Editing Chilcompton

{{Short description|Village and civil parish in Somerset, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country =                 England
|coordinates = {{coord|51.2686|-2.5025|display=inline,title}}
|official_name=             Chilcompton
|civil_parish=            
|population = 2,062
|population_ref = (2011)<ref name="popn">{{NOMIS2011|id=1170218001|title=Chilcompton Parish|accessdate=17 March 2018}}</ref>
|area_total_km2={{convert|706.25|ha|km2|2|disp=number}}
| unitary_england = [[Somerset Council]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Somerset]]
|region=                  South West England
|constituency_westminster=  [[Frome and East Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)|Frome and East Somerset]]
|post_town=     RADSTOCK
|postcode_district=BA3
|postcode_area=BA
|dial_code=      01761
|os_grid_reference=     ST645515
|static_image_name = Chilcompton St John the Baptist's Church - geograph.org.uk - 137564.jpg
|static_image_caption = [[Church of St John The Baptist, Chilcompton|St John the Baptist's Church]]
|static_image_2_name = Chilcompton St Aldhelm's Church - geograph.org.uk - 137562.jpg
|static_image_2_alt=Street scene with stone cross on three tier plinth to the left of the road. In the background is a white walled building.
|static_image_2_caption = St Aldhelm's Church
}}

'''Chilcompton''' is a village and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in [[Somerset]], England, in the [[Mendip Hills]] two miles south of [[Midsomer Norton]] and 3.0 miles south-west of [[Westfield, Somerset|Westfield]]. It is on the B3139 road between [[Radstock]] and [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]], close to the [[A37 road|A37]] (between [[Shepton Mallet]] and [[Bristol]]).

==History==

The parish was part of the [[Hundred (county subdivision)|hundred]] of [[Chewton (hundred)|Chewton]].<ref name=genuki>{{cite web|title=Somerset Hundreds|url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/|publisher=GENUKI|accessdate=8 October 2011}}</ref>

The village's history is mainly that of [[farming]] and [[mining]]. There is a coal waste mound in the north-east end of the village. The village used to have [[Chilcompton railway station]] on the [[Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway]], which closed in 1966.

==Governance==

The [[Parish councils of England|parish 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 parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and [[Neighbourhood Watch (UK)|neighbourhood watch]] groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish 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.

For [[local government in England|local government]] purposes, since 1 April 2023, the parish comes under the [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] of [[Somerset Council]]. Prior to this, it was part of the [[non-metropolitan district]] of [[Mendip District|Mendip]] (established under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]). It was part of [[Clutton Rural District]] before 1974.<ref name=cluttonrd>{{cite web|title=Clutton RD|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10107775|work=A vision of Britain Through Time|publisher=University of Portsmouth|accessdate=4 January 2014}}</ref>

The village falls in the Ashwick, Chilcompton and Stratton [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]]. From Chilcompton the ward stretches south to [[Ashwick, Somerset|Ashwick]]. The ward total population taken at the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]] was 4,835.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/ashwick-chilcompton-and-stratton-e05006761#sthash.wP8Xhqw4.dpbs|title=Ashwick,Chilcompton and Stretton ward 2011|accessdate= 6 March 2015}}</ref>

It is also part of the [[Frome and East Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)|Frome and East Somerset]] [[constituency]] represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. It elects one [[Member of Parliament|Member of Parliament (MP)]] by the [[first past the post]] system of election.

==Geography==

Chilcompton has a [[population]] of 1,918.<ref name="popn"/>  The village is situated one mile west of the [[Fosse Way]] [[Roman road]], [[Downside Abbey]], and [[Downside School]], and one mile north-east of [[Blacker's Hill]] [[hill fort|fort]]. 
The only bus service that serves Chilcompton is the 173 Bath to Wells Mendip Xplorer service operated by [[First West of England]]. There are also several bus routes running between neighbouring villages and the town of Midsomer Norton.

The village has a well called Fry's Well which lends its name to a road.

The [[River Somer]] rises in small streams around Chilcompton.<ref>{{cite web|title=River Somer|url=http://somersetrivers.org/index.php?module=Content&func=view&pid=22|publisher=Somerset Rivers|accessdate=31 August 2016}}</ref>

==Education==

Chilcompton has a primary school called St. Vigor and St. John. The village also has four nearby state secondary schools, [[The Blue School, Wells|The Blue School]] in Wells, [[Norton Hill School]] and [[Somervale School]] in Midsomer Norton and [[Writhlington School]] in Radstock. There are two private schools nearby, [[Wells Cathedral School]] and [[Downside School]]. The nearest universities are in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Bristol]].

