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THE busy town of Minehead combines everything you could want In a holiday resort — sandy beaches and beautiful countryside, modern facilities and old historic buildings, a harbour and a holiday centre.
Minehead is the he largest town in West Somerset and the northern gate of Exmoor.
The first view of Minehead as you approach it on the A39 from Williton is of the great headland from which the town took its name. It provided early settlers with shelter and has protected generation after generation of seafarers. Below it the town stretches in every direction to cover the valley floor.
On entering Minehead from the Williton direction, you pass first through Alcombe, now linked to the main town but once a separate village and still retaining a nucleus off the main road. Old cottages line the route leading up through Alcombe Combe to the open moor.
Coming into Minehead itself, you find a late Victorian town superimposed on the three old centres of settlement. Originally a row of houses nestled close to St. Michael's Church, others were built near the harbour, and a third group grew up around the mill on the stream. It is in these three areas — Higher Town, Quay Town and Lower Town — where some of the most attractive and interesting buildings are to be found.
There are, in fact, few old buildings left in the Lower Town area, largely due to a disastrous fire which broke out in the summer of 1791 at the mill at the foot of Bampton Street. The miller threw a blazing tar barrel into the mill leat to be rid of it, but as it bobbed away, the flames caught the overhanging thatch of the nearby cottages and fire spread rapidly, destroying 90 homes.
It was many years before the central part of the town was rebuilt, and the charming white Regency style houses which were eventually erected were themselves pulled down before the end of the last century to make way for the present Parade.
Some buildings which survived the fire still remain. Among them are the elegant 17th century Bampton House with its attractive oriel window and the most simple Georgian Eton Cottage, with its concealed cock-pit in the roof area.
Tucked away off The Parade are Quirke's Almshouses, a long row of cottages with a curfew bell hanging above, a reminder of the times when the lives of the inmates were governed by its tolls. The almshouses were built in 1630 by Robert Quirke, churchwarden and merchant, as the result of an oath which he made when he feared the loss of valuable cargo in a storm at sea. He vowed that if the cargo reached Minehead safely he would endow houses for the poor. The ship came back safely and Quirke kept his promise.
Near to the almshouses is the stump of the old market cross, a reminder that this was the site of the town's medieval market.
Back in The Parade, at its junction with The Avenue, stands "one of the town's oldest buildings. Now a fruit market, it was built in the early Tudor period, perhaps by one of the groups of monks who owned land in the town before the Reformation. On one of the inside walls is a painting of a Tudor rose.
Tpo reach Quay Town the best way is to walk through Blenheim Gardens which are an attractive sight at any time of year. This open space harks back to the time when arable fields reached right to the centre of the town.
The Esplanade, protected by a sea wall, commands a wide sweep of Minehead Bay with its sandy beaches. Nearby, opposite The Avenue leading from the town centre, are the pleasant Jubilee Gardens, and set amidst is an open-air cafe from where you can enjoy views of the sea and harbour.
Reaching Quay Town, the centrepiece is the harbour, standing today much as it was built by George Luttrell in 1609-10, with the addition of the last 100 feet completed by Dorothy Luttrell in 1714.
From medieval times, Minehead was noted as both a trading and fishing port. Trade grew erratically until it reached its peak in the early 18th century, but the problem of the frequent silting up of the harbour, together with the competition from larger ports, led to a rapid decline
from that time onwards — and Minehead began its development as a holiday resort.
The houses in Quay Street date mainly from the 17th century when they were built by wealthy merchants and sea captains. Until the beginning of this century there were houses on both sides of the street, and it is easy to imagine how simply brandy and cloth could be smuggled ashore, unbeknown to the customs officials.
The tiny chapel of St. Peter, beside the harbour, was established in 1910 in the storehouse which had been given to the town by Robert Quirke as an endowment for the almshouses.
Perhaps the most picturesque part of Minehead is Higher Town, where the lime-washed thatched cottages with their cob walls and bulging bread ovens cluster around the steep steps leading to St. Michael's Church.
The Church of St. Michael was built mainly in the 1400s when the town was starting to develop its wealth. It stands grey and austere, but is a familiar and comforting landmark bearing witness to the generations of Minehead people who have served God and their neighbour in the town.
