| Wincanton | |
|---|---|
 Wincanton High Street | |
  Wincanton Location withinSomerset | |
| Population | 6,568 (2021)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST712286 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WINCANTON |
| Postcode district | BA9 |
| Dialling code | 01963 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°03′21″N2°24′37″W / 51.0559°N 2.4102°W /51.0559; -2.4102 | |
Wincanton (/ˈwɪŋkæntən/or/wɪŋˈkæntən/) is a town andelectoral ward inSomerset, southwestEngland. The town lies off theA303 road, a main route betweenLondon andSouth West England, and has somelight industry. In the2021 census the civil parish had apopulation of 6,568.[1]
The name of Wincanton is first attested in 1084, in the formsWincainietone andWincautone. In theDomesday Book of 1086, the name is spelledWincaleton. The town's name comes from the name of the River Cale, which runs through the town and was inOld English calledWincawel, combined with theOld English wordtūn, "estate, settlement". It thus once meant "estate on the River Cale".[2]
The origin of the name of the River Cale itself is less clear. It is first attested in a fourteenth-century copy of acharter from 956, where it appears in the formsCawel andWricawel, the latter of which is agreed to be a scribal error for*Wincawel. The leading suggestion for the origin of this name is thatcawel is theBrittonic word, meaning "basket", found inCornish ascawal andWelsh ascawell (borrowed from the Latin word *cavellum 'basket'). If so, the baskets were perhapsfish-traps, and the river was named for their use in it. Thewin- element is the Brittonic word meaning "white", and was not necessarily used literally: different arms of the same river were regularly distinguished by being labelled "white" and "black" (as in the riversWhiteadder andBlackadder).[3]
Windmill Hill was the site of aBronze AgeBeaker culture burial, and contemporary artefacts have been found on the Selwood Ridge.[4]
Prior to theNorman Conquest Wincanton was frequently the scene of battles between theBritons,Danes andSaxons.[5] During the reign ofEdmund Ironside, the English, under his command, defeated the Danes, forcing them to leave England.[6]
Cockroad Wood Castle, which is now in the parish ofCharlton Musgrove, was amotte and bailey castle, probably built after theNorman conquest of England of 1066.[7] The castle sits close to the contemporary Norman castles ofBallands and Castle Orchard, and may have been built as part of a system of fortifications to control the surrounding area. By 1086 the surrounding land was held byWalter of Douai, although no documentary evidence of the castle remains.[8]
The parish of Wincanton was part of theNorton FerrisHundred.[9]
Wincanton was probably the site of a market in the medieval period but did not gain a market and fair charter until 1556.[10]
The town was the scene of one of the few armed skirmishes in England during theRevolution of 1688. In theWincanton Skirmish a troop of Horse Guards underPatrick Sarsfield, loyal toJames II, defeated an advance party of troops fighting forWilliam of Orange, on 20 November 1688.[11] A great part of the town was destroyed by fires in the years 1707 and 1747.[12][13]
In the early 19th century Wincanton was a depot for French officers, during the Napoleonic Wars.[14]
By 2010 there had been an influx of foreign nationals, especiallyPortuguese andPolish citizens.[15]
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 ofWincanton Rural District before 1974.[16]
Wincanton has its owntown council.[17] The town 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 town council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, andneighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic; their 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.
It is part ofGlastonbury and Somerton, a constituency of theHouse of Commons. The currentmember of parliament is theLiberal Democrats politicianSarah Dyke.
Wincanton Community Hospital in Dancing Lane was formerly known as Verrington Hospital and in March 2015 had 28 beds on two wards plus intermediate care unit.[18][19] It opened as an Isolation Hospital in September 1910 for patients withscarlet fever.[20]
The Balsam Centre is a Healthy Living Centre and also a Children's Centre for Wincanton and South East Somerset.[21]
The (War) Memorial Hall, which opened on 9 January 1959, has a stage as well as facilities for dancing or for seating 250. It also has a separate committee room that can seat 50.
Fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through theDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service,Avon and Somerset Constabulary and theSouth Western Ambulance Service.
Wincanton is situated on the northeast edge ofBlackmore Vale, 12 miles (19 km) northeast ofYeovil, and 10 miles (16 km) northwest ofShaftesbury on the extreme southeast of Somerset close to the borders ofDorset andWiltshire.
Along with the rest ofSouth West England, Wincanton has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is about 10 °C (50 °F); due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 1 °C (34 °F) and 2 °C (36 °F). July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around 21 °C (70 °F).[22]
Convective cloud often forms inland however, especially near hills, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1,600 hours.[22]
Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlanticdepressions or with convection. The Atlantic depressions are more vigorous in autumn and winter and most of the rain which falls in those seasons in the southwest is from this source. Average rainfall is about 725 millimetres (28.5 in). November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the southwest.[22]
In the late 1890s theWest Surrey Central Dairy Company purchased a localcreamery. In 1908, after developing adried milk baby powder, it changed its name toCow & Gate. The creamery and dairy products factory had its own sidings from theSomerset and Dorset Joint Railwaystation, providing access formilk trains.
