Wellington, Somerset
Encyclopedia
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset
, England, situated 7 miles (11.3 km) south west of Taunton
in the Taunton Deane
district, near the border with Devon
, which runs along the Blackdown Hills
to the south of the town. The town has a population
of 13,696, which includes the residents of the parish of Wellington Without
, and the villages of Tone and Tonedale.
Known as Weolingtun in the Anglo-Saxon
period, its name had changed to Walintone by the time of the Domesday Book
of 1086. Wellington became a town under a royal charter of 1215 and during the medieval period it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol
to Exeter
. Major rebuilding took place following a fire in the town in 1731, after which it became a centre for clothmaking. Wellington gave its name to the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley
, who is commemorated by the nearby Wellington Monument
. The Grand Western Canal
reached the town in 1835 and then the Bristol and Exeter Railway
in 1843. The town's own railway station survived until 1964. Wellington was home of Fox, Fowler and Company
, which was the last commercial bank permitted to print their own sterling
banknotes in England and Wales. In the 20th century closer links with Taunton meant that many of the residents of Wellington commuted there for work, and the M5 motorway
enabled car journeys to be made more easily.
Local industries, which now include an aerosol
factory and bed manufacturers, are celebrated at the Wellington Museum
in Fore street. Wellington is home to the private Wellington School
, and state run Court Fields Community School
. It is also home to a range of cultural, sporting and religious sites including the 15th century Church of St John the Baptist
.
, gave the land then known as Weolingtun, which means "from the wealthy estate", along with West Buckland
and Bishops Lydeard
to Bishop Asser
. This was in exchange for the monastery of Plympton
in Devon
. An alternative explanation for the origin of the name is “the settlement in the temple clearing”. By the time of the Domesday Book
of 1086, the name had changed to Walintone, and the estate was owned by Gisa (Bishop of Wells). The parish of Wellington was part of the Kilmersdon
Hundred,
A royal charter of 1215 gave Wellington its status as a town, and during the medieval period it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol
to Exeter
, being laid out, with the church at the east end of town, in a similar manner to other towns of this era. In 1548, the manor was sold to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
, but reverted to the control of the bishops after his execution. By the end of the 16th century it had come under the protection of John Popham (Lord Chief Justice) and his descendants who built a manor house which was destroyed during the English Civil War
.
Major rebuilding took place in the town following a fire in 1731. After this the town's importance grew as it became a centre for clothmaking across Somerset and Devon
, its importance as trade centre enhanced by fires in Taunton
and Tiverton. By the 1831 census, 258 people were recorded as cloth workers in Wellington.
Wellington gave its name to the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley
. Nearby Wellington Hill boasts a large, spotlit obelisk to his honour, the Wellington Monument
. The Wellington Monument is a floodlit 175 feet (53.3 m) high triangular tower designated by English Heritage
as a grade II* listed building. It was erected to celebrate the Duke of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo
. The foundation stone was laid in 1817, on land belonging to the Duke, but the monument was not completed until 1854. It is now owned by the National Trust
, who announced plans to reclad the monument at a cost of £4 million in 2009.
In the 18th century turnpikes arrived in the area and then in the 19th communications improved with the building of the Grand Western Canal
, which reached the town in 1835, and then the Bristol and Exeter Railway
. Wellington station was opened when the line reached the town on 1 May 1843. It was a typical Brunel
design but was rebuilt in 1932 when two loop lines were put in. This entailed the platforms being moved back to accommodate the widened lines. These platforms are clearly visible and a goods shed
still stands on the east side of the line at the Taunton end of the station, although the station closed on 5 October 1964. Wellington was an important station as it stood at the foot of a steep incline. Banking locomotives
were kept here, ready to assist heavy westbound trains up to Whiteball Tunnel.
In the 20th century closer links with Taunton meant that many of the residents of Wellington commuted there for work, and the M5 motorway
, which opened in sections in the 1960s and 1970s, enabled car journeys to be made more easily.
, district
and county
level. The present system dates from 1 April 1974 when the Local Government Act 1972
came into effect.
