St. Mary's Church in the village of Huish Episcopi in South Somerset. An aristocrat of the county's towers.

At this time of year I thought posting about notable churches in South Somerset might be appropriate!  This is the third such posting.

The South Somerset village of Huish Episcopi is on the A372 just east of Langport.  In the tenth century Huish Episcopi was the more important of the two settlements, but now the tables have been turned and it is practically a suburb of Langport.

Of the Church of St Mary, Simon Jenkins writes in his England’s Thousand Best Churches (Penguin Books, 2009): “Huish Episcopi is among the aristocrats of Somerset towers.”  He also informs us that: “The tower was chosen to appear on the 9p stamp in 1972.”

The tower of St. Mary's Church in Huish Episcopi, Somerset.

A free and capacious car park sits conveniently opposite St Mary’s.  Alongside the car park is the village war memorial which is of an uncommon semi-circular design, it commemorates 15 men who fell in the First World War and 9 who were killed in World War Two.  The left column of the memorial is decorated with the regimental badge of the Somerset Light Infantry.

The war memorial in Huish Episcopi.

St. Andrew's Church in the village of Curry Rivel in South Somerset. A fine example of the Somersetshire Perpendicular style.

At this time of year I thought posting about notable churches in South Somerset might be appropriate!  This is the second such posting.

The South Somerset village of Curry Rivel is about 3 miles south-west of Langport where it sprawls around the junction of the A378, which forms the high street, and B3168.  A free car park is signposted off the main road, but although it seems very well used I have always been able to find a space.  It is then just a short walk up to the village square and the Church of St Andrew, a fine example of the Somersetshire Perpendicular style.  On the high street the village has an extremely well kept war memorial which is well worth paying a respectful visit.

St. Andrew's Church in the village of Curry Rivel,

South Somerset.

Paul Newman writes in his Somerset Villages (Robert Hale Limited, 1986): “The parish church of St Andrew’s is fifteenth-century Perpendicular and built of blue lias with Hamstone dressing, overlooking the square, perhaps the most attractive part of the village.  Its north chapel has a large tomb thought to contain the bones of Sabina Revel (d.  1254), wife of Henry de Lorty.  She was the last of the great family from whom the village takes its name and the likely builder of the chapel.  . . .  If Rivel has a clear-cut explanation, what of the prefix Curry?  The Domesday Book states that ‘the King holds Curri’, and the derivation appears to be Celtic, allegedly from a hermit who lived and did good works hereabout, St Currig.”  

St. Andrew's Church in the village of Aller in South Somerset where the Danish King Guthrum was baptised after his defeat by Alfred the Great.

At this time of year I thought posting about notable churches in South Somerset might be appropriate!

The village Church of St. Andrew in Aller has Saxon origins and is where the Danish King Guthrum was baptised after his defeat by Alfred the Great at the Battle of Edington in 878AD and the subsequent Treaty of Wedmore.

Today the village rambles along the A372 below Aller Hill midway between Othery and Langport in South Somerset.  The Church is on the fringe of the village, alongside the Victorian Aller Court, looking out over Aller Moor. 

Over one hundred years ago Edward Hutton in his Highways & Byways in Somerset (Macmillan & Co., 1912) wrote of Aller: “Its little church stands firmly upon a rising ground well out of the marsh, and, wonderful to relate, within is the very font in which Guthrum was made a Christian more than a thousand years ago.”

St. Andrew's Church in the village of Aller in South Somerset.  

Aller is also noteworthy as being where Parliamentarians under the command of Fairfax captured the remnants of the Royalist forces after their defeat at the key Battle of Langport in 1645.

English Votes on English Laws. Professor John Curtice says: "The English were sold a pup".

A devastating article by Nick Gutteridge  in the Daily Express (December 2) illustrates the ineffectiveness of former Prime Minister David Cameron’s policy of English Votes on English Laws.  The policy was rushed forward after the 2014 Scottish Referendum in order to assuage growing English concern over Scottish politicians’ interference in English domestic affairs.

Here are some quotes from the article:

Professor John Curtice, a political expert at Strathclyde University, recently told a debate on the usefulness of EVEL: “the English were sold a pup”.

A damning report published by the London School of Economics (LSE) concluded that the flagship measure has “done little to facilitate the expression of English voice” and that it is “unhelpfully complicated and opaque”.

Mr Cameron’s boast: “We have heard the voice of Scotland, now the millions of voices of England must be heard.” 