In order to cope with the transport problems across its quickly expanding creamery, milk bottling and doorstep delivery network, Cow & Gate formed a dedicatedlogistics arm in 1920. Spun out in 2002 from successor companyUnigate,Wincanton plc is now a majorlogistics company. The company still has a dairy products base in the town, although its head office function moved toChippenham, Wiltshire in 2005.[23]
In 1999, Unigate sold its remaining dairies toDairy Crest, which still has a creamery and milk processing plant in the town, but has sold the cheese business to Adams Foods Ltd, producer of thePilgrim's Choice brand ofCheddar cheese.[24]
Several businesses are located in Wincanton, such as Coffee Sense Coffee Roasters who won a Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Award Winner in 2017 and Boxclever Press Ltd who gained Royal recognition in 2019 when they were awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category[25]
The Dogs (also called The Old House) was built around 1650, and was reshaped internally byNathaniel Ireson in 1740–50. It is a grade Ilisted building.[26]
Wincanton Town Hall, the third on its site, was completed in 1878.[27]
The town had arailway station on theSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway but this closed on 7 March 1966.[28]
The town is north of theA303 road, one of the main routes betweenLondon andSouth West England.
The nearest railway stations are in neighbouringTemplecombe railway station on theExeter to Waterloo line, andCastle Cary railway station on theReading to Taunton andHeart of Wessex lines.
The town is served twice daily byBerrys Coaches 'Superfast' service to and from London.[29]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC West andITV West Country. Television signals are received from theMendip TV transmitter.[30]
Local radio stations areBBC Radio Somerset on 95.5 FM,Heart West on 102.6 FM,Greatest Hits Radio South West (formerlyThe Breeze) on 106.6 FM,Abbey104 on 104.7 FM and Radio Ninesprings, a community based station which broadcast to the town on 104.5 FM.[31]
The town is served by the local newspaper,Western Gazette which publishes Thursdays.[32]
Primary education up to the age of 11 is offered by Wincanton Primary School and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School.[33]The history of Wincanton Primary began in 1833 when an appeal was launched to provide a National school in Wincanton and after a number of difficulties the school was built in North Street in 1838, although this had very few pupils. A school board was formed in 1871 and opened a school in the former National school buildings with over 200 pupils. In 1875 there were 206 children attending. In 1894 the board raised money for a new school to accommodate 445 children, which opened in South Street in 1897.[34]
Wincanton has onesecondary school,King Arthur's School, which is Somerset's first specialistSports College.[35]
The Balsam Centre is a Healthy Living Centre and also a Children's Centre.[36] Since 2005 it has received grants for the re-fitting of the training kitchen and construction and refurbishment to create a dedicated teaching area, counselling and interview rooms and a studio space for physical and community activities.[37]
TheChurch of St Peter and St Paul was almost totally rebuilt in 1887-91 byJ. D. Sedding; however, parts of the tower may be remnants of an earlier church, dating from 1313, on the same site.[38] In 1793 the tower was raised by 12 feet (4 m) making it 50 feet (15 m) high; five bells were cast and a sixth added. The additional carving and north porch were added in subsequent years.[39] The churchyard includes a self-designed monument to the local architectNathaniel Ireson who died in 1796.[40] Because of the state of the roofs, which are under repair, the church is included on theHeritage at Risk Register.[41]
TheRoman Catholic Church and Presbytery of St Luke and St Teresa was built in 1881 by the priest/architect A.J.C Scoles.[42]
There are also places of worship forPentecostals,Methodists,Baptists andQuakers in the town.[43]
Wincanton Museum is a smalllocal museum in the High Street which closed in 2010. You can now visit some of the items which were in the museum in the library which is situated in Carrington Way.
In 2023 the museum reopened in a new site on the high street, with free admission to view the artifacts’.
The cartoonistTony Weare was born in Wincanton.[44]
The town gives its name toWincanton Racecourse which is in the neighbouring parish ofCharlton Musgrove.
Wincanton has aNon-League football clubWincanton Town F.C. who play at the Wincanton Sports Ground on Moor Lane.[45] The Sports Ground in Moor Lane also provides facilities fortennis andbowls.[12]
Wincanton Sports Centre was opened in 2001,[46] funded by a National Lottery grant.[12]
The cricket club, which plays in the recreation ground, has two Saturday teams and a Sunday team.[47]
The rugby union club plays atKing Arthur's Community School in the town. In 2010 they won the Dorset & Wilts division of the English Rugby Union South West Division.[48]
Wincanton is unusual in that it wastwinned in 2002 with a town which can only be found infiction. As well as withGennes /Les Rosiers in France andLahnau in Germany, Wincanton is twinned withAnkh-Morpork,[12] a fictional city state near theCircle Sea onTerry Pratchett'sDiscworld.[49] On 5 April 2009, a number of roads on a new housing development were given names taken from Ankh-Morpork, such asPeach Pie Street andTreacle Mine Road,[50] after a short-list was voted upon by fans.[51] There are shops in the town selling Discworld-related goods.[52] In 2015 theUncle Tom's Cabin pub unveiled a sign by Discworld illustrator Richard Kingston referencingThe Mended Drum. Pratchett and Kingston were regulars.[53] The other Pratchett connection is to be found in Cale Park. A new bridge was built over the River Cale from the main park to the Children's recreation area. The name 'Troll Bridge' was chosen by the public from a list of nominations. This refers to a short story written by Terry Pratchett and a short film of the same name made by Snowgum Films.
"Both men were regulars. They used to come here after creative meetings at the Discworld Emporium a few doors down the street", said Mr Yateman[the landlord].
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
