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Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset.

Bath and North East Somerset
Bath & North East Somerset Council
Nickname: 
BANES or B&NES
Bath and North East Somerset shown within Somerset
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Ceremonial countySomerset
Combined authorityWest of England
Admin HQBath and Keynsham
Created1 April 1996
Government
 • Typeunitary authority
 • Council LeaderKevin Guy
 • CouncilLiberal Democrats
 • MPs:Wera Hobhouse (LD)
Jacob Rees-Mogg (C)
Area
 • Total135.57 sq mi (351.12 km2)
 • RankRanked 116th
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total193,409 (Ranked 98th)
 • Density1,340/sq mi (518/km2)
 • Ethnicity
[2]
90.1% White British
4.4% Other White
2.5% Asian
0.7% Black
1.6% Mixed Race
0.7% Other
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode
BA and BS
Area codes01225 and others
ISO 3166 codeGB-BAS
ONS code00HA (ONS)
E06000022 (GSS)
Websitewww.bathnes.gov.uk

The unitary authority provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within the district, including local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection, recycling, cemeteries, crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. It is also responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service. Its administrative headquarters is in Bath, though many departments are based at offices in Keynsham. The air ambulance and critical care service is provided by the charity Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.

Bath and North East Somerset covers an area of 136 square miles (352 km2), of which two thirds is green belt. It stretches from the outskirts of Bristol, south into the Mendip Hills and east to the southern Cotswold Hills and Wiltshire border. The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but B&NES also covers Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Westfield, Saltford and the Chew Valley.

The area has varied geography including river valleys and rolling hills. The history of human habitation is long but expanded massively during Roman times, and played significant roles in the Saxon era and English civil war. Industry developed from a largely agricultural basis to include coal mining with the coming of canals and railways. Bath developed as a spa resort in Georgian times and remains a major cultural tourism centre having gained World Heritage City status.

History

Although B&NES was only created in 1996 the area it covers has been occupied for thousands of years. The age of the henge monument at Stanton Drew stone circles is unknown, but is believed to be from the Neolithic period,[3] as is the chambered tomb known as Stoney Littleton Long Barrow.[4] Solsbury Hill has an Iron Age hill fort. The hills around Bath such as Bathampton Down saw human activity from the Mesolithic period.[5][6] Several Bronze Age round barrows were opened by John Skinner in the 18th century.[7] Bathampton Camp may have been a univallate Iron Age hill fort or stock enclosure.[8][9] A long barrow site believed to be from the Beaker people was flattened to make way for RAF Charmy Down.[10]

 
The Great Bath at the Roman Baths. The entire structure above the level of the pillar bases is a later reconstruction.

The archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman Baths' main spring was treated as a shrine by the Celts,[11] and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva; however, the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, leading to Bath's Roman name of Aquae Sulis (literally, "the waters of Sulis").

Excavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake also uncovered Roman remains, indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the first century until the third century AD. The finds included a moderately large villa at Chew Park,[12] where wooden writing tablets (the first in the UK) with ink writing were found. There is also evidence from the Pagans Hill Roman Temple at Chew Stoke,[13][14] and a villa at Keynsham.

The Saxon advance from the east seems to have been halted by battles between the British and Saxons, for example; at the siege of Badon Mons Badonicus (which may have been in the Bath region e.g. at Solsbury Hill),[15] or Bathampton Down.[16] This area became the border between the Romano-British Celts and the West Saxons following the Battle of Deorham in 577 AD.[17] The Western Wandsdyke was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. The ditch is on the north side, so presumably it was used by the Celts as a defence against Saxons encroaching from the upper Thames valley. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Saxon Cenwalh achieved a breakthrough against the British Celtic tribes, with victories at Bradford-on-Avon (in the Avon Gap in the Wansdyke) in 652 AD.[18] In 675, Osric, King of the Hwicce, set up a monastic house at Bath, probably using the walled area as its precinct.[19] King Offa of Mercia gained control of this monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated to St. Peter.[20] In the ninth century the old Roman street pattern had been lost and it had become a royal possession, with King Alfred laying out the town afresh, leaving its south-eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct.[21] Edgar of England was crowned king of England in Bath Abbey in 973.[22]

11th to 16th centuries

King William Rufus granted the city to a royal physician, John of Tours, who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath in 1088.[23] It was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats, and he translated his own from Wells to Bath.[24] He planned and began a much larger church as his cathedral, to which was attached a priory, with the bishop's palace beside it.[23] New baths were built around the three springs. Later bishops, however, returned the episcopal seat to Wells, while retaining the name of Bath in their title as the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The priory at Hinton Charterhouse was founded in 1232 by Ela, Countess of Salisbury who also founded Lacock Abbey.[25]

By the 15th century, Bath's abbey church was badly dilapidated and in need of repairs.[26] Oliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided in 1500 to rebuild it on a smaller scale. The new church was completed just a few years before Bath Priory was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII.[27] The abbey church was allowed to become derelict before being restored as the city's parish church in the Elizabethan period, when the city revived as a spa. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy. Bath was granted city status by Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590.[28]

Keynsham, said to be named after Saint Keyne, developed into a medieval market town, its growth prompted by the foundation of an influential and prosperous abbey, founded by the Victorine order of Augustinian monks around 1170. It survived until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 and a house was built on the site. The remains have been designated as Grade I listed by English Heritage.[29]

17th century onwards

During the English Civil War, Somerset, which was largely Parliamentarian, was the site of a number of important battles between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians.[30] The Battle of Lansdowne was fought on 5 July 1643 on the northern outskirts of the city.[30]

In 1668 Thomas Guidott, who had been a student of chemistry and medicine at Wadham College, Oxford, moved to Bath and set up practice. He became interested in the curative properties of the waters and in 1676 he wrote A discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water. This brought the health-giving properties of the hot mineral waters to the attention of the country and soon the aristocracy started to arrive to partake in them.[31] Several areas of the city underwent development during the Stuart period, and this increased during Georgian times in response to increasing numbers of people visiting the spa and resort town and requiring accommodation.[32] The architects John Wood the elder and his son John Wood the younger laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical facades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum providing a unique set of buildings and architecture.[33] The creamy gold of Bath stone further unified the city, much of it obtained from the limestone Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines, which were owned by Ralph Allen (1694–1764).[34] Allen, in order to advertise the quality of his quarried limestone, commissioned the elder John Wood to build him a country house on his Prior Park estate between the city and the mines.[34]

 
Aerial photo of Pensford with the viaduct in the foreground

In north Somerset, around Radstock mining in the Somerset coalfield was an important industry, and in an effort to reduce the cost of transporting the coal the Somerset Coal Canal was built; part of it was later converted into a railway.[35] It connected to the Kennet and Avon Canal which linked the River Thames at Reading and the Floating Harbour at Bristol, joining the River Avon at Bath via Bath Locks. The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway connected Bath and Bournemouth. It was jointly operated by the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). After the 1 January 1923 Grouping, joint ownership of the S&D passed to the LMS and the Southern Railway.[36][37]

The area was also served by the Bristol and North Somerset Railway that connected Bristol with towns in the Somerset coalfield. The line was opened in 1873 between Bristol and Radstock, where it joined with an earlier freight-only line from Frome. The biggest civil engineering project on the line was the Pensford Viaduct over the River Chew. The viaduct is 995 feet long, reaches a maximum height of 95 feet to rail level and consists of 16 arches. It is now a Grade II listed building. Freight services on the branch ceased in 1951. The line achieved some fame after closure by its use in the film The Titfield Thunderbolt, but the track was taken up in 1958.

