Introduction.

Woolavington is a village of Saxon foundation, situated a little way from the ridgeway which runs along the Polden Hills, but above the historic flood line of the Somerset Levels. The Parish is approximately 1708 acres (691 hectares) in area much of this extending northwards onto the Levels.

For centuries the village was an agriculturally based community and, because of the relative isolation of the Poldens, something of a rural backwater. However it has played its part in national history over the years. A local boy from the village, John Hody, rose to become Lord Chief Justice of England in 1440. The village provided a leader, Humphrey Willis, of the Somerset Clubmen, a significant neutral force which developed during the Civil War (1642-1649). More recently, the size of the village changed as a result of involvement with the war effort, via the munitions factory at Puriton.

We hope you enjoy this walk, which consists of two loops each starting from The Village Hall car park. These can be completed separately or as one continuous walk. The places of interest are numbered on the map, these follow the numbered paragraphs in this leaflet.

Starting from the Village Hall car park, turn left into Higher Road, and follow this past the school, until the junction of Crockers Hill on your right. The items of interest noted below are numbered and are shown on the map of the village above.

1. The Village Hall was originally opened as a social club in the 1960s, however by 1973 this had closed and it was purchased in 1977 for use as a Village Hall. This replaced the Hall in Vicarage Road (see No. 19). The current Hall was extended in 1995 by the addition of the Belcher Room on the right of the building, as viewed from Higher Road. The Hall is extensively used by many local organisations and also for private functions.

2. Opposite the Village Hall is the village green. Until the 1950s the western part was a pond, hence the name of the adjacent properties, Poole House (formerly Pool Farm), and Pool Cottage. The three mature ornamental tress on the green were planted by the Girl Guides in 1953, to commemorate the Coronation of Elizabeth II. More recently the western end of the area has been enhanced by the Parish Council to celebrate their 50 years (1949-99) and the millennium.

3. The school first opened on this site in 1976, when the juniors moved from the site in Church Street (see No. 17). Eventually in 1988 the remaining classes were transferred to this site and the old school was closed. In 1995 the nursery was added and at the turn of the millennium there were a total of 225 children on role.

On reaching Crockers Hill, turn down this road and continue to follow it along Lower Road, past Hectors Stones and on into The Square.

4. As you turn into Lower Road from Crockers Hill, the property on your left is known as Denbies, see photograph to the left. However on old maps this property is marked as encroachment. This infers that it was originally built according to the law in the 1800s whereby a couple could claim a plot of waste land for themselves if thy could build a habitable property in 24 hours. No doubt the present property is significantly improved from that original building!

5. On your left is a row of cottages (Nos 20-24 Lower Road) that were built in the 17th century.

6. Further along Lower Road is Hectors Stones, believed to be named after two individuals who lived in the area many years ago. This was the site of the parish well, and the cover to it (made by the local blacksmith) can still be seen immediately outside Heron Cottage. The pump is a recent ornamental addition.

7. A little further along the road, to the right is the large property known as Arches Barn, which, unsurprisingly, is a converted barn, originally belonging to The Grange. This structure is believed to be 18th century. The six arches at ground floor level at the front of the property were originally cow stalls or stables, according to the owners needs. It was converted to a private dwelling house in the late 1980s.

8. The next property on the right is the original second manor of Woolavington, now divided into two properties, The Grange and East Grange. The manor was granted to the deWollavington family in the 12th century, though the present building dates from the Elizabethan period. Previously a working farm, the property was bought my Major Browning in 1909 and turned into a gentlemans residence. To the rear of the property is a circular thatched building, once used for cock fighting.

9. A little further on, on the left, is Causeway Farmhouse, which bears the deceptive plaque above the door - TH 1734. It is believed the property is actually 17th century, rather than 18th. The date is likely to refer to a significant rebuilding of nthe house. The TH is possibly a reference to the father of Charles Hobbs who was living in the property in 1786.