Inside are many fascinating features, including the perpendicular carved font with its charming figures, the Fitzjames illuminated missal and the oak rood screen. From the porch the whole of the town can be seen, with Grabbist Hill rising high behind.
Known as the "Gateway to Exmoor", Minehead is situated on the coast in the shelter of Exmoor's North Hill.
Minehead's early importance as a seaport suffered when silting in the harbour affected ship access. However, thanks to the Victorian enthusiasm for sea bathing Minehead successfully reinvented itself as a popular seaside resort. The promenade at Minehead, stretches for 1.8 km. On the seafront, the futuristic skyline pavilion with its gleaming white sails is home to Butlins entertainment complex. This first opened to the public as a holiday camp in 1962. The rock group Status Quo were formed at Butlin's in 1965.
In 1962, South London schoolfriends Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster decided to join the school band, primarily as a way of getting out of lessons. This wasn't cool enough, though, so the pair started a 'beat' group, with Francis on lead guitar and vocals and Alan on bass guitar and vocals. After extensive rehearsals in Alan's bedroom (and after going through two organists and a drummer within a year), the boys were ready to play their first real gig at a local sports club. Rehearsals eventually moved to an air cadets base, where Francis and Alan met John Coughlan, who was drumming for another band at the time. John had a 'real' drum kit. It wasn't long before their existing drummer was shown the door and John was convinced to join. Now they were on their way.
In 1965, the band managed to get a summer residency gig at Butlins in Minehead. It was here that they met guitarist Rick Parfitt, who, like John, was playing in another band at the time. Rick and Francis immediately hit it off and kept in touch. In the meantime, the band found a manager and got themselves a recording contract with Pye. Four singles were released. None charted.
Church steps is one of the most photographed views in Minehead, with its cobbled walkway and cluster of White washed thatched cottages, decorated with windowboxes and hanging baskets overflowing with pretty flowers. The tower of St Michael's Church is 87 foot high. The church building dates from the 14th and 15th century. There is an unusual mediaeval carving on the east face of the tower depicting St Michael, the Virgin Mary and malicious grinning Devils engaged in a battle over human souls. Inside the church is the beautifully illuminated. FitzJames Missal dating from around 1328 AD. Looming over Minehead, is the great bulk of North Hill. The old English name for Minehead, is MYNED, which means Hill in old English.
Minehead offers something for everyone with award-winning floral displays and gardens, a wide tree-lined avenue leading to the new promenade and sandy beach. The town has a wide range of shops, pubs, restaurants and open-air cafes. The sea-front offers family attractions and amusements whilst there are quieter areas to explore around the harbour and picturesque Higher Town with its thatched cottages. Minehead is also an ideal centre for walking in Exmoor National Park.
The beach at Minehead
Since 1991 Minehead has been twinned with St. Berthevin, a small town close to the regional centre of Laval in the
Mayenne district of France.
Minehead with a population of around 10,000 is on the north
coast of Somerset, between Exmoor and the sea, the town was once a fishing village.
As Somerset's busiest and brightest holiday
resort it has long been known as the Gateway to Exmoor. With it's many
amenities the town can offer a wide range of holidays with accommodation
from comfortable hotels on the slopes of North Hill to cosy cottages
on the harbour front. The wide sandy beach and promenade are linked to
the main shopping area by the colourful tree lined avenue. Minehead is
justly proud of it's floral displays which have won it a coveted National
Britain in Bloom trophy.
The town's major tourist attraction is Butlins holiday camp. You can
visit Butlins on a day ticket to try the rides and use the pools. 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 windsurfing options, in addition to the usual beach activities. In addition, there are many amusment arcades and a variety of well-known high street stores (such as WHSmith 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 parish church used to have a beacon to guide travellers
on Exmoor and help ships into the harbour.
Minehead is a great place to stay with excellent local hotels, bed & breakfast and local camping and
caravan sites, such as Minehead & Exmoor Caravan & Camping Park.
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.
In 1999 much of Minehead's famous sandy beach was washed away in a severe storm; the erosion was caused as an unexpected side-effect of a £13-million Environment Agency sea defence project. The town has been a popular seaside resort since the 1850s, and tourism employs 60-percent of the local workforce. The Environment Agency thus had to replace 320,000 tons of fine sifted beach sand, at a cost to them of £2.4 million. The town's new coastal defences and flood defence officially opened in 2001, and the new beach is said to be better than the old one.
