The Somerset Portal

Somerset (/ˈsʌmərsɪt, -sɛt/ ⓘ SUM-ər-sit, -set; archaically Somersetshire /ˈsʌmərsɪt.ʃɪər, -sɛt-, -ʃər/ SUM-ər-sit-sheer, -set-, -shər) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east and the north-east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Bath, and the county town is Taunton.
Somerset is a predominantly rural county, especially to the south and west, with an area of 4,171 km2 (1,610 sq mi) and a population of 965,424. After Bath (101,557), the largest settlements are Weston-super-Mare (82,418), Taunton (60,479), and Yeovil (49,698). Wells (12,000) is a city, the second-smallest by population in England. For local government purposes the county comprises three unitary authority areas: Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and Somerset.
The centre of Somerset is dominated by the Levels, a coastal plain and wetland, and the north-east and west of the county are hilly. The north-east contains part of the Cotswolds AONB, all of the Mendip Hills AONB, and a small part of Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB; the west contains the Quantock Hills AONB, a majority of Exmoor National Park, and part of the Blackdown Hills AONB. The main rivers in the county are the Avon, which flows through Bath and then Bristol, and the Axe, Brue, and Parrett, which drain the Levels.
There is evidence Paleolithic human occupation in Somerset, and the area was subsequently settled by the Celts, Romans and Anglo-Saxons. The county played a significant part in Alfred the Great's rise to power, and later the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. In the later medieval period its wealth allowed its monasteries and parish churches to be rebuilt in grand style; Glastonbury Abbey was particularly important, and claimed to house the tomb of King Arthur and Guinevere. The city of Bath is famous for its Georgian architecture, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The county is also the location of Glastonbury Festival, one of the UK's major music festivals. (Full article...)
Selected article

Selected biography -
John Wemyss "Jake" Seamer (23 June 1913 – 16 April 2006) was an amateur cricketer who played for Oxford University and Somerset either side of the Second World War. A bespectacled cricketer, Seamer was a right-handed batsman who played with a defensive streak to his game which was rarely seen among amateur batsmen of his time. He was described as a leg break googly bowler, but in truth he rarely bowled at all, and claimed just four first-class wickets.
Seamer played the best of his cricket while at Oxford University. All four of his first-class centuries were made for the university side, and his average for Oxford was 35.30, significantly higher than his career average of 20.35. He made his highest score against Free Foresters in his second year, during which he accrued 858 runs, more than double he managed in any other season. On completion of his studies at Oxford, Seamer joined the Sudan Political Service, which limited his first-class cricket appearances to periods of leave. He was named as one of three amateurs to captain Somerset in 1948, leading the team during June and July. That season was his last for Somerset, and he made only one further first-class appearance. He became a district commissioner in the Sudan, and after leaving the service, he taught at Marlborough College and was twice mayor of Marlborough. (Full article...)Districts of Somerset

- Somerset (Unitary)
 - North Somerset (Unitary)
 - Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary)
 
Subcategories
Related portals
Selected images
Selected settlement

Co-ordinates 51°12′26″N 2°39′07″W / 51.2073°N 2.6519°W
Wells is a small cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population, recorded in the 2001 census, is only 10,406, it has had city status since 1205. It is the second-smallest city in England, following the City of London, though St David's in Wales is the smallest city in the UK.
The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral. There was a small Roman settlement around the wells but its importance grew under the Saxons when King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church in 704, around which the settlement grew. Wells became a trading centre and involved in cloth making before its involvement in both the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion during the 17th century. In the 19th century transport infrastructure improved with stations on three different railway lines.
The cathedral and the associated religious and architectural history have made Wells a tourist destination, which provides much of the employment. The city has a variety of sporting and cultural activities, and houses several schools including The Blue School, a state coeducational comprehensive school originally founded in 1654 and the independent Wells Cathedral School, which was founded in 909, and is one of the five established musical schools for school-age children in Britain. The historic architecture of the city has also been used as a location for several films and television programmes. (Full article...)
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives:

- ... that medieval Perpendicular Gothic Somerset Towers typically feature pinnacles, lacy tracery windows and bell openings, gargoyles, arches, buttresses, merlons, and external stair turrets?
 - ... that Gants Mill is an historic watermill now generating hydroelectric power from the River Brue?
 - ... that the village of Selworthy was rebuilt by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland in 1828 as a Model village for the aged and infirm of his Holnicote Estate?
 - ... that Midford Castle was built in the shape of the ace of clubs (♣)?
 - ... that Porlock Bay in England contains a submerged forest?
 