==Economy==

Chilcompton is the headquarters of the fashion company [[Mulberry (company)|Mulberry Group plc]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Mulberry Group plc Homepage | work=Mulberry Group plc website | url=http://www.mulberrygroupplc.com | accessdate=3 September 2008}}</ref> 

There is a local store which belongs to the co-operative society, as a branch of the Radstock district co-operative society. There are also two hairdressers in the village, along with a small industrial estate in the north-east of the village. This estate has a few units of small businesses such as Nova fitness equipment and a small fruit machine distributor. There were four [[Public houses|pubs]] in the village some time ago; currently there are two left: The Somerset Wagon (previously The Railway) and The [[Redan]] Inn.  The Britannia and Naishes Crossing had been the other two, The Britannia being the later of the two to close in the 1980s.

==Religious sites==
[[File:Downside - The old church - geograph.org.uk - 137573.jpg|thumb|The former Christ Church]]
The [[Church of St John The Baptist, Chilcompton|Church of St John The Baptist]] dates from the 15th century and was largely rebuilt in the 19th. The [[Perpendicular Period#Perpendicular Gothic|perpendicular]] [[embattled]] tower dates from around 1460 and contains six bells. The [[nave]] and [[aisle]]s were completed in 1839 by Jesse Gane and the [[chancel]] and flanking chapels in 1897 by [[Frederick Bligh Bond]]. An enclosed modern structure links it to the adjoining parish hall.  It is a Grade II* [[listed building]] and lies a short distance to the north of the village.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1345096|desc=Church of St John The Baptist|accessdate=10 May 2010}}</ref>  The ecclesiastical parish is now united with that of [[Church of St Vigor, Stratton-on-the-Fosse|Saint Vigor's]] at [[Stratton-on-the-Fosse]].

The former [[Christ Church, Downside|Christ Church]] on Stockhill Road, Downside, was built in 1838 by [[John Pinch the younger|John Pinch the Younger]]. It was a [[Commissioners' church]], which means it was built with money voted by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] as a result of the Church Building Acts of 1818 and 1824.  The 1818 Act supplied a grant of money and established the Church Building Commission to direct its use, and in 1824 made a further grant of money. The building is no longer used for its religious function.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1175589|desc=Former Christ Church|accessdate=10 May 2010}}</ref> It has been converted to a private residence. <ref>{{cite web |title=Homes for sale in former churches |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/gallery/2018/dec/14/homes-for-sale-in-former-churches-in-pictures |website=Guardian Property}}</ref>

Near the village cross there was a modern Catholic church dedicated to St [[Aldhelm]] that was built by [[Francis Pollen]] in 1976 and it was served by monks from the nearby [[Downside Abbey]] until its closure in 2015.

==Recreation==

There is a skateboarding park in the north end of the village on the recreational ground, which also has a football pitch, a sports clubhouse and a tennis/basketball court. There are two more parks in the village, one of which is in the south end with a 5-a-side football pitch and a small playpark. There is another in a small cul-de-sac in the east side of the village. The primary school also hosts a multi-sports facility.

==Events==

The village holds a village day fete every year, hosting live acts, games, stalls and foodstuffs, along with guest speakers such as [[Michael Eavis]] (owner of [[Glastonbury Festival]]). There have also been some charity events such as sports relief run-a-mile held in the recreational grounds. The primary school hosts summer and winter fairs. The village hall holds many events from the team at Take Art, a group providing a variety of entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, musical acts and other entertaining acts. The local actors guild (CADS&nbsp;— Chilcompton Amateur Dramatics Society) put on productions every year, traditionally comic, though recently they have moved to more serious plays, such as Shakespeare's ''[[Macbeth]]''.

===Sports clubs===

The Chilcompton football team is in division 2 of the junior league. A cricket team is being organised to play the local village rival [[Stratton-on-the-Fosse]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Strawbridge, David J. (1989) ''Chilcompton in Focus''. 2 vols. Chilcompton: David J. Strawbridge, 1989–94

==External links==
{{Commons category|Chilcompton}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312065830/http://www.mendip.gov.uk/council/Parish.asp?id=SXD334-A7802820&cat=7 Parish council details]
* [https://www.chilcompton.org Chilcompton village website]

{{Mendip}}

[[Category:Villages in Mendip District]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Somerset]]