WikiPortallus: Frome, Somerset.html

The town is approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Bath, and located at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills. The centre of the town, through which the River Frome runs, is surrounded by hills.

From AD 950 to 1650, Frome was larger than Bath and originally grew due to the wool and cloth industry. It later diversified into metal-working and printing.

The town has grown substantially in recent years but still retains a very large number of listed buildings, and most of the centre falls within a conservation area.

History

There is almost no evidence for prehistoric or Roman settlement of the area. A monastery built by St. Aldhelm in 685 is the earliest evidence of Saxon occupation of Frome (Froome). The Saxon kings appear to have used Frome as a base from which to hunt in Selwood Forest and in 934 a witenagemot was held there, indicating that Frome must already have been a place of some size.²

At the time of the Domesday Survey the manor was owned by King William, and was the principal settlement of the largest and wealthiest hundred in Somerset. Over the following years parts of the original manor were separated off as distinct manors, for example one was owned by the minster, later passing to the Abbey at Cirencester, which others were leased by the Crown to important families. By the 13th century, the Abbey had bought up some of the other manors (although it did let them out again) and was exploiting the profits from market and trade in the town.²

Local tradition asserts that Frome was a medieval borough, and the reeve of Frome is occasionally mentioned in documents after the reign of Edward I, but there is no direct evidence that Frome was a borough and no trace of any charter granted to it. However Henry VII did grant a charter to Edmund Leversedge, then lord of the manor, giving him the right to hold fairs on July 22 and September 21.

The manufacture of woollen cloth was established as the town's principal industry in the 15th century,²³ and Frome remained the only Somerset town in which this staple industry flourished.⁴ Families of clothiers gradually came to be the principal landowners in the town, with the manor of Frome itself finally passing into the ownership of a cloth merchant in 1714.

From 1665 to 1725 major expansion, including the building of a new artisans' suburb to the west of Trinity Street, occurred.⁵ Daniel Defoe remarked that the town had:

On the 27th June 1685, the forces of the Duke of Monmouth camped in Frome, and following the putting down of the Monmouth Rebellion, 12 men were hanged in the town.⁶

However poverty, the decline of the wool industry in the mid-18th century, increased industrialisation and rising food prices, lead to some unrest amongst the inhabitants of Frome, and there were a number of riots during the century. By 1791, the town was described in less flattering terms than those Defoe had used 70 years earlier. ²

In the early 19th century, plans were developed to reinvigorate the town and once again elevate it to its former position as a more important town than Bath. These plans, the idea of a local businessman, Thomas Bunn, mostly failed to come to fruition, although some public buildings were erected and a wide new approach road to the town centre from the south was cut (named Bath Street after the landowner, Lord Bath of Longleat House).⁷

Whilst wool remained an important part of the town's economy into the 19th (and even 20th) centuries, other industries were established in the town. A bell-foundry started in 1684 by William Cockey grew to be a major producer of components for the developing gas industry and employer of 800 people. The J W Singer⁸ brass foundry and bronze-casting works, established by the Frome-born J. W. Singer in 1854, was a major employer and produced a number of well-known bronze statues such as that of Justice on the The Old Bailey in London. Printing was another major industry, with the Butler and Tanner printworks being set up in the middle of the century. Brewing was also a source of employment. ⁷

Governance and public services

The town elects three councillors to Somerset County Council from three wards: Frome North, Frome South and Frome Selwood. At the last election in 2005, three Liberal Democrat councillors were elected.⁹ Frome has eleven councillors on Mendip District Council, two from each of the town council wards except for Oakfield, which elects one. Following elections in 2008, all eleven were Liberal Democrats.¹⁰

The civil parish of Frome has adopted the style of a town, and there is a Town Council of 17 members. Councillors are split between six wards: three each for the Berkley Down, College, Keyford, Market and Park Wards, and two for the Oakfield Ward. The most recent elections were in May 2007, following which the council is made up of 10 Liberal Democrats, five Conservatives, one member of the Labour Party and one independent councillor. ¹¹