During World War II, between the evening of 25 April and the early morning of 27 April 1942, Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal for RAF raids on the German cities of Lübeck and Rostock. The three raids formed part of the Luftwaffe campaign popularly known as the Baedeker Blitz; over 400 people were killed, and more than 19,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.[38] Houses in the Royal Crescent, Circus and Paragon were burnt out along with the Assembly Rooms, while the south side of Queen Square was destroyed.[39] All have since been reconstructed.

The River Chew suffered a major flood in 1968 with serious damage to towns and villages along its route, including Chew Stoke, Chew Magna, Stanton Drew, Publow, Woollard, Compton Dando and Chewton Keynsham. The flood even swept away the bridge at Pensford.

Geography

Bath and North East Somerset covers an area of 136 square miles (352 km2),[40] of which two thirds is green belt. It stretches from the outskirts of Bristol, south into the Mendip Hills and east to the southern Cotswold Hills and Wiltshire border.[41] Surrounding local government areas include Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.

The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but B&NES also covers Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and the Chew Valley. Bath lies on the River Avon and its tributaries such as the River Chew and Midford Brook cross the area.

In the west of the area the Chew Valley consists of the valley of the River Chew and is generally low-lying and undulating. It is bounded by higher ground ranging from Dundry Down to the north, the Lulsgate Plateau to the west, the Mendip Hills to the south and the Hinton Blewett, Marksbury and Newton St Loe plateau areas to the east. The River Chew was dammed in the 1950s to create Chew Valley Lake, which provides drinking water for the nearby city of Bristol and surrounding areas. The lake is a prominent landscape feature of the valley, a focus for recreation, and is internationally recognised for its nature conservation interest, because of the bird species, plants and insects.

To the north of Bath are Lansdown, Langridge and Solsbury hills. These are outliers of the Cotswolds.

Governance

 
The council chamber in the Guildhall

Historically part of the county of Somerset, Bath was made a county borough in 1889 so being independent of the newly created administrative Somerset county council, which covered the rest of the area that became B&NES.[42] The area that would become B&NES became part of Avon when that non-metropolitan county was created in 1974. Since the abolition of Avon in 1996, Bath has been the main centre of the district of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), one of the four authorities that replaced Avon County Council and the six district councils of Avon. B&NES covers the combined areas of the non-metropolitan districts (that existed 1974 to 1996) of Wansdyke and Bath.[43]

Before the Reform Act of 1832 Bath elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons.[44] Bath now has a single parliamentary constituency, with Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse as Member of Parliament. The rest of the area falls within the North East Somerset constituency.[45] Previously most of the area was in the Wansdyke constituency, which covers the part of B&NES that is not in the Bath constituency. It also contained four wards or parts of wards from South Gloucestershire Council. It was named after the former Wansdyke district.

Since B&NES was created, until 2015, no political party had been in overall control of the council. The Liberal Democrats quickly became the dominant party, but in the local elections on 3 May 2007 the Conservative Party won 31 seats and became the largest party, though they did not have a majority. In the 2011 local elections, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives won 29 seats each with the Labour Party winning only five seats; the Liberal Democrats went on to form a minority administration. In 2015, the Conservative Party became the first party to secure a majority, with 37 seats. The Liberal Democrats subsequently took majority control of the council in 2019.

The current council composes of 59 councillors, 28 from Bath, 6 each from the Norton Radstock and Keynsham areas, and 19 others. The current political division after the election of May 2019 is:

Party Councillors +/-
Liberal Democrats 37 +22
Conservative Party 11 –26
Independent 6 +4
Labour & Labour Co-op 5 –1

Local concerns include the building of a new road for buses on Conservation Area land as part of the Bath Transportation Package, the closure of a Bath Secondary School to remove excess places,[46] economic difficulties in the Norton Radstock area, development of the large Western Riverside brownfield land site in Bath, and the now popular, but long delayed Thermae Bath Spa development. On 10 December 2003, Bath and North East Somerset was granted Fairtrade Zone status.

Between 2000 and 2014,[47] Bath and North East Somerset Council ran a youth democracy group, Democratic Action for B&NES Youth (DAFBY).[48] The group was consulted by the council and its partners on issues that affected young people.

Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 
Download coordinates as: KML

Elected mayor

Following a successful petition, a referendum was held on 10 March 2016 proposing a directly elected mayor for Bath and North East Somerset.[49] However, the majority of voters in the district opted to stay with the current system.[50]

Parishes

The area of the city of Bath, which was formerly the Bath county borough, is unparished. The fifteen electoral wards of Bath are: Bathwick, Combe Down, Kingsmead, Lambridge, Lansdown, Moorlands, Newbridge, Odd Down, Oldfield Park, Southdown, Twerton, Walcot, Westmoreland, Weston and Widcombe & Lyncombe. These wards are co-extensive with the city, except that Newbridge includes also two parishes beyond the city boundary.[51]

