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Peat Extraction On The Somerset Levels
Peat has been extracted from the Somerset Levels in South West England since the area was first drained by the Romans, and continues in the 21st century on an area of less than 0.5% of the total geography. The modern system in recycling land back to farm use and conservation has resulted in the creation of numerous Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Context Large areas of peat were laid down on the Somerset Levels, particularly in the River Brue Valley, during the Quaternary period after the ice sheets melted. In June 1961, on opening a new areas for peat extraction, peat diggers found one half of a Flatbow. Carbon dated to the Neolithic period, it was given the name the Meare Heath Bow. History Early Peat was extracted from the Moors during Roman times, since the Levels were first drained. After the Romans left Britain, peat extraction was undertaken by hand by the owning or tenanted farmers. Victorian era By the late Victorian period, the Eclipse Peat Com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peat Works, Somerset - Geograph
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most common components in peat, although many other plants can contribute. The biological features of sphagnum mosses act to create a habitat aiding peat formation, a phenomenon termed 'habitat manipulation'. Soils consisting primarily of peat are known as histosols. Peat forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the atmosphere, slowing the rate of decomposition. Peat properties such as organic matter content and saturated hydraulic conductivity can exhibit high spatial heterogeneity. Peatlands, particularly bogs, are the primary source of peat; although less common, other wetlands, including fens, pocosins and peat swamp forests, also deposit peat. Landscapes covered in peat are home to specific kinds of plants, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broomfield, Somerset
Broomfield is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated about five miles north of Taunton. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 249. The village is the highest village on the Quantock Hills and lies on the Quantock Greenway trail, footpath. History Approximately from the village is the Iron Age hill fort of Ruborough Camp. There was a tunnel, which has now been filled in, which gave the camp safe access to a nearby spring for water. The estate was owned after the Norman Conquest by William de Mohun of Dunster, 1st Earl of Somerset. Broomfield was part of the Hundred (county subdivision), hundred of Andersfield (hundred), Andersfield. Governance The Parish councils of England, 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 loca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horticulture
Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and more controlled scale than agronomy. There are various divisions of horticulture because plants are grown for a variety of purposes. These divisions include, but are not limited to: propagation, arboriculture, landscaping, floriculture and turf maintenance. For each of these, there are various professions, aspects, tools used and associated challenges -- each requiring highly specialized skills and knowledge on the part of the horticulturist. Typically, horticulture is characterized as the ornamental, small-scale and non-industrial cultivation of plants; horticulture is distinct from gardening by its emphasis on scientific methods, plant breeding, and technical cultivation practices, while gardening, even at a professional level, tends ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twyford Waterworks
Twyford Waterworks is a preserved pumping station and waterworks situated close to the village of Twyford and the city of Winchester in Hampshire, England. It is a scheduled monument and now operates as a museum. The site is leased by the Twyford Waterworks Trust and is open on selected days during the year. The waterworks were originally built for the South Hampshire Water Company in 1898 to supply water to Winchester and Southampton. They were extended over the years, including in 1913 to accommodate a new steam engine and boilers, and again in 1930s. The site passed to the Southern Water Authority in 1974, the year after it had been scheduled as a monument. The redundant parts of the site were leased to the Twyford Waterworks Trust in 1992. History The buildings on the site date back to various years between 1898 and 1935, and include the original steam powered pumping station and associated boiler house. These still contain a Hathorn Davey triple expansion steam pumpin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highbridge And Burnham Railway Station
Highbridge or High Bridge may refer to: United Kingdom * Highbridge, Cumbria, a location * Highbridge, Hampshire, England * High Bridge (Hammersmith), a former bridge in London *Highbridge, Somerset, a market town, England ** Highbridge and Burnham railway station *Highbridge, Scotland, a village in the Scottish Highlands * Highbridge, West Midlands, a location ** Highbridge Skirmish, a battle site there * High Bridge, Knaresborough, over the River Nidd * High Bridge, Lincoln, the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom which still has buildings on it * High Bridge, Oxford, over the River Cherwell * High Bridge, Reading, over the River Kennet United States * High Bridge (New York City), connecting Highbridge, Bronx, to Washington Heights, Manhattan **Highbridge, Bronx, a neighborhood in New York City, US **Highbridge Park, Manhattan, New York, US ** Highbridge (Metro-North station), a Metro-North employee stop and maintenance facility * High Bridge (Kentucky River), a railroad bri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in January 1963, when it was formally renamed the British Railways Board. British Railways was formed on 1 January 1948 as a result of the Transport Act 1947, which nationalised the Big Four British railway companies along with some other (but not all) smaller railways. Profitability of the railways became a pressing concern during the 1950s, leading to multiple efforts to bolster performance, including some line closures. The 1955 Modernisation Plan formally directed a process of dieselisation and electrification