Chewton Keynsham () is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

on the River Chew in the Chew Valley,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England. It is 7 miles from

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, 7 miles from

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, and south of the centre of the town of

Keynsham Keynsham ( ) is a town and civil parish located on the outskirts of the city of Bristol on the A4 that links the cities of Bristol and Bath, Somerset, Bath in Somerset, England. It had a population of 19,603 at the 2021 Census. It was listed i ...

. The hamlet lies on the Monarch's Way long-distance footpath.

Government and politics

Chewton Keynsham is part of the Saltford Ward which is represented by two councillors on the

Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority district in Somerset, South West England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. ...

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

which has wider responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc. The village is also served by Compron Dando Parish Council. The village is a part of the North East Somerset and Hanham constituency. Prior to

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

in 2020, it was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the E00072685 output area (which extended from Queen Charlton to Burnett, both with higher populations), had 286 residents of which 40 were children, living in 117 households. Of these 242 described their health as 'good' or 'very good', 32 adults had no qualifications; 1 person was unemployed, whereas 77 were economically inactive, which includes carers, 18 students and 44 retirees.

Geography

The settlement is

linear In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a '' polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x) ...

with outlying farms on the valley slopes and has an 18th-century bridge crossing the River Chew, which follows the course of the village street north–south. Farmland occupies most of the mixed clay and calciferous hillsides and semi-plateaus above, interspersed by small areas of ancient woodland and many hedgerows.

Chewton Place

The large house known as Chewton Place is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. It was built about 1762 for the Popham family and further extended c. 1786. It was extensively remodelled in 1860–70 and restored in 1968 after flood damage. The house was fully renovated between 2013 and 2017. The building contains a number of historic features including a fine plaster ceiling from the late 19th century and a Gothic staircase. A folly tower, known locally as the Owl Tower, was built in the grounds in the late 18th century — a tall tapering square obelisk of coursed limestone, finished with a pyramidal cap. It has pointed-arched openings, east and west, giving a walk-through passage at the base, and diagonal

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es. The carved owl on a keystone probably gives the folly, which is Grade II listed, its name. The gardens were laid out in the 18th century and include a

ha-ha A ha-ha ( or ), also known as a sunk fence, blind fence, ditch and fence, deer wall, or foss, is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier (particularly on one side) while preserving an uninterrupted view of the lan ...

and riverside walks. The bridge next to the entrance lodge is also listed. The Lodge itself is an 18th-century building but remodelled in the Gothic style at the same time as the main house was altered in the 1860s. In 1963, the house was purchased by Imperial Tobacco as its HQ and Training Centre. From 1963 until 2013 the estate was run for commercial use. In December 2011, Aspire Venues - who had operated events at the venue - ceased trading. A subsequent staff-led effort to rescue the venue were stopped by property owner Longcap Developments. Chewton Place has since been returned to its original use as a private residence.

References

External links