Where is bridgwater somerset

Bridgwater TA6, Bridgwater. Things to do! Oh Take time out Walk Knoll Events Near By! Sat 27 Nov Hestercombe Gardens - Illuminate. Tue 23 Nov Inspired for Christmas. It functions as a community arts venue for both the visual and performing arts. There are regular art exhibitions and performances. This museum tells the story of brick and tile manufacturing which was once a major industry in Bridgwater. The museum is located in the former Barham Brothers Brickworks site and contains the last remaining tile kiln.

The canal opened in to link the two towns. It no longer serves a commercial purpose but now provides opportunities for boating and for pleasant walks along its banks. Please note that the museums, historic houses and attractions listed on this site may be currently closed due to Government Guidelines. Regions - South West - Somerset - Bridgwater. South West England. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. In the fortunes of Bridgwater changed forever due to the influence of William Brewer, a close advisor of King John and the man responsible for delivering the ransom money that secured Richard the Lionheart's release from captivity.

Brewer knew that if a bridge was built across the River Parrett, sea-going ships sailing up the river from the Bristol Channel would have to stop and unload their goods. He convinced King John to grant Bridgwater a charter, giving it the status of a royal borough, the right to collect burgage rent, and the abolition of serfdom within the town.

Bridgwater was transformed from a rural backwater to a commercial transportation hub overnight, and Brewer became a very, very rich man. Brewer built the first bridge, a timber structure, and to guard the bridge and the newly independent town he constructed a magnificent castle.

Bridgwater Castle was huge, defended by 12 feet thick walls and protected by the river on one side and a wide moat on the other three. The castle enclosure, or upper bailey, stood roughly where King Square is now, and the lower bailey extended from King Square to the river. Bridgwater Castle was destroyed by Parliament in the Civil War. The castle's vaulted undercrofts still survive in the cellars of buildings in the Castle Street area.

Very little survives above ground except for an archway at Watergate Restaurant on West Quay and a section of wall behind the Boots shop. The medieval town had four ceremonial gates, but the town itself was not defended by walls.

Instead of walls, Bridgwater had a series of ditches. The East Gate was located near the present Cobblestones Inn. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered, and one-quarter of his body was put up on the gateway for all to see.

Bridgwater was granted a charter to hold an annual fair in Labourers from the surrounding area gathered at Bridgwater hoping to find employment for the year ahead, and thousands of sheep and horses changed hands. The fair, dedicated to St Matthew, is still held today, though now it is more of a funfair, with fairground rides. Effigies of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, known as 'guys' after Guy Fawkes, were burned in the fire. Local groups would create their own guys and carry them in procession to the bonfire.

In time the procession itself became a focal point for the celebration, with participants called Masqueraders creating elaborate costumes. After the procession ends the 'squibbing' starts. A squib is a firework held aloft at the end of a wooden handle called a cosh. One hundred squibbers form a line in the town centre, holding their burning fireworks overhead, while lines of flammable liquid run along the ground.

Another feature of the Carnival is a procession of carts, or floats, highly decorated to depict a particular theme chosen by the Carnival committee. Themes vary from year to year and include things like characters from popular children's books, scenes from history, and world cultures. A Spirit of Carnival statue was erected on Cornhill to mark the th anniversary of the Carnival in Bridgwater's impressive parish church is the oldest building in the town, dating to at least the 13th century.

William Brewer gave money to rebuild the church in the early years of that century, so presumably, it was in existence long before that time. The first written record of a vicar comes from The striking spire was installed in