Editing Frome (section)

== Geography ==
[[File:Bath St Frome1.JPG|left|alt=Two storey stone house with red roof. Partially obscured by vegetation|thumb|House on Bath Street]]

The town rests on [[Forest Marble]] which dates back to the [[Middle Jurassic]],<ref name="middlejurassicdistribution">Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Middle Jurassic, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 538–541. {{ISBN|0-520-24209-2}}.</ref> and has been used for local building. The area surrounding the town is [[Cornbrash]], [[Oxford Clay]] and [[Greensand (geology)|Greensand]].<ref name="belham">{{Cite book |last=Belham |first=Peter |title=The Making of Frome |publisher=Frome society for local study |year=1985 |edition=2}}</ref> Frome is unevenly built on high ground above the River Frome, which is crossed by a bridge in the town centre. The town centre is approximately {{convert|65|m|ft|0}} above sea-level, whilst the outer parts of the town are between {{convert|90|m|ft|0}} and {{convert|135|m|ft|0}} above sea-level.<ref name="map">Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale map, grid reference ST775475</ref>

The main areas of the town are (approximately clockwise from the north-west): Innox Hill, Welshmill, Packsaddle, Fromefield, Stonebridge, Clink, Berkley Down, Easthill, Wallbridge, The Mount, Keyford and Lower Keyford, Marston Gate, The Butts, Critchill, Trinity, and Gould's Ground.<ref name="map" />

When Frome was founded in the 7th century AD, it lay in the centre of the [[Selwood Forest]], Saxon Sealhwudu or 'Sallow Wood', also known as Coit Mawr, Great Wood, by the Welsh.<ref>Annette Burkitt, op.cit., p347</ref> It stretched from [[Gillingham, Dorset|Gillingham]] in Dorset to [[Chippenham]] in Wiltshire, from [[Bruton]] to Warminster.  It served as a boundary between Anglo-Saxon Wessex and the British kingdom of [[Dumnonia]] in the west.  In 1086 it became a [[royal forest]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-24 |title=Reviving Selwood Forest |url=http://thetreeconference.com/projects/local/reviving-selwood-forest/ |access-date=2019-05-01 |website=The Tree Conference Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501163714/http://thetreeconference.com/projects/local/reviving-selwood-forest/ |archive-date=1 May 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Gradually [[deforestation]] took place. Frome was often called Frome Selwood. Today the nearby countryside is still richly wooded, for example on the Longleat, [[Maiden Bradley]] and [[Stourhead]] estates. Around the town the land is predominantly agricultural, with arable cropping, dairy farming and orchards. To the west of the town, on the edge of the Mendip Hills, there are large active [[limestone]] [[quarry|quarries]], such as [[Whatley Quarry]] and [[Torr Works]], formerly known as Merehead, along with disused quarries. Whatley Quarry is served by a [[Mendip Rail|dedicated railway line]] which branches off the main line at Frome, passes through the town centre and out through the Welshmill and Spring Gardens areas in the north-west quadrant of the town.

Along with the rest of [[Climate of south-west England|South West England]], Frome has a [[temperate|temperate climate]] which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about 10&nbsp;°C (50&nbsp;°F) with [[seasonal]] and [[Diurnal motion|diurnal]] variations, but due to the modifying effect of the sea, the range is less than in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 1&nbsp;°C (34&nbsp;°F) and 2&nbsp;°C (36&nbsp;°F). July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around 21&nbsp;°C (70&nbsp;°F). In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The south west of England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the [[Azores High]] extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK.<ref name="climate" />

[[Cumulus cloud|Cloud]] often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduces exposure to sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1600 hours. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Rainfall]] tends to be associated with [[Atlantic]] [[Low pressure area|depressions]] or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower [[cloud]]s and a large proportion of the annual precipitation falls from showers and [[thunderstorms]] at this time of year. Average rainfall is around 800–900&nbsp;mm (31–35&nbsp;in). About 8–15 days of [[snowfall]] is typical. November to March have the highest mean [[wind]] speeds, with June to August having the lightest. The predominant wind direction is from the south west.<ref name="climate">{{Cite web |title=About south-west England |url=http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/location/southwestengland/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507201830/http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/location/southwestengland/index.html |archive-date=7 May 2006 |access-date=21 May 2006 |publisher=Met Office}}</ref>