Walton in Gordano

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Walton in Gordano
Walton in Gordano junction.jpg
The village shop and main road junction in Walton in Gordano
Somerset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Walton in Gordano
Location within Somerset
Population273  [1]
OS grid reference ST430730
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CLEVEDON
Postcode district BS21
Dialling code 01275
Police Avon and Somerset
Fire Avon
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°27′16″N2°49′42″W / 51.4545°N 2.8283°W / 51.4545; -2.8283

Walton in Gordano is a village and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It is situated in a small valley at the side of the south-western end of the Gordano Valley, about a mile from Clevedon. The parish has a population of 273. [1]

Contents

History

The parish of Walton was part of the Portbury Hundred. [2]

Governance

Panoramic view of the centre of the village Walton in Gordano panorama.jpg
Panoramic view of the centre of the village
A rare K8 telephone box (removed as of March 2021) Walton in Gordano K8 telephone box.jpg
A rare K8 telephone box (removed as of March 2021)

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall or community centre, playing fields and playgrounds, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also of interest to the council.

The parish falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset which was created in 1996, as established by the Local Government Act 1992. It provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within its area including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. It is also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, Trading Standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service.

North Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon. [3] Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Long Ashton Rural District. [4] The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of the North Somerset constituency. It elects one member of parliament by the first past the post system of election, currently Sadik Al-Hassan of the Labour Party, since 4th July 2024.

Landmarks

On the hill to the south-west between Walton and Clevedon is Walton Castle, a hunting lodge, dating from the fifteenth century. It is privately owned but available for hire for weddings and conferences. Clevedon Court is approximately 2 miles away and is owned by the National Trust. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. [5]

The manor house dates from around 1700. [6]

Geography

On the hill to the north-east is Walton Common, a nature reserve managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust. The Common is both a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. [7] It contains the Walton Common banjo enclosure, built in the Iron Age. [8] The Common is covered by a Countryside Stewardship agreement with the Countryside Agency. It remains in private ownership and the Avon Wildlife Trust has a 10-year lease to manage it as a nature reserve.

Wildflowers found on the common include thyme, marjoram, rock-rose, St John's wort, autumn gentian and violets. Butterflies are particularly notable including common blue, brown argus, grizzled and dingy skipper, green and purple hairstreak, and dark green fritillary. Other insects such as grasshoppers, glow-worms and moths are abundant. Birds identified at the site include; blackcap, whitethroat, buzzard, kestrel and sparrowhawk. [9]

Religious sites

Church of St Paul, Walton in Gordano Church of St Paul, Walton in Gordano.jpg
Church of St Paul, Walton in Gordano

The Church of SS Peter & Paul Weston in Gordano, a nearby village, has been designated as a Grade I listed building. [10] The tower and porch were built around 1300, while the rest of the building is from the 15th century, [10] with the work being funded by Sir Richard Percival who died in 1483 and whose tomb is in the north isle of the nave. [11]

The parish church of Walton in Gordano is dedicated to St. Paul. It was built in 1839 on the site of a previous church. [12]

Notable people

Geoff Barrow from the influential and critically acclaimed trip hop group Portishead was born in Walton in Gordano and lived there until he was 11 when he moved to nearby Portishead. [13]

Related Research Articles

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Easton in Gordano is a village in Somerset, England, about 4+1⁄2 miles (7 km) northwest of Bristol city centre. It is part of the civil parish of Pill and Easton-in-Gordano and within the unitary authority of North Somerset. In 2011 the population of the parish was 4,828.

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Clapton in Gordano is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated within the unitary authority of North Somerset on the southern side of the Gordano Valley, immediately adjacent to the M5 motorway. The parish has a population of 348. There is a village football club, Clapton in Gordano FC. They currently run two sides with a view to continue progressing throughout the leagues. Their home ground is currently Clapton Lane, Portishead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weston in Gordano</span> Human settlement in England

Weston in Gordano is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the middle of the Gordano valley on the north side, and in the Unitary Authority of North Somerset, on the road between Clevedon and Portishead. The parish has a population of 301.

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Portbury is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, within the unitary authority of North Somerset. The parish includes the hamlet Sheepway, which is situated on moorland at the northern edge of the Gordano valley, between the Gordano services on the M5 motorway and Portishead, near the Royal Portbury Dock. The parish has a population of 827.

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The Anglican Church of SS Peter & Paul, Weston in Gordano, Somerset, England, has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clapton Moor</span> Nature reserve in Somerset, England

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References

  1. 1 2 "2011 Census Profile". North Somerset Council. Archived from the original (Excel) on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995". HMSO. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  4. ↑ "Long Ashton RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "Clevedon Court". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  6. ↑ "The Manor House and attached garden wall". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  7. ↑ English Nature citation sheet for the site . Retrieved 16 July 2006.
  8. ↑ "Monument No. 195425", Historic England, retrieved 21 August 2016
  9. ↑ "Walton Common". Reserves. Avon Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Church of St. Peter and St. Paul". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  11. ↑ Robinson, W.J. (1916). West Country Churches. Vol. IV. Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd. pp. 86–89.
  12. ↑ "Church of St. Paul". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  13. ↑ Simpson, Dave (11 April 2008). "He takes it very seriously and thinks the world's going to end at any minute. In a musical sense he's very dark". The Guardian. London.
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