Yeovil is situated in the
southern most part
of Somerset England, the historic market town was established on
one of the main routes from London to the west, the name Yeovil
being derived from the river Yeo which divides Somerset and
Dorset.
The great
Doomsday survey of
1086 reveals 22 freemen occupying a tenement or township, and by
the 12th century, this had developed into a tiny self governing
borough, separated from the manor of Hendford.
Glove making an
early industry
here, gradually developed into Yeovil's staple industry, although
for a time linel cloth, sail making and rope provided employment.
The greater prosperity of the 18th century was followed by the
rapid growth of the town in the 19th century.
Special
commissioners were
appointed with the power to control the town's markets and fairs,
and eventually in 1854 a municipal borough was created with the
appointment of the first mayor. this ended the outmoded system of
local government. Leather dressing, gloving and woolen industries
flourished and Yeovil's prosperity was further enhanced with the
coming of the railways. Only two of the four stations remain
giving access to the London to Exeter and the Bristol Weymouth
lines.
The older
buildings in the
town are built with the golden colored Ham stone, quarries at
Hamdon Hill four miles away. The Hill is now a Country Park and
includes a Iron Age hill fortress, with views of the Yeo valley.
The Parish
church of St. John
the Baptist is large and impressive, built in the late 14th
century.
Unfortunately
a series of
fires during the Medieval period has reduced the number of
buildings of historical appearance and significance.
From its
origins during the
1914-1918 war, the Westland Company has developed to manufactured
helicopters at the plant just west of the Town.
At nearby
Yeovilton is the
Royal Navy Air Station, and Fleet Air Arm Museum. RETURN