The Campaign for an English Parliament blasted: “We now know that statement wasn’t true. It was a lie. 

The campaign’s director, Eddie Bone, added: “The only way the English are going to stop their taxes being unfairly given away to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is by having a clearly defined voice and that can only be enabled by an English parliament.”

Here is a link to the whole article:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/739228/English-Votes-for-English-Laws-David-Cameron-SNP-Nicola-Sturgeon-failed

Poet's Walk in Clevedon. A view of the North Somerset Coast and Severn Estuary.

Poet’s Walk in Clevedon takes you up and around Church Hill and Wain’s Hill on the south-west fringes of the town.  The walk gives fine views of the Somerset Coast and Severn Estuary.

Poet’s Walk takes its name from poets such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Alfred Lord Tennyson, and other contemporary literary figures, who visited the town and were inspired by its coastal views.  Coleridge stayed in Clevedon for several months in 1795 after his marriage, in Bristol’s St. Mary Redcliffe Church, to Sarah Fricker.

Clevedon is easily reached by road from Junction 20 of the M5 and on arriving at the seafront parking is not too difficult.  One can usually park on the roadside by Salthouse Park but, if needed, there is a spacious pay and display car park at Salthouse Fields near Marine Lake and the starting point for the walk.

Setting off up the hillside path it is not far before “The Lookout” is reached.  The plaque explains all: “Erected circa 1835 by Ferdinand Beeston.  Said to have been used by the Finzel Family sugar importers in the mid nineteenth century to view sugar ships coming from the West Indies.”

From Church Hill one can see the Welsh coast and north east up the Severn Estuary as far as the Second Severn Crossing.

Nestling in a slight hollow between Church Hill and Wain’s Hill is the Church of St. Andrew.  Built on Anglo-Saxon foundations, parts of the 12th century church remain alongside later additions.  Of St. Andrew’s Church, in his Somerset (Great Western Railway Company) 1934, Maxwell Fraser writes: “The grey old church, noble in its rugged simplicity, dominates the whole town from its commanding position on a grassy hilltop, and looks seaward as though brooding over the lines of Tennyson’s “In Memoriam”, which was written in memory of the poet’s friend Arthur Hallam, who is buried in the church with his father, Henry Hallam the historian.” 

In recent times this “brooding” church has featured as a location for the popular TV drama “Broadchurch”.

Clevedon's Church of St. Andrew nestling between Church Hill and Wain's Hill. 

The footpath curves around Wain’s Hill, the site of an Iron Age hillfort and also a little more recent fortification from the Second World War.  Looking beyond Blackstone Rocks and the mudflats, the rolling grasslands of Sand Point and Middle Hope are visible to the south west.  In the far distance the wooded Worlebury Hill can be seen as well as Steep Holm out in the Bristol Channel. 

Poet’s Walk is a little steep in places as it climbs through woodland but there are benches where one can take a breather - there is plenty of fresh air - and linger over the outstanding views of the Severn Estuary and Clevedon’s Victorian seafront and pier.

The Victorian seafront and pier at Clevedon viewed from Poet's Walk.  The Second Severn Crossing can just be seen, in the mist, on the horizon. 

Brent Knoll in Somerset. A conspicuous landmark rising above the Levels.

Brent Knoll rises 450 feet above the Somerset Levels only 2.5 miles from the coast at Burnham-on-Sea.  An outlier of the Mendip Hills, it is a well-known landmark to the millions of travellers who use the M5, A38 and A370 as well as rail passengers on the Bristol to Taunton and Penzance line.  All those routes pass within one mile of the foot of the Knoll. 

On a recent journey up the A38 to Churchill my wife noticed the effect of heavy rainfall, deposited by storm Angus, on the fields north east of Brent Knoll.  Approaching the village of Cross she saw the waterlogged fields had taken on the appearance of a lake. 

I was reminded of a photograph I took in 2012 when a spell of heavy rain - storms weren’t given names in those days - had flooded those same fields in similar fashion.  The photo was taken from a lay-by, on the slopes of Shute Shelve Hill, on the A371 just a few hundred yards east of the junction with the A38.

Brent Knoll viewed from the slopes of Shute Shelve Hill after a spell of heavy rain in the spring of 2012.  The Quantock Hills are on the horizon.

