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with a museum, a café and shop. shop. and café a museum, a with

Pottery and Craft Gallery and Perry’s Cider Mill - a working cider mill cider working a - Mill Cider Perry’s and Gallery Craft and Pottery

the brook. Other highlights include the include highlights Other brook. the crosses still which bridge

Further on are the old manor house and the 17th century packhorse century 17th the and house manor old the are on Further

explorer who spent time in Africa looking for the source of the . the of source the for looking Africa in time spent who explorer

which contains the remains of John Hanning Speke, a Victorian a Speke, Hanning John of remains the contains which

gardens. Tel; 01460 220 231 Web: www.fordeabbey.co.uk Web: 231 220 01460 Tel; gardens.

seen is the 13th century hamstone Norman Church of St Andrews St of Church Norman hamstone century 13th the is seen

Is a former medieval monastery with beautiful with monastery medieval former a Is ABBEY FORDE 15) 14

visitor. Entering from the north the first notable building to be to building notable first the north the from Entering visitor.

footpaths to Cricket Malherbie, woods and . Dowlish and woods Chaffcombe Malherbie, Cricket to footpaths

Dowlish Brook running through it, contains many delights for the for delights many contains it, through running Brook Dowlish person who did so much to improve the welfare of shop workers. shop of welfare the improve to much so did who person

WALKS: For peaceful countryside walks in the area follow the signed the follow area the in walks countryside peaceful For WALKS:

5 This small ancient village, with the with village, Somerset ancient small This WAKE DOWLISH (5) story of Margaret Bondfield, Britain’s first woman cabinet minister and a and minister cabinet woman first Britain’s Bondfield, Margaret of story

houses of these two men can still be seen. The museum also tells the tells also museum The seen. be still can men two these of houses

building with historic connections and an interesting crypt. interesting an and connections historic with building

is not open to the public.) the to open not is was James Gillingham who greatly improved artificial limbs. The limbs. artificial improved greatly who Gillingham James was

A beautiful Grade 2* listed 2* Grade beautiful A CHURCH: MAGDALENE MARY ST (1 9

with details of its pioneer aviator, John Stringfellow. Another pioneer Another Stringfellow. John aviator, pioneer its of details with (Public access is limited to the cycle path and footpaths, the house the footpaths, and path cycle the to limited is access (Public

13 The Museum tells the story of Chard, together Chard, of story the tells Museum The MUSEUM CHARD 14)

House now operates as a residential centre for adult education. adult for centre residential a as operates now House

countryside with views of and the . Hills. Blackdown the and Ilminster of views with countryside

formal gardens. Once home of Prime Minister Lord North, Dillington North, Lord Minister Prime of home Once gardens. formal

farms rather than a traditional village. It lies in beautiful rolling beautiful in lies It village. traditional a than rather farms

supporting foundries and engineering works. engineering and foundries supporting 4 is set in mature parkland with beautiful with parkland mature in set is HOUSE DILLINGTON (4)

and north east of Chard. It is more a series of dispersed hamlets and hamlets dispersed of series a more is It Chard. of east north and the Blue Plaque walk and/or the Lace Mill audio-walk and see the see and audio-walk Mill Lace the and/or walk Plaque Blue the

The parish of lies to the west of Cricket Malherbie Cricket of west the to lies Giles St Knowle of parish The

such as the two great machine plain-lace mills. Visit the TIC and take and TIC the Visit mills. plain-lace machine great two the as such Tel: 0644 800 1895 Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/barrington Web: 1895 800 0644 Tel:

much of the town was rebuilt, the money coming from new industry new from coming money the rebuilt, was town the of much

3 E House and gardens. gardens. and House (NT) COURT BARRINGTON (3) (E) Knowle St Giles: Local history and WW2 Stop Line defences. Line Stop WW2 and history Local Giles: St Knowle (E)

The mills were built at the last great time of change in the 1800s when 1800s the in change of time great last the at built were mills The

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13) HOLYROOD LACE MILL, BODEN’S MILL and WEST CHARD WEST and MILL BODEN’S MILL, LACE HOLYROOD 13) 12

truly modern. modern. truly

change monthly and show a range of work from traditional to the to traditional from work of range a show and monthly change course.

Channel.

performance area in the evenings. The exhibitions in the gallery the in exhibitions The evenings. the in area performance carvings in the likeness of primitive faces) adorn the parapet string parapet the adorn faces) primitive of likeness the in carvings

way to the Bristol Channel and water on the south side to the English the to side south the on water and Channel Bristol the to way

gallery, a café and workshop space that also doubles as a as doubles also that space workshop and café a gallery, with particularly fine bench ends. Outside, Hunky-punks (grotesque Hunky-punks Outside, ends. bench fine particularly with

Spring water running down on the north side of the main street finds its finds street main the of side north the on down running water Spring

Meeting House today operates as an ‘Arts Centre’. There is an art an is There Centre’. ‘Arts an as operates today House Meeting over 700 years. This splendid church was built in the 15th Century, 15th the in built was church splendid This years. 700 over

former great houses belonging to wealthy cloth merchants were built. were merchants cloth wealthy to belonging houses great former

2 8 Once a Unitarian Chapel, the Chapel, Unitarian a Once CENTRE ARTS HOUSE MEETING (2) Christians have worshipped on this site for site this on worshipped have Christians CHURCH MARY’S ST (9

phase can be seen at the middle and bottom of Fore Street where Street Fore of bottom and middle the at seen be can phase

new town was built around a market area in 1235. Evidence of this of Evidence 1235. in area market a around built was town new

glass doors that mark the Millennium in 2000. in Millennium the mark that doors glass ‘fuddling cups’. ‘fuddling 11 The next age of Chard was when a when was Chard of age next The STREET HIGH & STREET FORE 12)

its hidden slugs and snails, and a modern addition, the engraved the addition, modern a and snails, and slugs hidden its pots, dishes, roof tiles, bread crocks, puzzle jugs and the famous the and jugs puzzle crocks, bread tiles, roof dishes, pots,

include: the Jacobean screen, the brass chandeliers, a reredos, with reredos, a chandeliers, brass the screen, Jacobean the include: made everything for everybody, including: jugs, bottles, chamber bottles, jugs, including: everybody, for everything made Farmhouse. From here, Old Town ran down Silver Street and East Street. East and Street Silver down ran Town Old here, From Farmhouse.