The town was not represented in Parliament until given one member in the House of Commons by the Reform Act of 1832. Separate representation was abolished for the 1950 general election, with Frome itself being transferred to the Wells division, whilst most of the remainder of the constituency formed the bulk of the new Somerset North constituency. Further changes took place for the 1983 general election when the current Somerton and Frome constituency was created. The current representative is Liberal Democrat MP David Heath CBE, although the seat has been contested for many years by the Conservatives. During the general election of 2005, in which 70% of those eligible turned out to vote, David Heath achieved a relatively slim majority of 812 votes (1.5% of the total).¹²

The town has a new National Health Service community hospital, operated by Somerset Primary Care Trust, located on the site of the former Showground at Fromefield.¹³ The new hospital was opened in 2008, replacing the former Frome Victoria Hospital in Park Street which had been in use since 1901. The nearest general hospital is the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

Geography

Frome is unevenly built on high ground above the River Frome, which is crossed by the 16th century town bridge in the town centre. The town centre is approximately 65 metres (213 ft) above sea-level, whilst the outer parts of the town are between 90 metres (295 ft) and 135 metres (443 ft) above sea-level.¹⁴

The main areas of the town are (approximately clockwise from the north-west): Innox Hill, Welshmill, Packsaddle, Fromefield, Stonebridge, Clink, Berkley Down, Easthill, Wallbridge, The Mount, Keyford and Lower Keyford, Marston Gate, The Butts, Critchill, Trinity, and Gould's Ground.¹⁴

To the west of the town, on the edge of the Mendip Hills, there are a number of large active limestone quarries, such as Whatley Quarry and Merehead Quarry, along with many disused quarries. The working quarries are served by a dedicated railway line which branches off the main line at Frome, passes through the town centre and out through the Welshmill and Spring Gardens areas in the north-west quadrant of the town.

Demography

The population of Frome was 12,240 in the 1831 census, however it then declined to 11,057 in 1901 and remained between 11,000 and 12,000 until the 1970s. Since then, it has expanded considerable, reaching over 23,000 in 1991. ²

In the 2001 census, the population was 24,510, comprising 11,863 (48.4%) males and 12,647 (51.6%) females. 7,674 (31.3%) residents were aged 16 or below, 13,150 (63.3%) between 16 and 65, and 3,686 (15.0%) aged 65 or over. ¹

Of the population aged between 16 and 74, 11,580 (67%) were in employment, with only 513 (3%) unemployed (the remainder being economically inactive). About 68% of those in employment were in service industries, with the remainder in manufacturing. 4,323 people were employed in managerial or professional occupations, 1,362 were self-employed, and 4,635 in routine and semi-routine occupations.¹

10,198 households were recorded in the town, of which 7,679 (75%) were owner-occupied, 981 (10%) rented from private landlords, and 1,538 (15%) rented from the local authority or other social landlord. 10,122 (99.3%) heads of households were white.¹

Economy

The metal-working and printing industries which replaced wool as Frome's main industry have declined but not left the town. Singers still has a presence in the town, as does Butler and Tanner, although the latter has recently (2008) been in major financial difficulties, making a large part of its workforce redundant.

Almost half of the economically active population of Frome commute to work outside the town (in Bath, Bristol, Warminster, Westbury or further afield). About 2,700 people commute into the town. A substantial part of the workforce has no formal qualifications and is poorly skilled, leaving them vulnerable to a decline in manufacturing work.¹⁵ There are no major local government employment in the town, and the principal public sector employers are the Primary Care Trust and the schools.¹⁶

Frome town centre contains a considerable number of independent shops, and a few, but not many, chain stores. Retail is primarily aimed at serving the local population's requirements for food (there are two large supermarkets on opposite edges of the town, and three smaller supermarkets in the town centre), basic clothing, health and beauty, DIY and some electrical goods. However studies show that only about a quarter of the town's population do their non-food shopping in the town. Several banks and building societies have branches in the town centre.¹⁵¹⁶

Markets are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the town centre: some in the Market Yard car park, and others in the former agricultural warehouse, the Cheese and Grain. The Saturday cattle market was moved from the centre of the town to nearby Standerwick in the 1980s. In 2003, Frome was granted Fairtrade Town status.¹⁷

Landmarks

The older parts of Frome - for example, around Sheppard's Barton and Catherine Hill - are picturesque, containing an outstanding collection of late 17th and 18th century small houses.²

The Trinity area, which was built in the latter half of the 17th century and first half of the 18th century, is a fine (and rare) example of early industrial housing. Over 300 houses were built between 1660 and 1756 in a very unusual early example of a planned grid-pattern. Although about half the area was demolished in the 1960s under a Slum Clearance Order, before its historical importance was realised, the remainder was saved and was restored at a cost of £4 million between 1980 and 1984.⁷ Also in this area is the elaborate former Selwood Printing Works.