Little wonder that the Romans knew Brent Knoll as “The Mount of Frogs”, as it stood surrounded by water and marshes before the Somerset Levels were drained, a process undertaken in earnest by the monasteries of Glastonbury, Athelney and Muchelney during the Middle Ages.

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, delivers speech on England "God's first borne of the Nation states of the Earth".

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, recently gave a non-political speech on the subject of how English history influenced the development of the politics and constitution of England. 

Below is part of the speech which illustrates the biased approach of English schools to the teaching of history in general and English history in particular. 

The thing is Ladies and Gentlemen that in English schools now, English history is barely taught and certainly not taught in a way which allows our school children to understand how our constitution developed as a result of events in our history. 

Let me tell you what I think is a symptomatic story.  My daughter is interested in history and when she was doing her GCSE’s I happened to ask what she had been studying.  She said history.  So I asked what about.  She said Hitler.  So I said oh that’s interesting so who was the greatest mass murder in human history?  She immediately said Hitler.  So I said no Mao Tso Tung – 95 million. She looked a bit crestfallen so I said so who is the second greatest mass murderer in human history?  She said Hitler again a bit hesitantly.  So I said no Joe Stalin - 55 million.  I then asked who was the third greatest mass murderer in human history?  She was very hesitant by now and asked me was it Hitler so I said yes. 

Although this story is not about English history it does show both the bias which our children are subjected which edit out historic truths that are inconvenient to the Left and also that there is no teaching of any understanding of how things fit together.

So what I propose to do is to concentrate on how English history fits together and focus on the key dates in the development of that unique entity called:- “the English Nation” and its Nation State:  “England”. 

To illustrate how unique England is I would point out that one historian called England “God’s first borne of the Nation states of the Earth”. 

For Robin Tilbrook's entire speech here is the link to his blog:
http://robintilbrook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/england-gods-first-borne-of-nation.html

Could former Conservative chancellor George Osborne one day play the English card?

Mike Smithson speculates, on his Political Betting website, on what the future holds for former conservative chancellor George Osborne.  Apparently 15 years ago, with Blair’s Labour Party at its peak, he asked Osborne if New Labour could ever be beaten.  Osborne replied by saying: “Labour could be vulnerable if we played the English card”. 

I wonder if sometime in the future the former chancellor might find it politically advantageous to beat the drum for English nationhood and call for an English Parliament. 

If Paul Nuttall becomes leader of UKIP and continues to call for an English Parliament could the Conservatives be dragged along in UKIP’s wake just as it was by Nigel Farage’s campaign for the EU Referendum and Brexit? 

Perhaps if George Osborne’s political career is one day resurgent we may yet see him leading the calls for the English card to be played by the Conservatives – they may find themselves in a situation in which they have no alternative. 

Here is Mike Smithson’s article and a link to the original.

But don't write off George Osborne yet.

For a man who still looks quite youthful Osborne has been at the top of British politics for a long time. He was in his mid-30s when the then CON leader, Michael Howard, made him shadow chancellor. He kept hold of this brief throughout the coalition years and when the Tories won a majority in May last year.

His sacking by the incoming May leadership in July marked the end of an era. He’s now a backbencher. For unlike his close colleague, David Cameron, Osborne decided to stay around under the new leadership even though he doesn’t have an official role anymore.

But Osborne is still a player and my guess is that when the Theresa May leadership is eventually toppled George will still be there.

I’ve always had a respect for him after him meeting him for the first tine even before he was an MP a few months before the 2001 General Election. Tony Blair was totally at his peak dominating everything. He seemed to be unstoppable.

The occasion was a college dinner Oxford and I found myself sitting next to the then PPC for Tatton. How could, I quizzed the aspiring MP, Blair’s New Lab ever be beaten. He responded with a suggestion that turned out to be highly prescient – “Labour could be vulnerable if we played the English card”.

He’s always been the great political strategist. Watch this space.

http://www2.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2016/11/23/todays-autumn-statement-is-the-first-big-treasury-event-since-ge2005-when-osborne-has-not-been-chancellor-or-shadow/

The Campaign for an English Parliament recommends John Denham's article "Gordon Brown's English problem".

The article, “Gordon Brown’s English Problem” by John Denham, former Labour Minister and now director of the Centre for English Identity and Politics at Winchester University, has been recommended on the CEP website.  I recall that Labour's Lord Prescott once said something along the lines of: “There is no such thing as the English”.  Now, according to John Denham’s article, when discussing constitutional change within the UK Gordon Brown can hardly bring himself to mention England or the English at all and seems to prefer the term “rest of the UK” instead.

