Westonzoyland, United Kingdom
Westonzoyland is a town of 1,686 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Westonzoyland
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail and 1 place to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Blake Museum, Somerset Brick and Tile Museum and Petherton Park.
Weather in Westonzoyland
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Westonzoyland
Westonzoyland is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated on the Somerset Levels, 4 miles (6.4 km) south east of Bridgwater.
From the Wikipedia article Westonzoyland (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks4
Blake Museum
Museum · 3.4 mi
Museum in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, United Kingdom
Somerset Brick and Tile Museum
Museum · 3.2 mi
Museum in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, UK
Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum
Museum · 1.4 mi
Industrial heritage museum in Somerset, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes1
Churches and places of worship9
Church of St Francis, Stawell
Church · 2.4 mi
Church in Stawell, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Church · Anglican
Church Lane, Bridgwater
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Westonzoyland
Church
Church in Westonzoyland, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Mary, Chedzoy
Church · 1.9 mi
Church in Chedzoy, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Michael, Othery
Church · 2.8 mi
Church in Othery, Somerset, England, UK
Church of the Holy Cross, Middlezoy
Church · 1.8 mi
Church in Middlezoy, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Mary, Moorlinch
Church · 3.2 mi
Church in Moorlinch, Somerset, England, UK
Church of St Michael and All Angels
Church · 3.0 mi
Church in Bawdrip, Somerset, England, UK
Sutton Mallet Church
Church · 1.9 mi
Grade II listed church in Stawell, Sedgemoor, Somerset, England, UK
History
The name of the parish derives from its location on the "island" of Sowy, an area of slightly higher ground on the Somerset Levels between the River Cary and the River Parrett. The parish of Westernzoyland was created in 1515 when the parish of Sowy was divided. Westonzoyland refers to the westernmost settlement on Sowy. The parish of Westonzoyland was part of the Whitley Hundred.
The area around Westonzoyland was farmed as common land when it was owned by the Abbey at Glastonbury, who during the 12th and 13th centuries encouraged tenants to undertake large scale reclamation of the marshland. 722 acres (292 ha) were enclosed in 1234. With the dissolution of the Abbey in 1539, the land was divided among owners, with the soil belonging to the Crown. Cornelius Vermuyden was active in the region in the mid 17th century, building small-scale drainage schemes at Cossington, Catcott, Huntspill and Puriton, but despite the devastation caused by extensive flooding in 1607, was unable to convince the communities of Sedgemoor of the benefits that a drainage scheme would bring, as they feared that improved pastures would prejudice their common rights. A series of acts of Parliament were passed between 1777 and 1801, which authorised the construction of drainage schemes in the Somerset moors and levels.
Read more of the history
The penultimate battle in England, the Battle of Sedgemoor, was fought here on 6 July 1685, near the Bussex area to the north of the village. It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion and followed a series of skirmishes around south west England between the forces of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and the crown he was trying to take. The royalist forces prevailed and about 500 rebel troops were captured. A mural depicting the battle can be found on display at Sedgemoor motorway services on the North carriageway of the M5.
Westonzoyland is home to Somerset's earliest steam-powered pumping station, built in 1830. Once a guardian of the Somerset Levels, it is now a small museum displaying stationary steam engines and exhibits of land drainage history. Pride of place goes to the station's pumping engine, the Easton and Amos. It is still in the main engine house, built in 1861 to replace an earlier engine that had been carrying out pumping work since 1831. In 1976, restoration of the site began, and in 1990 the site was bought from the owners, Wessex Water. The pump house has been Grade II* listed, and is on the English Heritage Heritage at Risk Register.
To the east of the village is the former RAF Weston Zoyland (1926–68) Airfield, which was used for a variety of duties, including air combat and the transport of airborne ground troops to France during World War II.
Today it now houses an airstrip on the north side for the Westonzoyland Microlight Aircraft Club — the 'Zoyboyz'. Microlight aircraft fly from the base for both recreation and as part of Sky Watch, a Civil Air Patrol, whose mission is "Keeping an eye out from the air for anyone in distress either on land or sea".
Middlezoy Aerodrome started operating in 2018 on the south side of RAF Weston Zoyland. A hangar and an original Nissen hut have been erected. Restoration of various types including the Piston Provost is ongoing by The Somerset Aeroplane Company. A Meteor T.7 gate guard can be seen from the A372 main road. Middlezoy Aerodrome hold a show every summer called The Somerset Aerofest.
Sedgemoor Radio Control Flying Club fly on the east side of the airfield.
The airfield is also home to local football club Middlezoy Rovers F.C.
Hidden in the centre of the village are the workshops of Westonzoyland Carnival Club, referred to by its members as "The Shed". Formed in 1960 this is one of the oldest village clubs on the Somerset Carnival circuit.
From the History section of Westonzoyland on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Westonzoyland
Geography
The parish includes the hamlet of Andersea, 2 km to the south-west. Westonzoyland has a population of approximately 1,600 and is the larger of the three 'Zoys', the others being the villages of Middlezoy and Chedzoy. There is one public house in the village, the Sedgemoor Inn. It has medieval origins and has been the village pub since the time of the battle in 1685. It is a grade II listed building.
The northern edge of the village is King's Sedgemoor Drain an artificial drainage channel completed in 1795, which diverts the River Cary and is used to help drain King's Sedgemoor. A major upgrade of the drain occurred during the Second World War, when an explosives factory, ROF Bridgwater, was built at Puriton. The drain was upgraded in 1972, as part of a £1.4 million scheme to construct a flood relief channel for the River Parrett. The 7.5-mile (12.1 km) embanked channel, called the Sowy River, runs from Monks Leaze Clyse below Langport to the King's Sedgemoor Drain near Westonzoyland Airfield.
Economy
Willow has been cut and used on the Levels since humans moved into the area. Fragments of willow basket were found near the Glastonbury Lake Village, and it was also used in the construction of several Iron Age causeways. The willow was harvested using a traditional method of coppicing, where a tree would be cut back to the main stem. New shoots of willow, called "withies", would grow out of the trunk and these would be cut periodically for use. During the 1930s over 9,000 acres (36 km2) of willow were being grown commercially on the Levels. Largely due to the displacement of baskets with plastic bags and cardboard boxes, the industry has severely declined since the 1950s. By the end of the 20th century only around 350 acres (1.4 km2) were grown commercially, near the villages of Burrowbridge, Westonzoyland and North Curry.
From the Wikipedia article Westonzoyland, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Map of Westonzoyland
16 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (YEO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 14 miles away.
- Bridgwater 4 mi northwest, about 6 min by car
- Street 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Burnham-on-Sea 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
- Taunton 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- Draycott 13 mi northeast, about 21 min by car
- Wells 14 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- Chard 16 mi south, about 26 min by car
- Weston-super-Mare 17 mi north, about 27 min by car
- Yeovil 17 mi southeast, about 28 min by car
- Shepton Mallet 17 mi east, about 28 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Westonzoyland
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Blake Museum, Rodw, CC0
- Brick and tile factory, Ken Grainger, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Stawell church, Adrian and Janet Quantock, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Otherychurch, Dbown100, CC BY 3.0
- Middlezoychurch, Dbown100, CC BY 3.0
- Westonzoylandchurch, Dbown100, CC BY 3.0
- Battle of Sedgemoor Memorial, Rog Frost, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, ukchris, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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