The lowest tier is Wellington Town Council, formed as a successor parish
to Wellington Urban District Council
in 1974. The town council has 15 councillors, and is headed by a town mayor. For elections of town councillors, the town is divided into four wards: Wellington East (returning 4 councillors), Wellington North (4), Rockwell Green
(3) and Wellington West (4). The political composition of the council in November 2009 was Liberal Democrats
7, Conservative Party
5 and Labour Party
3. The town council provides purely local services. An area to the south of the town falls within the civil parish of Wellington Without
.
The middle, or district, tier of administration is the borough
of Taunton Deane
. The borough council is based in Taunton
, and consists of 56 councillors. Seven borough councillors are elected from wards in Wellington: 5 are Liberal Democrats and one each belong to the Conservative and Labour parties.
The upper tier is Somerset County Council
. Also based in Taunton, the council has 58 councillors, each elected for a single-member electoral division. Most of the town comprises the Wellington electoral division, with part falling in the mainly rural division of Blackdown & Wellington East. They are represented by one Labour and one Liberal Democrat councillor. Somerset County Council
is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education
, social services, the library
, roads, public transport
, trading standards
, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
, Avon and Somerset Constabulary
and the South Western Ambulance Service
.
For elections to the House of Commons
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, Wellington forms part of the Taunton Deane
constituency. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP)
by the first past the post system of election. Following the review of parliamentary representation in Somerset
, the Boundary Commission for England has created a modified Taunton constituency with the name change Taunton Deane
, to reflect the district name For European Parliament
elections, the town is included in the South West England constituency
which elects six MEPs using the d'Hondt method
of party-list proportional representation
.
, Langford Budville
, Nynehead
, Sampford Arundel
and Sampford Moor. The formerly independent village of Rockwell Green
, to the west of the town, has been incorporated into the town however there is still a green wedge
of land in between them. Wellington Park was a gift from the Quaker Fox family to the town in 1903 as a memorial to the coronation of King Edward VII. The 2 hectares (4.9 acre) gardens were laid out by F.W. Meyer, who included a rock garden which used 80 tons of limestone
from Westleigh quarry near Burlescombe
. It is Grade II listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
. It was restored at a cost of £412,827 which included a grant of £296,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Public Parks Initiative.
There are Local Nature Reserve
s at Wellington Basins on the western fringe of the town. It includes a small pond and boardwalk with a variety of wildlife habitats. The grassland, hedges and woodland are home to a varied flora and fauna including birds such as the Grey Wagtail
, dipper
and Reed Bunting
. Five separate bat species have been recorded at the site. Swains Pond in the south of Wellington is another Local Nature Reserve, which used to be the site of orchards. It now includes a pond which provides a home for amphibians including the Great Crested Newt
, Palmate Newt
and toad
s.
(Köppen climate classification
Cfb).
Along with the rest of South West England
, Wellington has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter mean minimum temperatures of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are common. In the summer the Azores
high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours. In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most the rainfall in the south-west is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection
. Most of the rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 700 mm (27.6 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.
of 13,696. Large growth occurred during the 1970s when housing developments were built on the south side of the town. These were largely prompted by Wellington's proximity to Junction 26 of the M5 motorway
.
, best known from Dragons' Den
a BBC
television programme, invested in the Fox Brothers Mill which produces wool cloth for Savile Row
, designers and clients around the world. The Fox family established the mill in 1772. The Tonedale mill complex includes two listed buildings, some of which were still being used until 2000. The Prince's Regeneration Trust
have been supporting the Tone Mill Regeneration Partnership in attempting to preserve and regenerate the area with a mixed development for commercial and residential use. It is included in the Buildings at Risk Register produced by English Heritage
.
Local industries are celebrated at the Wellington Museum
in Fore street. Wellington was home of Fox, Fowler and Company
, which was the last commercial bank permitted to print their own sterling
banknotes in England and Wales.