I reproduce below, from the Fabian Society website, the section of the article I found the most telling.

The problem is that Gordon also seems to have decided what the outcome of the constitutional assembly should look like. And that does not include any acknowledgement of the existence of England as a nation or as a political identity. By extension, it excludes all of that large majority of English residents who describe their national identity as English, or English and British. It is odd that a man who has fought all his political life for the right of the people of Scotland to determine their own future should be so resistant to allowing the English to do the same.

In an analysis of the Scottish devolution published before the Scottish referendum, Gordon showed the same myopia. Amid numerous references to Scotland, he had 104 to a non-existent ‘rest of the UK (rUK)’ and just four to England or the English. The fact that the English were exclusively referred to either as taxpayers or as pensioners betrays a narrow view of English interest. This marginalisation of England has long been the view of celtic Labour: England should not want a political voice and, in any case, cannot be allowed to have one. This is no longer tenable.

https://thecepreview.wordpress.com/2016/11/21/gordon-browns-english-problem/

http://www.fabians.org.uk/gordon-browns-english-problem/

Norton Manor Camp at Norton Fitzwarren in Somerset to close along with 90 other Ministry of Defence sites.

Norton Manor Camp in Norton Fitzwarren on the outskirts of Taunton in Somerset, home to 40 Commando Royal Marines, is to close along with 55 other military sites across the country.  The Secretary of State for Defence, Sir Michael Fallon, announced the closures which are in addition to 35 other closures previously announced.

Chivenor airfield and barracks in North Devonshire will also close along with more sites in Devonshire, Wiltshire and Somerset.

The loss of airfields seems a particular example of government short-sightedness as their runways make them extremely versatile and are not easily replaced.  Along with Chivenor, Hullavington in Wiltshire, Dishforth in Yorkshire and both Mildenhall and Alconbury in East Anglia are to go.

I also read in the Daily Telegraph that the Royal Navy will soon be without a shipborne ant-ship missile as the Harpoon missile will not be replaced when it is retired from service in 2018.  The Royal Navy's frigates and destroyers will then be relying on the 4.5 inch gun - 1960s style. 

Considering that the Navy's two new aircraft-carriers will have no operational aircraft for years one has to wonder what the present surface fleet is actually capable of if it has to undertake any war-like operations on its own.

This letter in the Western daily Press on November 17th is on a similar theme.

Mixed messages from the ministry.

The Defence Secretary has said that we are seeing a much more aggressive Russia and the real answer to Putin is that we should stay strong and be strong.

Hearing those words one might think that the Government was about to implement a policy of re-armament and expansion of the military. Not so, apparently, 56 more defence sites will be closed in addition to the 35 the Ministry of Defence announced previously.

Considering our Government’s actions rather than its words can Putin’s Russia really be a threat to this country?

Meanwhile, Britain has inaugurated a new naval base in Bahrain which, according to the Bahraini Ambassador to London, will be the busiest centre of operations for the Royal Navy after Portsmouth. This increase in port facilities to support any future military adventures in the Middle East is nothing but a vainglorious attempt to maintain the illusion that Britain still has “Great Power” status and a fleet to match.

S.W.

Ilminster, Somerset

The harbour village of Charlestown in Cornwall. An autumn holiday visit.

My wife and I recently had an autumn break in Cornwall.  We stayed at a cottage tucked away in a tranquil woodland valley between Fowey and Par and, thanks to a series of warm sunny days, were able to visit several of the coastal towns in the area.  One such visit was to the harbour village of Charlestown, a place I had never visited but was familiar to my wife who enjoyed family holidays in the area in the 1960s.

The area is well known for its china clay industry and in his The Companion Guide to Devon and Cornwall, (William Collins, 1976), Darrell Bates writes: “A large part of the industry’s products are exported by sea from Fowey, Par and the toy-like, privately owned quay at Charlestown.  The main road from here south to Mevagissey passes through London Apprentice where there used to be an inn of that name,  so called because of the number of men from London who came to these parts to work in the mines.”  

Our drive through Par and St. Austell did not take much time at all, the road obviously sees much more traffic in the spring and summer months.  Although it was a warm bright Sunday the pay and display car park, only a short stroll from the quayside, was half empty.

