| Chilcompton | |
|---|---|
 | |
 St Aldhelm's Church | |
  Chilcompton Location withinSomerset | |
| Area | 7.06 km2 (2.73 sq mi) |
| Population | 2,062 (2011)[1] |
| • Density | 292/km2 (760/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | ST645515 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | RADSTOCK |
| Postcode district | BA3 |
| Dialling code | 01761 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°16′07″N2°30′09″W / 51.2686°N 2.5025°W /51.2686; -2.5025 | |
Chilcompton is a village andcivil parish inSomerset, England, in theMendip Hills two miles south ofMidsomer Norton and 3.0 miles south-west ofWestfield. It is on the B3139 road betweenRadstock andWells, close to theA37 (betweenShepton Mallet andBristol).
The parish was part of thehundred ofChewton.[2]
The village's history is mainly that offarming andmining. There is a coal waste mound in the north-east end of the village. The village used to haveChilcompton railway station on theSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway, which closed in 1966.
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 ofMendip (established under theLocal Government Act 1972). It was part ofClutton Rural District before 1974.[3]
The village falls in the Ashwick, Chilcompton and Strattonelectoral ward. From Chilcompton the ward stretches south toAshwick. The ward total population taken at the2011 census was 4,835.[4]
It is also part of theFrome and East Somersetconstituency 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.
Chilcompton has apopulation of 1,918.[1] The village is situated one mile west of theFosse WayRoman road,Downside Abbey, andDownside School, and one mile north-east ofBlacker's Hillfort. The only bus service that serves Chilcompton is the 173 Bath to Wells Mendip Xplorer service operated byFirst West of England. There are also several bus routes running between neighbouring villages and the town of Midsomer Norton.
The village has a well called Fry's Well which lends its name to a road.
TheRiver Somer rises in small streams around Chilcompton.[5]
Chilcompton has a primary school called St. Vigor and St. John. The village also has four nearby state secondary schools,The Blue School in Wells,Norton Hill School andSomervale School in Midsomer Norton andWrithlington School in Radstock. There are two private schools nearby,Wells Cathedral School andDownside School. The nearest universities are inBath andBristol.
Chilcompton is the headquarters of the fashion companyMulberry Group plc.[6]
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 has a few units of small businesses such as Nova fitness equipment and a small fruit machine distributor. There were fourpubs in the village some time ago; currently there are two left: The Somerset Wagon (previously The Railway) and TheRedan Inn. The Britannia and Naishes Crossing had been the other two, The Britannia being the later of the two to close in the 1980s.
TheChurch of St John The Baptist dates from the 15th century and was largely rebuilt in the 19th. Theperpendicularembattled tower dates from around 1460 and contains six bells. Thenave andaisles were completed in 1839 by Jesse Gane and thechancel and flanking chapels in 1897 byFrederick Bligh Bond. An enclosed modern structure links it to the adjoining parish hall. It is a Grade II*listed building and lies a short distance to the north of the village.[7] The ecclesiastical parish is now united with that ofSaint Vigor's atStratton-on-the-Fosse.
The formerChrist Church on Stockhill Road, Downside, was built in 1838 byJohn Pinch the Younger. It was aCommissioners' church, which means it was built with money voted byParliament as a result of the Church Building Acts of 1818 and 1824. The 1818 Act supplied a grant of money and established the Church Building Commission to direct its use, and in 1824 made a further grant of money. The building is no longer used for its religious function.[8] It has been converted to a private residence.[9]
Near the village cross there was a modern Catholic church dedicated to StAldhelm that was built byFrancis Pollen in 1976 and it was served by monks from the nearbyDownside Abbey until its closure in 2015.
There is a skateboarding park in the north end of the village on the recreational ground, which also has 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.
The village holds a village day fete every year, hosting live acts, games, stalls and foodstuffs, along with guest speakers such asMichael Eavis (owner ofGlastonbury 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 a variety of entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, musical acts and other entertaining acts. The local actors guild (CADS — Chilcompton Amateur Dramatics Society) led 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'sMacbeth.
TheRedan Inn won the award for the best rural pub in Mendip in Bloom competition 2006.[10]
The Chilcompton football team is in division 2 of the junior league. A cricket team is being organised to play the local village rivalStratton-on-the-Fosse.