The town is still largely dependent on industry, notably its aerosol
factory. Swallowfield plc benefited from the growth of own-brand products during the 1970s and now produces aerosol, cosmetic and toiletry products. It was founded in 1876 as Walter Gregory & Co Ltd who manufactured animal husbandry products. The company diversified and in 1950 produced the first commercial aerosols in the UK which were basically farm products, air fresheners and insecticides.
Bed manufacturers Relyon
employ some 400 people. The company started in 1858 as a wool merchant, Price Brothers and Co., but the business soon moved into manufacturing beds and in 1935 changed its name to Relyon Ltd. In 2001 it was acquired by Steinhoff International Holdings Ltd., a quoted South African group.
from 1 May 1843 until 5 October 1964. It was here that extra locomotives were attached to heavy trains to help them up the incline to Whiteball Tunnel on their way south. The railway from Penzance to London
, and also to Bristol
and the North, continue to pass through the town, but no trains stop. The nearest stations are Taunton
and Tiverton Parkway
. A campaign was started to reopen the station in 2009.
The town is close to junction 26 of the M5 motorway
, which spent a year in the 1970s as a temporary terminal junction, whilst the motorway between junctions 26 and 27 was finished. The A38
is also still an important link to Taunton
.
, Wellington School
. It was founded in 1837 as an all boys school. A solitary day girl was allowed to join the Sixth Form in 1972 and the following year Wellington became co-educational. The school opened a new junior school in 2000, having previously only catered for pupils aged 10 and over. In December 2007, the school commissioned its new multi-purpose examination hall and English Department adjacent to its Sports Centre. Notable alumni of Wellington School include actor David Suchet
, chef Keith Floyd
and peer Lord Archer.
The main secondary school in the town is Court Fields Community School
. The 11-16 school is a technology college, with a new sports complex, completed in early 2008.
Despite its small size, Wellington has historically been notable for its profusion of churches of many different denominations, including a Quaker meeting house, the Grade I listed, 15th century Church of St John the Baptist
, which includes a monument to John Popham
, and the Roman Catholic Church of St John Fisher which was built in 1606 as Popham's Almshouses and converted into a Roman Catholic church 1936. Also there was a Presbyterian Independent Church.
style of that period. The auditorium seats 400 people on two levels and is run as an independent cinema.
Wellington and District Camera Club meets in the New Science Block, Wellington School.
The club is affiliated to the Western Counties Photographic Federation (W.C.P.F.) and also to Wellington Arts Association, (W.A.A.) .
The town also has its own weekly newspaper, the Wellington Weekly News
, which was first published in 1860. Wellington is twinned to the town of Immenstadt
in Germany
, the town of Lillebonne
in France
and Torres Vedras
in Portugal
.
Club have a ground off Courtland Road, and have two teams in the Somerset Cricket League. Wellington Football Club was formed in 1892 and now play in the Western Football League
.
Wellington Bowmen are an archery
club formed in 2001. It uses facilities at the Rugby club and at Court Fields Community School. The Rugby
club itself was founded in 1874. The first team play in the Cornwall and Devon League.
The Grand National
winning horse, Miinnehoma
was prepared for his victory in the 1994 race
by Martin Pipe
at his Pond House Stables in the town.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, situated 7 miles (11.3 km) south west of Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
in the Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...
district, near the border with Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, which runs along the Blackdown Hills
Blackdown Hills
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....
to the south of the town. The town has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 13,696, which includes the residents of the parish of Wellington Without
Wellington Without
Wellington Without is a civil parish in the Taunton Deane district of Somerset, England.It lies south of Wellington and has a population of 716...
, and the villages of Tone and Tonedale.
Known as Weolingtun in the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
period, its name had changed to Walintone by the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. Wellington became a town under a royal charter of 1215 and during the medieval period it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. Major rebuilding took place following a fire in the town in 1731, after which it became a centre for clothmaking. Wellington gave its name to the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, who is commemorated by the nearby Wellington Monument
Wellington Monument, Somerset
The Wellington Monument is a high triangular tower located on the highest point of the Blackdown Hills, south of Wellington, Somerset, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building....
