Weston in Gordano
| Weston in Gordano | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Church of SS Peter & Paul, Weston in Gordano | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST450742 |
| Location: | 51°27’50"N, 2°47’28"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 301 (2011[1]) |
| Post town: | Bristol |
| Postcode: | BS20 |
| Dialling code: | 01275 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Somerset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North Somerset |
Weston in Gordano is a village and parish in the Portbury Hundred of Somerset. It is situated in the middle of the Gordano Valley on the north side, on the road between Clevedon and Portishead. The parish has a population of 301.[1]
It is the largest village in the valley, with a public house, the 18th century White Hart,[2] and a garage.
Geography
There are two nearby nature reserves, both owned and managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust. Weston Big Wood is 94 acres of ancient woodland, and Weston Moor is 146 acres of wet grassland. Weston Big Wood falls within a wider biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The wood itself dates at least from Iron Age times, with some evidence that there has been woodland here since trees began to recolonise after the last Ice Age some 10,000 years ago. Some of its internal features e.g. old stones, ditches and banks are thought to be mediæval boundaries, dating from the Middle Ages and used to divide the wood into sectors.[3] Adjacent to the wood on its southern side is a large quarry. The woodland sits on a ridge of Carboniferous Limestone, and its slopes are covered with small-leaved lime trees; oak and hazel are more common on flatter hilltop areas. Rare whitebeams are also dotted throughout the wood.[4] The rare plant purple gromwell is found at the site.[4][5] Other flowers include; wood anemones, violets and bluebells. The presence of other plants such as herb paris and yellow archangel together with the purple gromwell, show that this wood is ancient.[3] There is a wide coppiced open area inside the wood, created as a butterfly feature as part of the reserve management work, called "The Ride". Butterflies such as the orange tip, speckled wood and purple hairstreak can be seen in the area in summer. The birds commonly seen, include woodpecker, nuthatch, and tawny owl. Bats also roost in the trees, and the presence of many setts indicates a large badger population. Middle Hill Common is an area of grassland and wild flower meadow,[6] which supports invertebrates and butterflies.[7]
Weston-in-Gordano SSSI is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Geological Conservation Review site because temporary exposures here have shown Pleistocene sediments, including interglacial fluvial sands and marine gravels and cold-stage fluvial gravels. Rich molluscan faunas have been reported from the section. The presence of freshwater and marine interglacial deposits gives it great potential importance for the understanding of the Quaternary sequence of the Vale of Gordano and Avonmouth lowlands.[8]
Religious sites
The parish Church of SS Peter & Paul has a tower and porch which were built around 1300, while the rest of the building is from the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade-I listed building.[9]
References
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Weston in Gordano) |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "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.
- ↑ "The White Hart". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=33796. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Weston Big Wood". Reserves. Avon Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 26 June 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080626125200/http://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/level1/reserves/weston_big_wood.htm. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 English Nature citation sheet for the site. Retrieved 16 July 2006.
- ↑ Myles (2000), page 168
- ↑ "Middle Hill Common". Natural England. http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=35&N=&ID=1249. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ↑ "Middle Hill Common Local Nature Reserve, Weston in Gordano". Avon Local Nature Reserves. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110812024429/http://avonlocalnaturereserves.org.uk/reserve.asp?id=25. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ↑ English Nature citation sheet for the site . Retrieved 13 July 2006.
- ↑ "Church of St. Peter and St. Paul". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=33798. Retrieved 13 February 2009.