Paulton
| Paulton | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Church of the Holy Trinity, Paulton | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST650565 |
| Location: | 51°18’25"N, 2°30’10"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,303 (2011) |
| Post town: | Bristol |
| Postcode: | BS39 |
| Dialling code: | 01761 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Bath & NE Somerset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North East Somerset |
Paulton is a large village, with a population of 5,302, located to the north of the Mendip Hills, in northern Somerset, in the county's Chewton Hundred.[1].
This was once an industrial village: Paulton is a former coal mining village and the terminus of the Somersetshire Coal Canal is at Paulton basin, just north of the village. Paulton was home to the now-closed Polestar Purnells printing factory and Ashman's boot factory, where 'Voidax' safety footwear was manufactured, and in particular Motorcycle speedway boots.
The area has been designated as a conservation area, an 'area of special architectural or historic interest', for planning purposes.
Paulton has a small hospital, doctor's surgery, dentist, chemist, nursing home, library, public swimming pool, newsagent, travel agent, two convenience stores, a filling station, three takeaways, fire station, two pre-schools, an infant school and a junior school. The village is also served by a nearby supermarket.
There are two pubs in the village: The Red Lion and The Lamb.
There were other pubs in the past: The Winterfield Inn (which closed in 2015), The Queen Victoria closed in the 1980s demolished to make way for flats, and The Somerset Inn, which closed in 2011
History
During the reign of King Edward III the lord of the manor was Sir John de Palton and his descendants.[2]
Hill House was built in around 1760 by John Hill (1729–1789)[3] and was owned by his descendants until 1883 when it was leased to various tenants until 1902 when it was bought by Walter Draper. Draper sold it to Purnell's a local printing company, who owned it until 1971 when it was bought by the local doctor and refurbished.[4] It is a Grade II listed building.[5]
John Hill was an innkeeper, and his son Thomas Ames Hill (1759–1827) owned the Red Lion pub. By 1834 his nephew John Hill jnr. had taken over the pub, and was living there with his family.[4]
Coal mining
Much evidence of coal mining on the Somerset Coalfield still exists in and around the village, including a spoil tip known as "The Batch" in the shape of a volcano.
Paulton basin is the terminus of the northern branch of the Somersetshire Coal Canal and was a central point for at least 15 collieries around Paulton, Timsbury and High Littleton, which were connected to the canal by tramroads. It was served by two small railways stations: Paulton Radford and Timsbury Halt and Paulton Halt on the Camerton Branch of the Bristol and North Somerset Railway.
Although the canal has been derelict since the end of the 19th century, a restoration project began in 2013 and there are plans to re-open the entire length from Paulton to Limpley Stoke, where the first quarter-mile of the canal was restored in the 1980s and is now a busy marina. The deepest mine of its time (1800 feet) was at Timsbury; the largest drydock on the canal system in the country is on the east side of Paulton basin, and the canal carried record tonnages of coal during the 1820s and 1830s. This canal carried the coal that fueled the Georgian development of Bath during most of the nineteenth century.[6]
On the northern side of Paulton basin was the terminus for the tramroad which served Old Grove, Prior's, Tyning and Hayeswood pits, with a branch line to Amesbury and Mearns pits. Parts of this line were still in use in 1873, probably carrying horse-drawn wagons of coal. The southern side of the basin served Brittens, Littleborrok, Paulton Ham, Paulton Hill and Simons Hill, terminating at Salisbury Colliery. In addition the Paulton Foundry used this line. The entire line was disused by 1871, as were the collieries it served.[7]
Parish church
The five churches include:
- Methodist Church, dated 1894,[8]
- Baptist Church, dated 1724[9]
- Church of England: Church of the Holy Trinity, dated 1839[10]
Holy Trinity hurch includes a cholera monument, from the early to mid-19th century[11] and several other monuments in the churchyard. Paulton is currently serving as part of the 10 lamps ministry group and is part of the benefice with St John's, Farrington Gurney and Holy Trinity, High Littleton.[12]
Modern industry
Paulton was the location of the first Great Mills DIY store, and the company's head office was located adjacent to the store. It used to be called Old Mills DIY, by virtue of the fact that the store was sited on the former Old Mills colliery baths site. The Great Mills business was acquired by Focus DIY Ltd in 2000, and all of the stores were rebranded. This site has since been taken over by Wickes.
Tesco is a major employer in the village. Although this large store is described as being in Midsomer Norton it lies within Paulton's parish boundaries.
Sport and society
- Cricket: Purnell Cricket Club
- Football: Paulton Rovers F.C.
- Greyfield's Sports and Social Club
Further sports facilities are present on the same complex as the cricket club, with tennis courts, bowls, a gym and a football pitch.
Paulton also has a public swimming pool/club.
The centre of the village is the location for the war memorial and a small library. There is another war memorial just outside the village, to the southwest, which commemorates the location where 23 men were killed on 17 September 1944 when the glider they were flying in crashed en route from R.A.F. Keevil to Arnhem, as part of Operation Market Garden.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Paulton) |
References
- ↑ Somerset Hundreds: GENUKI
- ↑ Robinson, W.J. (1915). West Country Churches. Bristol: Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd. pp. 109–114.
- ↑ "John Hill". The C. F. Barker Archives. https://github.com/samwilson/cfb/blob/master/biographies/John_Hill.tex. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Miall, Anne. "The History of Hill House". Privately published. https://archive.org/details/TheHistoryOfHillHouse. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1135904: Hill House
- ↑ Clew, Kenneth R (1970). The Somersetshire Coal Canal and Railways. Bran's Head Books. ISBN 0-905220-67-6.
- ↑ Down, C.G.; Warrington, A. J. (2005). The history of the Somerset coalfield. Radstock: Radstock Museum. ISBN 0-9551684-0-6.
- ↑ National Heritage List Central Methodist Church: Methodist Church 1320769
- ↑ National Heritage List Baptist Church: Church 1320771
- ↑ National Heritage List Church of the Holy Trinity: of the Holy Trinity 1320745
- ↑ National Heritage List 1129629: Cholera monument
- ↑ Holy Trinity, Paulton