10. You now enter The Square; the heart of the village is years past. To the right, the L-shaped row of properties were once the White Lion public house, ahead is the medieval church and just to the left are the alms houses and the Wesleyan Chapel. It was in this area, including the main road up the hill (now known as Lockswell) and Tapps Lane, that the annual Fair was held from 1777 until the outbreak of WWI. Sheep were penned in Lockswell, cattle in the Square and horses in Tapps Lane. Obviously there was little traffic to be concerned at the roads being used in this way!

11. The White Lion is first mentioned by name in 1786 and it served as the main pub of the village until 1913. At that time it was purchased by the Wyburns of the nearby Manor. Miss Rhoda Wyburn was a Temperance worker and after the purchase the licence was allowed to lapse. In addition to being a pub it was the social centre of the village and the local Sick Club, which was established in 1854, operated from the premises.

12. The Almshouses were built in 1700 to house the poor of the village. They provided very basic accommodation for many years; running water not being installed until 1925 for example. Soon after this they were used only as a parish store (for coffins during WWII!). Eventually they were sold into private ownership in 1948. The sale proceeds of £710 being used to provide street lighting in the village and two bus shelters.

Here a diversion can be taken along the B3141 passing the Wesleyan Chapel, the original Manor House and the site of the Globe Inn.

13. The Wesleyan Chapel was built in 1837. An adjacent schoolroom was added later, on land purchased by Robert Wyburn. He was the owner of the Manor at the time and a Wesleyan Local Preacher. The Sunday School operated from this building, and the Superintendent for over 60 years was George Haggett who died in 1921. After many years of service to the community the Chapel closed in the early 1970s.

14. Slightly further along Causeway, on the right, is the Manor House, now converted to X separate houses. This was the seat of the Lord of Woolavington Manor, originally (following the Norman Conquest) one Robert de Candos of Nether Stowey. The house has been much altered over the centuries, but the existing property is thought to date, at least in part, from the 16th century.

15. A little further on again, and on the opposite side of the road, is Globe House. This now looks quite modern, but it was originally the Globe Inn, of rather doubtful reputation; it lost its licence in 1881. The garage to the right of the house is where the village blacksmith used to have his forge.

Now retrace your steps, and turn into Church Street, with the church on your left.

16. The nave of the church dates from at least the 11th century, and although not mentioned in the Domesday Book, it might even be of Saxon origin. In the 13th century an adjacent chantry chapel was built and this is believed to be what is now the north transept. The chancel and porch were probably built in the early 1300s and the tower largely completed a little later. The tower parapet was added in the 17th century. A vestry was added to the north side during the Georgian period and a small extension, including a toilet, and allowing easy disabled access to the church, was completed in 1999. The building seats just over a hundred people and provides a focus for the spiritual life of the village.

17. Continuing from the church, a number of interesting buildings occur in quick succession. To your right is the original Board School, and School House, opened in 1876, when there were 78 children on role. This building, together with other temporary accommodation on the same site provided primary schooling for all the village children until 1976 when the first phase on the new school in Higher Road was opened. Eventually when the new building was extended in 1988 all the children transferred to that site and the original school was closed.

18. After the school is Goldcleeve, which was the Vicarage until 1956, when a new one was built in Vicarage Road. The history of it is uncertain but it is believed that the origins of the property date from Tudor times. A little further on is Dawbins, which is thought to have been originally a 16th century cross passage house. On the opposite side of the road is a row of cottages that probably date from 18th century. As you turn right into School Lane you pass Harrisons Farm, another property of old foundation, probably early 16th century. It was largely rebuilt in the early 1980s.

19. As you turn right again into Vicarage Road, the private house on the right hand corner was the original Village Hall, opened in 1929, the plot of land having cost £27.50! This building served the village well for many years, but eventually it became too small and in 1979 the redundant village Social Club in Higher Road became the Village Hall and the older property sold.

Continue along Vicarage Road, to the junction with the B3141. Turn left up Woolavington Hill.