Image Name Status Population Former local authority Coordinates Refs
  Bathampton Civil parish 1,603 Bathavon Rural District 51°23′N 2°19′W / 51.39°N 2.32°W / 51.39; -2.32 (Bathampton) [52][53]
  Batheaston Civil parish 2,735 Bathavon Rural District 51°25′N 2°19′W / 51.41°N 2.31°W / 51.41; -2.31 (Batheaston) [53][54]
  Bathford Civil parish 1,759 Bathavon Rural District 51°23′N 2°18′W / 51.39°N 2.30°W / 51.39; -2.30 (Bathford) [53][55]
  Cameley Civil parish 1,292 Clutton Rural District 51°19′N 2°34′W / 51.32°N 2.56°W / 51.32; -2.56 (Cameley) [56][57]
  Camerton Civil parish 655 Bathavon Rural District 51°19′N 2°27′W / 51.32°N 2.45°W / 51.32; -2.45 (Camerton) [53][58]
  Charlcombe Civil parish 422 Bathavon Rural District 51°25′N 2°22′W / 51.41°N 2.36°W / 51.41; -2.36 (Charlcombe) [53][59]
  Chelwood Civil parish 148 Clutton Rural District 51°21′N 2°31′W / 51.35°N 2.52°W / 51.35; -2.52 (Chelwood) [57][60]
  Chew Magna Civil parish 1,149 Clutton Rural District 51°22′N 2°37′W / 51.37°N 2.61°W / 51.37; -2.61 (Chew Magna) [57][61]
  Chew Stoke Civil parish 991 Clutton Rural District 51°21′N 2°38′W / 51.35°N 2.64°W / 51.35; -2.64 (Chew Stoke) [57][62]
  Claverton Civil parish 115 Bathavon Rural District 51°23′N 2°19′W / 51.38°N 2.31°W / 51.38; -2.31 (Claverton, Somerset) [53][63]
  Clutton Civil parish 1,602 Clutton Rural District 51°20′N 2°32′W / 51.33°N 2.54°W / 51.33; -2.54 (Clutton, Somerset) [57][64]
  Combe Hay Civil parish 147 Bathavon Rural District 51°20′N 2°23′W / 51.34°N 2.38°W / 51.34; -2.38 (Combe Hay) [53][65]
  Compton Dando Civil parish 579 Keynsham Urban District 51°23′N 2°31′W / 51.38°N 2.51°W / 51.38; -2.51 (Compton Dando) [66][67]
  Compton Martin Civil parish 508 Clutton Rural District 51°19′N 2°39′W / 51.31°N 2.65°W / 51.31; -2.65 (Compton Martin) [57][68]
  Corston Civil parish 494 Bathavon Rural District 51°23′N 2°26′W / 51.39°N 2.44°W / 51.39; -2.44 (Corston, Somerset) [53][69]
  Dunkerton Civil parish 502 Bathavon Rural District 51°20′N 2°25′W / 51.33°N 2.41°W / 51.33; -2.41 (Dunkerton, Somerset) [53][70]
  East Harptree Civil parish 644 Clutton Rural District 51°18′N 2°37′W / 51.30°N 2.62°W / 51.30; -2.62 (East Harptree) [57][71]
  Englishcombe Civil parish 318 Bathavon Rural District 51°22′N 2°25′W / 51.36°N 2.41°W / 51.36; -2.41 (Englishcombe) [53][72]
  Farmborough Civil parish 1,035 Clutton Rural District 51°20′N 2°29′W / 51.34°N 2.48°W / 51.34; -2.48 (Farmborough) [57][73]
  Farrington Gurney Civil parish 901 Clutton Rural District 51°17′N 2°32′W / 51.29°N 2.53°W / 51.29; -2.53 (Farrington Gurney) [57][74]
  Freshford Civil parish 551 Bathavon Rural District 51°20′N 2°19′W / 51.34°N 2.31°W / 51.34; -2.31 (Freshford) [53][75]
  High Littleton Civil parish 2,104 Clutton Rural District 51°19′N 2°31′W / 51.32°N 2.51°W / 51.32; -2.51 (High Littleton) [57][76]
  Hinton Blewett Civil parish 308 Clutton Rural District 51°19′N 2°35′W / 51.31°N 2.58°W / 51.31; -2.58 (Hinton Blewitt) [57][77]
  Hinton Charterhouse Civil parish 515 Bathavon Rural District 51°20′N 2°19′W / 51.33°N 2.32°W / 51.33; -2.32 (Hinton Charterhouse) [53][78]
  Kelston Civil Parish 248 Bathavon Rural District 51°24′N 2°26′W / 51.40°N 2.43°W / 51.40; -2.43 (Kelston) [53][79]
  Keynsham Town 15,641 Keynsham Urban District 51°25′N 2°29′W / 51.41°N 2.49°W / 51.41; -2.49 (Keynsham) [67][80]
  Marksbury Civil parish 397 Bathavon Rural District 51°22′N 2°29′W / 51.36°N 2.48°W / 51.36; -2.48 (Marksbury) [53][81]
  Midsomer Norton Town
10,997
Norton Radstock 51°17′N 2°29′W / 51.28°N 2.48°W / 51.28; -2.48 (Midsomer Norton) [82][83]
  Monkton Combe Civil parish 554 Bathavon Rural District 51°22′N 2°20′W / 51.36°N 2.33°W / 51.36; -2.33 (Monkton Combe) [53][84]
  Nempnett Thrubwell Civil parish 177 Clutton Rural District 51°20′N 2°41′W / 51.34°N 2.68°W / 51.34; -2.68 (Nempnett Thrubwell) [57][85]
  Newton St Loe Civil parish 681 Bathavon Rural District 51°23′N 2°26′W / 51.38°N 2.43°W / 51.38; -2.43 (Newton Saint Loe) [53][86]
  Norton Malreward Civil parish 246 Clutton Rural District 51°23′N 2°34′W / 51.39°N 2.57°W / 51.39; -2.57 (Norton Malreward) [57][87]
  Paulton Civil parish 5,302 Clutton Rural District 51°19′N 2°30′W / 51.31°N 2.50°W / 51.31; -2.50 (Paulton) [57][88]
  Peasedown St John Civil parish 6,446 Bathavon Rural District 51°19′N 2°26′W / 51.32°N 2.44°W / 51.32; -2.44 (Peasedown St John) [53][89]
  Priston Civil parish 232 Bathavon Rural District 51°20′N 2°26′W / 51.34°N 2.44°W / 51.34; -2.44 (Priston) [53][90]
  Publow Civil parish 1,119 Clutton Rural District 51°22′N 2°33′W / 51.37°N 2.55°W / 51.37; -2.55 (Publow) [57][91]
  Radstock Town
5,620
Norton Radstock Town Council 51°17′24″N 2°26′52″W / 51.29°N 2.4477°W / 51.29; -2.4477 (Westfield) [83][92]
  Saltford Civil parish 4,073 Keynsham Urban District 51°24′N 2°28′W / 51.40°N 2.46°W / 51.40; -2.46 (Saltford) [67][93]
  Shoscombe Civil parish 443 Bathavon Rural District 51°18′N 2°25′W / 51.30°N 2.41°W / 51.30; -2.41 (Shoscombe) [53][94]
  Southstoke Civil parish 460 Bathavon Rural District 51°21′N 2°22′W / 51.35°N 2.36°W / 51.35; -2.36 (Southstoke) [53][95]
  Stanton Drew Civil parish 787 Clutton Rural District 51°22′N 2°35′W / 51.37°N 2.58°W / 51.37; -2.58 (Stanton Drew) [57][96]
  Stowey-Sutton Civil parish 1,361 Clutton Rural District 51°20′N 2°35′W / 51.34°N 2.59°W / 51.34; -2.59 (Stowey-Sutton) [57][97]
  Swainswick Civil parish 265 Bathavon Rural District 51°25′N 2°21′W / 51.41°N 2.35°W / 51.41; -2.35 (Swainswick) [53][98]
  Timsbury Civil parish 2,624 Clutton Rural District 51°20′N 2°29′W / 51.33°N 2.48°W / 51.33; -2.48 (Timsbury, Somerset) [57][99]
  Ubley Civil parish 331 Clutton Rural District 51°19′N 2°41′W / 51.32°N 2.68°W / 51.32; -2.68 (Ubley) [57][100]
  Wellow Civil parish 529 Bathavon Rural District 51°19′N 2°22′W / 51.32°N 2.37°W / 51.32; -2.37 (Wellow, Somerset) [53][101]
  Westfield Civil parish
5,854
Norton Radstock Town Council 51°17′24″N 2°26′53″W / 51.29°N 2.448°W / 51.29; -2.448 (Westfield) [83][102]
  West Harptree Civil parish 439 Clutton Rural District 51°19′N 2°38′W / 51.31°N 2.63°W / 51.31; -2.63 (West Harptree) [57][103]
  Whitchurch Civil parish 1,354 Bathavon Rural District 51°25′N 2°34′W / 51.41°N 2.56°W / 51.41; -2.56 (Whitchurch) [53][104]

Demography

Population Profile[105]
UK Census 2001 B&NES UA SW England England
Total population 169,040 4,928,434 49,138,831
Foreign born 11.2% 9.4% 9.2%
White 97.3% 97.7% 91%
Asian 0.5% 0.7% 4.6%
Black 0.5% 0.4% 2.3%
Christian 71.0% 74.0% 72%
Muslim 0.4% 0.5% 3.1%
Hindu 0.2% 0.2% 1.1%
No religion 19.5% 16.8% 15%
Over 75 years old 8.9% 9.3% 7.5%
Unemployed 2.0% 2.6% 3.3%

170,238 people live in the area and approximately half live in the City of Bath making it 12 times more densely populated than the rest of the area.

