Kewstoke
| Kewstoke | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Kiosk the entrance to the former Kewstoke pier | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST341661 |
| Location: | 51°22’4"N, 2°57’37"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,690 (2011) |
| Post town: | Weston-super-Mare |
| Postcode: | BS22 |
| Dialling code: | 01934 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Somerset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Weston-super-Mare |
Kewstoke is a village in Somerset, but now effectively a suburb of Weston-super-Mare, at that town's northern edge. It is by the Bristol Channel coast on Sand Bay. Its population in the 2011 census was 1,690.
Geography
Being in places only 20 feet above sea level, the settlements of Kewstoke and Sand Bay are, and have been historically, susceptible to flooding. Following several incidents of flooding[1] a sea defence of combined dune system (sand was imported from the estuary to form this) and concrete walls are now in place along much of Sand Road. Whilst the sea defences have proved very effective for the last two decades, concerns about the long-term stability of the dunes, in particular, remain.
In the Severn Estuary Shoreline Management Plan, 2000, commissioned by the Severn Estuary Coastal Group and carried out by Gifford Associated Consultants, the importance of sea defence maintenance was highlighted. The report stated that leaving the defences unmaintained would increase the risk of a severe flood to the low-lying residential area of Kewstoke and an extensive area of agricultural land that are currently defended. The authors went on to discuss the importance in the shorter and longer term of ensuring that the current defence line is kept and said that monitoring and research of the coastal processes on the foreshore is recommended. The Sand Bay Management Committee is keeping a close eye on the conditions of both the salt marsh and the sand dunes.
Parish church
The local parish church, St Paul's, dates from the 12th century with the tower being built in 1395. The tower is in two stages, with rendered, diagonal buttresses with setbacks which rise through parapet as corner pinnacles. A polygonal stair turret at the south east corner rises to a pyramidal cap. The first stage has two 2-light perpendicular west window under a plain drip mould, and similar but smaller window with carved stops to the south. The second stage has one 2-light perpendicular window under a drip mould with carved stops on each side; all louvres except the west which is blank. A quatrefoil pierced parapet has gargoyles at the corner. The church is a Grade I listed building.[2]
In 1849 a reliquary was found in St Paul's Church that was believed to have come originally from the priory and to contain the blood of Thomas Becket. It is believed that it was moved to St Paul's for safe keeping at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
About the village
Monk's Steps (also known as St Kew's Steps) are an ancient set of stone steps leading from St St Paul's church up through the woods on Monk's Hill. Although the origins of the steps are unknown, the presence of man in the adjacent woodland on Worlebury Hill can be traced back to the Iron Age.
Near the village, at the base of a promontory called Middle Hope (which extends out into the sea as Sand Point), is Woodspring Priory, which is Grade I listed.[3] The priory was founded in 1210 by William de Courtenay, grandson of Reginald Fitz Urse (one of the knights who murdered Thomas Becket), perhaps to atone for the past action of his grandfather.
Sport
- Football team: Kewstoke JFC
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Kewstoke) |
References
- ↑ "Severn Estuary Shoreline Management Plan — Non Technical Summary". Severn Estuary Coastal Group. Archived from the original on 18 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080518093918/http://www.severnestuary.net/secg/NON%20TECHNICAL%20SUMMARY.pdf. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1303002: Parish Church of St Paul
- ↑ National Heritage List 1320691: Priory Church (formerly listed as Woodspring Priory)