. The Grand Western Canal
Grand Western Canal
The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands End...
reached the town in 1835 and then the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
in 1843. The town's own railway station survived until 1964. Wellington was home of Fox, Fowler and Company
Fox, Fowler and Company
Fox, Fowler, and Company was a British private bank, based in Wellington, Somerset. The company was founded in 1787 as a supplementary business to the main activities of the Fox family, sheep-herding and wool-making.-Banknote issue:...
, which was the last commercial bank permitted to print their own sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
banknotes in England and Wales. In the 20th century closer links with Taunton meant that many of the residents of Wellington commuted there for work, and the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
enabled car journeys to be made more easily.
Local industries, which now include an aerosol
Aerosol spray
Aerosol spray is a type of dispensing system which creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles. This is used with a can or bottle that contains a liquid under pressure. When the container's valve is opened, the liquid is forced out of a small hole and emerges as an aerosol or mist...
factory and bed manufacturers, are celebrated at the Wellington Museum
Wellington Museum, Somerset
Wellington Museum is located in Wellington, Somerset.This free museum focuses on firms and individuals that are or were based in Wellington, particularly those linked with the woollen industry....
in Fore street. Wellington is home to the private Wellington School
Wellington School, Somerset
Wellington School is a British co-educational independent school in Wellington, Somerset, England catering for both day pupils and boarders. There are currently 750 pupils on roll including 200 students in the sixth form. The Headmaster is Martin Reader....
, and state run Court Fields Community School
Court Fields Community School, Wellington
Court Fields Community School is located in Wellington, Somerset, England. The school teaches students from 11 to 16 and does not contain a sixth-form....
. It is also home to a range of cultural, sporting and religious sites including the 15th century Church of St John the Baptist
Church of St John the Baptist, Wellington
The Church of St John the Baptist in Wellington, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.A church on the site was previously known as St. Mary the Virgin.The tower was built around 1510....
.
History
In a grant of between 899 and 909, Edward the ElderEdward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
, gave the land then known as Weolingtun, which means "from the wealthy estate", along with West Buckland
West Buckland
West Buckland is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish has a population of 999.-History:...
and Bishops Lydeard
Bishops Lydeard
Bishops Lydeard is a village and civil parish located in Somerset, England, bypassed, since 1967, by the A358 road and West Somerset Railway north-west of Taunton in the district of Taunton Deane...
to Bishop Asser
Asser
Asser was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join the circle of learned men whom Alfred was recruiting for his court...
. This was in exchange for the monastery of Plympton
Plympton
Plympton, or Plympton Maurice or Plympton St Maurice or Plympton St Mary or Plympton Erle, in south-western Devon, England is an ancient stannary town: an important trading centre in the past for locally mined tin, and a former seaport...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. An alternative explanation for the origin of the name is “the settlement in the temple clearing”. By the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086, the name had changed to Walintone, and the estate was owned by Gisa (Bishop of Wells). The parish of Wellington was part of the Kilmersdon
Kilmersdon (hundred)
The Hundred of Kilmersdon is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was...
Hundred,
A royal charter of 1215 gave Wellington its status as a town, and during the medieval period it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, being laid out, with the church at the east end of town, in a similar manner to other towns of this era. In 1548, the manor was sold to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
, but reverted to the control of the bishops after his execution. By the end of the 16th century it had come under the protection of John Popham (Lord Chief Justice) and his descendants who built a manor house which was destroyed during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Major rebuilding took place in the town following a fire in 1731. After this the town's importance grew as it became a centre for clothmaking across Somerset and Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, its importance as trade centre enhanced by fires in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
and Tiverton. By the 1831 census, 258 people were recorded as cloth workers in Wellington.
Wellington gave its name to the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. Nearby Wellington Hill boasts a large, spotlit obelisk to his honour, the Wellington Monument
Wellington Monument, Somerset
The Wellington Monument is a high triangular tower located on the highest point of the Blackdown Hills, south of Wellington, Somerset, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building....
