| Curry Rivel | |
|---|---|
 Manor Farmhouse andChurch of St Andrew | |
  Curry Rivel Location withinSomerset | |
| Population | 2,347 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | ST391252 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LANGPORT |
| Postcode district | TA10 |
| Dialling code | 01458 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Parish Council |
| 51°01′23″N2°52′05″W / 51.023°N 2.868°W /51.023; -2.868 | |
Curry Rivel is a village andcivil parish inSomerset, England, around 6 miles (10 km) west ofSomerton and 10 miles (16 km) east ofTaunton in theSouth Somerset district. The parish had a population of 2,347 at the 2021 census,[1] and includes the hamlets ofBurton Pynsent,Wick andWiltown.
The site of a Roman house has been discovered south of Fairview House. The site is on theHeritage at Risk Register due to ploughing.[2][3]
The name Curry Rivel comes from theCeltic wordcrwy, meaning boundary andRivel from its 12th-century landlordSir Richard Revel.[4]
In 1237 the king granted Henry de l'Orti a licence to empark his woods in Curry Rivel, separating it from the control of the foresters ofCastle Neroche.[5]
Curry Rivel was part of thehundred ofAbdick and Bulstone.[6][7]
Earnshill House was built in 1725 by John Strachan for Henry Combe, a prominent Bristol merchant.[8]
Burton Pynsent House was built around 1756 forWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, after he inherited the estate fromSir William Pynsent, 2nd Baronet.[9] It formed part of a wing on a larger earlier house, that was demolished around 1805. It has been designated as a Grade II*listed building.[10] The grounds were laid out in the mid 18th century byLancelot Brown andWilliam Pitt, Earl of Chatham, and include early-20th-century formal gardens designed byHarold Peto.[11] TheChatham Vase is a stone sculpture commissioned as a memorial toWilliam Pitt the Elder by his wife,Hester, Countess of Chatham. It was originally erected at their house in Burton Pynsent, in 1781, and moved to the grounds ofChevening House in Kent in 1934, where it currently stands.
The 140 feet (43 m)Pynsent Column (also known as the Curry Rivel Column, Burton Pynsent Monument, Pynsent Steeple or Cider Monument)[12] stands on Troy Hill, a spur of high ground about 700 m north-east of the house. It was designed in the 18th century byCapability Brown for William Pitt.[4][13] It was restored in the 1990s by theJohn Paul Getty Trust and English Heritage.[12]
Midelney Place is aVictorian country house, completed in 1866. Grade II listed and privately owned, it is set in 26 acres (11 ha) of landscaped grounds.[14]
Theparish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, andneighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
Forlocal government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the parish comes under theunitary authority ofSomerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of thenon-metropolitan district ofSouth Somerset (established under theLocal Government Act 1972). It was part ofLangport Rural District before 1974.[15]
The parish is part of theGlastonbury and Somertoncounty constituency, represented in theHouse of Commons of theParliament of the United Kingdom.
The Anglican parishChurch of St Andrew dates from the 13th century and is designated as a Grade Ilisted building.[16]
Education for children aged 11 and under is provided at Curry Rivel Primary School.[17]
Media related toCurry Rivel at Wikimedia Commons