Bicknoller

In this article, the topic of Bicknoller will be addressed, which has gained relevance in recent years due to its impact in different areas. Bicknoller is a topic that has aroused the interest of experts and scholars, as well as the general public, due to its importance and significance in today's society. Throughout this article, different aspects related to Bicknoller will be analyzed, from its origin and history to its influence today. Various points of view and opinions on the matter will be examined, with the aim of providing a comprehensive and complete vision on this topic. In addition, reflections and conclusions will be offered that invite reflection and debate, in order to deepen the understanding of Bicknoller and its impact on the contemporary world.

Bicknoller
Stone building with arched windows and square tower.
Bicknoller is located in Somerset
Bicknoller
Bicknoller
Location within Somerset
Population373 (in 2021)
OS grid referenceST110396
Civil parish
  • Bicknoller
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTAUNTON
Postcode districtTA4
Dialling code01984
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°08′56″N 3°16′19″W / 51.149°N 3.272°W / 51.149; -3.272

Bicknoller is a village and civil parish on the western slopes of the Quantock Hills in the English county of Somerset. The parish includes the hamlets of Culverhays, Halsway, Newton and Woolston.[1] At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 373.[2]

The village is on the routes of the Coleridge Way and the Macmillan Way West.

History

Above the village lies Trendle Ring, an Iron Age settlement.

The parish of Bicknoller was part of the Williton and Freemanners Hundred.[3]

The village was known in 1291 as Bykenalre which means "Bica's alder tree".[4]

From 1430 to 1857, the manor was held by Wells Cathedral.[4]

Governance

The 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 local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the parish comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of Somerset West and Taunton (formed on 1 April 2019) and, before this, the district of West Somerset (established under the Local Government Act 1972). It was part of Williton Rural District before 1974.[5]

It is also part of the Tiverton and Minehead county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Religious sites

The Church of St George, a Grade I listed building,[6] dates in part from the 12th century and is dominated by a huge elm tree in its grounds. The church is decorated with a collection of carved angels and nightmarish animal heads. There is a memorial to William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, who spent his holidays in the village from 1933 to 1944.[7]

Landmarks

Although it is closer to the neighbouring village of Halsway, Halsway Manor falls within the parish of Bicknoller. It is a manor house, now used as England's National Centre for Traditional Music, Dance and Song. The eastern end of the building dates from the fifteenth century; the western end is a nineteenth-century addition.[8] The manor, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book, was built by Cardinal Beaufort as a hunting lodge.[9] At one point it was occupied by insurrectionist Jack Cade.[9] Thereafter it was a family home until the mid-1960s,[10] when it became the folk music centre. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.[11]

Thorncombe House was built in 1744 by the Sweeting family, but has since had a 19th-century facade added.[4] It is Grade II listed.[12]

Notable people

Bicknoller was the birthplace of the Somerset and England cricketer Harold Gimblett.

References

  1. ^ "Election Maps: Great Britain". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Bicknoller (parish): population statistics, 2021 Census". CityPopulation.de. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  5. ^ "Williton RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Church of St George (1057465)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  7. ^ Waite, Vincent (1964). Portrait of the Quantocks. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7091-1158-4.
  8. ^ "History of the Manor". Halsway Manor. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  9. ^ a b Page, John Lloyd Warden (1895). An Exploration of Exmoor and the Hill Country of West Somerset: With Notes on Its Archaeology. Seeley & Co. Ltd.
  10. ^ "About Halsway Manor". Pictures of England. Archived from the original on 5 November 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Halsway Manor (1057472)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  12. ^ Historic England. "Thorncombe House (1174160)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2008.

Media related to Bicknoller at Wikimedia Commons