The Running Man
Farewell Quantock House
The running man window is the second window from the right hand end of the building and the second level up that is visible over the security fence
Monday, 23 October 2017
Escape from Quantock House, Taunton
One of my colleagues spotted this shape in one of the broken windows of the former office block called Quantock House in Paul Street, Taunton. It looks remarkably like the shape of a running man. As the building is in the process of being demolished, I presume that he was running away from the big crane that is being used for the demolition. He got away just in time, as 24 hours after I took this photo on 18th September 2017 his part of the building was gone forever. The building is apparently going to be replaced by a care home.
Friday, 6 October 2017
St Mary's Church, Nettlecombe
There is no village of Nettlecombe today, just a cluster of buildings around Nettlecombe Court. The parish church of St Mary the Virgin is situated adjacent to Nettlecombe Court and both lie in a beautiful tranquil valley in the Brendon Hills. Nettlecombe Court will always have a special place in my heart, as it was where I fell in love with the county of Somerset when I stayed there for a week on a geography field trip in early spring 1984.
Nettlecombe Court was originally a medieval manor house. It was enlarged and altered in Tudor, Elizabethan and Georgian times. It was used by two schools from 1945 until 1965. In 1967 it was leased to the Field Studies Council who converted to its present use as a field centre.
Nettlecombe is mentioned in the Domesday Book. In 1160 the estate was granted by the king to Hugh de Ralegh. In 1440 Simon de Ralegh died childless and the estate passed to his nephew, Thomas Whalesborough. It was then inherited by Thomas's daughter Elizabeth who was married to John Trevelyan.
In the late 1700s the village of Nettlecombe, which had been located close to the court and church, was removed when the parkland was landscaped. Some people moved to the nearby villages of Torre and Yarde and the hamlet of Woodford, half a mile to the north east of the court was built in the 19th century to house estate workers.
Nettlecombe Court stayed in the Trevelyan family until 1931 when Sir Walter Trevelyan died and left Nettlecombe to his daughter Joan who was married to Garnet Wolsey, a noted artist. Much of the estate was sold off after 1945 but Nettlecombe Court has never been bought or sold.
Nettlecombe Church dates back to the 13th century and in 1440 the church was dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. It was restored c1820 and again in 1858 and 1870.
The interior of St Mary's Church contains some very interesting tombs and memorials, a fine pulpit and a beautifully carved rare seven sacrament font.
The Church of England observes two sacraments (baptism and communion) but the Catholic church recognises seven:
Nettlecombe Court was originally a medieval manor house. It was enlarged and altered in Tudor, Elizabethan and Georgian times. It was used by two schools from 1945 until 1965. In 1967 it was leased to the Field Studies Council who converted to its present use as a field centre.
Nettlecombe is mentioned in the Domesday Book. In 1160 the estate was granted by the king to Hugh de Ralegh. In 1440 Simon de Ralegh died childless and the estate passed to his nephew, Thomas Whalesborough. It was then inherited by Thomas's daughter Elizabeth who was married to John Trevelyan.
In the late 1700s the village of Nettlecombe, which had been located close to the court and church, was removed when the parkland was landscaped. Some people moved to the nearby villages of Torre and Yarde and the hamlet of Woodford, half a mile to the north east of the court was built in the 19th century to house estate workers.
Nettlecombe Court stayed in the Trevelyan family until 1931 when Sir Walter Trevelyan died and left Nettlecombe to his daughter Joan who was married to Garnet Wolsey, a noted artist. Much of the estate was sold off after 1945 but Nettlecombe Court has never been bought or sold.
Nettlecombe Court
Nettlecombe Church dates back to the 13th century and in 1440 the church was dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. It was restored c1820 and again in 1858 and 1870.
The interior of St Mary's Church contains some very interesting tombs and memorials, a fine pulpit and a beautifully carved rare seven sacrament font.
The Church of England observes two sacraments (baptism and communion) but the Catholic church recognises seven:
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Penance
- Communion
- Ordination
- Matrimony
- Extreme Unction (last rites)
St Mary's Church, Nettlecombe
Font
Ordination and Matrimony
Font
Penance and Communion
Extreme Unction and Christ in Glory
Baptism and Confirmation
Carved Bench End
Effigy of Sir John Ralegh and his first wife Maud
Maud died c1360 but Sir John remarried and died in 1372
Effigy of Sir Simon de Ralegh, who died c1284-1288
Wineglass Pulpit
This is made of oak and dates from the 18th century
East window
- in the bottom right and left hand corners are images of St Mary's Church and Nettlecombe Court respectively
St Mary's Church depicted in stained glass
Nettlecombe Court depicted in stained glass
Memorial to Joan Alys Wolseley (nee Trevelyan) 1904-1943
Embroidered altar front
Elaborate memorial to Urith, Lady Trevelyan
Brass memorial in memory of Harriet Louise Trevelyan
Horse on Gatepost
Thursday, 5 October 2017
Wellington's Trio of Water Towers
Wellington has three water towers. Two are side by side in Rockwell Green and the third is located down Dark Lane off Wellesley Park.