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.
Famous people
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 Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poet lived nearby, at Nether Stowey (between Bridgwater and Minehead). 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".
Balmoral in Minehead Harbour
Minehead Harbour
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 & AIDS.
The beautiful scenery of the nearby Avill Valley is said to have inspired Cecil F. Alexander to write the popular hymn 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'.
The Minehead and West Somerset Hospital, housed in a building originally designated a town hall, opened in 1920 although the building had been used by the Red Cross during the war.
The Hobby scaring away the Vikings from Minehead
Minehead, showing the harbour with Beacon Hill behind
Minehead, showing the harbour with Beacon Hill behind
Minehead Cricket Club was founded in 1867 and the Football Club followed in 1889.
Minehead grew as silted-up Dunster declined. Its harbour lies under Beacon Hill, with the lifeboat house just beyond and the remains of the old steamer pier, 250 yards (230 metres) long, looming out into the sea. Opened in 1901, this was demolished during World War II to improve coastal gun sightings. It was a relic of the days when the Bristol Channel was busy with paddle steamers bringing visitors to the Somerset coastal resorts.
Today the Waverley, the last ocean-going paddle steamer in the world, and Balmoral moor against the harbour wall, calling at Minehead from May to October en route from Penarth and Clevedon to Ilfracombe in North Devon. Minehead itself is a jolly town to visit, with its holiday camp and funfair, and delightful countryside all around.
The restored West Somerset Railway runs regular steam
trains between Bishop's Lydeard and Minehead, a twenty mile (32 km) journey via Watchet, Blue Anchor and Dunster.
Walks in the vicinity can take in Selworthy Combe, with its picturesque thatched cottages, other charming villages such as Bossington and Luccombe, some outstanding woodland, and Dunkery Beacon - at 1704 feet (519 metres) the highest hill in the National Park.
Porlock Bay and nearby Blue Anchor Bay are good bird-watching places in autumn and winter, with wintering waders and wildfowl using the area and adjacent marsh sites.
Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club was established 1882 when golf, as a sport, was still in its infancy.
The district council has marked the start of the south west coastal footpath with a sculpture (pictured above) designed by Sarah Ward of Minehead. The sculpture was constructed by Owen, Cunningham of Derbyshire and erected in February 2001.
The first view of Minehead as you approach it on the A39 from Williton is of the great headland from which the town took its name. It provided early settlers with shelter and has protected feneration after generation of seafarers, elow it the town stretches in every direction to cover the valley floor.
On entering Minehead from the Williton direction, you pass first through Alcombe, now linked to the main town but once a separate village and still retaining a nucleus off the main road. Old cottages line the route leading up through Alcombe Combe to the open moor.
Coming into Minehead itself, you find a late Victorian town superimposed on the three old centres of settlement. Originally a row of houses nestled close to St. Michael's Church, others were built near the harbour, and a third group grew up around the mill on the stream. It is in these three areas — Higher Town, Quay Town and Lower Town — where some of the most attractive and interesting buildings are to be found.
There are, in fact, few old buildings left in the Lower Town area, largely due to a disastrous fire which broke out in the summer of 1791 at the mill at the foot of Bampton Street. The miller threw a blazing tar barrel into the mill leat to be rid of it, but as it bobbed away, the flames caught the overhanging thatch of the nearby cottages and fire spread rapidly, destroying 90 homes.
It was many years before the central part of the town was rebuilt, and the charming white Regency style houses which were eventually erected were themselves pulled down before the end of the last century to make way for the present Parade.
Some buildings which survived the fire still remain. Among them are the elegant 17th century Bampton House with its attractive oriel window and the most simple Georgian Eton Cottage, with its concealed cock-pit in the roof area.
Tucked away off The Parade are Quirke's Almshouses, a long row of cottages with a curfew bell hanging above, a reminder of the times when the lives of the inmates were governed by its tolls. The almshouses were built in 1630 by Robert Quirke, churchwarden and merchant, as the result of an oath which he made when he feared the loss of valuable cargo in a storm at sea. He vowed that if the cargo reached Minehead safely he would endow houses for the poor. The shrp came back safely and Quirke kept his promise.