According to the UK Government's 2001 census, Bath, together with North East Somerset, which includes areas around Bath as far as the Chew Valley, has a population of 169,040, with an average age of 39.9 (the national average being 38.6). According to the same statistics, the district is overwhelmingly populated by people of a white ethnic background at 97.2% – significantly higher than the national average of 90.9%. Other non-white ethnic groups in the district, in order of population size, are multiracial at 1%, Asian at 0.5% and black at 0.5% (the national averages are 1.3%, 4.6% and 2.1%, respectively).[106]

The district is largely Christian at 71%, with no other religion reaching more than 0.5%. These figures generally compare with the national averages, though the non-religious, at 19.5%, are significantly more prevalent than the national 14.8%. Although Bath is known for the restorative powers of its waters, and only 7.4% of the population describe themselves as "not healthy" in the last 12 months, compared to a national average of 9.2%; only 15.8% of the inhabitants say they have had a long-term illness, as against 18.2% nationally.[106]

Population since 1801 – Source: A Vision of Britain through Time
Year 1801 1851 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001
Population B&NES[107] 57,188 96,992 107,637 113,732 113,351 112,972 123,185 134,346 144,950 156,421 154,083 164,737 169,045

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of North and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire at current basic prices published by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.[108]

Year Regional Gross Value Added[109] Agriculture[110] Industry[111] Services[112]
1995 5,916 125 1,919 3,872
2000 8,788 86 2,373 6,330
2003 10,854 67 2,873 7,914

Settlements

The major towns and villages in the district are:

Transport

Bath is approximately 12 miles (19 km) south-east of the larger city and port of Bristol, to which it is linked by the A4 road, and is a similar distance south of the M4 motorway. Bath and North East Somerset is also served by the A37 and A368 trunk roads, and a network of smaller roads. Bath is also 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Chippenham, and 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Corsham.

Bath is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon, navigable via locks by small boats. The river was connected to the River Thames and London by the Kennet & Avon Canal in 1810 via Bath Locks; this waterway – closed for many years, but restored in the last years of the 20th century – is now popular with narrow boat users.[113] Bath is on National Cycle Route 4, with one of Britain's first cycleways, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, to the west, and an eastern route toward London on the canal towpath. Although Bath does not have an airport, the city is about 18 miles (29 km) from Bristol Airport, which may be reached by road or by rail via Bristol Temple Meads station.

Bath is served by the Bath Spa railway station (designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel), which has regular connections to London Paddington, Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff Central, Swansea, Exeter St Davids, Plymouth and Penzance (see Great Western Main Line), and also Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury, Southampton Central, Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton (see Wessex Main Line). Services are provided by Great Western Railway. There are suburban stations on the main line at Oldfield Park and Keynsham which have a limited commuter service to Bristol. Green Park station was once operated by the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, whose line (always steam driven) climbed over the Mendip Hills and served many towns and villages on its 71-mile (114 km) run to Bournemouth; this example of an English rural line was closed by the Beeching cuts in March 1966, with few remaining signs of its existence, but its Bath station building survives and now houses a number of shops.

The 2004 Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study[114] was commissioned as a result of the de-trunking in 1999 of the A36/A46 trunk road network from Bath to Southampton.

Education

State-funded schools are organised within the district of Bath and North East Somerset. A review of Secondary Education in Bath was started in 2007, primarily to reduce surplus provision and reduce the number of single-sex secondary schools in Bath, and to access capital funds available through the government's Building Schools for the Future programme.[115]

The city contains one further education college, Bath College, and several sixth forms as part of both state, private, and public schools. In England, on average in 2006, 45.8% of pupils gained 5 grades A-C including English and Maths; for Bath and North East Somerset pupils taking GCSE at 16 it is 52.0%.[116] Special needs education is provided by Three Ways School.

Bath has two universities. The University of Bath was established in 1966.[117] It is known, academically, for the physical sciences, mathematics, architecture, management and technology.[118]

Bath Spa University was first granted degree-awarding powers in 1992 as a university college (Bath Spa University College), before being granted university status in August 2005.[119] It has schools in Art and Design, Education, English and Creative Studies, Historical and Cultural Studies, Music and the Performing Arts, and Social Sciences.[119] It also awards degrees through colleges such as Weston College in nearby Weston-super-Mare.

Sports

Bath Rugby plays at the Recreation Ground.[120] Bath Cricket Club play at the North Parade cricket ground next door to the Recreation Ground.

Bath City F.C. is the major football team in Bath city but there are also clubs in the surrounding areas such as; Paulton Rovers F. C., Bishop Sutton A.F.C., Radstock Town F.C. and Welton Rovers F.C.

The Bath Half Marathon is run annually through the city streets, with over 10,000 runners.[121] Bath also has a thriving cycling community, with places for biking including Royal Victoria Park, 'The Tumps' in Odd Down/east, the jumps on top of Lansdown, and Prior Park. Places for biking near Bath include Brown's Folly in Batheaston and Box Woods, in Box.

There are sport and leisure centres in Bath, Keynsham the Chew Valley and Midsomer Norton. Much of the surrounding countryside is accessible for walking and both Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake provide extensive fishing under permit from Bristol Water. The River Chew and most of its tributaries also have fishing but this is generally under licences to local angling clubs. Chew Valley Sailing Club[122] is situated on Chew Valley Lake and provides dinghy sailing at all levels and hosts national and international competitions.

Places of interest

There are a total of 72,000 dwellings within the area, 6,408 are listed buildings, classified as of historical or architectural importance, of which 663 are Grade I and 212 are Grade II* and the remainder are Grade II. These include many buildings and areas of Bath such as Lansdown Crescent,[123] the Royal Crescent,[124] The Circus and Pulteney Bridge.[125] Outside the city there are also several historic manor houses such as St Catherine's Court and Sutton Court.

Bath is a major tourist centre and has a range of museums and art galleries including the Victoria Art Gallery,[126] the Museum of East Asian Art, and Holburne Museum of Art,[127] numerous commercial art galleries and antique shops, as well as numerous museums, among them Bath Postal Museum, The Fashion Museum, the Jane Austen Centre, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy and the Roman Baths.[128]

The Radstock Museum details the history of the Somerset coalfield.

The Avon Valley Railway serves Avon Riverside railway station. The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust is based at Midsomer Norton railway station.

