Clevedon

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Coordinates: 51°26′18″N 2°51′14″W / 51.4384°N 2.8539°W / 51.4384; -2.8539

Clevedon
View of Clevedon from the air, showing the pier
Clevedon shown within Somerset
Population	21,957[1]
OS grid reference	ST406714
Unitary authority	North Somerset
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CLEVEDON
Postcode district	BS21
Dialling code	01275
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	Great Western
European Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Woodspring
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Clevedon is a town in North Somerset, England. The name derives from the Saxon, 'Cleve' meaning Cleave or Cleft and 'don' meaning hill,^[2] the town being situated amongst a group of small hills alongside the River Severn estuary. The town has a population of 21,957 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Governance 3 Geography 4 Demography 5 Economy 6 Landmarks 7 Education 8 Religious sites 9 Culture 10 Sister Cities 11 References 12 See also 13 External links

[edit] History

Clevedon was mentioned in the Domesday Book as being a holding of a tenant in chief by the name of Mathew of Mortaigne,^[3] and was listed at that time as having eight villagers, and ten smallholders.

During the Victorian era Clevedon became a popular seaside town. The Victorian craze for bathing in the sea was catered for in the late 19th century by saltwater baths adjacent to the pier (since demolished, though the foundations can still be seen), and bathing machines on the main beach.

The first large scale production of penicillin took place in the town.^[3][4]

Clevedon was served by a short branch line from the main railway at Yatton, opened in 1847, six years after the main line itself. This continued in operation for passengers until 1961,^[5] and the site of the station is now Queen's Square, a shopping precinct.^[6] Another railway also served the town, the Weston, Clevedon & Portishead Light Railway, which opened in 1897 and closed in 1940.^[7][8] Trains crossed the road in the town centre, known as The Triangle, preceded by a man with a red flag.

[edit] Governance

Clevedon falls within the non-metropolitan district of North Somerset unitary authority which replaced the Woodspring district, having formerly been part of Somerset, and between 1974 and 1996 the county of Avon.

The parliamentary constituency is still called Woodspring and is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, however following the review of parliamentary representation by the Boundary Commission for England in Somerset, this seat will be renamed North Somerset at the next general election. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. The current MP is Liam Fox of the Conservative Party.

It is also part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament, which currently elects 7 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

[edit] Geography

Clevedon is situated on and round seven hills called Chruchill, Wain's hill (which is topped by the remains of an iron age hill fort,^[9] Dial hill, Stawberry hill, Castle hill, Hangstone hill and Court Hill which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.^[10] On a clear day there are far reaching views across the Severn estuary to Wales. When the visibility is particularly good the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel can be seen.

At the top of Clevedon is the area of Walton-Saint-Mary an area of high net worth houses and mansions. The village of Walton-Saint-Mary started around the 1870s, but joined Clevedon in 1932.

The seafront stretches for approximately half a mile from the pier to Salthouse Field, and includes ornamental gardens, a Victorian bandstand, a bowling green, tennis courts, crazy golf and other amusements. An addition to this list is Marine Lake, which was once a Victorian swimming pool, is now used for boating activities, as well as a small festival once a year where people can try out new sports. The Salthouse Field has a light railway running round the perimeter and is still used for donkey rides during the summer.

The shore at Clevedon is a mixture of pebbled beaches and low rocky cliffs, with the old harbour being at the western edge of the town at the mouth of the Land Yeo. It is remembered as the place at which John Ashley conceived of the idea of creating the Mission to Seafarers.^[11]

The rocky beach, which has been designated as the Clevedon Shore geological Site of Special Scientific Interest,^[12] and the sedate nature of the amusements on offer meant that Clevedon lost almost all of its residential holiday trade by the middle of the twentieth century, though it is still a popular resort for day-trippers.

"Poet's Walk" is a footpath around Wains Hill and Church Hill, to the south west of the seafront, and the upper part of the town contains many other footpaths through parks and wooded areas which were laid out in the nineteenth century.

[edit] Demography

The town has a population of 21,957 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001.^[1]

[edit] Economy

Clevedon has a certain amount of light industry, mainly in industrial estates including Hither Green Trading Estate near the M5 motorway junction, and it is also a dormitory town for Bristol. The Clerical Medical pensions and investments group, part of HBOS, has its headquarters in the town on the former site of the Hales Cakes factory.