Near to the almshouses is the stump of the old market cross, a reminder that this was the site of the town's medieval market.
Back in The Parade, at its junction with The Avenue, stands one of the town's oldest buildings. Now a fruit market, it was built in the early Tudor period, perhaps by one of the groups of monks who owned land in the town before the Reformation. On one of the inside walls is a painting of a Tudor rose.
To reach Quay Town, there can be no better way than by walking through Blenheim Gardens. Minehead people are rightly proud of the gardens, which are an attractive sight at any time of the year. This open space harks back to the time when arable fields reached right to the centre of the town.
The Esplanade, protected by a sea wall, commands a wide sweep of Minehead Bay with its sandy beaches. Nearby, opposite The Avenue leading from the town centre, are the pleasant lubilee Gardens, and set amidst is an open-air cafe from where you can enjoy views of the sea and harbour.
Reaching Quay Town, the centrepiece is the harbour, standing today much as it was built by George Luttrell in 1609-10, with the addition of the last 100 feet completed by Dorothy Luttrell in 1714.
From medieval times, Minehead was noted as both a trading and fishing port. Trade grew erratically until it reached its peak in the early 18th century, but the problem of the frequent silting up of the harbour, together with the competition
from larger ports, led to a rapid decline
from that time onwards — and Mine-head began its development as a holiday resort.
The houses in Quay Street date mainly from the 17th century when they were built by wealthy merchants and sea captains. Until the beginning of this century there were houses on both sides of the street, and it is easy to imagine how simply brandy and cloth could be smuggled ashore, unbeknown to the customs officials.
The tiny chapel of St. Peter, beside the harbour, was established in 1910 in the storehouse which had been given to the town by Robert Quirke as an endowment for the almshouses.
Perhaps the most picturesque part of Minehead is Higher Town, where the lime-washed thatched cottages with their cob walls and bulging bread ovens cluster around the steep steps leading to St. Michael's Church.
The Church of St. Michael was built mainly in the 1400s when the town was starting to develop its wealth. It stands grey and austere, out is a familiar and comforting landmark bearing witness to the generations of Minehead people who have served God and their neighbour in the town.
Inside are many fascinating features, including the perpendicular carved font with its charming figures, the Fitzjames illuminated missal and the oak rood screen. From the porch the whole of the town can be seen, with Grabbist Hill rising high behind.
Quirke's Almshouses in Market House Lane were given to the town by local trader Robert Quirke and are built on the site of the old market place.
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.
There has been a port at Minehead since the Domesday
Book, the stone quay being first constructed in 1661 when the woollen and fishing industries flourished. Today holiday cruisers and fishing boats are frequent users of this picturesque harbour.
Minehead Cottages
From the 15th century the port played an important part in the development of the town. In 1543 it was recorded that Minehead had more ships suitable for deployment in King Henry VIII's developing navy than any other port in the Bristol Channel. Trade included coal, iron and wood, beans and wine, livestock, wool and fish. Some of the goods were brought over from the continent, while others came from Wales and Ireland. The town was filled with visitors, seamen who frequented the taverns. The lanes were filled with strings of packhorses carrying goods to Somerset, Devon, and beyond.
Minehead developed as three separate areas:
St Michael's church on the hill, Higher Town
Quay
Town, where fisherman's cottages clustered together
Lower town around Puddle Street, which is now called The Parade. Around this street of widely spaced houses, were the more simple houses of the sailors, and the warehouses of the merchants. The Town Hall was also near here, as were the whipping post, the stocks and pillory. The prison was in the Town Hall as well. It is not known where the original Town Hall was sited, but by the 17th Century it was in Friday Street, near the present Wellington Square. The market place was also nearby, together with an area known as The Shambles, where cattle were slaughtered.
In 1791 the great fire of Minehead occured. It was caused by accident on 5 July, when Mr May, a miller, went to get some pitch stored in a barrel near his door. He used a hot iron or poker to open the barrel, which then caught alight. He rolled the barrel into a nearby stream, and this also caught fire, setting a nearby woodpile ablaze. Within a matter of minutes the fire had spread destroying more than 70 dwellings along with warehouses and storerooms. Despite the efforts of volunteers, more than 400 people were made destitute, but fortunately only one person died, a maniac, who had been left locked up and forgotten about in the confusion.