As it was approaching November the brig Phoenix, moored alongside Charlestown’s quay, was appropriately bedecked with poppies. She had been chosen as the venue for this year’s Cornwall launch of the British Legion Poppy Appeal.

The brig Phoenix, bedecked with poppies, alongside the quay at Charlestown in Cornwall.  

" . . . we do not use gunpowder or cannon balls!"

We enjoyed a very relaxed early afternoon walk around the harbour and down on to the beach before stopping at a small café near the harbour wall where we both had a very tasty cheese and onion pasty.  The pleasant young lady serving us said those pasties were the last available as the café was closing for the season that very afternoon!

Autumn colours at Long Ponds near Ilminster in South Somerset.

Last month, as the trees began to change colour, I went for a stroll to Long Ponds which is a small lake beside the footpath between the villages of Whitelackington and Kingstone, near Ilminster, in South Somerset.  The lake is in a valley and surrounded by woodland so it makes a very picturesque scene when the sun is at the right angle to highlight the autumnal colours of the trees.

It is best to find somewhere to park in Ilminster and walk east out of the town beside the old London Road until you find the sign saying Whitelackington.  The footpath to Kingstone is through a gate on your right. 

Just inside the gate is a World War Two pill-box which was part of Ilminster's defences.  Ilminster was an anti-tank fortress on the Taunton Stop-Line and many of the town's defences can still be seen - by those who know where to look.

Walk down the track for about a quarter of a mile and you will come to Long Ponds.  Be aware of the signs saying "Strictly Private Fishing" and keep dogs on leads as there is a lot of wildlife around!

Long Ponds between the villages of Whitelackington and Kingstone, near Ilminster, in South Somerset.

Joint Ministerial Council talks on the Brexit process. Who spoke up for the English people asks a letter in the Western Daily Press.

The regular Joint Ministerial Council  talks on the immensely important Brexit process seems to give everyone concerned a voice, except the people of England.  I am mildly surprised that the government of the Republic of Ireland has not been invited. After all, it does have representation on the British-Irish Council - a body which has been in existence for over 16 years and also has no-one to speak exclusively on behalf of England.

Be that as it may, this letter was published in the Western Daily Press on 27th October 2016.

Who spoke up for the English people?

The Prime Minister has just hosted a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Council in London. It was the first of what will be regular talks on the Brexit process.

Representing the Scots was their First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns together with Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of the Welsh Government, were there to stand up for Wales. The Northern Irish had the luxury of both their Assembly Leader Arlene Foster and her deputy Martin McGuinness to represent them.

I wonder who spoke on behalf of the people of England.

S.W.

English Democrats, Somerset

The Admiral Hardy Monument on Black Down Hill near Portesham in the neighbouring county of Dorsetshire.

With the anniversary (21st October) of the Battle of Trafalgar approaching I decided to drive into Dorsetshire to take a look at the Admiral Hardy Monument on Black Down Hill near Portesham. 

The Admiral Hardy Monument on Black Down Hill near Portesham in Dorsetshire.

Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Baronet, GCB, served as Flag Captain to Nelson in 7 ships including HMS ELEPHANT at Copenhagen in 1801 and HMS VICTORY at Trafalgar in 1805. 

Born on 5th April 1769 at Kingston Russell House near Portesham he joined the Royal Navy in 1781 but came ashore the following year to attend Crewkerne Grammar School in Somerset.  He went back to sea in the merchant service for several years before re-joining the Navy in 1790 as a midshipman on board HMS HEBE.

Serving at sea until 21st October 1827, his final command was an experimental squadron.  Eventually joining the Admiralty board as First Sea Lord in 1830, he left office in 1834.  He died on 20th September 1839 at the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich. 

J.K. Laughton writes: “Hardy's enduring fame rests on his connection with Nelson, but his subsequent service afloat and at the Admiralty revealed a man of outstanding good sense and judgement . . .”*

The Admiral Hardy Monument stands on the 780 feet high Black Down Hill, three and a half miles from the Dorsetshire Coast.  The monument itself stands 72 feet high and its eight corners are aligned with the points of the compass.  Built in 1844 from locally quarried stone and paid for by public subscription, it was bought by the National Trust in 1938. 

The view from the Admiral Hardy Monument toward Portland.

The views both inland and seaward, on a clear day, are spectacular.  I believe that from the top of the monument it is possible to see as far as the Mendip Hills 40 miles away, but on this occasion I did not feel inclined to climb the 120 steps to the viewing point! 

