| Flax Bourton | |
|---|---|
 Flax Bourton church in 2004 | |
  Flax Bourton Location withinSomerset | |
| Population | 715 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST505695 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS48 |
| Dialling code | 01275 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°25′20″N2°42′40″W / 51.4223°N 2.7112°W /51.4223; -2.7112 | |
Flax Bourton is a village andcivil parish inSomerset, England. The parish, with a population of 715,[1] is situated within theunitary authority ofNorth Somerset, on the edge ofNailsea Moor on theA370 road 5 miles (8.0 km) south west ofBristol city centre.
The village has a primary school, onepub namedThe Jubilee Inn, a church dating back toNorman times and is the home of Backwell Flax Bourton Cricket Club.
Backwell Hillfort between Flax Bourton andBackwell is anIron Age hill fort.[2]
To the north of the village and close to theBristol to Exeter railway line a mill was built on theLand Yeo. It may have existed at the time of theDomesday Book and strong documentary evidence exists from 1769. Between 1839 and 1885 the river was diverted into the tailrace of the mill, eliminating a bend in the river. All that remains of the three storey mill is a single storey garage of a private house.[3]
Farleigh Hospital and the Church of St. George was built in 1837 as a Workhouse for the Bedminster Union.[4] Also on Old Weston Road is the former Long Ashton Magistrate's Court and Police Station, which was built 1857-58 by John Norton,[5]and is now home to theCoroner's court forBristol andNorth Somerset.[6]
AnMoD fuel depot, part of theGovernment Pipelines and Storage System with its own railway sidings, is just off the main line behind the former station. Its future is currently under review.[7]It was constructed between 1954 and 57 by Esso as part of the North Somerset Complex of sites and pipelines for the storage of white oil products. It was originally connected by five pipelines but only one was operational by 1990. It was originally designed for distribution by road and rail with two rail gantries and three road gantries. The site was emptied and closed in the early 1990s following the end of the Cold War.[8]
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, such as thevillage hall orcommunity centre,playing fields andplaygrounds, 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 of interest to the council.
The parish falls within theunitary authority ofNorth Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by theLocal Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier oflocal government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area includinglocal planning andbuilding control, local roads,council housing,environmental health,markets and fairs,refuse collection,recycling,cemeteries,crematoria, leisure services, parks, andtourism. It is also responsible foreducation,social services,libraries, main roads,public transport,trading standards,waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through theAvon Fire and Rescue Service,Avon and Somerset Constabulary and theSouth Western Ambulance Service.
North Somerset's area covers part of theceremonial county ofSomerset but it is administered independently of thenon-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall inWeston-super-Mare. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was theWoodspringdistrict of thecounty of Avon.[9] Before 1974 that the parish was part of theLong Ashton Rural District.[10]
The parish is represented in theHouse of Commons of theParliament of the United Kingdom as part of theNorth Somerset constituency. It elects onemember of parliament (MP) by thefirst past the post system of election, currentlyLiam Fox of theConservative Party. It was also 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.
Stancombe Quarry was first built in 1952. Today, the quarry which is operated byTarmac, producesCarboniferous Limestone, which is mainly for use on the roads,[11] after crushing on site.[12] The site has an expected output of 28 million tonnes over a 25-year period.[13]
Along with the rest ofSouth West England, Flax Bourton has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.[14]
In 1860Flax Bourton railway station was opened by theBristol and Exeter Railway just west of the short tunnel at the summit of the climb from Bristol. It closed to passengers on 2 December 1963.Sustrans have recently built a cycle path leading to Backwell and Nailsea, adjacent to the railway line. Today the nearest station isNailsea and Backwell. There are also regular bus links available from Farleigh Green (to Weston-super-Mare), and top of station road (to Bristol)
TheAnglican parishchurch of St. Michael and All Angels has 12th-century origins and has been designated as a Grade II*listed building.[15]