A fund was started immediately for the relief of the poor, but somehow it became caught up in a political struggle, and by 1796 a visitor to the town reported a vast number of houses in a state of blackened ruin and utter dilapidation. The money had neither been distributed to the victims of the fire, nor used for rebuilding. Many of the houses belonged to the Luttrell family, and as lords of the manor, living in nearby Dunster Castle, it was expected that they would immediately rebuild the houses. Another man, a Mr John Langston, who had built forty small houses, stood for election against Mr Luttrell, and was elected for one term. Realising that he was losing the confidence of the electorate, Luttrell decided that he needed to improve the housing for his tenants if his political hopes were to succeed. Even so, the period was a black time for Minehead, and some of the poorer people had to leave the town to find work elsewhere.
Around this time Minehead began to develop the tourist industry for which it is best known today. Sea-bathing became very fashionable in the mid-18Ih century especially as a health treatment and many coastal towns began to develop for those who wanted to enjoy taking the
waters. Minehead could offer
both the sea and the beauty
of the Exmoor countryside. Poets such as
Wordsworth, Coleridge,
Southey and Shelley all walked
on Exmoor, and despite the set back of the
1791 fire it continued to flourish as a seaside resort for the more discerning visitor.
There were moves to introduce the railway to Minehead, and in 1862 a line was opened from Taunton to Watchet, with the final eight miles being completed by coach. It was not until 16 July 1874 that the railway to Minehead was finally opened. The arrival of the railway and cheap excursions brought tourists into Minehead in their hundreds, not always happily. Even in Victorian times some of the visitors arrived drunk, and conducted themselves in a rowdy manner even stealing from the shops from time to time.
The late 1880s and 1890s saw improvements to the town. The muddy lane which led down to the beach was replaced with a wide thoroughfare called The Avenue. Gas was installed, and so was water, and then soon after this a network of sewers followed. The Parade was redesigned and the first new building Stuckey's Bank, added in 1870. The terraces in Blenheim Road were laid out, and Summerland Street and Tregonwell Road were started.
In the 1890s White Funnel Steamers stopped at Minehead offering a regular service to other ports in the Bristol Channel. A plan was proposed to extend the times when passengers could embark and disembark by building a pier, and in 1901 a 700ft pier was opened by Mr GF Luttrell, and this attracted more visitors especially those from Wales.
The early part of the 20th century saw Minehead develop as a family seaside resort, and there was a corresponding growth in housing to provide dwelling for the workers. Blenheim Gardens opened in 1925 and in 1936 an open air swimming pool opened
Raft Race August
Over 50 rafts battling the seas in a 4.5 mile race. Live music, craft and market stalls and a spectacular firework display filling the evening sky over the harbour and beach. www.mineheadlifeboat.org.uk/raftrace
Blenheim Gardens opened in 1925 have award-winning and stunning floral displays and a bandstand that hosts Summer concerts.
In bygone days, Minehead consisted of three separate communities: ‘Higher Town’, ‘Quay Town’ and ‘Lower’ or ‘Middle Town’, which is now the main shopping area.
Higher Town
Below the church is Minehead’s ‘Higher Town’. Higher Town has a number of picturesque old thatched cottages with abutting chimneys in true West Somerset style, whilst the narrow path known as Church Steps is a popular setting for artists and photographers. The red sandstone building on the left, at the foot of Church Steps, was Minehead’s earliest workhouse and was leased to house the poor in 1731. The building was later used as a mint but the grills on some of the windows still remain. The colour-washed house on the opposite side of the steps was once used as a schoolhouse.
Quay Town
Snug beneath the steep seaward slopes of North Hill lies Quay Town, with a history which dates back to the eleven century. According to the Doomsday Book, Ælgar Earl of Mercia held the town and the harbour but when he was dispossessed by William the Conqueror, the town was given to one of The Conqueror’s friends, William de Mohun of Dunster. It has been suggested that his name gave rise to the name of Minehead – a contraction of Mohun and Saxon ‘heved’. The name, however, is variously written Manheve, Munheved and Minheved in early documents relating to the town. By the year 1400, Minehead had become a port of considerable importance; later, in the reign of Elizabeth I, Minehead boasted a Port Officer like that of Bristol. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, some forty vessels were trading regularly between Minehead and Ireland, South Wales, Bristol and Bridgwater. There was also a herring fishing industry of some importance; it is recorded that some 4,000 barrels were exported annually.