See also

References

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  7. ^ Thomas, Rod (2008). A Sacred landscape: The prehistory of Bathampton Down. Bath: Millstream Books. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-948975-86-8.
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External links

  • B&NES council

bath, north, east, somerset, unitary, authority, district, england, council, created, april, 1996, following, abolition, county, avon, part, ceremonial, county, somerset, bath, north, east, somerset, councilnon, metropolitan, district, unitary, nickname, banes. Bath and North East Somerset B amp NES is a unitary authority district in England Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset Bath and North East Somerset Bath amp North East Somerset CouncilNon metropolitan district unitary Nickname BANES or B amp NESBath and North East Somerset shown within SomersetSovereign stateUnited KingdomConstituent countryEnglandRegionSouth West EnglandCeremonial countySomersetCombined authorityWest of EnglandAdmin HQBath and KeynshamCreated1 April 1996Government Typeunitary authority Council LeaderKevin Guy CouncilLiberal Democrats MPs Wera Hobhouse LD Jacob Rees Mogg C Area Total135 57 sq mi 351 12 km2 RankRanked 116thPopulation 2021 1 Total193 409 Ranked 98th Density1 340 sq mi 518 km2 Ethnicity 2 90 1 White British 4 4 Other White2 5 Asian0 7 Black1 6 Mixed Race0 7 OtherTime zoneUTC0 GMT Summer DST UTC 1 BST PostcodeBA and BSArea codes01225 and othersISO 3166 codeGB BASONS code00HA ONS E06000022 GSS Websitewww wbr bathnes wbr gov wbr ukThe unitary authority provides a single tier of local government with responsibility for almost all local government functions within the district including local planning and building control local roads council housing environmental health markets and fairs refuse collection recycling cemeteries crematoria leisure services parks and tourism It is also responsible for education social services libraries main roads public transport trading standards waste disposal and strategic planning although fire police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service Its administrative headquarters is in Bath though many departments are based at offices in Keynsham The air ambulance and critical care service is provided by the charity Great Western Air Ambulance Charity Bath and North East Somerset covers an area of 136 square miles 352 km2 of which two thirds is green belt It stretches from the outskirts of Bristol south into the Mendip Hills and east to the southern Cotswold Hills and Wiltshire border The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district but B amp NES also covers Keynsham Midsomer Norton Radstock Westfield Saltford and the Chew Valley The area has varied geography including river valleys and rolling hills The history of human habitation is long but expanded massively during Roman times and played significant roles in the Saxon era and English civil war Industry developed from a largely agricultural basis to include coal mining with the coming of canals and railways Bath developed as a spa resort in Georgian times and remains a major cultural tourism centre having gained World Heritage City status Contents 1 History 1 1 11th to 16th centuries 1 2 17th century onwards 2 Geography 3 Governance 3 1 Elected mayor 3 2 Parishes 4 Demography 5 Economy 6 Settlements 7 Transport 8 Education 9 Sports 10 Places of interest 11 See also 12 References 13 External linksHistory EditAlthough B amp NES was only created in 1996 the area it covers has been occupied for thousands of years The age of the henge monument at Stanton Drew stone circles is unknown but is believed to be from the Neolithic period 3 as is the chambered tomb known as Stoney Littleton Long Barrow 4 Solsbury Hill has an Iron Age hill fort The hills around Bath such as Bathampton Down saw human activity from the Mesolithic period 5 6 Several Bronze Age round barrows were opened by John Skinner in the 18th century 7 Bathampton Camp may have been a univallate Iron Age hill fort or stock enclosure 8 9 A long barrow site believed to be from the Beaker people was flattened to make way for RAF Charmy Down 10 The Great Bath at the Roman Baths The entire structure above the level of the pillar bases is a later reconstruction The archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman Baths main spring was treated as a shrine by the Celts 11 and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis whom the Romans identified with Minerva however the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion leading to Bath s Roman name of Aquae Sulis literally the waters of Sulis Excavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake also uncovered Roman remains indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the first century until the third century AD The finds included a moderately large villa at Chew Park 12 where wooden writing tablets the first in the UK with ink writing were found There is also evidence from the Pagans Hill Roman Temple at Chew Stoke 13 14 and a villa at Keynsham The Saxon advance from the east seems to have been halted by battles between the British and Saxons for example at the siege of Badon Mons Badonicus which may have been in the Bath region e g at Solsbury Hill 15 or Bathampton Down 16 This area became the border between the Romano British Celts and the West Saxons following the Battle of Deorham in 577 AD 17 The Western Wandsdyke was probably built during the 5th or 6th century The ditch is on the north side so presumably it was used by the Celts as a defence against Saxons encroaching from the upper Thames valley According to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle the Saxon Cenwalh achieved a breakthrough against the British Celtic tribes with victories at Bradford on Avon in the Avon Gap in the Wansdyke in 652 AD 18 In 675 Osric King of the Hwicce set up a monastic house at Bath probably using the walled area as its precinct 19 King Offa of Mercia gained control of this monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church which was dedicated to St Peter 20 In the ninth century the old Roman street pattern had been lost and it had become a royal possession with King Alfred laying out the town afresh leaving its south eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct 21 Edgar of England was crowned king of England in Bath Abbey in 973 22 Bath Abbey 11th to 16th centuries Edit King William Rufus granted the city to a royal physician John of Tours who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath in 1088 23 It was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats and he translated his own from Wells to Bath 24 He planned and began a much larger church as his cathedral to which was attached a priory with the bishop s palace beside it 23 New baths were built around the three springs Later bishops however returned the episcopal seat to Wells while retaining the name of Bath in their title as the Bishop of Bath and Wells The priory at Hinton Charterhouse was founded in 1232 by Ela Countess of Salisbury who also founded Lacock Abbey 25 By the 15th century Bath s abbey church was badly dilapidated and in need of repairs 26 Oliver King Bishop of Bath and Wells decided in 1500 to rebuild it on a smaller scale The new church was completed just a few years before Bath Priory was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII 27 The abbey church was allowed to become derelict before being restored as the city s parish church in the Elizabethan period when the city revived as a spa The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy Bath was granted city status by Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590 28 Keynsham said to be named after Saint Keyne developed into a medieval market town its growth prompted by the foundation of an influential and prosperous abbey founded by the Victorine order of Augustinian monks around 1170 It survived until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 and a house was built on the site The remains have been designated as Grade I listed by English Heritage 29 17th century onwards Edit During the English Civil War Somerset which was largely Parliamentarian was the site of a number of important battles between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians 30 The Battle