Washford is a village on the
Washford River in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Old Cleeve,
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. The village is next to
Cleeve Abbey, one of the best-preserved
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
monasteries in England. It centred in a valley close to the
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...
on the
A39 road east of the resort town of
Minehead and southwest of the port of
Watchet.
The village lies on the route of the
Somerset Way and
Celtic Way Exmoor Option.
History
Geography
Washford is southeast of Old Cleeve. The parish is in
Somerset Council unitary authority area.
Washford railway station is a station on the
West Somerset Railway, a
steam
Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
-operated
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...
. The station is the headquarters of the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust and contains a number of historic artefacts from the
Somerset and Dorset Railway. The village also had a
station on the
West Somerset Mineral Railway.
Since 1933 there has been a
broadcasting station at Washford. The front parts of the old transmitter building are now part of the
Tropiquaria wildlife park and house their tropical hall, aquarium, the
Washford Radio Museum and the Shadowstring Puppet Theatre.
Washford has a primary school, Old Cleeve Church of England School, which currently educates about 100 three- to nine-year-old children. Washford has a few shops, including a post office and a hairdresser.
Landmarks
Washford has a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
chapel, which 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 ...
.
The village of Washford has two inns: the Washford Inn and the White Horse Inn, which is a free house.
By the river and preserved
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...
is Abbey Mill House, which is 18th-century and is also a listed building.
[House]
References
External links
Washford Inn – pub and hotelWhite Horse Inn – pub with accommodation
{{West Somerset
Villages in West Somerset