Times have changed but Quay Town has retained its old-world charm and in the summer it is the port of call of the pleasure steamer ‘Balmoral’ and the paddle steamer ‘Waverley’. In the early days, there were several inns amongst the old fishermen’s cottages, one being the Queen’s Head, which was opposite The Pier Hotel (now the Old Ship Aground), and earlier, The Mermaid on Quay Street.
The West Somerset town of Minehead is situated on the Bristol Channel - an area of water that is subject to one of the largest tidal ranges in the world as well as very fast running currents. Traditionally, the tides there have been a mixed blessing. They helped the town become a prosperous port and more recently, a thriving holiday resort. But in contrast their potential for flood used to bring damage and misery. Now a major new sea defence scheme has transformed the situation. This booklet tells the story.
There has been a long history of waterfront activity in Minehead. A flourishing shipyard provided vessels for the busy harbour with over 40 registered boats in its heyday during the early 1700s. Trade, particularly in herrings, was carried out with a large number of places including the West Indies, Virginia, France, Spain and Ireland.
Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, visited Minehead at the time and described it as "the best port and safest harbour" along the Bristol Channel.
Sea defences at Minehead have existed for several hundred years. When the town was just a small hamlet, it was protected from the sea by a high beach which was backed by a natural shingle and cobble ridge. As the town grew, the ridge was gradually replaced with a masonry wall. West of the harbour, barriers, known as groynes, were also put in place and the combination of these and the wall contributed to a significant loss of beach material since the beginning of the twentieth century.
The old sea wall suffered frequent damage and despite repairs had reached the end of its 'useful life'. Further flooding of private houses and businesses would have been unacceptable. If improvements were not made it was estimated that storm damage would cost in excess of £21 million at present day prices over the next 50 years.
Responsibility for the upkeep of the sea wall lay with the Environment Agency, West Somerset District Council, Butlins and Somerset County Council. Before commencing any kind of improvements, it was decided to employ consulting engineers to assess the situation and advise on the best and most economical way of proceeding. Mouchel Consulting Ltd (Engineering) and Nicholas Pearson Associates (Landscape Architects) were selected to carry out this important task.
Flood defence engineers describe the severity of storms in terms of a 'return period'. This is a statistical term and it is used to measure the frequency of any storm event. So a storm with a return period of 100 years means there is a one in a hundred chance of such a storm occurring in any one year. It was calculated that a storm of this size would see the town suffering an inundation of 120 million gallons of water which would engulf the Esplanade, Butlins, across the Warren and industrial areas to the south. The new defences built at Minehead have been designed to withstand such a storm. The area could still flood in a really extreme event, but even then the effects would be dramatically reduced and controlled.
The primary objective of the scheme has been to provide flood protection. However, the Environment Agency is equally committed to ensuring that environmental issues and public concerns are fully taken into account as schemes such as this develop. In this way, potentially adverse impacts can be minimised and opportunities for mitigation can be taken.
A considerable number of organisations and individuals were consulted during the course of the project through the formal planning process, direct contact, public exhibitions, meetings, and a questionnaire. Consultations enabled valuable information and views to be collected on a wide range of issues including amenity, visual impact, archaeology, conservation and construction impacts. A comprehensive Environmental Report was produced based on the information obtained, and this report was used to support the planning application for the scheme which gained planning approval in November 1996.
Early consultations with English Heritage and the county archaeologist revealed that Minehead Bay contained a great deal of archaeology, with the potential for further features to be uncovered during construction of the sea defence scheme.
An archaeologist was commissioned to conduct surveys before the work started and also during construction. This was done so that wherever possible, damage to archaeological deposits or structures could be avoided or minimised. Where it was not possible to prevent damage detailed records were made.
The story to emerge from the foreshore at Minehead is one of a dramatically changing landscape with periods of intense human activity.
Some 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, sea level was about 40 metres lower than it is today and the area that was to become Minehead lay some 50km (31 miles) from the sea. As the ice melted, oceans began to rise and as a result the wide valley between England and Wales was slowly drowned. By 6,000 years ago the rise in sea level was slowing down and would have been only five or six metres below present day level.
