Norton Fitzwarren

Norton Fitzwarren
Somerset
Church of All Saints, Norton Fitzwarren
Location
Grid reference:	ST195255
Location:	51°1’24"N, 3°8’57"W
Data
Population:	3,046  (2011)
Post town:	Taunton
Postcode:	TA2
Dialling code:	01823
Local Government
Council:	Somerset West and Taunton
Parliamentary constituency:	Taunton Deane

Norton Fitzwarren is a village in Somerset, two miles north-west of Taunton. The village had a recorded population of 3,046 at the 2011 census.

History

The village is on the southern slope of Norton Camp, a large hillfort that shows evidence of occupation from Neolithic times, through the Bronze Age, to the Roman occupation of Britain.

The Church of All Saints dates from the late 13th and early 14th century. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.

Military connections

Entrance to Norton Manor Camp

PoW Camp

Norton Manor was the location of a Prisoner of War camp during Second World War for up to 300 prisoners. Initially it housed Italian prisoners from the Western Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners after the Battle of Normandy. It was designated 'POW Camp Number 665 - 'Cross Keys Camp', Norton Fitzwarren'.

Royal Marines

Just north of the village is Norton Manor Camp, home of 40 Commando, Royal Marines. For many years it was the base of Junior Leaders Battalion, Royal Army Service Corps (until 1965 when RASC was disbanded) which became Junior Leaders Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport. From the early 1960s to the late 1970s, it took boys from age 15 yrs to age 17½ years and trained them to be army transport drivers.

Industry

Norton Fitzwarren is located on the confluence of many fast flowing local water flows, and from the 1700s onwards became the base for many water-powered weaving mills, and after the riots in London, also many Silk Mills, which gave part of the area its name.

For many years Norton Fitzwarren was the site of the main factory of the Taunton Cider Company producing cider brands such as Blackthorn Cider. Production was moved to Shepton Mallet after Matthew Clark plc bought Taunton Cider in 1995.

Transport

The West Somerset Railway

Norton Fitzwarren was the site of a boat lift on the now disused section of the Grand Western Canal from 1839 to 1867.

Norton Fitzwarren is on the former Bristol and Exeter Railway mainline, which was operated and then taken over by the GWR in 1890. The station became an important junction station, with branch lines to Minehead and Barnstaple diverging at this point. Resultantly, the station had two island platforms creating four platforms. There were also extensive freight handling facilities, as the station was located west of the Fairwater Yard, a large regional freight yard located south of the mainline. During Second World War, the United States Army took over Norton Manor Camp located immediately northwest of the station, and equipped it with extensive railway sidings, all connected to the station. The first major railway accident occurred on 10 November 1890, and the second on 4 November 1940, which killed 13 Royal Navy personnel who were working at the camp.

Norton Fitzwarren station closed in 1966, the same year that the British Army supply depot closed. Taunton Cider took over the former goods yard to the north of the site, but this also closed in the early 1990s, and has been redeveloped as housing. Most of the former Minehead branch is now operated by the West Somerset Railway as a heritage railway.

See also

• Norton Camp Bronze Age hillfort

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Norton Fitzwarren)

• Norton Fitzwarren