItem/tabid/61/Default.aspx?IID=1410. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ↑ "Jubilee Clock Tower and attached Walls and Railings". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=3394. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
- ↑ "The Old Courthouse". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=33938. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ↑ Jenny Jones wins snowboard slopestyle bronze medal at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, The Telegraph, retrieved 9 February 2014
- ↑ "Church of St John the Baptist, Churchill". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=33940. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ↑ "Churchill, England "What we fight for"". Life (Time Inc) 9 (21). 18 November 1940. SSN 0024-3019. https://books.google.com/books?id=TUoEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA87#v=onepage&q=&f=false.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Churchill, Somerset) |
- Churchill, Somerset at the Open Directory Project
- Churchill & Langford Parish Council website