founders of Wadham College, Oxford. Other items of interest of items Other Oxford. College, Wadham of founders started here about 1200 and lasted for 800 years. Many potteries Many years. 800 for lasted and 1200 about here started Green and beside this is a building that was formerly the Manor the formerly was that building a is this beside and Green

7 the church and Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham who were the were who Wadham Dorothy and Nicholas and church the Evidence suggests pottery making pottery suggests Evidence POTTERIES (7) traces of an older Norman building (see church guide). Behind it is Ivy is it Behind guide). church (see building Norman older an of traces

10 Is now the oldest building but even this has this even but building oldest the now Is CHURCH MARY’S ST (11) Wadham family – Sir William who was instrumental in the building of building the in instrumental was who William Sir – family Wadham

chapel to the north contains the tombs of three members of the of members three of tombs the contains north the to chapel served as a deer park. deer a as served

The town centre grew in three main phases – see (11), (12), and (13). and (12), (11), see – phases main three in grew centre town The church with its 90’ tower was probably built in the 1400s. The 1400s. the in built probably was tower 90’ its with church deer were recorded in this 448 acre park and by 1613, it no longer no it 1613, by and park acre 448 this in recorded were deer

The name Chard is thought to have meant “the house on the common”. common”. the on house “the meant have to thought is Chard name The who built a church on the site as early as 720 AD. The present The AD. 720 as early as site the on church a built who claimed this is the only such park noted in the book. In 1567, 500 1567, In book. the in noted park such only the is this claimed

Minster’ due to the town’s links with the monks of Abbey Muchelney of monks the with links town’s the to due Minster’ The DOMESDAY BOOK entry for Donyatt included a Deer Park; it is it Park; Deer a included Donyatt for entry BOOK DOMESDAY The

I (I) Chard Central: Two railway stations and the Canal Wharf Canal the and stations railway Two Central: Chard (I) 1 More usually known as ‘The as known usually More ILMINSTER CHURCH, MARY’S ST (1) (6) THE DEER PARK and THE DOMESDAY BOOK IN 1086 IN BOOK DOMESDAY THE and PARK DEER THE (6) 6

(H) The Reservoir: Wildlife depictions Wildlife Reservoir: The (H) H

(G) Chaffcombe Lane: The fascinating history of the reservoir the of history fascinating The Lane: Chaffcombe (G) B G D (D) Donyatt Halt: The Railway and WW2 Stop Line defences Line Stop WW2 and Railway The Halt: Donyatt (D) (B) The Canal: The Story of the Canal Canal the of Story The Canal: The (B)

(F) Chard North: Chard Common Incline and WW 2 Stop Line defences Line Stop 2 WW and Incline Common Chard North: Chard (F) (C) Donyatt Cutting: Wildlife depictions Wildlife Cutting: Donyatt (C) A (A) Fortress Ilminster: WW2 defences WW2 Ilminster: Fortress (A) F C

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CHARD ILMINSTER DONYATT & KNOWLE ST GILES ST KNOWLE & DONYATT

USEFUL INFORMATION THE Walk or cycle TOWNS & VILLAGES www.ilminsterforum.co.uk STOP LINE THE www.chard.gov.uk en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donyatt en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowle_St_Giles WAY STOP LINE MUSEUMS & other recording organisations Ilminster to Chard WAY www.chardmuseum.co.uk (5-mile long metalled section) www.somerset.gov.uk/museum & discover hidden Somerset, Somerset Environmental Records Centre: www.somerc.com past & present Chard History Group: www.users.globalnet.co.uk~carterw www.somerset.gov.uk/archive (includes a photographic collection of Ilminster entitled: Heritage of the Ile) PUBLICATIONS Somerset. The complete Guide (1994) Now you see it - then you didn’t! – Stop Line (2000) Working the Chard Branch – Railway (1991) Roads, Canals and Railways of Chard (2001) Somerset Steam (2009) The History of Donyatt (2002) Excavations in the Donyatt Potteries (1989) Ilminster Book of the Ile (1890) (Library reference only) LIBRARIES Chard: Holyrood Lace Mill Ilminster: Ditton Street TOURIST & LOCAL INFORMATION CENTRES Chard: Guildhall, High Street (TIC) Ilminster: Meeting House, East Street The Old Railway Heritage/Community Project For Ilminster, Donyatt, Knowle St Giles, & Chard The Stop Line Way is a long distance coast-to-coast walking and cycling From 2005 to 2009, a group of volunteers from Ilminster, Donyatt, Knowle St route which in parts is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The Giles and Chard joined together to design a heritage project linking their cycle route is 75 miles long and partly follows the ‘ Stop Line’ communities along part of the National Cycle Network 33 (The Stop built by the Army in 1940 to contain any Nazi German invasion of the Line Way). In 2008, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded them South West. These defences ran for 50 miles, from Burnham on the a grant. This leaflet gives additional information Bristol Channel to Seaton on the South Coast. Canals, railways and rivers about the heritage of the area covered by the were made into a continuous anti-tank obstacle with road blocks and project and suggests further links to examine. over 380 concrete pillboxes. Between Ilminster and Chard it largely follows the track of the old Great Western Railway.