Places to see in ( Watchet - UK )
Places to see in ( Watchet - UK )
Watchet is a harbour town, civil parish and electoral ward in the English county of Somerset, with a population of 3,785. It is situated 15 miles west of Bridgwater, 15 miles north-west of Taunton, and 9 miles east of Minehead. The parish includes the hamlet of Beggearn Huish. The town lies at the mouth of the Washford River on Bridgwater Bay, part of the Bristol Channel, and on the edge of Exmoor National Park.
The original settlement may have been at the Iron Age fort Daw's Castle. It then moved to the mouth of the river and a small harbour developed, named by the celts as Gwo Coed meaning Under the Wood. After the Saxon conquest of the area the town developed and was known as Weced or Waeced and was attacked by Vikings in the 10th century. Trade using the harbour gradually grew, despite damage during several severe storms, with import and exports of goods including those from Wansbrough Paper Mill until the 19th century when it increased with the export of iron ore, brought from the Brendon Hills via the West Somerset Mineral Railway, mainly to Newport for onward transportation to the Ebbw Vale Steelworks. The West Somerset Railway also served the town and port bringing goods and people from the Bristol and Exeter Railway. The iron ore trade reduced and ceased in the early-20th century. The port continued a smaller commercial trade until 2000 when it was converted into a marina.
The church is dedicated to Saint Decuman who is thought to have died here around 706. An early church was built near Daw's Castle and a new church was erected in the 15th century. It has several tombs and monuments to Sir John Wyndham and his family who were the lords of the manor. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner which was written in the area is commemorated by a statue on the harbourside.
Daw's Castle (Dart's Castle or Dane's Castle) is an Iron Age sea cliff hill fort about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the west of the town. It was built and fortified, on the site of an earlier settlement, as a burh by Alfred the Great, as part of his defense against Viking raids from the Bristol Channel around 878 AD. Watchet is believed to be the place where Saint Decuman was killed around 706 and its parish church is dedicated to him. At the time of the Domesday Book Watchet was part of the estate held by William de Moyon. The parish of Watchet was in the Williton and Freemanners Hundred in the Middle Ages.
Watchet developed as a town thanks to its closeness to the minerals within the Brendon Hills, and its access to the River Severn for onward shipping. Aside from local ships plying trade across the river, from 1564 onwards the port was used for import of salt and wine from France.
The foreshore at Watchet is rocky, with a high 6 metres (20 ft) tidal range. The cliffs between Watchet and Blue Anchor show a distinct pale, greenish blue colour, resulting from the coloured alabaster found there. The name Watchet or Watchet Blue was used in the 16th century to denote this colour. A fragment of a lower jaw from a Phytosaur longirostrine archosaur has been described from early Hettangian strata. Kentsford Bridge is a packhorse bridge over the Washford River. It existed before the Reformation, possibly being a route to Cleeve Abbey and was repaired in 1613. The bridge is 54 inches (1,400 mm) wide and has a total span of 16 feet (4.9 m).
Adjacent to the harbour is Watchet station. This is now an intermediate stop on the West Somerset Railway, a largely steam-operated heritage railway that links Bishops Lydeard, near Taunton, with Minehead. The station was first opened on 31 March 1862 when the West Somerset Railway was opened from Norton Junction. The station was built as a terminus, as part of the commercial aim of the WSR was to provide a wider and cheaper distribution route for goods from the then major port of Watchet. On 16 July 1874 the line was extended westwards by the Minehead Railway Company, with an industrial railway siding provided at the same time into the Wansbrough Paper Mill.
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11 Crazy Offbeat European Museums You Have to See!
There are many European institutions displaying art, artifacts and antiquities that travelers put on their itineraries whilst touring, but here are 11 slightly offbeat European museums to check out.
1. Museum of Chocolate, Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona's Museum of Chocolate exhibits the history of chocolate. Don't miss the cafe where you can indulge in pots of rich chocolate and other treats.
2. Sugar Museum, Berlin, Germany
Indulge your sweet tooth with a visit to Berlin's Sugar Museum. The pursuit of this “white gold” literally changed the world.