Things you can do
![]()  | 
 Here are some tasks awaiting attention: 
  
  | 
WikiProjects
Nearby projects: WikiProject Bristol, WikiProject Devon, WikiProject Dorset, WikiProject Wiltshire
Topics
Recognised content
| This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Somerset}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options. | 
Featured articles
 Ælfheah of Canterbury
 Bath, Somerset
 Battle of Babylon Hill
 Battle of Marshall's Elm
 Margaret Bondfield
 Robert Burnell
 Chew Stoke
 Equestrian statue of Edward Horner
 Exmoor
 Ham Wall
 Herbie Hewett
 Kennet and Avon Canal
 Mells War Memorial
 Mendip Hills
 Lionel Palairet
 Porlock Stone Circle
 River Parrett
 Sieges of Taunton
 Somerset County Cricket Club in 1891
 Somerset County Cricket Club in 2009
 Somerset Levels
 Sweet Track
 Marcus Trescothick
 Wells Cathedral
 Withypool Stone Circle
Featured lists
 List of ecclesiastical parishes in the Diocese of Bath and Wells
 Works of Keith Floyd
 Grade I listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset
 Grade I listed buildings in Mendip
 Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset
 Grade I listed buildings in Sedgemoor
 Grade I listed buildings in South Somerset
 Grade I listed buildings in Taunton Deane
 Grade I listed buildings in West Somerset
 Grade II* listed buildings in North Somerset
 List of civil parishes in Somerset
 List of English Heritage properties in Somerset
 List of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal
 List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon
 List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
 List of Somerset County Cricket Club Twenty20 players
 List of Somerset County Cricket Club grounds
 List of Somerset County Cricket Club players with 100 or more first-class or List A appearances
 List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Southwest England
 List of hillforts and ancient settlements in Somerset
 List of local nature reserves in Somerset
 List of scheduled monuments in North Somerset
 List of scheduled monuments in Sedgemoor
 List of scheduled monuments in South Somerset
 Grade II* listed buildings in Mendip
 List of museums in Somerset
 List of national nature reserves in Somerset
 List of National Trust properties in Somerset
 Scheduled monuments in Bath and North East Somerset
 Scheduled monuments in Mendip
 Scheduled monuments in Taunton Deane
 Scheduled monuments in West Somerset
 Grade II* listed buildings in Sedgemoor
 Grade II* listed buildings in Taunton Deane
 Grade II* listed buildings in West Somerset
Featured topics
 Grade I listed buildings in Somerset
 Scheduled monuments in Somerset
Good articles
 A303 road
 1754 Taunton by-election
 1887 Taunton by-election
 The Abbot's Fish House, Meare
 Agapemonites
 William Arnold (settler)
 Ashton Court
 Ashton Court Festival
 Athelm
 River Avon, Bristol
 Avon Gorge
 Herbert E. Balch
 Barrington Court
 E. W. Bastard
 Bath Abbey
 Bath Assembly Rooms
 Beckford's Tower
 Berhtwald
 Birnbeck Pier
 Bishop's Palace, Wells
 Blackdown Hills
 Blagdon Lake
 John Braham (RAF officer)
 Brean Down
 HMS Bridgewater (L01)
 Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
 Bridgwater Bay
 Bridgwater
 Brislington House
 Bruton Dovecote
 Buildings and architecture of Bath
 Burnham-on-Sea
 Mike Burns (cricketer)
 Buro Happold
 Burrow Mump
 Burton Pynsent House
 Jos Buttler
 Jenson Button
 Cadbury Camp
 Cadbury Castle, Somerset
 Chard, Somerset
 Cheddar Gorge
 Cheddar, Somerset
 Chew Magna
 St Andrew's Church, Chew Stoke
 Claverton Pumping Station
 Cleeve Abbey
 Clevedon
 Clevedon Court
 Clevedon Pier
 Cleveland Pools
 Clifton Suspension Bridge
 Climate of south-west England
 Coleridge Cottage