Stoney Street, which leads into Catherine Hill, is a steep, cobbled road climbing out of the town centre. Also in the centre of the town, Cheap Street contains many buildings dating to the 16th and 17th centuries, and has a stream running down the middle, fed by the spring at St John's Church. Cheap Street has never been used for vehicular traffic and its layout is based on land plots dating to approximately 1500. Despite a fire in 1923, the buildings have remained substantially unchanged since 1830, apart from shop-frontages.⁷

The town bridge, which was originally built in the 14th century, was rebuilt in the 16th century and widened in the 18th century, at which time houses were built on it (making it one of the few bridges in the country to support buildings, the others being Pulteney Bridge in Bath, and one in Lincoln).²⁷

The Tourist Information Centre in Justice Lane is contained within a circular dye-house, known to have been in existence by 1813, one of two surviving in the town (the other is in Willow Vale). It was restored in 1994.²⁷

In all, Frome has over 500 listed buildings, three of which (including the parish church) are grade I listed.

Grade I Listed Buildings

The Blue House, located adjacent to the town bridge, was formerly the Bluecoat School and Almshouses, so named due to the colour of the school uniforms. Built in 1726 at a cost of £1,401 8s 9d, it replaced a previous almshouse dating from 1461 (and rebuilt in 1621). The Blue House provided accommodation for 20 female widows, and schooling for 20 boys, and the front of the building is adorned by two statues, one of a man, colloquially known as "Billy Ball", and one a woman called "Nancy Guy", indicating the building's dual role. Its role as a school ceased in 1921, and it now provides studio and one bedroom flats for 17 elderly residents.²⁷¹⁸

Rook Lane Chapel was a noncomformist chapel built between 1705 and 1707 by James Pope. The chapel had a gallery around three sides, and the centre of the ceiling was domed and supported by two tuscan columns. Rook Lane ceased to be used as a chapel in the 1960s and, following a period of neglect, it was purchased by a firm of architects who converted it into a community facility with the galleried upper floor is used as office space. ⁷¹⁹

Tunnels

Frome is reputed to have one or more systems of tunnels beneath the streets of the older parts of the town. Some entrances are visible above ground, for example in the wall at the top of Stoney Street, with other entrances in the cellars of shops and houses. Their purpose and full extent remains unknown, but they have been under investigation in recent years by at least one local group and a documentary has been made.²⁰

Religious sites

Anglican churches

The parish church of St John the Baptist, was built between the late 12th century and early 15th century replacing a saxon building that had stood since 685. The building was in very poor condition by the mid-19th century, and major restoration work - almost a complete rebuilding - was carried out in the 1860s, at a cost of almost £40,000. One of the more unusual pieces of work carried out was the construction of the Via Crucis, which is thought to be unique in an Anglican church. Another unusual feature are the carved roundels above the nave arcades depicting parables and miracles, which were added later in the century. ⁷²¹ Outside the east end of the church is the tomb of Bishop Thomas Ken.²²

A daughter church of St John's, Christ Church, was built in 1818, although considerable changes were made throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.⁷

The third Anglican Church, Holy Trinity, was built in 1837-8, and is unusual in that the altar is at the west end due to the position in which the church was built. The stained glass windows are near-contemporary copies of windows designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones.⁷

Finally, St Mary's at Innox Hill was built in 1863 as another Chapel of Ease to St John's. It is small with a decorated sanctuary ceiling.⁷

Catholic church

In 1853, Irvingite Catholics began worshopping in a building in West End. They moved to temporary building in Park Road in 1928, and a new church was finally built on the site in 1967-68.

