Kingsbury Episcopi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kingsbury Episcopi | |
  Kingsbury Episcopi shown within Somerset |
|
| Population | 1,277[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | South Somerset |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Martock |
| Postcode district | TA12 |
| Dialling code | 01935 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Somerton and Frome |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Kingsbury Episcopi is a village and parish on the River Parrett in Somerset, England, situated nine miles north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 1,277.[1] The parish includes the villages of West Lambrook and East Lambrook.
The "Episcopi" part of the village's name means "of the Bishop" in Latin. It refers to that fact that the village belonged to the Bishop of Bath and Wells and not the nearby abbey at Muchelney.
Today Kingsbury is known for its May Festival which is held on the May Day Bank Holiday and attracts over 4,000 visitors.
Kingsbury Episcopi's church of St. Martin boasts an ornate Somerset Tower, 99 feet (30 m) tall, made of stone from nearby Ham Hill. Pevsner describes the chancel and chapels of the church as "gloriously lit" and advises visiting on a fine morning. He writes that the nave is older than the rest of the church, "no doubt of before 1400, and not yet infected with the later exuberance" of the Late Perpendicular style of the tower and other parts of St. Martin's[2]. Poyntz Wright suggests the west tower was built in 1515.[3] It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.[4]
Other historic buildings in the village include many old houses, the Wyndham Arms,[5] Wesleyan church[6] and an octagonal village lock-up that was used to detain drunks and suspected criminals.[7]
The village will also host Yeovil Town FC's training facilities
[edit] References
- ^ a b 2002 population estimates. Somerset County Council. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1958). The buildings of England, South and West Somerset. Penguin Books (Reprinted by Yale Univ Press, 2003).
- ^ Poyntz Wright, Peter (1981). The Parish Church Towers of Somerset, Their construction, craftsmanship and chronology 1350 - 1550. Avebury Publishing Company. ISBN 0861275020.
- ^ Church of St. Martin. Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Wyndham Arms. Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Congregational Chapel, now United Reformed Church. Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Lock-up (previously listed as The Round House). Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