[edit] Landmarks

Clevedon Pier was opened on Easter Monday 1869,^[11][13] one of the earliest examples of a Victorian pier still in existence in England. The Paddle Steamer Waverley and Motor Vessel Balmoral offer day sea trips from Clevedon Pier to various destinations along the Bristol Channel and Severn estuary

The Royal Pier Hotel is a Grade II listed building located next to the pier.^[14] Built in the 19th century, the hotel has fallen into disrepair.

Walton Castle is a 17th century fort located on a hill that overlooks some of the town.^[15]

Clevedon Court lies at the other end of the town, close to the road to Bristol. It is one of only a few remaining fourteenth century manorial halls in England, having been built by Sir John de Clevedon circa 1320.^[16] Since the early eighteenth century the house has been owned by the Elton family, who were responsible for much building work on the house and many improvements in the town, and although the house itself is now owned by the National Trust,^[17] the associated estates are still owned by the Elton family. Sir Edmund Elton (1846-1920) was a well-regarded potter who produced unusually-shaped ware in a variety of richly-coloured glazes, including a gold glaze of his own invention.

A clock tower in the centre of the town is decorated with "Elton ware".^[18]

The Curzon cinema was built in 1912 ^[19] and is the oldest purpose-built, continuously operated cinema in the world.^[20]

[edit] Education

Clevedon Community School is a large secondary comprehensive school serving the whole town and the surrounding rural areas. There are also several primary schools in the town including Mary Elton Primary School, John the Evangelist CE VA Primary School, Yeo Moor Primary School, All Saints C Of E Primary School and St.Nicholas' Chantry CEVC Primary School.

[edit] Religious sites

St. Andrew's church, on a hill in the west of the town, was built in the thirteenth century AD, although there are thought to be Saxon foundations under the present building. It is the burial place of Arthur Hallam, subject of the poem In Memoriam A.H.H. by his friend Alfred, Lord Tennyson.^[21]

[edit] Culture

Other literary figures associated with the town are Samuel Taylor Coleridge (who spent some months living in a cottage in the town after his marriage to Sarah Fricker), William Makepeace Thackeray (a frequent guest of the Elton family at Clevedon Court), and George Gissing (The Odd Women is set in the town).

[edit] Sister Cities

Clevedon is a sister city of:

• Ettlingen, Baden-Württemberg, since 1980
• Épernay, France, since 1990
• Middelkerke, Belgium, since 1991

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Clevedon Pier
• Curzon Cinema
• North Somerset

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Clevedon

• Clevedon Town Council
• Clevedon Civic Society
• Weston, Clevedon, & Portishead Railway
• Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, Clevedon
• Photos of Clevedon in 3d (Anaglyphs)
• Clevedon at the Open Directory Project
• Clevedon - Live Weather Conditions and WeatherCam
• Clevedon Twinning Association

v • d • e Ceremonial county of Somerset Somerset Portal Boroughs or districts Mendip, Sedgemoor, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, West Somerset Major settlements Alcombe, Axbridge, Bath, Bridgwater, Bruton, Burnham-on-Sea, Castle Cary, Chard, Clevedon, Crewkerne, Dulverton, Frome, Glastonbury, Highbridge, Ilminster, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Minehead, Nailsea, North Petherton, Portishead, Radstock, Shepton Mallet, Somerton, South Petherton, Taunton, Watchet, Wellington, Wells, Weston-super-Mare, Wincanton, Wiveliscombe, Yeovil See also: List of civil parishes in Somerset Rivers Aller, Avon, Axe, Barle, Brue, Cam Brook, Cary, Chew, East Lyn, Exe, Frome, Haddeo, Hoar Oak Water, Holford, Horner, Huntspill, Isle, Midford Brook, Parret, Severn Estuary, Sheppey, Somer, Tone, Washford, Wellow Brook, West Lyn, Yeo (Congresbury), Yeo (South Somerset) Topics Culture of Somerset, Economy of Somerset, Geology of Somerset, History of Somerset Geographic areas: Blackdown Hills, Brendon Hills, Chew Valley, Exmoor, Mendip Hills, Polden Hills, Quantock Hills, Somerset Levels, South West Coast Path