of Lansdowne was fought on 5 July 1643 on the northern outskirts of the city 30 In 1668 Thomas Guidott who had been a student of chemistry and medicine at Wadham College Oxford moved to Bath and set up practice He became interested in the curative properties of the waters and in 1676 he wrote A discourse of Bathe and the hot waters there Also Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water This brought the health giving properties of the hot mineral waters to the attention of the country and soon the aristocracy started to arrive to partake in them 31 Several areas of the city underwent development during the Stuart period and this increased during Georgian times in response to increasing numbers of people visiting the spa and resort town and requiring accommodation 32 The architects John Wood the elder and his son John Wood the younger laid out the new quarters in streets and squares the identical facades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum providing a unique set of buildings and architecture 33 The creamy gold of Bath stone further unified the city much of it obtained from the limestone Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines which were owned by Ralph Allen 1694 1764 34 Allen in order to advertise the quality of his quarried limestone commissioned the elder John Wood to build him a country house on his Prior Park estate between the city and the mines 34 Aerial photo of Pensford with the viaduct in the foreground In north Somerset around Radstock mining in the Somerset coalfield was an important industry and in an effort to reduce the cost of transporting the coal the Somerset Coal Canal was built part of it was later converted into a railway 35 It connected to the Kennet and Avon Canal which linked the River Thames at Reading and the Floating Harbour at Bristol joining the River Avon at Bath via Bath Locks The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway connected Bath and Bournemouth It was jointly operated by the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway L amp SWR After the 1 January 1923 Grouping joint ownership of the S amp D passed to the LMS and the Southern Railway 36 37 The area was also served by the Bristol and North Somerset Railway that connected Bristol with towns in the Somerset coalfield The line was opened in 1873 between Bristol and Radstock where it joined with an earlier freight only line from Frome The biggest civil engineering project on the line was the Pensford Viaduct over the River Chew The viaduct is 995 feet long reaches a maximum height of 95 feet to rail level and consists of 16 arches It is now a Grade II listed building Freight services on the branch ceased in 1951 The line achieved some fame after closure by its use in the film The Titfield Thunderbolt but the track was taken up in 1958 During World War II between the evening of 25 April and the early morning of 27 April 1942 Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal for RAF raids on the German cities of Lubeck and Rostock The three raids formed part of the Luftwaffe campaign popularly known as the Baedeker Blitz over 400 people were killed and more than 19 000 buildings were damaged or destroyed 38 Houses in the Royal Crescent Circus and Paragon were burnt out along with the Assembly Rooms while the south side of Queen Square was destroyed 39 All have since been reconstructed The River Chew suffered a major flood in 1968 with serious damage to towns and villages along its route including Chew Stoke Chew Magna Stanton Drew Publow Woollard Compton Dando and Chewton Keynsham The flood even swept away the bridge at Pensford Geography EditBath and North East Somerset covers an area of 136 square miles 352 km2 40 of which two thirds is green belt It stretches from the outskirts of Bristol south into the Mendip Hills and east to the southern Cotswold Hills and Wiltshire border 41 Surrounding local government areas include Bristol North Somerset Somerset South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district but B amp NES also covers Keynsham Midsomer Norton Radstock and the Chew Valley Bath lies on the River Avon and its tributaries such as the River Chew and Midford Brook cross the area In the west of the area the Chew Valley consists of the valley of the River Chew and is generally low lying and undulating It is bounded by higher ground ranging from Dundry Down to the north the Lulsgate Plateau to the west the Mendip Hills to the south and the Hinton Blewett Marksbury and Newton St Loe plateau areas to the east The River Chew was dammed in the 1950s to create Chew Valley Lake which provides drinking water for the nearby city of Bristol and surrounding areas The lake is a prominent landscape feature of the valley a focus for recreation and is internationally recognised for its nature conservation interest because of the bird species plants and insects To the north of Bath are Lansdown Langridge and Solsbury hills These are outliers of the Cotswolds Governance Edit The council chamber in the Guildhall See also Bath and North East Somerset Council and Bath and North East Somerset local elections Historically part of the county of Somerset Bath was made a county borough in 1889 so being independent of the newly created administrative Somerset county council which covered the rest of the area that became B amp NES 42 The area that would become B amp NES became part of Avon when that non metropolitan county was created in 1974 Since the abolition of Avon in 1996 Bath has been the main centre of the district of Bath and North East Somerset B amp NES one of the four authorities that replaced Avon County Council and the six district councils of Avon B amp NES covers the combined areas of the non metropolitan districts that existed 1974 to 1996 of Wansdyke and Bath 43 Before the Reform Act of 1832 Bath elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons 44 Bath now has a single parliamentary constituency with Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse as Member of Parliament The rest of the area falls within the North East Somerset constituency 45 Previously most of the area was in the Wansdyke constituency which covers the part of B amp NES that is not in the Bath constituency It also contained four wards or parts of wards from South Gloucestershire Council It was named after the former Wansdyke district Since B amp NES was created until 2015 no political party had been in overall control of the council The Liberal Democrats quickly became the dominant party but in the local elections on 3 May 2007 the Conservative Party won 31 seats and became the largest party though they did not have a majority In the 2011 local elections the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives won 29 seats each with the Labour Party winning only five seats the Liberal Democrats went on to form a minority administration In 2015 the Conservative Party became the first party to secure a majority with 37 seats The Liberal Democrats subsequently took majority control of the council in 2019 The current council composes of 59 councillors 28 from Bath 6 each from the Norton Radstock and Keynsham areas and 19 others The current political division after the election of May 2019 is Party Councillors Liberal Democrats 37 22Conservative Party 11 26Independent 6 4Labour amp Labour Co op 5 1Local concerns include the building of a new road for buses on Conservation Area land as part of the Bath Transportation Package the closure of a Bath Secondary School to remove excess places 46 economic difficulties in the Norton Radstock area development of the large Western Riverside brownfield land site in Bath and the now popular but long delayed Thermae Bath Spa development On 10 December 2003 Bath and North East Somerset was granted Fairtrade Zone status Between 2000 and 2014 47 Bath and North East Somerset Council ran a youth democracy group Democratic Action for B amp NES Youth DAFBY 48 The group was consulted by the council and its partners on issues that affected young people Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as KMLElected mayor Edit Following a successful petition a referendum was held on 10 March 2016 proposing a directly elected mayor for Bath and North East Somerset 49 However the majority of voters in the district opted to stay with the current system 50 Parishes Edit The area