Cloudscape and seascape as seen from the Admiral Hardy Monument.

  

Sources:

*J. K. Laughton, ‘Hardy, Sir Thomas Masterman, baronet (1769–1839)’, rev. Andrew Lambert, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2007 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12293, accessed 17 Oct 2016]

Nicholas Tracy, ‘Who’s who in Nelson’s Navy’, Chatham Publishing, 2006.

Batley and Spen by-election. Who can the patriotic English working class voter turn to in Labour heartlands?

“British jobs for British workers” reported the newspaper headlines during the Conservative Party Conference.  However, within days it was revealed that the Conservative Government had ordered steel from France to build Britain’s replacement Trident submarines.  Meanwhile job losses in the helicopter industry in Yeovil could be the prelude to the Italian manufacturer Leonardo – once there was Westland – moving helicopter production to Italy.  Lord Ashdown, Yeovil’s MP between 1983 and 2001, was reported in the Western Daily Press as saying:

“It is at present too early to say whether Brexit has had any part to play in these job losses which seem primarily to be the consequence of the Government’s foolish decision to buy helicopters made abroad rather than at Yeovil.”  

So much for the Conservatives supporting British manufacturing industries!  Could the patriotic English working class remain loyal to Labour?  Not if you consider the following. 

In an article of the 9^th October 2016 on politicalbetting.com, Jeff Wild considered the chances of Sir Keir Starmer being the next Labour leader, he also wrote: 

 “Emboldened by his recent convincing re-election, Corbyn – who yesterday was speaking at an event organised by the Socialist Workers Party, much to the chagrin of some of his media supporters – has put together the front bench team he believes will take the battle to the Tories and defeat them. So, alongside the IRA-apologist shadow Chancellor and the white van man-trashing shadow foreign secretary – who both kept their briefs – in came a Mao-apologist as shadow home secretary and an anti-Trident campaigner in the shadow defence role; the latter replacing Clive Lewis, who had the temerity to suggest supporting party policy at the Labour conference.”


In such circumstance who can patriotic working class Englishmen, and women, vote for?  Dan Hodges, in this article in the Daily Mail on 9^th October 2016, suggests they might indeed be heading, via Ukip, to the Conservatives:  

 “With the heirs to Nigel Farage beating each other into submission, and Corbyn announcing Labour will become the defenders of unlimited migration, the theory Ukip represent a threat to Labour heartlands has become outdated.  Ukip are now just a political gateway drug, the vehicle by which former Labour voters make the transition to the Tory fold.  In the new centre ground there is no room for Labour heartland seats.”

I doubt that patriotic English working class voters who are disenchanted with Labour will ever bring themselves to vote Conservative.  Nor will they turn to Ukip if it is led by Steven Woolfe, someone who has, reportedly, considered defecting to the Conservatives.  A Ukip led by Paul Nuttall and espousing an English Parliament might appeal to some, but is that likely to come about?  So perhaps Therese Hirst and the English Democrats can make their presence felt in Batley and Spen by seizing the chance to occupy the ground vacated by Labour as it marches off to the far-left.

Walton Hill in the Polden Hills. An unrivalled view over the Somerset Levels.

Walton Hill is on the ridge of the Polden Hills just south of Street in Somerset.  The National Trust owns and manages the hill, but be aware that the former windmill, just along the ridge to west, is a private residence.  Walton Hill overlooks, and takes its name from, the nearby village of Walton which dates back to Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book as belonging to The Church.

The view north from Walton Hill over the village of Walton to the Mendip Hills.  Crook Peak is on the horizon above and just to the right of the spire of Holy Trinity Church.

I approached in a westerly direction from the crossroads where the B3151 passes over the Poldens at the top of Collard Hill.  Just over a mile from the crossroads is a convenient parking area only a short and gently sloping walk from the 269 feet high summit of Walton Hill. 

There is an orientation monument at the summit which illustrates the landmarks visible in the wonderful panoramic view.  They include: Lollover Hill and Dundon Hill nearby to the south; the village of High Ham and Stembridge Tower Mill to the south west; the Wellington Monument is visible on a clear day, using binoculars, 23 miles away on the Blackdown Hills; to the west is King’s Sedgemoor with Bridgwater and the Quantock Hills beyond; to the north west are Brent Knoll, Brean Down and the Bristol Channel; the Mendip Hills to the north lie parallel to the Polden Hills with the plain of East Sedgemoor between the two ranges.