. The Wellington Monument is a floodlit 175 feet (53.3 m) high triangular tower designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II* listed building. It was erected to celebrate the Duke of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. The foundation stone was laid in 1817, on land belonging to the Duke, but the monument was not completed until 1854. It is now owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, who announced plans to reclad the monument at a cost of £4 million in 2009.
In the 18th century turnpikes arrived in the area and then in the 19th communications improved with the building of the Grand Western Canal
Grand Western Canal
The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands End...
, which reached the town in 1835, and then the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
. Wellington station was opened when the line reached the town on 1 May 1843. It was a typical Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
design but was rebuilt in 1932 when two loop lines were put in. This entailed the platforms being moved back to accommodate the widened lines. These platforms are clearly visible and a goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
still stands on the east side of the line at the Taunton end of the station, although the station closed on 5 October 1964. Wellington was an important station as it stood at the foot of a steep incline. Banking locomotives
Bank engine
A bank engine or helper engine or pusher engine is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a grade...
were kept here, ready to assist heavy westbound trains up to Whiteball Tunnel.
In the 20th century closer links with Taunton meant that many of the residents of Wellington commuted there for work, and the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
, which opened in sections in the 1960s and 1970s, enabled car journeys to be made more easily.
Governance
Wellington has three tiers of local government at parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
and county
Counties of England
Counties of England are areas used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. For administrative purposes, England outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly is divided into 83 counties. The counties may consist of a single district or be divided into several...
level. The present system dates from 1 April 1974 when the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
came into effect.
The lowest tier is Wellington Town Council, formed as a successor parish
Successor parish
Successor parishes are civil parishes with a parish council created by the Local Government Act 1972 in England. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of urban districts and municipal boroughs that were abolished in 1974. Most successor parish councils exercised the right to...
to Wellington Urban District Council
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
in 1974. The town council has 15 councillors, and is headed by a town mayor. For elections of town councillors, the town is divided into four wards: Wellington East (returning 4 councillors), Wellington North (4), Rockwell Green
Rockwell Green
Rockwell Green is a village near Wellington, in the Taunton Deane district of Somerset, England. It lies just east of the Somerset-Devon border and is overlooked by the Blackdown Hills.The Wellington Monument is visible from almost anywhere in the village...
(3) and Wellington West (4). The political composition of the council in November 2009 was Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
7, Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
5 and Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
3. The town council provides purely local services. An area to the south of the town falls within the civil parish of Wellington Without
Wellington Without
Wellington Without is a civil parish in the Taunton Deane district of Somerset, England.It lies south of Wellington and has a population of 716...
.
The middle, or district, tier of administration is the borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
of Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...
. The borough council is based in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, and consists of 56 councillors. Seven borough councillors are elected from wards in Wellington: 5 are Liberal Democrats and one each belong to the Conservative and Labour parties.
The upper tier is Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...
. Also based in Taunton, the council has 58 councillors, each elected for a single-member electoral division. Most of the town comprises the Wellington electoral division, with part falling in the mainly rural division of Blackdown & Wellington East. They are represented by one Labour and one Liberal Democrat councillor. Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...
is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
, social services, the library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, roads, public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
, trading standards
Trading Standards
Trading Standards is the name given to local authority departments in the UK formerly known as Weights and Measures. These departments investigate commercial organisations that carry out trade in unethical ways or outside the scope of the law.-History:...
, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the counties of Devon and Somerset, including the unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay, in South West England...
, Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon & Somerset Constabulary is the territorial police force in England responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Somerset, the city & county of Bristol and the unitary authorities of South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset; before 1996 these districts...
and the South Western Ambulance Service
South Western Ambulance Service
The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is the authority responsible for providing ambulance services for the National Health Service in the English counties of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset...
.
For elections to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, Wellington forms part of the Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane (UK Parliament constituency)
Taunton Deane is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
constituency. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP)
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
by the first past the post system of election. Following the review of parliamentary representation in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, the Boundary Commission for England has created a modified Taunton constituency with the name change Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane (UK Parliament constituency)
Taunton Deane is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, to reflect the district name For European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
elections, the town is included in the South West England constituency
South West England (European Parliament constituency)
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.-Boundaries:...
which elects six MEPs using the d'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
of party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
.