to take place; accordingly, steam locomotives had been entirely replaced by diesel and electric traction (except for the narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway tourist lin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somerset And Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR, also known as the S&D, S&DR or SDJR), was an English railway line Joint railway, jointly owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) that grew to connect Bath, Somerset, Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (then in Hampshire; now in south-east Dorset), with a branch in Somerset from Evercreech Junction railway station, Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater. Strictly speaking, its main line only ran from Bath Junction to Broadstone, Dorset, Broadstone, as the Bath to Bath Junction section was wholly owned by the MR and the Broadstone to Bournemouth section was owned by the LSWR. Brought under joint ownership in 1876, the S&DJR was used for freight and local passenger traffic over the Mendip Hills, and for weekend holiday traffic to Bournemouth. Criticised as the "Slow and Dirty" or the "Slow and Doubtful", it closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching axe despite protests f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashcott Railway Station
Ashcott railway station was a station on the Highbridge branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. Opened by the Somerset Central Railway in 1856 as Ashcott and Meare, the name changed to Ashcott in 1876. Consisting of a short wooden platform and station building, the station was next to a road level crossing. This was operated with a 10 lever ground frame. History The station was opened by the Somerset Central Railway and became part of the Somerset and Dorset Railway when the SCR merged with the Dorset Central Railway in 1862. From 1875, the line was called the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, as a joint line run by a committee for the Midland Railway and the Southern Railway. The line became a joint operation of the Southern Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway after the grouping of 1923. It was placed in the Western Region when the railways were nationalised in 1948. The station closed when trains were withdrawn during the Beeching Axe, taking effect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wells, Somerset
Wells () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, located on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare, south-west of Bath, Somerset, Bath and south of Bristol. Although the population recorded in the 2011 census was only 10,536, (increased to 12,000 by 2018) and with a built-up area of just , Wells has had city status since medieval times, because of the presence of Wells Cathedral. Often described as England's list of smallest cities in the United Kingdom, smallest city, it is actually the second smallest to the City of London in area and population, but unlike London it is not part of a larger urban agglomeration. Wells takes its name from three Holy well, wells dedicated to Andrew the Apostle, Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace, Wells, Bishop's Palace and cathedral. A small Ancient Rome, Roman settlement surrounded them ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burnham-on-Sea
Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. Burnham-on-Sea forms part of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge and shares a town council with its neighbouring small market town of Highbridge. According to the 2011 census the population of the parish (including Highbridge) was 19,576, of which the most populous wards 'Burnham Central' and 'Burnham North'; totalled 13,601. Burnham-on-Sea is famous for its low lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1832 and is a Grade-II listed building with a red and white striped facade. The position of the town on the edge of the Somerset Levels and moors where they meet the Bristol Channel, has resulted in a history dominated by land reclamation and sea defences since Roman times. Burnham was seriously affected by the Bristol Channel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somerset Central Railway
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR, also known as the S&D, S&DR or SDJR), was an English railway line Joint railway, jointly owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) that grew to connect Bath, Somerset, Bath (in north-east Somerset) and Bournemouth (then in Hampshire; now in south-east Dorset), with a branch in Somerset from Evercreech Junction railway station, Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater. Strictly speaking, its main line only ran from Bath Junction to Broadstone, Dorset, Broadstone, as the Bath to Bath Junction section was wholly owned by the MR and the Broadstone to Bournemouth section was owned by the LSWR. Brought under joint ownership in 1876, the S&DJR was used for freight and local passenger traffic over the Mendip Hills, and for weekend holiday traffic to Bournemouth. Criticised as the "Slow and Dirty" or the "Slow and Doubtful", it closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching axe despite protests f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glastonbury Canal
The Glastonbury Canal ran for approximately through two locks from Glastonbury to Highbridge in Somerset, England, where it entered the River Parrett and from there the Bristol Channel. The canal was authorised by Parliament in 1827 and opened in 1834. It was operated by the Glastonbury Navigation and Canal Company. Most of it was abandoned as a navigation channel in 1854, when a railway was built along the towpath. An earlier canal had been built in the Middle Ages to supply Glastonbury Abbey and the town with stone and produce. In the early 19th century a new canal was proposed to improve commerce in Glastonbury and help with drainage of the surrounding area of the Somerset Levels. Several alternative routes were considered and costed before obtaining an Act of Parliament and issuing a prospectus to raise funds for the building of the canal. Construction commenced in the 1820s; however it was more expensive than envisaged and further funds had to be raised. It finally o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
