MINEHEAD

'Minehead' is a coastal town in West Somerset, England with a population of around 10,000.
Since 1974, Minehead has been administered by the West Somerset District Council. The Town Council was created in 1983. Since 1991, Minehead has been twinned with Saint-Berthevin, a small town close to the regional centre of Laval in the Mayenne ''département'' of France.

Contents

Tourist attractions

Schools

Environment and geology

Transport

Famous people

Sport & Recreation

References

External links

Tourist attractions

The town's major tourist attraction is Butlins holiday camp. Other attractions include: the train station of the West Somerset Railway (the rail line terminates here); the town's main ornamental park, off Blenheim Road (Blenheim Gardens); and the Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club, Somerset's oldest golf club, established in 1882. There are a variety of sailing and wind surfing options, in addition to the usual beach activities. In addition, there are many amusement arcades and a variety of well-known high street stores (such as W H Smith and Woolworths) together with one-off local shops.
One popular ancient local tradition involves the Hobby Horse, which takes to the streets on the eve of the first of May each year, with accompanying musicians and rival horses, for four days. The first of May has been a festival day in Minehead since 1465.
The town is the starting point of the South West Coast Path National Trail, the nation's longest long-distance countryside walking trail.

The town also hosts the annual Minehead and Exmoor Festival, a week-long classical music festival which has been running since 1963. Richard Dickins has held the post of artistic director for the festival since 1982.

Schools

West Somerset makes use of the 3 tier education system, consisting of first and middle schools and colleges. In Minehead, there are 2 first schools, 1 middle school and a college. There was recent debate within the county as to whether or not the 3 tier system should be changed to a 2 tier system to match the majority of counties in the UK.[1]

Environment and geology

The town is overlooked by North Hill, and is close to Exmoor National Park. The cliff exposures around Minehead's shoreline are very dramatic and fossils are exposed.
Introduction and Information for collecting fossils in Minehead
The town has been a popular seaside resort since the 1850s, and tourism employs 60% of the local workforce. In 1990 much of Minehead's beach was washed away in a severe storm which also caused serious flooding in the town. A £12.6 million Environment Agency sea defence scheme was designed to reduce the risk of this erosion and flooding from happening again in the future. The Environment Agency built 1.7 km (1.1 miles) of new sea wall and rock or concrete stepped revetment between 1997 and 1998 and imported 320,000 tons of additional sand in 1999 to build a new beach. This beach sits between four rock groynes and has been built at a much higher level than the previous beach so that it breaks the waves before they reach the new sea wall. Any waves that do reach the new wall are turned back by its curved shape. The town's new sea defences were officially opened in 2001 by Sir John Harman.
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Transport

The Minehead Railway was opened on 16 July 1874, linking the town to Taunton and beyond. It was closed on 4 January 1971 but has since been reopened as the West Somerset Railway. The railway station is close to the beach.

Famous people

Seven of the rebels of the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion lived in Minehead.
The wooded bluffs above Minehead feature as the Hermit's abode.... ''"in that wood which slopes down to the sea"'', in ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' by Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poet lived nearby, at Nether Stowey (between Bridgwater and Minehead). His statue can be seen at the nearby harbour at Watchet. He and Wordsworth (who lived nearby at Alfoxton) would often roam the hills and coast on long night walks; leading to local gossip that they were 'spies' for the French. The Government sent an agent to investigate, but found they were, indeed, ''"mere poets"''.
Minehead's beautiful scenery is said to have inspired the Irish-born hymn writer Cecil Frances Alexander to write the hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful".
Minehead is the birth place of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (born in Blenheim Road, 1917) and of the noted physical geographer Richard Chorley (1927-2002).
Many famous entertainers have worked at Butlins holiday camp, which is well known for its live entertainment.
Nick Partridge OBE, was born and raised in the town. He was the Chief Executive of The Terrence Higgins Trust, and a key campaigner on HIV and AIDS.

Sport & Recreation

Minehead is hosting the TWIF European Outdoor Tug of War Championships from 20-23 September 2007 at Minehead football ground.
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Furthermore, Minehead has hosted Britain's strongest man on several occasians, most recently in 2007.
Minehead F.C. were founded in 1889 and are the main local side.
At Alcombe, within the West Somerset Community College there is the Minehead Cricket Club (MCC), who have 4 men's teams and one women's team. In addition, there are training nights throughout the summer on Monday and Thursdays for Under 15s.

References

1. Minehead - Taming the tempestuous tides
2. 2007 TWIF European Outdoor Tug of War Championships

External links

★ Minehead Town Council (official site)

★ The Minehead Meander

★ Minehead Holiday Information

★ 1970 Camp Map of Butlins

★ South West Coast Path National Trail (official guide)

★ Southwest Coast Path Association

★ West Somerset Railway (unofficial website)

★ The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: Minehead, by Clare Gathercole

★ Minehead Middle School website

★ The Minehead and Exmoor Festival

★ Tourist Information and Guide for the Exmoor Area