Geography
The town has many dependent villages including West BucklandWest Buckland
West Buckland is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish has a population of 999.-History:...
, Langford Budville
Langford Budville
Langford Budville is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near the River Tone miles north-west of Wellington, from Wiveliscombe and west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish includes the hamlets of Bindon, Lower Chipley, Lower Wellisford, Ramsey and Runnington...
, Nynehead
Nynehead
Nynehead is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Tone, south-west of Taunton and north-west of Wellington, in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 416.-History:...
, Sampford Arundel
Sampford Arundel
Sampford Arundel is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated near Wellington and south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...
and Sampford Moor. The formerly independent village of Rockwell Green
Rockwell Green
Rockwell Green is a village near Wellington, in the Taunton Deane district of Somerset, England. It lies just east of the Somerset-Devon border and is overlooked by the Blackdown Hills.The Wellington Monument is visible from almost anywhere in the village...
, to the west of the town, has been incorporated into the town however there is still a green wedge
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
of land in between them. Wellington Park was a gift from the Quaker Fox family to the town in 1903 as a memorial to the coronation of King Edward VII. The 2 hectares (4.9 acre) gardens were laid out by F.W. Meyer, who included a rock garden which used 80 tons of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from Westleigh quarry near Burlescombe
Burlescombe
Burlescombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 911. The village is about south west of Wellington in Somerset....
. It is Grade II listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
. It was restored at a cost of £412,827 which included a grant of £296,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
Public Parks Initiative.
There are Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
s at Wellington Basins on the western fringe of the town. It includes a small pond and boardwalk with a variety of wildlife habitats. The grassland, hedges and woodland are home to a varied flora and fauna including birds such as the Grey Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
The Grey Wagtail is a small member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae. The species looks similar to the Yellow Wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. Breeding males have a black throat...
, dipper
Dipper
Dippers are members of the genus Cinclus in the bird family Cinclidae, named for their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.-Description:...
and Reed Bunting
Reed Bunting
The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
. Five separate bat species have been recorded at the site. Swains Pond in the south of Wellington is another Local Nature Reserve, which used to be the site of orchards. It now includes a pond which provides a home for amphibians including the Great Crested Newt
Great Crested Newt
The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
, Palmate Newt
Palmate Newt
The Palmate Newt is a species of newt found in most of Western Europe, including Great Britain. It is protected by law in all countries where it occurs, and is thought to be extremely rare to endangered in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and vulnerable in Spain and Poland but common...
and toad
Toad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
s.
Climate
Wellington has an oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb).
Along with the rest of South West England
Climate of south-west England
The climate of south-west England is classed as oceanic according to the Köppen climate classification. The oceanic climate is typified by cool winters with warmer summers and precipitation all year round, with more experienced in winter. Annual rainfall is about and up to on higher ground...
, Wellington has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter mean minimum temperatures of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are common. In the summer the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours. In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most the rainfall in the south-west is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection
Convection
Convection is the movement of molecules within fluids and rheids. It cannot take place in solids, since neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion can take place in solids....
. Most of the rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 700 mm (27.6 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.
Demography
The town has a populationPopulation
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 13,696. Large growth occurred during the 1970s when housing developments were built on the south side of the town. These were largely prompted by Wellington's proximity to Junction 26 of the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
.
Economy
Wellington's main industry was wool-making and in November 2009, Deborah MeadenDeborah Meaden
Deborah Meaden is a British business woman who ran a multi-million pound family holiday business, before completing a management buyout...
, best known from Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den (UK)
Dragons' Den is a British television series, hosted by Evan Davis. The format of the show is owned by Sony Pictures and is based on the original Japanese series, which has been sold around the world...
a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television programme, invested in the Fox Brothers Mill which produces wool cloth for Savile Row
Savile Row
Savile Row is a shopping street in Mayfair, central London, famous for its traditional men's bespoke tailoring. The term "bespoke" is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers...