The view along the southern slopes of the Polden Hills towards Bridgwater and the Quantock Hills beyond.

The view from Walton Hill across The Levels to the Blackdown Hills. 

Although the Poldens never rise above 300 feet they give an unrivalled view over the Somerset Levels.  For those fit enough to explore it, the 6 mile long footpath of the Polden Way runs from Walton Hill south east to Hurcot Hill near Somerton.

Witney by-election. English Democrats' Winston McKenzie to stand.

While crusading for “Remain” during the European Union referendum campaign David Cameron boasted: “Brits don’t quit”.  However, only hours after the announcement of the referendum result in favour of “Leave” he decided to quit as Prime Minister.  Less than two months later, on September 12, he resigned from Parliament as MP for Witney. - “Brits don’t quit” indeed!

Be that as it may, Winston McKenzie is standing as the English Democrats’ candidate in the Witney by-election.  I believe he has, in the past, expressed an interest in increasing the supply of housing by building prefabricated homes – an excellent idea! 

However, the English Democrats’ policy seems, in my opinion, a little unimaginative on the subject of housing.  It is a pity their manifesto does not mention the fact that, according to the CPRE, there is enough brown-field land for one million homes.  Although, to be fair, their manifesto section on “Ecology and the Environment” does say: “The English Democrats promote much tighter restrictions on green-field development and a better use of brown-field sites.”

 I reproduce the English Democrats’ manifesto section on Housing below.  Judge it for yourself.

2.8 Housing.

2.8.1 Housing supply and pricing is being severely distorted by the levels of immigration into England. First time buyers find it difficult to afford a home of their own and need to take on large mortgages and the attendant interest payments, in order to do so. Social housing is currently insufficient to meet demand.

2.8.2 With our pledge to bring mass immigration to a complete end and to expel illegal immigrants, then the pressure on housing will be lessened.

2.8.3 The English Democrats advocate a fairer points system for the allocation of social housing, giving greater priority to local people and those who are married or in work.  Publicly funded affordable housing purchase/rental schemes should only be available to first time buyers who are citizens of this country.

Blue Anchor on the Somerset Coast. "Warm sun and fresh sea-breezes which cannot fail to invigorate."

After a recent visit to Watchet Harbour I decided to follow the Somerset Coast westward along the B3191 to Blue Anchor.  It is a pleasant 3 mile drive, through a scenic, rural and occasionally wooded landscape, which climbs out of Watchet and then down to Blue Anchor.   

In his Somerset (Great Western Railway Company) 1934, Maxwell Fraser writes:

“Blue Anchor, which lies four miles east of Minehead, is an ideal place for a rest-cure. A mere handful of houses; a long sea wall; and miles of magnificent sands; a view of the wooded hill crowned with Conegar Tower, and of the more distant North Hill, which inspired Turner to paint one of his most famous pictures; a combination of warm sun and fresh sea-breezes which cannot fail to invigorate – that is Blue Anchor.  If the quietude palls, there is Minehead and its amusements within walking distance, and Taunton within a short journey, but there are sufficient walks in the neighbourhood, filled with beauty and historical associations, to keep the lover of solitude happily occupied for weeks.”

Even with the seemingly inevitable modern caravan park tightly sandwiched between the sea front road and the West Somerset Railway line, Maxwell Fraser’s description of Blue Anchor, written eighty-two years ago, still rings true today.

The view west along the sea front at Blue Anchor.

There is ample parking on the flat straight road which runs along the sea-front.  As an asthmatic, I find it is a very comfortable place to have a lengthy stroll, following the sea wall, while enjoying the view.  With a good pair of binoculars one can see across Blue Anchor Bay and the Bristol Channel to Barry and the Welsh hills.  It was a clear day so I could even see the turbines of a wind farm on the hills beyond Barry.

To the west, toward Minehead, the view is still as Maxwell Fraser described it in the early nineteen thirties.  To the east Flat Holm and Steep Holm were visible.  Weston-super-Mare, Brean Down and, at the western end of the Mendip Hills, Crook Peak were all easily seen with my binoculars on such a fine day.  I could also just glimpse, beyond Quantock’s Head, the block-like structures at Hinkley Point nuclear power site.

The West Somerset Railway line curves inland below Old Cleeve and its Church of St Andrew.