20. As you get to the junction the property on the left is Grenvilles. Probably built in the mid-17th century, this property was the home of the local milling families of Luke and Wilkins during much of the 1800s (see No. 23). The adjacent property, just on the Hill is Crossways, which became the first Post Office in Woolavington in 1886.

21. As you walk up the Hill you will notice the wide grass area between the footpath and the road; a result of the road being realigned in the 1960s. Coombe Lane branches off the Hill at this point and it was here in the 1960s that various Roman artefacts and structures were found when drainage work was being undertaken. At the time this gave rise to the suggestion that a Roman Villa may have existed in the area. A little up the Hill on the right, and slightly set back, is Brunswick House. This is now offices, but it was the site of the Post Office until it moved to its present location in the late 1980s. Further on again, on the left, is No 31, which is a slightly older property, set amongst mainly modern bungalows. On the accompanying photograph it stands out as the only property on that part of the Hill. It was in this area, in the 1970s, that a Roman mosaic floor was found, but covered up again by the then owns of the land. This could substantiate the idea of a Roman Villa once existing in the village.

22. The next building of interest is on the right, the Prince of Wales, which is the only remaining pub in the village. Compared to the others it is a comparative newcomer, being first mentioned by name in 1897. However it is believed to have existed at least in 1891. Previously the land on which it stands was known as Lime Kiln Piece. This was no doubt because of the limekiln, which had earlier stood on or near the site.

23. Just beyond the turning into Old Mill Road is Old Mill Cottage. This is now all that remains of the milling which once took place in the village. In 1222 there were two windmills in the village and one stood about 100 meters behind the Cottage and continued to work until about 1904. The tower remained for some years, but was finally demolished in 1967, in connection with housing development in the area. What happed to the second windmill, which is believed to have been located just above the turning into Coombe Lane, is unknown.

24. Turn your back to Old Mill Cottage and take the walkway through to Southfield Close. This is a typical modern development on previous farmland. However it is little unusual as this area was a poultry farm, and a view prior to development can be seen in the accompanying photograph.

Continue through Southfield Close, out into Cossington Lane, turn right and cross the main road into Sedgemoor Road. These roads form the southern boundary to the Parish of Woolavington; the fields on your left are in Bawdrip Parish. As Sedgemoor Road divides take the right fork, along Mill Walk. Bear left along Sedgemoor Way and then right where a sign indicates 4 - 8 Sedgemoor Way. After a short distance you come beside the Community Hall and onto a grass area in front of the Londis Stores, which incorporates the Post Office.

25. This whole area is the reason for the present shape and size of Woolavington. During the Second World War a pre-fab estate of some 200 houses was built here, to house some of the workers at the Royal Ordnance Factory, near Puriton. Whilst acceptable for use during wartime and for some time after, by the early 1960s it was realised that the buildings would have to be replaced. The existing development, undertaken by the then Rural District Council, is the result. It was opened in 1967 and, at the time, was the largest such scheme in the country to have been organised by a Rural District Council. It won awards for design and, with recent improvements to the properties, it still provides very satisfactory accommodation for manypeople. However it was totally remote from the original part of the village and over the last 30 years further housing development has been allowed which has effectively joined the two parts of the village to create one integrated community. This has also meant that the population of Woolavington has increased from 296 in 1931 to an estimated 2,350, when the current housing development at the end of Highcroft is complete.

Proceed past the Londis Shop and left along Windmill Crescent. Bear left at the junction with Old Mill Road and follow this as far as Edgebury. Bear left into Edgebury and proceed to the end where a walkway will take to back to the Village Hall car park.

26. As you walk down Old Mill Road a magnificent view of the Somerset Levels and the Mendip Hills can be seen. Almost straight ahead, with a slight point, is Crooks Peek. As you near the junction with Edgebury, Brent Knoll comes into view on the left and Cheddar Gorge and the Mendip television transmitter can be seen to the right.

We hope you enjoy this walk and now know a little more of the village. All the points of interest are covered in more detail in the book A History of Woolavington (Click here for details)