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Midsomer Norton
River Somer and War memorial at Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton  Midsomer Norton shown within Somerset
OS grid reference	ST664540
Parish	Norton Radstock
Unitary authority	Bath and North East Somerset
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	RADSTOCK
Postcode district	BA3
Dialling code	01761
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	Great Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Wansdyke
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Midsomer Norton

Midsomer Norton was originally called Norton Canonicorum being linked to Merton Priory in London until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1546. It later became Midsummer Norton, Midsummer's Day (24 June) being the Feast Day of the Parish Church's Patron Saint, St.John the Baptist. It was inaccessible at times during the year caused by frequent flooding especially in winter (problem now alleviated by a storm water tunnel). Sometime, it is believed, in the early 19th century the name was changed to Midsomer Norton to reflect its location on the River Somer.

Coal Mining really gave the town and area an impetus. There were a number of local mines - eg. Norton Hill, Old Mills and at Welton. However the seams were thin and with the hilly nature around, not easily worked. The coming of the railways, particularly the Bath extension of the Somerset & Dorset Joint in 1874, transformed the conveyance of coal out of the area.

The town was previously served by a station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway but this closed in 1966, and by a second station on the Bristol and North Somerset Railway at Welton in the valley. The railways were separate, the S&D being administered by the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway]] companies (later the London Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway) and the North Somerset being run by and then owned by the Great Western Railway. The stations were both called "Midsomer Norton and Welton" (the B&NSR station was originally called just "Welton"); under British Railways, the S&D station was renamed as Midsomer Norton South after a short period as Midsomer Norton Upper and is currently being restored with occasional open weekends with engines in steam. The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust one day hopes to operate steam trains for a mile up to Chilcompton Tunnel but there remains much to do before this longed for event can happen.

Midsomer Norton lies on the River Somer which rises to the west of Chilcompton and also the Wellow Brook which rises near the village of Ston Easton. The town therefore occupies two valleys of the Mendip Hills and these merge west of Radstock. The combined river then flows east reaching the River Avon near Midford, thence to Bath and through Bristol into the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth.

The oldest building in Midsomer Norton is the Catholic Church of the Holy Ghost, which is a 15th century tithe barn converted by the famous architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It is a grade II* listed building.^[1] . The local Catholic community are served by Benedictine monks from nearby Downside Abbey, coming under the Diocese of Clifton. The Anglican church of St John the Baptist has a 17th century west tower, but the rest was rebuilt in Gothic style by John Pinch the younger in 1830-1831 and was extended in the 20th century with new chancel and lady chapel. It is also a grade II* listed building.^[2] The churchyard includes a memorial to the 12 miners killed in 1839 when their rope was severed.^[3] St. John's is part of the Bath & Wells Diocese which celebrated 1100 years of history in 2009. The Patronage vests in Christ Church, Oxford.

The Methodist Church in the town's picturesque High Street celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2009.^[4] In 1746, John Wesley's travelling preachers, based in Bristol were invited in the mid 1700s to support the local society, the man himself first coming in 1767. By the middle of the 1800s, the congregation had outgrown the original chapel erected in 1775 in Rackvernal Road (now demolished). In the 1990s, the present church building and adjoining hall were totally refurbished and linked, the facilities being well used by the local community. Local Methodists are part of the Bristol District of the Methodist Church and in the North East Somerset & Bath Circuit.

The Baptist Church have their building in Welton but usually hold their Sunday morning service at Norton Hill School in order to accommodate their congregation.

The Salvation Army meet in their citadel at Stones Cross.

Norton Hill School was described by Ofsted in 2007 as outstanding in every respect.^[5]

Somervale School is the only school in the country to have its own community radio station.

Excellent first schools include Midsomer Norton Primary, St. John's Church of England, Welton Primary, Longvernal Primary and Westfield Primary.

Norton Radstock College provides further education.

Following the demise of the coal mining industry, the existing print and packaging firms expanded on local trading estates and in Welton. Regrettably some of the larger firms have disappeared due to relocation and retrenchment. Inadequate transport links and lack of access to the national motorway network has been a handicap. However the business parks are busy and the town and environs has its share of national trading companies including DIY, supermarkets and retail outlets. The town's High Street is a bustling and pleasant place to shop, there being free parking. Many inhabitants commute to Bath and Bristol for employment and shopping. Ring & Ride services for the elderly and handicapped are well used, along with the local Community minibus set up by the local Rotary Club 40 years ago. This vehicle is for use primarily by organisations in the area serving the disabled and infirm. The town's free newspaper 'the Midsomer Norton & District Journal' indicates that the area is very much alive. The 'Somerset Guardian', part of the Daily Mail Group is also well read. The monthly magazine, 'The Mendip Times', also includes local features. Somer Valley FM (97.5FM) is the Community Radio for the district.

Midsomer Norton's railway heritage has been memorialised in a famous song associated with railway closures, Slow Train, lyrics by Michael Flanders, music by Donald Swann:-

'No more will I go to Blandford Forum and Mortehoe

On the slow train from Midsomer Norton and Munby Road

No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat

At Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street

We won't be meeting you

On the slow train …'

Children's author Roald Dahl, prior to his writing fame, used to sell kerosene in Midsomer Norton and the surrounding area in the 1930s. He describes the experience vividly in his autobiographical work Boy: Tales of Childhood (published 1984):

"My kerosene motor-tanker had a tap at the back and when I rolled into Shepton Mallet or Midsomer Norton or Peasedown St John or Huish Champflower, the old girls and the young maidens would hear the roar of my motor and would come out of their cottages with jugs and buckets to buy a gallon of kerosene for their lamps and their heaters. It is fun for a young man to do that sort of thing. Nobody gets a nervous breakdown or a heart attack from selling kerosene to gentle country folk from the back of a tanker in Somerset on a fine summer's day."