, designers and clients around the world. The Fox family established the mill in 1772. The Tonedale mill complex includes two listed buildings, some of which were still being used until 2000. The Prince's Regeneration Trust
The Prince's Regeneration Trust
The Prince’s Regeneration Trust is one of The Prince's Charities, a group of 19 charities of which HRH The Prince of Wales is President.The Prince's Regeneration Trust works throughout the United Kingdom to ensure that important historic buildings at risk of demolition or decay are preserved,...
have been supporting the Tone Mill Regeneration Partnership in attempting to preserve and regenerate the area with a mixed development for commercial and residential use. It is included in the Buildings at Risk Register produced by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Local industries are celebrated at the Wellington Museum
Wellington Museum, Somerset
Wellington Museum is located in Wellington, Somerset.This free museum focuses on firms and individuals that are or were based in Wellington, particularly those linked with the woollen industry....
in Fore street. Wellington was home of Fox, Fowler and Company
Fox, Fowler and Company
Fox, Fowler, and Company was a British private bank, based in Wellington, Somerset. The company was founded in 1787 as a supplementary business to the main activities of the Fox family, sheep-herding and wool-making.-Banknote issue:...
, which was the last commercial bank permitted to print their own sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
banknotes in England and Wales.
The town is still largely dependent on industry, notably its aerosol
Aerosol spray
Aerosol spray is a type of dispensing system which creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles. This is used with a can or bottle that contains a liquid under pressure. When the container's valve is opened, the liquid is forced out of a small hole and emerges as an aerosol or mist...
factory. Swallowfield plc benefited from the growth of own-brand products during the 1970s and now produces aerosol, cosmetic and toiletry products. It was founded in 1876 as Walter Gregory & Co Ltd who manufactured animal husbandry products. The company diversified and in 1950 produced the first commercial aerosols in the UK which were basically farm products, air fresheners and insecticides.
Bed manufacturers Relyon
Relyon
Relyon Softech Limited. is an Indian software company that develops payroll, accounting, TDS and tax preparation software. It is incorporated in 2001 and headquartered in Bangalore...
employ some 400 people. The company started in 1858 as a wool merchant, Price Brothers and Co., but the business soon moved into manufacturing beds and in 1935 changed its name to Relyon Ltd. In 2001 it was acquired by Steinhoff International Holdings Ltd., a quoted South African group.
Transport
The town had its own railway station on the Bristol and Exeter RailwayBristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
from 1 May 1843 until 5 October 1964. It was here that extra locomotives were attached to heavy trains to help them up the incline to Whiteball Tunnel on their way south. The railway from Penzance to London
Reading to Taunton line
The Reading to Taunton line also known as the Berks and Hants is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line that diverges at Reading, running to Cogload Junction near Taunton, where it joins the Bristol to Exeter line....
, and also to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and the North, continue to pass through the town, but no trains stop. The nearest stations are Taunton
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
and Tiverton Parkway
Tiverton Parkway railway station
Tiverton Parkway railway station is on the London to Penzance Line, from London Paddington station; it is operated by First Great Western. The "Parkway" name signifies that the station is a distance from Tiverton town itself: it is actually located in the civil parish of Burlescombe, near...
. A campaign was started to reopen the station in 2009.
The town is close to junction 26 of the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
, which spent a year in the 1970s as a temporary terminal junction, whilst the motorway between junctions 26 and 27 was finished. The A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
is also still an important link to Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
.
Education
Wellington is home to a public schoolPublic School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
, Wellington School
Wellington School, Somerset
Wellington School is a British co-educational independent school in Wellington, Somerset, England catering for both day pupils and boarders. There are currently 750 pupils on roll including 200 students in the sixth form. The Headmaster is Martin Reader....
