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Minehead
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Minehead is a coastal town in West Somerset, England with a population of around 10,000.
Since 1974, Minehead has been administered by the West Somerset District Council. The Town Council was created in 1983. Since 1991, Minehead has been twinned with Saint-Berthevin, a small town close to the regional centre of Laval in the Mayenne département of France.
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The town's major tourist attraction is Butlins holiday camp. Other attractions include: the train station of the West Somerset Railway (the rail line terminates here); the town's main ornamental park, off Blenheim Road (Blenheim Gardens); and the Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club, Somerset's oldest golf club, established in 1882. There are a variety of sailing and wind surfing options, in addition to the usual beach activities. In addition, there are many amusement arcades and a variety of well-known high street stores (such as W H Smith and Woolworths) together with one-off local shops.
One popular ancient local tradition involves the Hobby Horse, which takes to the streets on the eve of the first of May each year, with accompanying musicians and rival horses, for four days. The first of May has been a festival day in Minehead since 1465.
The town is the starting point of the South West Coast Path National Trail, the nation's longest long-distance countryside walking trail.
Somerset still makes use of the 3 tier education system, consisting of first and middle schools and colleges. In Minehead, there are 2 first schools, 1 middle school and a college. There was recent debate within the county as to whether or not the 3 tier system should be changed to a 2 tier system to match the majority of counties in the UK.[1]
The town is overlooked by North Hill, and is close to Exmoor National Park. The cliff exposures around Minehead's shoreline are very dramatic and fossils are exposed.[1]
The town has been a popular seaside resort since the 1850s, and tourism employs 60-percent of the local workforce. In 1990 much of Minehead's beach was washed away in a severe storm which also caused serious flooding in the town. A £12.6million Environment Agency sea defence scheme was designed to reduce the risk of this erosion and flooding from happening again in the future. The Environment Agency built 1.7km of new sea wall and rock or concrete stepped revetment between 1997 and 1998 and imported 320,000 tons of additional sand in 1999 to build a new beach. This beach sits between four rock groynes and has been built at a much higher level than the previous beach so that it breaks the waves before they reach the new sea wall. Any waves that do reach the new wall are turned back by its curved shape. The town's new sea defences were officially opened in 2001 by Sir John Harman.[2]
The Minehead Railway was opened on 16 July 1874, linking the town to Taunton and beyond. It was closed on 4 January 1971 but has since been reopened as a by the West Somerset Railway. The railway station is close to the beach.
Seven of the rebels of the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion lived in Minehead.
The wooded bluffs above Minehead feature as the Hermit's abode.... "in that wood which slopes down to the sea", in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poet lived nearby, at Nether Stowey (between Bridgwater and Minehead). His statue can be seen at the nearby harbour at Watchet. He and Wordsworth (who lived nearby at Alfoxden) would often roam the hills and coast on long night walks; leading to local gossip that they were 'spies' for the French. The Government sent an agent to investigate, but found they were, indeed, "mere poets".
Minehead's beautiful scenery is said to have inspired the Irish-born hymn writer Cecil Frances Alexander to write the hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful".
Minehead is the birth place of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (born in Blenheim Road, 1917).
Many famous entertainers have worked at Butlins holiday camp, which is well known for its live entertainment.
Nick Partridge OBE, was born and raised in the town. He was the Chief Executive of The Terrence Higgins Trust, and a key campaigner on HIV and AIDS.
At Alcombe, within the West Somerset Community College there is the Minehead Cricket Club (MCC), who have 4 men's teams and one women's team. In addition, there are training nights throughout the summer on Monday and Thursdays for Under 15s.
- ^ Introduction and Information for collecting fossils in Minehead. UK Fossils Network. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.
- Minehead Town Council (official site)
- BBC Somerset: The Minehead Meander
- Butlins at Minehead: 1970 Camp Map
- Official guide to the South West Coast Path National Trail
- Southwest Coast Path Association
- West Somerset Railway (unofficial website)
- The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: Minehead, by Clare Gathercole
- Minehead Middle School website