of the city of Bath which was formerly the Bath county borough is unparished The fifteen electoral wards of Bath are Bathwick Combe Down Kingsmead Lambridge Lansdown Moorlands Newbridge Odd Down Oldfield Park Southdown Twerton Walcot Westmoreland Weston and Widcombe amp Lyncombe These wards are co extensive with the city except that Newbridge includes also two parishes beyond the city boundary 51 Image Name Status Population Former local authority Coordinates Refs Bathampton Civil parish 1 603 Bathavon Rural District 51 23 N 2 19 W 51 39 N 2 32 W 51 39 2 32 Bathampton 52 53 Batheaston Civil parish 2 735 Bathavon Rural District 51 25 N 2 19 W 51 41 N 2 31 W 51 41 2 31 Batheaston 53 54 Bathford Civil parish 1 759 Bathavon Rural District 51 23 N 2 18 W 51 39 N 2 30 W 51 39 2 30 Bathford 53 55 Cameley Civil parish 1 292 Clutton Rural District 51 19 N 2 34 W 51 32 N 2 56 W 51 32 2 56 Cameley 56 57 Camerton Civil parish 655 Bathavon Rural District 51 19 N 2 27 W 51 32 N 2 45 W 51 32 2 45 Camerton 53 58 Charlcombe Civil parish 422 Bathavon Rural District 51 25 N 2 22 W 51 41 N 2 36 W 51 41 2 36 Charlcombe 53 59 Chelwood Civil parish 148 Clutton Rural District 51 21 N 2 31 W 51 35 N 2 52 W 51 35 2 52 Chelwood 57 60 Chew Magna Civil parish 1 149 Clutton Rural District 51 22 N 2 37 W 51 37 N 2 61 W 51 37 2 61 Chew Magna 57 61 Chew Stoke Civil parish 991 Clutton Rural District 51 21 N 2 38 W 51 35 N 2 64 W 51 35 2 64 Chew Stoke 57 62 Claverton Civil parish 115 Bathavon Rural District 51 23 N 2 19 W 51 38 N 2 31 W 51 38 2 31 Claverton Somerset 53 63 Clutton Civil parish 1 602 Clutton Rural District 51 20 N 2 32 W 51 33 N 2 54 W 51 33 2 54 Clutton Somerset 57 64 Combe Hay Civil parish 147 Bathavon Rural District 51 20 N 2 23 W 51 34 N 2 38 W 51 34 2 38 Combe Hay 53 65 Compton Dando Civil parish 579 Keynsham Urban District 51 23 N 2 31 W 51 38 N 2 51 W 51 38 2 51 Compton Dando 66 67 Compton Martin Civil parish 508 Clutton Rural District 51 19 N 2 39 W 51 31 N 2 65 W 51 31 2 65 Compton Martin 57 68 Corston Civil parish 494 Bathavon Rural District 51 23 N 2 26 W 51 39 N 2 44 W 51 39 2 44 Corston Somerset 53 69 Dunkerton Civil parish 502 Bathavon Rural District 51 20 N 2 25 W 51 33 N 2 41 W 51 33 2 41 Dunkerton Somerset 53 70 East Harptree Civil parish 644 Clutton Rural District 51 18 N 2 37 W 51 30 N 2 62 W 51 30 2 62 East Harptree 57 71 Englishcombe Civil parish 318 Bathavon Rural District 51 22 N 2 25 W 51 36 N 2 41 W 51 36 2 41 Englishcombe 53 72 Farmborough Civil parish 1 035 Clutton Rural District 51 20 N 2 29 W 51 34 N 2 48 W 51 34 2 48 Farmborough 57 73 Farrington Gurney Civil parish 901 Clutton Rural District 51 17 N 2 32 W 51 29 N 2 53 W 51 29 2 53 Farrington Gurney 57 74 Freshford Civil parish 551 Bathavon Rural District 51 20 N 2 19 W 51 34 N 2 31 W 51 34 2 31 Freshford 53 75 High Littleton Civil parish 2 104 Clutton Rural District 51 19 N 2 31 W 51 32 N 2 51 W 51 32 2 51 High Littleton 57 76 Hinton Blewett Civil parish 308 Clutton Rural District 51 19 N 2 35 W 51 31 N 2 58 W 51 31 2 58 Hinton Blewitt 57 77 Hinton Charterhouse Civil parish 515 Bathavon Rural District 51 20 N 2 19 W 51 33 N 2 32 W 51 33 2 32 Hinton Charterhouse 53 78 Kelston Civil Parish 248 Bathavon Rural District 51 24 N 2 26 W 51 40 N 2 43 W 51 40 2 43 Kelston 53 79 Keynsham Town 15 641 Keynsham Urban District 51 25 N 2 29 W 51 41 N 2 49 W 51 41 2 49 Keynsham 67 80 Marksbury Civil parish 397 Bathavon Rural District 51 22 N 2 29 W 51 36 N 2 48 W 51 36 2 48 Marksbury 53 81 Midsomer Norton Town 10 997 Norton Radstock 51 17 N 2 29 W 51 28 N 2 48 W 51 28 2 48 Midsomer Norton 82 83 Monkton Combe Civil parish 554 Bathavon Rural District 51 22 N 2 20 W 51 36 N 2 33 W 51 36 2 33 Monkton Combe 53 84 Nempnett Thrubwell Civil parish 177 Clutton Rural District 51 20 N 2 41 W 51 34 N 2 68 W 51 34 2 68 Nempnett Thrubwell 57 85 Newton St Loe Civil parish 681 Bathavon Rural District 51 23 N 2 26 W 51 38 N 2 43 W 51 38 2 43 Newton Saint Loe 53 86 Norton Malreward Civil parish 246 Clutton Rural District 51 23 N 2 34 W 51 39 N 2 57 W 51 39 2 57 Norton Malreward 57 87 Paulton Civil parish 5 302 Clutton Rural District 51 19 N 2 30 W 51 31 N 2 50 W 51 31 2 50 Paulton 57 88 Peasedown St John Civil parish 6 446 Bathavon Rural District 51 19 N 2 26 W 51 32 N 2 44 W 51 32 2 44 Peasedown St John 53 89 Priston Civil parish 232 Bathavon Rural District 51 20 N 2 26 W 51 34 N 2 44 W 51 34 2 44 Priston 53 90 Publow Civil parish 1 119 Clutton Rural District 51 22 N 2 33 W 51 37 N 2 55 W 51 37 2 55 Publow 57 91 Radstock Town 5 620 Norton Radstock Town Council 51 17 24 N 2 26 52 W 51 29 N 2 4477 W 51 29 2 4477 Westfield 83 92 Saltford Civil parish 4 073 Keynsham Urban District 51 24 N 2 28 W 51 40 N 2 46 W 51 40 2 46 Saltford 67 93 Shoscombe Civil parish 443 Bathavon Rural District 51 18 N 2 25 W 51 30 N 2 41 W 51 30 2 41 Shoscombe 53 94 Southstoke Civil parish 460 Bathavon Rural District 51 21 N 2 22 W 51 35 N 2 36 W 51 35 2 36 Southstoke 53 95 Stanton Drew Civil parish 787 Clutton Rural District 51 22 N 2 35 W 51 37 N 2 58 W 51 37 2 58 Stanton Drew 57 96 Stowey Sutton Civil parish 1 361 Clutton Rural District 51 20 N 2 35 W 51 34 N 2 59 W 51 34 2 59 Stowey Sutton 57 97 Swainswick Civil parish 265 Bathavon Rural District 51 25 N 2 21 W 51 41 N 2 35 W 51 41 2 35 Swainswick 53 98 Timsbury Civil parish 2 624 Clutton Rural District 51 20 N 2 29 W 51 33 N 2 48 W 51 33 2 48 Timsbury Somerset 57 99 Ubley Civil parish 331 Clutton Rural District 51 19 N 2 41 W 51 32 N 2 68 W 51 32 2 68 Ubley 57 100 Wellow Civil parish 529 Bathavon Rural District 51 19 N 2 22 W 51 32 N 2 37 W 51 32 2 37 Wellow Somerset 53 101 Westfield Civil parish 5 854 Norton Radstock Town Council 51 17 24 N 2 26 53 W 51 29 N 2 448 W 51 29 2 448 Westfield 83 102 West Harptree Civil parish 439 Clutton Rural District 51 19 N 2 38 W 51 31 N 2 63 W 51 31 2 63 West Harptree 57 103 Whitchurch Civil parish 1 354 Bathavon Rural District 51 25 N 2 34 W 51 41 N 2 56 W 51 41 2 56 Whitchurch 53 104 Demography EditPopulation Profile 105 UK Census 2001 B amp NES UA SW England EnglandTotal population 169 040 4 928 434 49 138 831Foreign born 11 2 9 4 9 2 White 97 3 97 7 91 Asian 0 5 0 7 4 6 Black 0 5 0 4 2 3 Christian 71 0 74 0 72 Muslim 0 4 0 5 3 1 Hindu 0 2 0 2 1 1 No religion 19 5 16 8 15 Over 75 years old 8 9 9 3 7 5 Unemployed 2 0 2 6 3 3 170 238 people live in the area and approximately half live in the City of Bath making it 12 times more densely populated than the rest of the area According to the UK Government s 2001 census Bath together with North East Somerset which includes areas around Bath as far as the Chew Valley has a population of 169 040 with an average age of 39 9 the national average being 38 6 According to the same statistics the district is overwhelmingly populated by people of a white ethnic background at 97 2 significantly higher than the national average of 90 9 Other non white ethnic groups in the district in order of population size are multiracial at 1 Asian at 0 5 and black at 0 5 the national averages are 1 3 4 6 and 2 1 respectively 106 The district is largely Christian at 71 with no other religion reaching more than 0 5 These figures generally compare with the national averages though the non religious at 19 5 are significantly more prevalent than the national 14 8 Although Bath is known for the restorative powers of its waters and only 7 4 of the population describe themselves as not healthy in the last 12 months compared to a national average of 9 2 only 15 8 of the inhabitants say they have had a long term illness as against 18 2 nationally 106 Population since 1801 Source A Vision of Britain through TimeYear 1801 1851 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001Population B amp NES 107 57 188 96 992 107 637 113 732 113 351 112 972 123 185 134 346 144 950 156 421 154 083 164 737 169 045Economy EditThis is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of North and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire at current basic prices published by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling 108 Year Regional Gross Value Added 109 Agriculture 110 Industry 111 Services 112 1995 5 916 125 1 919 3 8722000 8 788 86 2 373 6 3302003 10 854 67 2 873 7 914Settlements EditThe major towns and villages in the district are Bath Bathampton Peasedown Keynsham Midsomer Norton Paulton Radstock Saltford Chew MagnaTransport EditBath