Non-conformist churches

As well as Rook Lane Chapel, there were a number of other non-conformist religious houses in Frome. In 1773, a split in the congregation of Rook Lane led to the establishment of another Zion Congregational Church in Whittox Lane. This building was replaced in 1810, and was extended in 1888 (a separate, octagonal school room with a conical roof having been built in the grounds in 1875).⁷

Baptists had also been worshiping in the town since 1669, and had two churches. One was built in Sheppards Barton (now South Parade) in 1708. This was demolished and replaced by a new building in 1850, which was itself closed in the late 20th century. A second Baptist Church was built in Badcox Lane (now Catherine Street) in 1711. It was replaced with a new building in 1813, which was embellished with a Doric portico in 1845. It closed in 1962 (later serving as a library, before being converted into flats in the 1908s).⁷

The Methodists built themselves a church in 1812 at Gorehedge, which is still in use (after considerable additions in 1863, restoration in 1871 and major internal rearrangement in the 1980s). Sun Street Chapel was erected by the Primitive Methodists in 1834, and closed in 1982, although it is now being used by another religious group. There is another Methodist church on Portway, built in 1910. ⁷

Transport

Frome is served by the Bristol to Weymouth railway line which passes the eastern edge of the town. Frome station was opened in 1850 and is one of the oldest railway stations still in operation in Britain.²³ Trains are operated by First Great Western. A freight line branches off through the town to serve the quarries on the Mendip Hills. A continuation of this line, which previously linked Frome to Radstock, is now the route of National Cycle Route 24, otherwise known as the Colliers Way.

Frome is served by a by-pass road, the A361, which passes around the southern and eastern edges of the town, while the A362 passes through the centre of the town from north-west to south-east.

Education

Frome has thirteen first schools for pupils aged between 4 and 9 years, including Berkley Church of England First School, Christ Church Church of England First School, Hayesdown First School, St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, St Louis Catholic Primary School, Trinity Church of England First School and Vallis First School.

There are two middle schools for pupils between 9 and 13 years of age. The town's main college, Frome Community College, provides education between ages 13 and 18, and has specialist "media arts" status. There is also Critchill School which is a special school catering to students who have special educational needs, for example because of learning difficulties or physical disabilities

There are no further or higher education establishments in Frome. A vocational training facility opened in a temporary building in 2008.¹⁶

Culture

Frome has a thriving arts scene. The high-point is the annual ten-day Frome Festival in July, which in recent years has included more than 160 events held at various venues in and around the town.²⁴

There are two theatres in Frome: The Memorial Theatre was built in 1924 in memory of the fallen of the First World War,²⁵ whilst the 240-seat Merlin Theatre is part of the Community College campus.²⁶ The Cheese and Grain, a former farm produce warehouse which was converted into a market and concert hall in 1997, has a capacity of up to 800 and hosts regular pop concerts by a variety of bands.²⁷ Locally-based musicians include American saxophonist Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis; hardcore punk band "Baysix" and the Beatles' tribute "Sgt. Pepper's Only Dart Board Band".

There is also an arts centre, The Black Swan,²⁹ and the town is part of the West Country Carnival circuit.

The Frome & District Agricultural Society holds an annual Agricultural & Cheese Show³⁰ in September. This was formerly held on the Showground at Fromefield, but in recent years has moved to West Woodland, a couple of miles to the south of the town.

Sports

Football

Frome Town Sports FC, affiliated to Frome Town FC, provides football to all ages from under 6's upwards. Frome Town Sports is an FA Charter Standard Club and member of the Somerset FA.³¹ Frome Collegians Football Club is an organisation dedicated to the community and youth activities through the sport of football. It is a Charter Standard Club and a member of the Somerset FA.³² Badgers Hill (or as it is currently known The AlderSmith Stadium) is the home of Western Football League side Frome Town F.C. The Frome Town ladies' team also play at Badgers Hill. The ladies section runs a first and reserves team and a girls team. Frome currently has several notable young players playing at professional clubs, George Pawley (Bolton Wanderers F.C.), Christopher Stokes (Bolton Wanderers), and Ryan Child (Eastern Illinois University)

Cricket

Frome Cricket Club play cricket at the Showground on the Bath side of town. The club was formed in 1925³³ and, for the 2007 season, play in the West of England Premier League: Somerset Division. Somerset County Cricket Club used to use the ground and Harold Gimblett made his debut at the venue in May 1935. The club's most famed players are Colin Herbert Dredge, who played county cricket 209 times for Somerset from 1976-1988 and Mark Harmon, who played for both Somerset and Kent.