. It was founded in 1837 as an all boys school. A solitary day girl was allowed to join the Sixth Form in 1972 and the following year Wellington became co-educational. The school opened a new junior school in 2000, having previously only catered for pupils aged 10 and over. In December 2007, the school commissioned its new multi-purpose examination hall and English Department adjacent to its Sports Centre. Notable alumni of Wellington School include actor David Suchet
David Suchet
David Suchet, CBE, is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognised for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British TV mini-drama The Way We Live Now, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza, and a 1991 British Academy...
, chef Keith Floyd
Keith Floyd
Keith Floyd was a British celebrity chef, television personality and restaurateur, who hosted cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel...
and peer Lord Archer.
The main secondary school in the town is Court Fields Community School
Court Fields Community School, Wellington
Court Fields Community School is located in Wellington, Somerset, England. The school teaches students from 11 to 16 and does not contain a sixth-form....
. The 11-16 school is a technology college, with a new sports complex, completed in early 2008.
Religious sites
Church of St John the Baptist, Wellington
The Church of St John the Baptist in Wellington, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.A church on the site was previously known as St. Mary the Virgin.The tower was built around 1510....
, which includes a monument to John Popham
John Popham (military commander)
Sir John Popham , military commander and speaker-elect of the House of Commons; took part in Henry V's invasion of France in 1416 and in the French wars under the John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford; elected speaker of the House of Commons , 1449, but was permitted by Henry VI to decline the...
, and the Roman Catholic Church of St John Fisher which was built in 1606 as Popham's Almshouses and converted into a Roman Catholic church 1936. Also there was a Presbyterian Independent Church.
Culture
Wellington has its own amateur dramatic group, formed in the 1960s, called Wellington Arts Association, which holds productions both at Wellington Arts Centre and at the Wellesley Theatre. It includes the Genesis Youth Theatre Group, Operatic Society, Pantomime Group, Civic Players, Arcadians and the Spectrum Arts And Crafts. The Wellesley Cinema was built in 1937, in the traditional Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style of that period. The auditorium seats 400 people on two levels and is run as an independent cinema.
Wellington and District Camera Club meets in the New Science Block, Wellington School.
The club is affiliated to the Western Counties Photographic Federation (W.C.P.F.) and also to Wellington Arts Association, (W.A.A.) .
The town also has its own weekly newspaper, the Wellington Weekly News
Wellington Weekly News
The Wellington Weekly News is a newspaper, in Wellington, Somerset, England. .It is owned by Tindle Media group....
, which was first published in 1860. Wellington is twinned to the town of Immenstadt
Immenstadt
Immenstadt im Allgäu is a town in the Upper Allgäu, far southern region of Bavaria, Germany, in the German Alps.-External links:*...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the town of Lillebonne
Lillebonne
Lillebonne is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It lies miles north of the Seine and east of Le Havre by railway.-History:...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Torres Vedras
Torres Vedras
Torres Vedras is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, Portugal, about 50 km north of Lisbon. It belongs to the Oeste subregion and the Centro region.The municipality covers an area of 405.89 km² distributed over 20 freguesias...
in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Sport
Wellington CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Club have a ground off Courtland Road, and have two teams in the Somerset Cricket League. Wellington Football Club was formed in 1892 and now play in the Western Football League
Western Football League
The Western Football League is a football league in the south west of England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and parts of South Wales...
.
Wellington Bowmen are an archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
club formed in 2001. It uses facilities at the Rugby club and at Court Fields Community School. The Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club itself was founded in 1874. The first team play in the Cornwall and Devon League.
The Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
winning horse, Miinnehoma
Miinnehoma
Miinnehoma was an Irish bred and British trained Thoroughbred racehorse most famous for his victory in the 1994 Grand National at Aintree, ridden by Richard Dunwoody, trained by Martin Pipe and owned by Freddie Starr....
was prepared for his victory in the 1994 race
1994 Grand National
The 1994 Grand National was the 147th official renewal the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 9 April 1994....
by Martin Pipe
Martin Pipe
Martin Pipe was a racehorse trainer until his retirement in April 2006.The son of a West-Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Devon, near Wellington, England....
at his Pond House Stables in the town.
External links
- The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: Wellington, by Clare Gathercole