is approximately 12 miles 19 km south east of the larger city and port of Bristol to which it is linked by the A4 road and is a similar distance south of the M4 motorway Bath and North East Somerset is also served by the A37 and A368 trunk roads and a network of smaller roads Bath is also 12 miles 19 km south west of Chippenham and 8 miles 13 km south west of Corsham Bath is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon navigable via locks by small boats The river was connected to the River Thames and London by the Kennet amp Avon Canal in 1810 via Bath Locks this waterway closed for many years but restored in the last years of the 20th century is now popular with narrow boat users 113 Bath is on National Cycle Route 4 with one of Britain s first cycleways the Bristol amp Bath Railway Path to the west and an eastern route toward London on the canal towpath Although Bath does not have an airport the city is about 18 miles 29 km from Bristol Airport which may be reached by road or by rail via Bristol Temple Meads station Bath is served by the Bath Spa railway station designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel which has regular connections to London Paddington Bristol Temple Meads Cardiff Central Swansea Exeter St Davids Plymouth and Penzance see Great Western Main Line and also Westbury Warminster Salisbury Southampton Central Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton see Wessex Main Line Services are provided by Great Western Railway There are suburban stations on the main line at Oldfield Park and Keynsham which have a limited commuter service to Bristol Green Park station was once operated by the Somerset amp Dorset Joint Railway whose line always steam driven climbed over the Mendip Hills and served many towns and villages on its 71 mile 114 km run to Bournemouth this example of an English rural line was closed by the Beeching cuts in March 1966 with few remaining signs of its existence but its Bath station building survives and now houses a number of shops The 2004 Bristol Bath to South Coast Study 114 was commissioned as a result of the de trunking in 1999 of the A36 A46 trunk road network from Bath to Southampton Education EditSee also List of schools in Bath and North East Somerset State funded schools are organised within the district of Bath and North East Somerset A review of Secondary Education in Bath was started in 2007 primarily to reduce surplus provision and reduce the number of single sex secondary schools in Bath and to access capital funds available through the government s Building Schools for the Future programme 115 The city contains one further education college Bath College and several sixth forms as part of both state private and public schools In England on average in 2006 45 8 of pupils gained 5 grades A C including English and Maths for Bath and North East Somerset pupils taking GCSE at 16 it is 52 0 116 Special needs education is provided by Three Ways School Bath has two universities The University of Bath was established in 1966 117 It is known academically for the physical sciences mathematics architecture management and technology 118 Bath Spa University was first granted degree awarding powers in 1992 as a university college Bath Spa University College before being granted university status in August 2005 119 It has schools in Art and Design Education English and Creative Studies Historical and Cultural Studies Music and the Performing Arts and Social Sciences 119 It also awards degrees through colleges such as Weston College in nearby Weston super Mare Sports EditBath Rugby plays at the Recreation Ground 120 Bath Cricket Club play at the North Parade cricket ground next door to the Recreation Ground Bath City F C is the major football team in Bath city but there are also clubs in the surrounding areas such as Paulton Rovers F C Bishop Sutton A F C Radstock Town F C and Welton Rovers F C The Bath Half Marathon is run annually through the city streets with over 10 000 runners 121 Bath also has a thriving cycling community with places for biking including Royal Victoria Park The Tumps in Odd Down east the jumps on top of Lansdown and Prior Park Places for biking near Bath include Brown s Folly in Batheaston and Box Woods in Box There are sport and leisure centres in Bath Keynsham the Chew Valley and Midsomer Norton Much of the surrounding countryside is accessible for walking and both Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake provide extensive fishing under permit from Bristol Water The River Chew and most of its tributaries also have fishing but this is generally under licences to local angling clubs Chew Valley Sailing Club 122 is situated on Chew Valley Lake and provides dinghy sailing at all levels and hosts national and international competitions Places of interest EditThere are a total of 72 000 dwellings within the area 6 408 are listed buildings classified as of historical or architectural importance of which 663 are Grade I and 212 are Grade II and the remainder are Grade II These include many buildings and areas of Bath such as Lansdown Crescent 123 the Royal Crescent 124 The Circus and Pulteney Bridge 125 Outside the city there are also several historic manor houses such as St Catherine s Court and Sutton Court Bath is a major tourist centre and has a range of museums and art galleries including the Victoria Art Gallery 126 the Museum of East Asian Art and Holburne Museum of Art 127 numerous commercial art galleries and antique shops as well as numerous museums among them Bath Postal Museum The Fashion Museum the Jane Austen Centre the Herschel Museum of Astronomy and the Roman Baths 128 The Radstock Museum details the history of the Somerset coalfield The Avon Valley Railway serves Avon Riverside railway station The Somerset amp Dorset Railway Heritage Trust is based at Midsomer Norton railway station See also Edit Somerset portalList of tourist attractions in Bath Grade I listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset Grade II listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset List of Scheduled Monuments in Bath and North East Somerset West of England Combined AuthorityReferences Edit Population Estimates for UK England and Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland 2021 Office for National Statistics 2 November 2022 Retrieved 19 December 2022 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REPORTS PUBLISHED Government News 13 February 2004 Archived from the original on 14 April 2013 Retrieved 28 September 2012 Secondary School Reviews Bath and North East Somerset Council Archived from the original on 11 June 2008 Retrieved 23 June 2008 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help LDF Contextual Info Excel Intelligence West Retrieved 14 December 2007 History of the University University of Bath Archived from the original on 12 November 2007 Retrieved 10 December 2007 Departments University of Bath Archived from the original on 11 December 2007 Retrieved 10 December 2007 a b Bath Spa University Archived from the original on 9 December 2007 Retrieved 10 December 2007 The Rec Bath Rugby Archived from the original on 24 September 2010 Retrieved 28 September 2010 Bath Half Marathon Archived from the original on 11 October 2008 Retrieved 9 December 2007 Chew Valley Sailing Club Archived from the original on 24 April 2006 Retrieved 12 May 2006 1 to 20 Lansdown Crescent Images of England Archived from the original on 2 May 2015 Retrieved 14 November 2006 Royal Crescent Images of England Archived from the original on 3 November 2007 Retrieved 14 November 2006 Pulteney Bridge Images of England Archived from the original on 28 April 2015 Retrieved 14 November 2006 Victoria Art Gallery Images of England Archived from the original on 15 June 2009 Retrieved 15 November 2006 Holburne of Menstrie Museum Images of England Archived from the original on 28 April 2015 Retrieved 15 November 2006 Roman Baths Treatment Centre Images of England Archived from the original on 15 June 2009 Retrieved 15 November 2006 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bath and North East Somerset District B amp NES council Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bath and North East Somerset amp oldid 1121489633, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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