In the 19th century poor quality water was the cause of many outbreaks of diseases in British towns and cities, such as cholera. The Public Health Act of 1848 required Local Boards of Health to be set up in places in England and Wales where the death rate was greater than 23 per 1,000 population. They were given the powers to provide clean water supplies, clean the streets, regulate environmental health risks, such as slaughterhouses and manage sewers. Wellington suffered an epidemic of enteric fever in 1872 and the Wellington Local Board of Health was set up in 1873. It was replaced in 1894 by Wellington Urban District.
In 1885 a water tower was built, using locally made red bricks, in Rockwell Green as a response to a government inspectors' enquiry into the quality of Wellington's water supply. The architect was Edward Pritchard of Birmingham and London and his initials can still be seen on the cockerel weathervane on the top of the building.
The water was pumped from local springs near Westford and stored in a 44,000 gallon tank. The pumping station, which was built in 1885, can still be seen in Payton Road at Westford. It replaced 286 wells, many of which were polluted. The pumps were originally steam ones but they were replaced with diesel pumps in 1935.
Demand for mains water increased and in 1896 a square brick water tower with a 40,000 gallon tank was constructed in Dark Lane. The bricks were made by William Thomas of Poole (a village just outside Wellington) and the ironwork was made in Wellington by Ford Brothers. This water tower became redundant in 1991 and was converted into a house.
In 1934-5 a 4 storey circular reinforced concrete water tower was built by Rolfe and Raffety in Rockwell Green next to the 1885 tower, as the demand for mains water increased still further.
At some point the water towers passed from the control of the Local Board of Health to West Somerset Water Board and then on to Wessex Water. Both Rockwell Green towers were refurbished by Wessex Water in 2009-10 and sold at auction in 2013 because they were no longer needed. They were bought by a developer who was planning on turning at least one of them into a house. However when I visited in September 2017 there was no sign of any development. Both Rockwell Green water towers and the Westford Pumping Station are Grade II listed buildings. The Dark Lane Water Tower was not and is not listed. When I visited Westford in March 2018 the pumping station looked empty but not derelict.
Dark Lane, former water tower, December 2021
In the 19th century poor quality water was the cause of many outbreaks of diseases in British towns and cities, such as cholera. The Public Health Act of 1848 required Local Boards of Health to be set up in places in England and Wales where the death rate was greater than 23 per 1,000 population. They were given the powers to provide clean water supplies, clean the streets, regulate environmental health risks, such as slaughterhouses and manage sewers. Wellington suffered an epidemic of enteric fever in 1872 and the Wellington Local Board of Health was set up in 1873. It was replaced in 1894 by Wellington Urban District.
In 1885 a water tower was built, using locally made red bricks, in Rockwell Green as a response to a government inspectors' enquiry into the quality of Wellington's water supply. The architect was Edward Pritchard of Birmingham and London and his initials can still be seen on the cockerel weathervane on the top of the building.
The water was pumped from local springs near Westford and stored in a 44,000 gallon tank. The pumping station, which was built in 1885, can still be seen in Payton Road at Westford. It replaced 286 wells, many of which were polluted. The pumps were originally steam ones but they were replaced with diesel pumps in 1935.
Demand for mains water increased and in 1896 a square brick water tower with a 40,000 gallon tank was constructed in Dark Lane. The bricks were made by William Thomas of Poole (a village just outside Wellington) and the ironwork was made in Wellington by Ford Brothers. This water tower became redundant in 1991 and was converted into a house.
In 1934-5 a 4 storey circular reinforced concrete water tower was built by Rolfe and Raffety in Rockwell Green next to the 1885 tower, as the demand for mains water increased still further.
At some point the water towers passed from the control of the Local Board of Health to West Somerset Water Board and then on to Wessex Water. Both Rockwell Green towers were refurbished by Wessex Water in 2009-10 and sold at auction in 2013 because they were no longer needed. They were bought by a developer who was planning on turning at least one of them into a house. However when I visited in September 2017 there was no sign of any development. Both Rockwell Green water towers and the Westford Pumping Station are Grade II listed buildings. The Dark Lane Water Tower was not and is not listed. When I visited Westford in March 2018 the pumping station looked empty but not derelict.
1885 Water Tower, Rockwell Green
1934 Water Tower, Rockwell Green
Rockwell Green's Twin Towers
Dark Lane Water Tower in 1986 before conversion
My thanks to Stan for allowing me to use this photograph
Dark Lane, former water tower in 2017
Pumping Station, Payton Road, Westford
Pumping Station, Payton Road, Westford
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