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Portishead duo complete epic treble marathon challenge | Races, Results... portisheadrunningclub.co.... | Somerset Medical Center - NJ hospital, health information, Somerset... smchealthwise.com |
Coordinates: 51°29′02″N 2°45′45″W / 51.4840°N 2.7626°W
Portishead (pronounced /pɔːtɪsˈhɛd/) is a coastal town in North Somerset, England, with a population of 21,000 (estimate by town council, July 24, 2007) an increase of nearly 4,000 since 2001. Portishead’s history dates back to Roman times. Its name derives from the ‘port at the head of the river’, having been called Portshead and Portschute at times in its history and Portesheve in the Domesday Book, and was locally known as Posset.[2] The town was built on the mouth of a small tributary; the High Street once met the water at the top of the river. Iron rings, evidence of where the old fishing boats used to moor can still be seen today on the street’s stone walls. The dominant architecture is early Victorian with some buildings maintaining their original features.
[edit] Portishead's dock and railway lines[edit] Portishead dockThe act governing the enclosure of Portishead was passed in 1814 and stipulated the right to a public wharf, although there is historical evidence of the nautical connections dating back to The Patent Rolls of 1331.[2] Around the 1860s at the height of the iron and steel era, a pier and a deep-water dock were built by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway to accommodate the large ships that had difficulty in reaching Bristol Harbour.[3][4] They brought valuable cargoes from across the globe and exported local products overseas. Ships carrying coal were commonplace in Portishead Docks.[5] In the 1880s Portishead Dock was acquired by Bristol Corporation,[6] and was managed as part of the Port of Bristol until it closed. [edit] Portishead power stationsThe Portishead power stations were coal-fed power stations built adjacent to the dock. Construction work started on Portishead "A" power station in 1926. It began generating electricity in 1929 for the Bristol Corporation's Electricity Department.[5][7] In 1937 its original six short chimney stacks were replaced by a 350 ft (110 m) high stack.[7] A second 350 ft stack was added when this power station was expanded in 1948.[5] Portishead "B" power station was started in 1949 and began generating in 1955.[5][7] After 1949, the power stations became part of the nationalised electricity industry; and were operated in turn by the British Electricity Authority, the Central Electricity Authority and the CEGB. They used some local coal produced in the Somerset coalfield which was delivered by train along the Portishead branch of the Great Western Railway (GWR). The line had opened on 12 April 1867 as the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company; it opened to the dock on 5 July 1879.[3] The main supply of coal was imported from South Wales, from Newport and Ely, by boat into the dock; it was carried by Osborn & Wallis Ltd of Bristol.[5] [edit] Railway stations Portishead had two passenger stations on the GWR's Portishead branch line. The main station was sited near the centre of the village of Portishead, as it was then; and the other sited at the Pier.[7] The construction of Portishead "B" power station caused the original railway station to be demolished and a replacement station was opened in the High Street on 2 January 1954.[7] The new station closed on 7 September 1964. The majority of the line was reopened in 2002, to transport freight from the Royal Portbury Dock. A new junction was created, 3 miles from Portishead station, and a new freight line built from there to the Royal Portbury Dock. There is a campaign group [8] aimed at reopening the station and the short stretch of unopened line. [edit] The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead RailwayPortishead also had a second, short-lived, railway line: the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway.[3][7] It ran between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon as a standard railway line; and between Clevedon and Portishead as a light railway.[3] The Clevedon to Portishead extension opened on 7 August 1907.[3] The line closed on 19 May 1940; and was then dismantled by the GWR.[3][7] [edit] Albright and WilsonIn 1951 Albright and Wilson built a chemical works on the opposite side of the dock from the power stations. The chemical works produced white phosphorus from phosphate rock imported, through the docks, into the UK. Phosphate rock was stored in concrete silos on the dockside until it was required. The chemical works used electricity, provided by the power stations, to power six 7.5 megawatt electric arc furnaces (45 megawatts total), to reduce the phosphate rock. The phosphorus was then moved by sealed railway tanks to Oldbury and to Kirkby. [edit] Closure of the dock and associated facilitiesThe onset of new generating capacity at Pembroke (oil-fired) and Didcot (coal-fired) in the mid-1970s brought about the closure of the older, less efficient 'A' Station. One generator (500 MW) of four at each of the new power stations had almost the same output of both Portishead Stations combined ('A' Station 200 MW, 'B' Station 360 MW). The newer of the two power stations ('B' Station) was converted to burn oil when the Somerset coalfields closed.[7] The two Radstock pits ceased production in September 1973 and the last train load of coal departed on 16 November 1973. The price of oil rose steeply in the 1970s (see 1973 oil crisis and 1979 oil crisis) and the two power stations were little used after these events. Portishead A power station was closed in 1976; and the first of its two chimney stacks, a landmark, was demolished in September 1981, followed by the second in August 1982.[7] Portishead B power station closed in 1982 and both of its 383 ft stacks were demolished in October 1992.[7] Industrial activities ceased in the dock with the closure of the power stations. The Port of Bristol Authority finally closed the dock in 1992.[9] [edit] Redevelopment of the docks The harbour area has been developed to provide a marina. The area of the town formerly occupied by the two power stations has also been redeveloped to provide a wide range of housing, from social housing to grand apartments. Development is also under way on the 'ashlands' to the east of the harbour, so-called because they were the dumping ground for power station waste, extending further the area of the town towards Portbury. [edit] Portishead RadioPortishead was previously the telephone control centre used by British Telecom (BT) for non-direct dialled calls to maritime vessels, a service known as Portishead Radio. This has now been largely replaced by INMARSAT which permits directly dialled calls made from any BT landline in the UK. [edit] Portishead todayPortishead is primarily a dormitory town for Bristol and its environs. Local employers include the Avon and Somerset Constabulary, which has its headquarters on the western edge of the town, Gordano School, and numerous care homes for the elderly, as well as a retail complex. The town has retained a 'local shop identity', despite some larger DIY chains and supermarkets being built, for example Homebase, Argos (retailer) and Waitrose. The Portishead coastline is of environmental and geological interest. The Lake Grounds area, built in the early 20th century around an artificial lake, is the town's main park area. One of the UK's few surviving outdoor swimming pools is situated on the shore next to the Lake Grounds and is open during the summer months. In 2009, the outdoor pool was renovated by a team filming for American TV programme Ty's Great British Adventure. Above the Lake grounds is Battery Point, where a gun battery was sited to protect the Severn Estuary from invasion fleets. The Norman Church of St Peter was rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries in the Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Grade I listed building.[10] The marina area continues to undergo housing redevelopment, with accommodation and commercial premises being constructed. [edit] TransportTransport links to Bristol and beyond have been a concern for some residents of the town but despite representations from town groups and local politicians, plans to reopen a disused railway line to Bristol have been dismissed as uneconomical. The main A369 road, known as "The Portbury Hundred",[11] which links the town to the nearby M5 motorway is often congested, especially during rush hours. Major traffic-flow modifications have caused much controversy because they are widely seen as having caused queuing where none existed before. More than 2,000 residents signed a petition to North Somerset Council expressing concern at the development, and in early 2006, more than 1,000 residents joined a protest march through the town centre calling for the development to be scrapped. The organiser of the petition and march was subsequently elected to the District Council as a Conservative member in the local elections of 2006. [edit] Musical lifeThe Bristol-based trip hop group Portishead took their name from the town, despite describing it as their "dreary home-town".[12] The town was the birthplace of famous Scrumpy and Western star Adge Cutler. Portishead is also home to clubs and societies, ranging from sports to musical societies. [edit] Notable residents
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