Broadway, Somerset

Coordinates: 50°56′04″N 2°58′02″W / 50.9345°N 2.9673°W / 50.9345; -2.9673
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Broadway
Old stone building with thatched roof on road junction.
Porch House
Congregational Chapel
Broadway is located in Somerset
Broadway
Broadway
Location within Somerset
Population740 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST321154
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townILMINSTER
Postcode districtTA19
Dialling code01460
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
50°56′04″N 2°58′02″W / 50.9345°N 2.9673°W / 50.9345; -2.9673

Broadway is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Ilminster and 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Chard. The parish has a population of 740.[1] The parish includes the nearby hamlet of Hare.

History[edit]

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village was known as Bradewei and located in ancient hundred of Abdick.[2]

By the 14th century, Broadway was part of the hundred of Abdick and Bulstone.[3] Broadway was known as Brodewaye in 1586.[4]

Everys Almhouses date from the late 16th or early 17th century.[5] They were founded after litigation over the 1558 will of Alexander Every.[6]

The Tudor Cottage on Broadway Street was built as a farmhouse in the 16th century.[7]

Governance[edit]

The 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 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 purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Chard Rural District.[8]

The village is in the 'Neroche' electoral ward. This ward stretches from Ashill in the north, through Broadway to Donyatt in the south. The total population taken at the 2011 census was 2,428.[9]

It is also part of the Yeovil county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Religious sites[edit]

The Church of St. Aldhelm and St. Eadburgha dates from the 13th century, and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.[10] Its isolated position away from the village is thought to be because of an outbreak of the plague.[6] The churchyard cross is also from the 13th century.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ Open Domesday Online: Broadway, Somerset, accessed September 2018.
  3. ^ "Abdick and Bulstone Hundred Through Time". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  4. ^ [1] The National Archives; Kew, England; Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 87. William Pynney, Probate Date: 22 May 1596. Via ancestry.com paid subscription site, accessed September 2018.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Everys Almhouses (1248144)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  6. ^ a b Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. p. 46. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Tudor Cottage (1057044)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  8. ^ "Chard RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Neroche ward 2011". Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Aldhelm and St Eadburgha (1248192)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Churchyard Cross (1057005)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 November 2008.

External links[edit]

Media related to Broadway, Somerset at Wikimedia Commons