Chilcompton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chilcompton | |
  Chilcompton shown within Somerset |
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| Population | 1,918 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Mendip |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Chilcompton is a village in Somerset, England, situated in the Mendip Hills two miles south of Midsomer Norton.
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[edit] Geography
Chilcompton has a population of 1,918 (2002 estimate). The village is situated one mile west of the Fosse Way Roman road and Downside Abbey, plus Downside School, and one mile north east of Blacker's Hill fort. Chilcompton has 2 main First Bus lines running through it, one between Bath and Wells, and another between Frome and Bath. There are also several Somerbus routes running between neighbouring villages and the town of Midsomer Norton.
[edit] Education
Chilcompton has a primary school called St. Vigor and St. John. The village also has four near state secondary schools, the most notable being The Blue School, in Wells. As well as this there are Norton Hill, Somervale and Writhlington. There are two close proximity Private Schools nearby, Wells Cathedral School and Downside School. The nearest universities are in Bath and Bristol.
[edit] Local businesses
There were four pubs in the village some time ago; currently there are two left - The Somerset Wagon (previously The Railway) and The Redan Inn. The Britannia and Naishes Crossing had been the other two - The Britannia being the later of the two to close its doors one last time in the 80s. There is a local store which belongs to the co-operative society, as a branch of the Radstock district co-operative society. There are also two hairdressers in the village, along with a small industrial estate in the north-east of the village. This estate holds few units of small businesses such as Nova fitness equipment and a small fruit machine distributor. It used to hold a skateboard/snowboarding shop which had to close due to loss of sales.
[edit] Recreation
There is a skateboarding park in the north end of the village on recreational ground. These grounds also hold a football pitch, a sports clubhouse and a tennis/basketball court. There are two more parks in the village, one of which is in the south end with a 5-a-side football pitch and a small playpark. There is another in a small cul-de-sac in the east side of the village. The primary school also hosts a multi-sports facility.
[edit] Events
The village holds a village day fete every year, hosting live acts, games, stalls and foodstuffs, along with guest speakers such as Michael Eavis (Owner of Glastonbury Festival). There have also been some charity events such as sports relief run-a-mile held in the recreational grounds. The primary school hosts summer and winter fairs. The village hall holds many events from the team at Take Art, a group providing lots of various entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, musical acts and other entertaining acts. The local actors guild (CADS - Chilcompton Amateur Dramatics Society) headed by a headmaster of a nearby school, Andrew Morris, put on productions every year, traditionally comic, though recently they have moved to more serious plays, such as Shakespeare's Macbeth.
[edit] Sports clubs
The Chilcompton football team is in division 2 of the junior league. A cricket team is being organised to play the local village rival Stratton-on-the-Fosse.
[edit] Unique qualities
- The Redan Inn has recently won the award for the best pub in the south-west.[citation needed]
- The village has a well called Fry's Well which lends its name to a road.
[edit] History
The village's history is mainly that of farming and mining. There is a coal waste mound in the north-east end of the village. The village used to have Chilcompton railway station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, which closed in 1966.