 The Crescent, Taunton
 Crewkerne
 Cricket at the 1900 Summer Olympics
 Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill
 Dolebury Warren
 Dovecot at Blackford Farm
 Dunkery Hill
 Dunstan
 Dunster Butter Cross
 Dunster Castle
 Dunster
 Dunster Working Watermill
 Ebbor Gorge
 Exmoor pony
 Farleigh Hungerford Castle
 Reginald Fitz Jocelin
 Savaric FitzGeldewin
 Henry Fownes Luttrell (died 1780)
 Harry Fox (sportsman)
 Frome
 Fyne Court
 Gallox Bridge, Dunster
 Edith Garrud
 Geography of Somerset
 Geology of Somerset
 Gisa (bishop of Wells)
 Eleanor Glanville
 Glastonbury Abbey
 Glastonbury Canal
 Glastonbury Festival
 Glastonbury
 Glastonbury Lake Village
 Glastonbury Tor
 Grade I listed buildings in Somerset
 Grand Western Canal
 HM Prison Shepton Mallet
 Hestercombe House
 James Hill (British Army officer)
 Sidney Hill
 History of Somerset
 Holnicote Estate
 Hot Fuzz
 Jocelin of Wells
 John of Tours
 Keynsham
 King Alfred's Tower
 King John's Hunting Lodge, Axbridge
 Scott Laird
 Leigh Court
 Leigh Woods National Nature Reserve
 Long Ashton railway station
 Lyfing (archbishop of Canterbury)
 Lytes Cary
 Masonic Hall, Taunton
 Midsomer Norton
 Minehead
 Monmouth Rebellion
 Montacute House
 Muchelney Abbey
 Nailsea Court
 Nailsea
 Nailsea and Backwell railway station
 Nettlecombe Court
 Stephen Newton
 Tom Nichols (footballer)
 Nunney Castle
 Pill railway station
 PinkPantheress
 Portishead, Somerset
 Massey Poyntz
 The Priest's House, Muchelney
 Prior Park Landscape Garden
 Prior Park
 Pulteney Bridge
 Quantock Hills
 Radstock
 River Brue
 River Tone
 Robert of Bath
 Roman Baths (Bath)
 Royal Crescent
 Ted Sainsbury
 St Catherine's Court
 Sand Point and Middle Hope
 Scheduled monuments in Somerset
 Jake Seamer
 Shepton Mallet
 Sigeric (archbishop)
 Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument
 Solsbury Hill
 Somerset Coal Canal
 Somerset Coalfield
 Somerset County Cricket Club in 1882
 Somerset County Cricket Club in 1885
 Somerton, Somerset
 South West Coast Path
 Stanton Drew stone circles
 Steep Holm
 Stembridge Mill, High Ham
 Stoke sub Hamdon Priory
 Ston Easton Park
 Stoney Littleton Long Barrow
 Street, Somerset
 Sutton Court
 Sydney Gardens
 St Joseph's Convent, Taunton
 Taunton
 Taunton Unitarian Chapel
 Team Bath F.C.
 Theatre Royal, Bath
 Tintinhull Garden
 Treasurer's House, Martock
 Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
 The Tribunal, Glastonbury
 Tyntesfield
 Vicars' Close, Wells
 Walton and Ivythorn Hills
 Watchet
 Wellington Monument, Somerset
 Wellington, Somerset
 Hugh of Wells
 Wells, Somerset
 West Hendford Cricket Ground
 West Pennard Court Barn
 West Somerset Mineral Railway
 Westhay Moor
 Weston-super-Mare
 Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum
 Edward Wickham
 Maisie Williams
 Woodspring Priory
 Wookey Hole Caves
 Worle railway station
 Worlebury Camp
 Wulfhelm
 Yarn Market, Dunster
 Yatton railway station
 Yeovil
Good topics
 English Heritage properties in Somerset
 National Trust properties in Somerset
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
- 
Commons
Free media repository - 
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals - 
Wikidata
Free knowledge base - 
Wikinews
Free-content news - 
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations - 
Wikisource
Free-content library - 
Wikiversity
Free learning tools - 
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide - 
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus 
- 
List of all portals - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 
Random portal - 
WikiProject Portals 





.jpg.webp)









_from_the_tor_arp.jpg.webp)
_down_South_Wales_Pullman.JPG.webp)