Evidence of this drowned landscape can still be seen on the beach today as deposits of peat with the remains of submerged forests in them. Also preserved in the peat are the remains of insects, pollen, seeds and plant stems that indicate between 7,600 and 6,300 years ago what is now the lower part of Minehead's beach was then salt marsh while in the middle part of the beach there were areas of reed swamp and alder woodland standing in pools of water.
Taming the tempestuous tides
An even older item - the pelvis of a wooly rhinoceros - was found by local fishermen just offshore. This find dates back to between 22,000 and 42,000 years ago.
The varied habitats supported a variety of wildlife from fish and wild fowl to larger animals, e.g. the now extinct aurochsen which grazed the salt marshes. These huge, wild cattle with the large homed bulls standing two metres high at the shoulders, became extinct in Britain only about three and a half thousand years ago. Beetles identified in the peat include a reed swamp species that is now extinct in Britain. How this landscape might have looked during the late summer some 7,000 years ago is illustrated here (see opposite page).
Flint tools indicate people were taking advantage of the natural resources. Axes and scrapers date back to between 12,000 and 2,600 years ago.
The earliest reference to the name Minehead (Myneheafdon) is in 1046 AD though whether the settlement then was near the church (High Town) or the harbour (Quay Town) is not clear. Fishing must always have played a part in the local economy and not just fishing offshore in the Bristol Channel, since the remains of many fish weirs can still be seen on the beach. These are long, low banks and walls of stone that would have funnelled the fish into nets on a falling tide. In 1 380 a fish weir at Minehead cost 5 pennies to rent but by 1424 this had risen to 2 shillings. The survey of the beach in 1996 recorded the remains of 43 weirs between the harbour and Warren Point. They are now valued as nationally important archaeological sites and an area of weirs at Minehead has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Other fishing sites survive on the beach only as rows of wooden stumps where nets were once hung from posts; a form of fishing that also continues today.
Minehead’s sands extend from The Strand to Warren Point and the pebble beach towards the harbour, in all a distance of about a mile. In spring 2000 a major new sea defence scheme transformed Minehead’s promenade and beach, making it one of the area’s key attractions.
The quaint little Fisherman’s Chapel, ‘The Chapel of St. Peter on the Quay’ is situated in an old cellar beneath a store. Services are still held regularly.
Minehead Church Steps approx 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Minehead Church Steps approx 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Minehead Church Steps approx 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Minehead Harbour approx 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Minehead Lido approx 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Minehead Paddling Pool approx 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Lower or Middle Town
With just a few exceptions, this part of Minehead was built in the late 1700s and early 1800s; practically the whole of the original buildings here were destroyed in the Great Fire of Minehead in 1791. Originating in the town mill where the miller accidentally caught alight a barrel of pitch, the fire quickly spread from building to building until some seventy houses, shops and stables were destroyed and a number of families rendered homeless. The disaster was described in the London papers of 12th July 1791 as a ‘deplorable public calamity’ and as the result of public appeals made for assistance in London and in Bristol, a considerable sum of money was given for the relief of the victims.
One small row of old dwellings escaped the fire. Tucked away in Market House Lane, off The Parade, is a row of ancient almshouses built in 1630 by Robert Quirke, a local merchant mariner. It was during a severe storm at sea that Robert Quirke made a vow to God declaring that if He spared the ship, he would dedicate both ship and cargo to God’s service. When the storm-battered ship eventually reached Minehead, the cargo was sold, the ship broken up and with the proceeds Robert Quirke built the almshouses in gratitude for having reached home safely. However, in the building of them he invoked a curse upon those who might use these dwellings for any other purpose and on the wall of one of the houses a plaque can still be seen giving details of Robert Quirke’s bequest and of the curse.
The canopied statue of Queen Anne in Minehead’s Wellington Square is one of two by the sculptor Bird. The other stands outside St. Pauls Cathedral without a canopy. Minehead’s statue has faced the square since 1893, before which it stood within the Parish Church. It was presented to the town in 1791 by Sir Jacob Bancks after whom Bancks Street is named; he was one of Minehead’s M.P’s in the days when Minehead, with a population of under 2,000, boasted two Members of Parliament.
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