Axbridge, Somerset

Description
Axbridge a small town and a parish in Somerset. The town stands near the river Axe, on the G.W.R., 136 miles from London, at the NW end of the Mendips, 10 miles NW of Wells. It is an ancient place, and Roman roads went from it to Portishead and Ilchester. It consists chiefly of a tolerably neat street, running in a winding manner from east to west, and is practically no more than a village. The town-hall and market-house stands at the east end, and is a modern edifice, rebuilt at a cost of about £1800. The parish church stands on an eminence near the market-house, is a large, cruciform, Perpendicular structure, with a handsome tower, and contains old monuments to the family of Prowse. It was greatly restored in 1879, and completed in 1887, costing between £5000 and £6000. The town has two banking-offices, and is a seat of petty sessions. A cattle market is held on the second Tuesday in every month, and fairs on 3 February, 25 March, and second Tuesday of October. Axbridge was formerly a borough by prescription, and sent members to parliament during the reigns of the first three Edwards, but was afterwards excused on the ground of poverty; it was then governed, under charter from Queen Elizabeth, by a mayor, a bailiff, and 10 aldermen; but the corporation was abolished in 1886 by the Unreformed Corporations Act. The late corporation property is now managed by a town trust, in place of the former mayor and corporation. There is a sanatorium (called St Michael's Home), close to the railway, which was built and endowed by the late Mr. Gibb of Tyntesfield, at a cost of about £120,000. There is also a workhouse and police station. A tract adjacent to the town was so improved by drainage of the Axe, about the year 1800, at a cost of £70,000, that land which previously was worth only about 2s. 6d. yearly per acre, is now rented at £4: and £5. The parish comprises 528 acres; population, 732. There is a post, money order, and telegraph office. It is noted for its early market-garden produce. The town is sheltered from the north-east winds by the Mendip Hills, the climate in winter is very mild, and the country round is one of the finest grazing districts in the county. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and Wells; net value, £60. Patron, the Bishop of Bath and Wells. There is a chapel for Wesleyans.