The Waugh family connection with Midsomer Norton began when Dr Alexander Waugh, father of Arthur Waugh and grandfather of Evelyn Waugh and Alec Waugh moved to Island House, in The Island in the centre of the town in 1865. The family later moved to a house in Silver Street. As a boy, Evelyn Waugh spent his summer holidays in Midsomer Norton with his maiden aunts. He later described his visits there: "I supose that in fact I never spent longer than two months there in any year, but the place captivated my imagination as my true home never did". ^[6]

Midsomer Norton hosts the only unofficial carnival on the West Country Carnival circuit, usually on the second Thursday in November.

The name of the town has more recently given occasional rise to confusion with the popular TV series Midsomer Murders, but there is no known link between them.

Midsomer Norton's main live music venue is The Wunderbar. It is a small bar located in the cellar of an estate agency on The High Street. It has been open since October 1994 and hosts regular concerts by local bands and regional touring acts as well as 'open mic' events and plays host to is own internet radio station that specialises in playing local underground rock and punk music. Some of the memorable performances of recent years have been by Blueneck, Thirteen Senses, The Heys, Left Side Brain, The Big and also Patchway Theft, The Volt and Cole Ford at The Wunderbar's first Love Music Hate Racism benefit gig.

Regular concerts and events are held in the town and local leisure centres. Choir concerts (male voices in particular) command a good following and the Lions club is a lively promoter of such attractions.

There are a number of thriving local brass bands. In 2006 Midsomer Norton hosted the Open European Band Championship which saw many bands from all over Europe visit the town.

The local U3A is over 10 years old and thriving. Regular Speaker Meetings are held together with many interest groups.

Anita Harris, actress, singer and entertainer.

Peter Alexander, actor who has appeared in East Enders, Heartbeat, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Doctors, The Bill, All Creatures Great and Small, Emmerdale Farm, Minder and Coronation Street

Sedge Moore, musician, who in 2007 joined chart-topping comedy pop group The Wurzels, born Midsomer Norton 1958. ^[7]

Gareth and Kim Paisey from indie pop band Los Campesinos!. ^[8]

Arthur Waugh, born in Midsomer Norton, renowned author and member of famous literary family. Father of authors Evelyn Waugh and Alec Waugh and grandfather of author Auberon Waugh.

Thomas William Allies (born Midsomer Norton 12 February 1813, died 17 June 1903), historical writer specializing in religious subjects.

Steve Voake, author of The Dreamwalker's Child, The Web of Fire and The Starlight Conspiracy.

Uriah Maggs

Andrew Webb, published poet, whose works include "An Indian Summer", "Flakes of Paint" and "The Circus Act".

Uriah Maggs, Midsomer Norton-born founder in 1853 of longest-surviving antiquarian booksellers in the world, London-based Maggs Bros Ltd.

Historical Figures

William Bees (12 September 1871 - 20 June 1938), English recipient of the Victoria Cross for services in South Africa in 1901.

Kay Beauchamp, sister of Joan (see below), born Midsomer Norton, 27 May 1899, died 25 January 1992. Leading light in the Communist Party of Great Britain in the 1920s. Helped found the Daily Worker (later The Morning Star) and was a local councillor in Finsbury.

Joan Beauchamp, sister of Kay (see above). Prominent suffragette and friend of pioneering women’s campaigner Sylvia Pankhurst. One of the first women graduates of the University of London. Also helped found the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1920.

Generations of miners who worked in the difficult conditions of the local collieries of the Somerset Coalfield (see Radstock Museum). A great debt is owed to them.

Sportspeople

Bert Head, professional footballer for Torquay United and Bury FC between the 30s and 50s. Also played for local Midsomer Norton side Welton Rovers. Born Midsomer Norton 8 June 1916, died 2002.

Don Carter (footballer), who played for Bury FC and Blackburn Rovers in the 1940s, born Midsomer Norton, 11 September 1921.

George Rowdon, cricketer for Somerset, born in Midsomer Norton on October 6, 1914, died in Bath in February 1987.

Denise Johns, professional beach volleyball player for Great Britain.

Academics

Professor L.R. (Leslie Rowsell) Moore, son of a Somerset coalminer, professor of Geology at Sheffield University until his retirement in 1977.

Geoffrey Tovey, doctor whose scientific contributions in the field of haematology brought him an international reputation. Also an expert in serology and founder and Director of the UK Transplant Service. Born on May 29 1916 at Midsomer Norton, died 19 December 2001.

Duncan Steel, Reader in space technology at the Joule Physics Laboratory, University of Salford, author of "Marking Time: The Epic Quest to Invent the Perfect Calendar" and "Eclipse: The Celestial Phenomenon Which Has Changed the Course of History". Also writer of science articles for the Guardian national newspaper. He discovered the asteroid 9767 Midsomer Norton in 1992 which he named after his home town.

Public Servants

Sir Ronald Gould - local Primary Head Master and later Secretary of the National Union of Teachers in the mid 20th century.

Historian

Norman Voake - (Father of Steve) who has written histories of local schools and Methodism in Midsomer Norton.

Sport

Association Football - Welton Rovers (Toolstation Premier) also Welton Arsenal, Norton Hill Rangers and others.

Cricket - Midsomer Norton also Midsomer Norton Methodists and others.

Rugby Football - Midsomer Norton

South Wansdyke Leisure Centre provides a wide range of activities including swimming. Norton Hill and Somervale School also have sports facilities used by town and local groups.