| Barwick | |
|---|---|
  Barwick Location withinSomerset | |
| Population | 1,221 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST564139 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | YEOVIL |
| Postcode district | BA22 |
| Dialling code | 01935 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°55′24″N2°37′14″W / 50.9233°N 2.6205°W /50.9233; -2.6205 | |
Barwick is a village andparish inSomerset, England, about 2 miles (3.2 km) south ofYeovil and on the border withDorset. The parish, which includes the village of Stoford, has a population of 1,221.[1]
The earliest signs of habitation in the area were the relics of aBronze Age burial which were found in 1826, a little to the north of the village of Stoford, which may be a Saxon name derived from Stow-Ford.[2]
Settlement may go back as far asSaxon times, the earliest mention of Barwick being in 1185. In theMiddle Ages, Stoford was shown as a new town and in an Inquisition or survey of 1273 there were 74burgages each paying 10d (tenpence) a year. The total population of the borough in 1273 was probably over 500. Stoford kept its borough status for at least 300 years. A guildhall was mentioned in 1361 and there is proof of a separate borough court. There was still a 'borough of Stoford' in themusters of 1569.[2]
The parish was part of thehundred ofHoundsborough.[3]
Theparish council is responsible for local issues. It sets an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and produces 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 village comes under theunitary authority ofSomerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of thenon-metropolitan district ofSouth Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, having previously been part ofYeovil Rural District.[4]
It is also part of theYeovilcounty constituency represented in theHouse of Commons of theParliament of the United Kingdom. It elects oneMember of Parliament (MP) by thefirst past the post system of election. It was part of theSouth West England constituency of theEuropean Parliament prior toBritain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected sevenMEPs using thed'Hondt method ofparty-list proportional representation.
The estate originally formed part of the property ofSyon Abbey, and passed through various hands after theDissolution in the 1530s.The present house and park are thought to have been built in 1770 by John and Grace Newman, whose relations owned neighbouringNewton Surmaville.
The house was set in pleasure grounds containing a lake and grotto, while the surrounding parkland was ornamented with aGothic lodge and a group of fourfollies. In the early 19th century the estate passed to Thomas Messiter, a barrister, who was John Newman's nephew and in 1830 the mansion was remodelled in aJacobean Revival style. Anorangery was constructed adjoining the north side at the same period.[5] During the early 20th century the estate was let to various persons.
DuringWorld War II, it was the location of aprisoner of war camp, initially housingItalian prisoners from theWestern Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners after theBattle of Normandy.
Following derequisition of the property, after the war, the Messiter family carried out considerable modernisation and repairs and took up residence.
At some point following this the property became a school known as Broadhembury College and remained so up until the end of the 1960s when the school changed hands.From the early 1970s through to the mid 1980s the mansion and surrounding grounds were let to Pagems Schools Ltd and Headmaster Major Arthur Gray for use as a privately run boarding school attracting boys from London, Liverpool, Bristol, Swansea and several other areas around the country. During this time further modifications took place that included a new classroom block, swimming pool and gymnasium. The school was also part of the Sea Cadet Corps, known as T.S. Gryphon with affiliations to HMS Hampshire (D06)|H.M.S. Hampshire and nearby RNAS Yeovilton H.M.S. Heron. The school closed around 1986/87 due to bankruptcy.
In the 1990s the estate was sold to a private owner, and substantial repairs were carried out to the house, orangery and landscape structures. The site remains in private ownership.
Barwick Park boasts four follies. Locals say they were built to give the estate labourers work during a time of depression in the 1820s. They were possibly commissioned by George Messiter of Barwick to mark the park boundaries at the four cardinal points: Jack the Treacle Eater (a stone arch topped by a round tower) to the east,[6] the Fish Tower in the north,[7] Messiter's Cone (also known as the Rose Tower), which is 75 feet (23 m) high,[8] at the west[9] end and the Needle to the south.[10] However, paintings of Barwick House in the 1780s, forty years before the 1820s depression, include two of the follies.[citation needed]
The follies collectively ranked fourth onCountryfile's 2009 list of "Britain's top 10 follies".[11]
The parish containsYeovil Junction railway station, on theLondon–Exeter line.
TheChurch of Saint Mary Magdalene is just off theA37 at the western end of the village, about half a mile away from the main centre of population.The church was built before 1219 as a chapel of the minster church in Yeovil.[12] It has been rebuilt and restored since, particularly in the 1850 when the chancel was rebuilt.[13] There is still a weekly service. The ecclesiastical parish is now part of thebenefice of Holy Trinity,Yeovil.The most architecturally significant features of the church are the bench ends, dating from 1533 - the eve of theEnglish Reformation. The bench ends depict scenes from village life as well as typical pagan symbolism from that period such as theGreen Man and the unicorn, a symbol of eternal life. There are also religious objects dating back much earlier, presumably from the church originally on the site, e.g. the Norman font.
The church has been designated byEnglish Heritage as aGrade II*listed building.[14]
A short livedgreyhound racing track was opened on Saturday 22 August 1931 at Barwick Field on Long Lane near Barwick Park. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body theNational Greyhound Racing Club) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.[15] The race distance was 525 yards, the racing ended in early 1932.[16]
Media related toBarwick, Somerset at Wikimedia Commons