Rugby

Formed in 1883, Frome Rugby Club play at Gypsy Lane. They have four senior teams and a thriving mini and junior section. The First XV, Second XV and Third XV all play in the South West Division of the English Clubs Rugby Union Championship; the First XV play in Southern Counties South, the Second XV in Dorset and Wilts One South and the Third XV in Dorset and Wilts Three West. The Fourth XV, known as the Cavalry, play friendly, social fixtures against other local sides.

Notable people and cultural references

The Formula 1 racing driver Jenson Button was born in Frome, and his mother still lives nearby.

Alfred Pee Wee Ellis (born 1941 in Bradenton, Florida), saxophonist, composer and arranger, lives locally. He was an important member of James Brown's band in the 1960s and appeared on many of Brown's most notable recordings. He also worked closely with Van Morrison. Cara Dillon, folk singer, is also currently a Frome resident.

Frome has also provided the backdrop to historical dramas, such as Drover's Gold, filmed by BBC Wales in 1996.³⁵

Future developments

There have been a number of housing developments within Frome, many on former industrial sites, and these are continuing with 600 homes being built at Saxondale and Garsdale.¹⁶

A Vision for Frome 2008-2028 has been developed following a consultation with local people in the spring of 2008 which received over 3,000 responses.¹⁶

Mendip District Council and Mendip Strategic Partnership are currently (December 2008) consulting on a Community Strategy and Local Development Framework for the period to 2026 which includes building 2,500-2,600 new homes, providing more employment and office space, developing a new secondary school and two new primary schools, remodelling the town centre and encouraging a wider range of retailers and leisure providers into the town.¹⁵

Gallery of images

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Neighbourhood Statistics (Frome Civil Parish)". Office for National Statistics (2001). Retrieved on 2008-12-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Gathercole, Clare (2003). "Frome". Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey. Somerset County Council. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "History of Frome Town". Frome Town. Retrieved on 2008-09-30.
^ Bejham, Peter (1985). The making of Frome (2nd ed.). Frome society for local study.
^ Havinden, Michael. The Somerset Landscape. The making of the English landscape. London: Hodder and Stoughton. pp. 215. ISBN 0340201169.
^ Lambert, Tim. "A brief history of Frome". Local histories.org. Retrieved on 2008-09-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Goodall, Rodney. The buildings of Frome, 2nd Ed. Frome: Frome society for local study. pp. 149. ISBN 0951015753.
^ J W Singer website
^ Somerset County Council Councillors
^ Mendip District Council Councillors
^ "Frome Town Council". Retrieved on 2008-12-30.
^ "Somerton & Frome". Election Results. BBC (2005). Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ Frome Community Hospital, Somerset PCT
^ ^a ^b Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale map, grid reference ST775475
^ ^a ^b ^c "Time to Plan Consultation Paper: Mendip Sustainable Community Strategy". Mendip District Council (2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Community Strategic Plan for Frome 2008-2028". Vision For Frome (2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-30.
^ "Frome". Somerset Fair Trade Network. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "The Blue House". Images of England. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
^ "Rook Lane Chapel". Images of England. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
^ "Frome's mystery tunnels". Ask Why. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
^ "Parish Church of St John the Baptist". Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
^ "Tomb of Bishop Ken". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
^ "Frome Railway Station". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2009-01-03.
^ "Frome Festival". Frome Festival. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "Frome Memorial Theatre". Frome Memorial Theatre. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "Merlin Theatre". Merlin Theatre. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "The Cheese and Grain". The Cheese and Grain. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "Westway Cinema". Westway Cinema. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "The Black Swan". Black Swan Arts. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ Frome Cheese Show
^ "Frome Town Sports FC". Frome Town Sports FC. Retrieved on 2008-09-06.
^ "Frome Collegians Football Club". Frome Collegians Football Club. Retrieved on 2008-09-06.
^ "Frome Cricket Club". Frome Cricket Club. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-10-14.
^ "BBC Wales on Location in Frome". Frome Town. Retrieved on 2008-10-14.

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