Axbridge, Somerset - St. Michaels Home - postcard c.1910s

• • Postcard

     

  • Picture / Image:  The Michel's Home, Axbridge, Somerset
  • Publisher:  none given
  • Postally used:  yes
  • Stamp:  George V half d. green
  • Postmark(s):  Axbridge [date uncertain but between 1911 and 1918 when the postcard rate went up to 1d] cds
  • Sent to:  Mrs. Griffiths, Belmont, Harnham
  • Notes / condition:  has slight wear and browning near edges but no major faults

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^{Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :}

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^{Axbridge is a town in Somerset, England, situated in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, near the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The town population according to the 2011 census was 2,057.[1]}

^{Axanbrycg is suggested as the source of the name, meaning a bridge over the River Axe, in the early 9th century.[2]}

^{Early inhabitants of the area almost certainly include the Romans (who are known to have mined lead on the top of the Mendips) and earlier still, prehistoric man, (who lived in the local caves) whose flint tools have been found on the slopes of the local hills. The history of Axbridge can be traced back to the reign of King Alfred when it was part of the Saxons' defence system for Wessex against the Vikings. In the Burghal Hidage, a list of burbs compiled in 910 it was listed as Axanbrycg.[3] A listing of Axbridge appears in the Domesday survey of 1086 as Alse Bruge, meaning 'axe bridge' from the Old English isca and brycg.[4] It was part of the royal manor of Cheddar and part of the Winterstoke Hundred.[5][6]}

^{It was granted a Royal Charter in 1202, when King John sold most of the royal manor of Cheddar to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Axbridge grew in the Tudor period as a centre for cloth manufacture, This was reflected in its early royal charters allowing it to hold markets, fairs and become a royal borough. It even had its own mint, with coins showing the town's symbol: the Lamb and Flag.[7] Trade was possible as the River Axe was navigable to wharves at Axbridge.[8]}

^{Later the town's importance declined which led to stagnation and the preservation of many historic buildings in the town centre. These include King John's Hunting Lodge (actually a Tudor building) which is now used as a museum.}

^{Axbridge is a very old borough and sent members to parliament in the reigns of Edward I and Edward III.[9]}

^{During the 19th and early 20th centuries iron ore was extracted from the hill above and east of Axbridge.[10]}

^{Axbridge railway station, on the Cheddar Valley line, opened on 3 August 1869. It closed to goods traffic on 10 June 1963 and passengers on 9 September 1963. The route of the railway is now the A371 Axbridge bypass, but the station buildings and goods shed still survive.[11]}

^{The Square was used as the setting for a NatWest Bank advert in the early nineties, and in particular the Town Hall which doubled as NatWest Branch. Ironically a real branch of NatWest, which was situated in the High Street, was closed not long afterwards and the premises are now private residential accommodation.}

^{The town 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 town 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 town 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. Each year members of the town council elect a mayor for the town.[12]}

^{The town falls within the non-metropolitan district of Sedgemoor, which was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Axbridge Rural District from 1894 to 1974,[13] which is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.}

^{Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.}

^{It is also part of the Wells 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, and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects six MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.}