The sound of a steam engine came from the West Somerset Railway’s station at the end of the sea-front road – the road turns inland, over a level crossing, and on to the village of Carhampton on the A39 – so I hurried through the caravan park to catch sight of it.  I was too late, but took some photos of the line as it curves away inland below the village of Old Cleeve.

By the time I headed back to my car it was late afternoon and the tide was coming in.  Several dozen anglers were setting themselves up along the sea wall and beach, a suitable pastime to maintain the “quietude” of Blue Anchor. 

Anglers make themselves comfortable on the sea front at Blue Anchor as the tide comes in.

 

Electoral Commission considers the words “English Democrats - England Worth Fighting For!” offensive.

I was flabbergasted to learn that the Electoral Commission considers the words “English Democrats - England Worth Fighting For!” offensive and cannot be used by the English Democrats Party as a registered party description on ballot papers.  As it appears the description was allowed to be registered previously, I wonder if someone who believes England is not worth fighting for complained to the Electoral Commission.

Be that as it may, this press release from the English Democrats includes the opinion of Robin Tilbrook, the Chairman of the English Democrats.

“The English Democrats Party has just received a letter from the lavishly Taxpayer funded ‘Electoral Commission’ in which they claim that saying that “England is Worth Fighting For” is offensive!  Here is an extract of what their letter says:-

“The following registered party description is in the opinion of the (Electoral) Commission OFFENSIVE:

“English Democrats – England Worth Fighting For!”

The (Electoral) Commission has removed the above description from the register of political parties for Great Britain.”  Robin Tilbrook, the Chairman of the English Democrats, and a Solicitor, said:-

“It appears that the Electoral Commission has gone rogue again!  I wonder whether the English Democrats did the right thing in not clipping your wings in our previously listed Judicial Review?

For the record the English Democrats do not accept that the Electoral Commission has the legal right to remove existing registered Descriptions.  Also this decision is manifestly absurd and unreasonable and also will be repugnantly offensive to any patriotic English people.

It is a good thing that they and their ilk were not in charge of anything in the early 1940’s or we would now all be marching to very different tunes!”

Watchet Harbour on the Somerset Coast.

I had never visited Watchet Harbour so, as it was a warm, bright and sunny September day, I set off north along the A358 towards the Somerset Coast to take a look.  On leaving Taunton the road twists and turns up and down past prettily named villages and hamlets such as Combe Florey, Seven Ash and Sampford Brett.  The road was quiet and I was able to enjoy a relatively slow drive without getting in anyone’s way.  I stopped several times before reaching Williton to take in the beauty of the Quantock Hills to the east and the foothills of the Brendon Hills to the west – and savour the peace and quiet.  At Williton I joined the A39 for a short distance until, at the Tropiquaria, turning right onto the B3190 to Watchet.

The town has several convenient pay-and-display car parks; I was able to park just 25 yards from the harbour wall.  I spent a couple of hours wandering along the harbour wall with binoculars and camera.  It was a clear day allowing fine views of both the English and the Welsh side of the Bristol Channel.

A view from Watchet Harbour wall looking east through the harbour entrance across St.Audries Bay to the Quantock Hills. 

The tidal harbour is no longer in use, but it has a long and varied history.  The Saxons arrived in the area in the late seventh century.  By the time of Alfred the Great, Watchet had become an important Anglo-Saxon port.  By the seventeenth century ships were trading throughout the Bristol Channel and the Irish Sea as well as with London and the Continent.  Trade through the harbour reached its zenith in the second half of the nineteenth century with exports of iron ore from the Brendon Hill mines and imports of Welsh coal.

The harbour was badly damaged by a severe storm in December 1900.  It was soon repaired and trade continued during the next century until the port closed to commercial traffic in 1999.  In 2001 the harbour was divided to provide an enclosed marina with capacity for 250 yachts.

Watchet Esplanade, from where the marina can be viewed.

On leaving the harbour wall I strolled along the picturesque Market Street, with its museum, as far as Watchet Esplanade which overlooks the marina.  Then, with the parking meter in mind, it was time to go back to the car and head west up the narrow streets of Watchet and make for Blue Anchor along the B3191 – but that’s another blogpost.

For more detail on the history of Watchet Harbour and mining iron ore on the Brendon Hills, these links are of great interest:

 http://www.watchetmuseum.co.uk/maritime/

http://www.westsomersetmineralrailway.org.uk/welcome/a-short-history/mining/