the history of watchet
The ancient Somerset port of Watchet boasts a long and eventful history. For over a thousand years it has been a place of trade and commerce. In the tenth century the town was raided by the Danes and is recorded in the Saxon Chronicle.
King Alfred considered Watchet to be one of the thirty most important towns in the kingdom of Wessex. A royal mint was established here in the tenth century and remained active for two hundred years. A coin minted at Watchet from 980 has been identified.
Since 1302 a Court Leet has existed and elected a number of officers including an ale taster and a town crier. Over 700 years later the Court Leet still meets with officers elected. The most significant member of these being the present town crier Alec Danby, who in distinctive costume can be regularly seen on the street announcing important events.
That Watchet is proud of its historical past is apparent to anyone visiting the town. It has two museums: the longest established is the Market House museum that celebrates much of Watchet's maritime, industrial and social history. This museum is manned by an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer staff and caters for an incredible 40,000 visitors a year. The towns second museum - the Watchet Boat Museum - is dedicated in part to a local craft that was built in Watchet and Bridgwater 'The Flatner'. This curious and interesting flat bottomed boat obviously evolved to adapt to local conditions. The museum can boast the largest collection of Flatners in the world. There are a number of events and demonstrations held at the museum throughout the year including the old Watchet tradition of rope making.
the railway
In the middle of the nineteenth century Watchet underwent dramatic changes. In 1862 Brunel's broadguage railway reached Watchet linking it with the mainline at Taunton. This branch line was later extended to Minehead in 1874 and operated for nearly two hundred years before its closure in 1971. This was a bitter blow to Watchet and other towns and villages on the line but it proved to be a blessing in disguise. A private railway company was formed and the West Somerset Railway was born.
Today it is the longest privately owned railway in the country. Thousands of visitors enjoy the experience of travelling by steam train through the wonderfully diverse countryside of this unique part of Britain. Each station on the line has been lovingly restored adding to the delight of passengers both young and old, however this was not the first railway in Watchet.
In the early 1850's a syndicate was formed to commercially mine the iron ore on the Brendon hills. This brought about the founding of the West Somerset Mineral Railway which became partially operational by 1857. The line which ran from the mines on the Brendons to the harbour necessitated the building of a 1 in 4 incline. This remarkable engineering feat is well illustrated by an excellent model in the Market House Museum.
This was a time of great prosperity for Watchet particularly around the harbour. A special pier was built to accommodate the trucks loading their cargo on to the waiting ships. It was then transported to Newport and then to the iron works at Ebbw Vale.
The line operated until 1898 but at that time carried only passengers. The cheap import of Spanish ore resulted in the closure of the mines in 1882. There was a brief revival in 1907 but in 1910 the line closed for good.
Ambitious plans are underway to celebrate this unique slice of our local industrial heritage. Together with other funding, a generous donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund will hasten yet another attraction to the area and especially Watchet.
watchet harbour
Watchet is first and foremost a port with ships having traded here for over a thousand years. It has given birth to sailors, ship and boat builders and rope makers who have carried on traditions for generations.
The sailing ships that once graced the harbour have disappeared but Watchet has always been adaptable. The old harbour is now home to a new marina and where sailing ships once loaded and unloaded their cargoes a rich variety of pleasure craft reside. The seafaring tradition is alive and well, enhanced by the Watchet Boat Owners Association. It is possible to charter a fishing boat from the pier from which impressive catches are regularly made.
art and literature
Watchet has always attracted its fair share of artists, writers and poets. Indeed there is a thriving artists colony in the town today.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge who, with Wordsworth, spent much of his time walking the Quantocks was inspired by a visit to Watchet to pen his epic work 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'
'The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared
Merrily did we drop
Below the kirk, below the hill
Below the lighthouse top.'
A bronze statue depicting the unfortunate mariner and the albatross hanging from his neck is a distinctive landmark on the esplanade.
In the 1720's Daniel Defoe came to Watchet as part of his tour of Britain and walking the beaches, was intrigued and mystified by the fossils he found.
Today the beaches are the haunt of fossil hunters, important enough to have been made an SSSI (site of special scientific interest). Even the most inexperienced eye will find the remains of ammonites or jeletzkytes (devil's toenail). The more experienced could perhaps find evidence of a plesiosaurus or an ichthyosaurus.
It is probably in 1818 that the great landscape and marine painter J.M.W. Turner came to Watchet at the bequest of the London printer W.B. Cooke. Turner recorded the harbour and town which was later engraved by George Cooke and was part of a series of studies of the Southern ports. Turner was paid 10 guineas.
Of the numerous writers and artists who have visited the town it is interesting to record Mrs A.C. Osbourne Hann's impression in the 1920's:
'That little, quaint and higgldy-piggldy town which is more like a foreign quay than any place I know of.
Here the houses seem to have dropped willy-nilly from the skies, falling north, south-east or west with careless unconcern.'
That was nearly a hundred years ago but Watchet has lost little of its charm and distinctive appeal. Its narrow streets are home to a diverse collection of shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants. Shopping in the town is an experience far removed from the bland uniformity of the majority of our high streets.
the esplanade
The newly revamped esplanade is set to become a hub of activity hosting markets and events throughout the year. As a compliment to the Ancient Mariner statue, recently installed there is a second bronze dedicated to another of Watchet's heroes.
John Short affectionately known as 'Yankee Jack' is Watchet's most famous sailor. He spent more than forty years at sea travelling the world and in the 1860's he ran the blockade in the American Civil War which of course gave him his nickname.
John Short had a fine singing voice and brought many folk songs and sea shanties home with him. The well known collector of folk songs Cecil Sharp visited 'Yankee Jack' recording many of these songs including 'Rio Grande' and 'Shenondoa'.
watchet clubs and societies
Watchet has produced numerous characters through the centuries and will continue to do so. It is a little town that is steeped in tradition and inhabitants that care passionately for the town.
It has a long sporting tradition both at cricket and football. While most towns would be happy with one brass band, Watchet has two. It boasts an exceptional Sea Scout organisation, Girl Guides and numerous societies covering a wide range of interests. A beautiful 15th Century church stands proudly on the hill above the town, with the Methodists and Baptists well represented.
Annually the town hosts a carnival that draws thousands to the town and lasts for three days! The organisers of this spectacular event arrange events throughout the year, even inviting Father Christmas to the streets on his sleigh.
Watchet sits comfortably beneath the stunning landscape of the Quantocks, Brendons and Exmoor and looks out across the Severn sea. It might be tempting for this little town to sleep quietly but this seems unlikely. Watchet will face the future with its characteristic optimism and determination to make its mark.