3. Museum of Cats, Amsterdam
Known as the Kattenkabinet, this meow-seum celebrates the humble house cat. It's filled with paintings and sculptures of all kinds of kitties, and several real felines live there too!
4. Pollock's Toy Museum, London
The delightful Pollock's Toy Museum is known for its displays of traditional toy theaters. With teddy bears, dolls and tin toys, it will enchant people of all ages.
5. Husavik Whale Museum, Iceland
Whales are important to the people of Iceland, so it's not surprising that there's a whale museum there. It displays artifacts associated with whales, and also organizes whale watching trips.
6. Icelandic Phallological Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland
In case you haven't worked it out, the Phallological Museum displays 215 penis specimens. Polar bears, whales, walrus and homo sapiens are presented in a respectful and educational manner.
7. Bakelite Museum, Somerset, UK
Bakelite was one of the earliest plastics developed, and is extremely collectible today. This museum in Somerset has household sundries, ornate jewelry and even a coffin made of it!
8. Museum of Communism, Prague, Czech Republic
Prague's Museum of Communism objectively covers subjects like media propaganda, the secret police, political labor camps and daily life under this system.
9. Mini Bottle Gallery, Oslo, Norway
What began as a personal bottle collection has transformed into the Mini Bottle Gallery, filled with small bottles of every shape and color.
10. Museum of Art Fakes, Vienna, Austria
It takes a certain amount of talent to copy priceless art works. This museum showcases some astounding fakes, and provides a little history about the “art” of forgery.
11. Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia
Dedicated to “failed relationships,” this museum is a testament to heartbreak, and displays objects and stories associated with breakups, including an “ex axe” used to smash a former boyfriend's possessions.
Which one was your favorite?
VISITING THE LONGEST FORD IN BRITAIN and DUNSTER
In West Somerset UK in August 2012. Alan was visiting us for a few days earlier this month with his vintage SInger car. This was part of one of our days out.
WSR TRAINS RUN TO AND FROM MINEHEAD AGAIN 19 APRIL 2019 PART 2
With lots of extra activities happening at Minehead station including TV's Paw Patrol and classic vehicles. Work was still going on at the changes at Blue Anchor where the signal at danger was passed. This is quite legal provided certain procedures are followed which they were. Out of our view on the other side of the track was the signal man with a green flag who can be seen using the flag to give the right of way when leaving the station on the opposite side to the signal..
Stanleycam: Dunster Castle - near Minehead, Exmoor, National Trust
Dunster castle and gardens in June 2010. Music is Celtic Rythms by Krazykeyman
VISITING LOOE IN CORNWALL 19 JULY 2016 Part 1
On a fine summers day just like it seemed to be on most days in days of yore! We enjoy views of the seafront and river as the tide comes in.
GOING TO THE WSR STEAM FAYRE 4 AUGUST 2018
We travel to BL from Williton and then on to NFW on the first day of the event.
RETURNING MARY TO A SNOWY BRISTOL 27 DECEMBER 2017
After spending Christmas in Watchet, West Somerset
A STEAM TRAIN RIDE WILLITON TO MINEHEAD WSR PART 2
The second part of the journey passing close to the coast of West Somerset.
I have been trying the compression program Handbrake again in order to reduce the upload time with rather more success this time.
Parts 1and 2 run for about the same period of time. Part one was straight with no compression applied and it took from midday to around 4 am to get on line from this slow broadband location. That is 16 hours uploading for 15 minutes video. That is really right at the edge of what is practical for the length of video I can upload these days!
Part 2 with added compression from Handbrake took from 9.30 am to 6.40 pm to get on line. That is around 9 hours. That is still a long time, but preferable to 16! I do have to keep an eye on the compressed versions as they do tend to just stop uploading during the process, and therefore not practical to use at night! The compression process has not harmed the quality of the video.
LLANDUDNO, ITS CLASSIC RALLY AND VICTORIAN EXTRAVAGANZA MAY 2019 Part 4
We enjoy the classic buses more and then the next day travel to the Classic Show. We enjoy walking around the exhibits having a look at the many varied classic vehicles on display.