Draycott, Somerset

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Draycott
Village
Draycott.jpg
Draycott
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Draycott
Location within Somerset
OS grid reference ST477510
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CHEDDAR
Postcode district BS27
Dialling code 01934
Police Avon and Somerset
Fire Devon and Somerset
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°15′23″N2°45′03″W / 51.2563°N 2.7507°W / 51.2563; -2.7507

Draycott is a village in Somerset, England, neighbouring the village of Cheddar on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is now the larger village in the civil parish of Rodney Stoke.

Contents

History

There is some evidence of occupation of the site in the Iron Age including an unfinished earthwork enclosure on the hill above Draycott. [1]

The village was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Draicote, meaning 'The dray shelter' from the Old English dragan and cot. [2] Another derivation is from the Brythonic from Tre meaning settlement and Coet meanings woods.

Geography

Close to the village is the Draycott Sleights nature reserve which has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Halesland Airfield is situated just to the north of the village and is home to the Mendip Gliding Club. Draycott is still a major strawberry producer and the now-disused railway line that ran through the village was called the Strawberry Line. The pub located opposite the old railway station is called The Strawberry Special.

The A371 road runs north to south through the village's longest axis. Despite being classified as an A-road, it significantly narrows at certain points along the southern part of the village and has been the cause of congestion during times of increased traffic flow such as during the summer tourist season.

Church

The church of St Peter was built in 1861 by the architect Charles Edmund Giles. It is a Grade II listed building. [3] The majority of the stonework is that known locally as 'Draycott Marble', a dolomitic conglomerate with a pronounced pinkish tinge, that was quarried quite close by at Draycott quarry. [4] Notable interior features are the stained glass east windows, the fine wrought-iron rood screen (1894), and the neo-Norman font by William Burges. [5]

Controversially, in 2006, the church attempted to sell the font for £110,000. [6] The Rev. Stanley Price contended that the sale was essential to meet a repair and restoration bill of an estimated £170,000. [7] The sale was initially approved by the Chancellor of the Diocese of Bath and Wells, Timothy J Briden [7] but permission was subsequently refused when the Victorian Society appealed to the Court of Arches, one of the Church of England's highest courts. The court found "no compelling need to dispose of the font had been demonstrated" and concluded that, if allowed, "much of which adorns and adds interest, both historically and architecturally, to our churches would be lost to future generations." [8]

Former railway station

The former railway station was part of the Strawberry Line, which ran out of Yatton (Somerset), towards Wells. Draycott Station was the stop after Cheddar. The station opened in 1878. The line closed in the early 1960s.

Notable residents

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Peter, Draycott</span> Church in Somerset, England

St Peter's Church is a Anglican parish church in Draycott, Somerset, England. It dates from 1861. Designed by C. E. Giles the church is a Grade II listed building. It holds a notable font by the celebrated Victorian art-architect William Burges, which the church controversially attempted to sell in 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" (PDF). Somerset County Council Archeological Projects. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  2. ↑ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimborne, Dorset: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN   1-874336-03-2.
  3. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Peter (1058589)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 17 July 2006.
  4. ↑ Atthill, Robin (1976). Mendip: A new study. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN   0-7153-7297-1.
  5. ↑ "Church of St Peter" . Retrieved 17 July 2006.
  6. ↑ "Historic Font to Remain at Draycott — Heritage and History". Heritageandhistory.com. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Font sale go ahead will help church in need of repair :: Christian Publishing and Outreach (CPO) Central". CPO. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Cambridge Journals Online - Fulltext". Journals.cambridge.org. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
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