Somerset

About Somerset

Somerset Coat of Arms

Somerset is a ceremonial county in south west England. The county town of Taunton is in the south of the county with the cities of  Bath and Wells being the only cities within the county. Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west and  the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary to the north and west. Somerset is a rural county featuring the Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills, the Somerset Levels and most of Exmoor National Park.

Somerset is renown for agriculture as a major business with farming of sheep, including for wool, and cattle. Somerset is home to the infamous Cheddar cheese and its contemporary additions. Apple orchards were once plentiful, and to this day Somerset is known for the production of strong cider and less well known for the cultivation of willow for basketry. 

Tourism is a major part of Somerset’s industry as, along with the rest of south west England, Somerset has a temperate maritime climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. Main tourist attractions include Exmoor National Park, the coastal towns,  the town of Glastonbury has mythical associations to the Holy Grail, King Arthur, and Camelot, the West Somerset Railway (a heritage railway), the museum of the Fleet Air Arm at RNAS Yeovilton and the show caves of Cheddar Gorge.

Somerset County Flag

Somerset has few industrial centres, but it does have a variety of light industry and high technology businesses including the food and drinks trades. It is also an important supplier of defence equipment. The county has a long tradition of supplying freestone and building stone having supplied the cathedrals of Somerset the quarries continue today.

 

 

 

Facts

  • Population – 912,900 (2008)
  • County Town and Administrative HQ – Taunton
  • Governing Authority – Somerset County Council
  • Regional Planning Body – South West Strategic Leaders’ Board
  • Major Industries – Agriculture; Tourism; Light Industry; High Technology; Defence Equipment and Technology; Food and Drink Production; Quarrying
  • Police – Avon and Somerset Constabulary
  • Fire – Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
  • Ambulance – South Western Ambulance Service

Discover Somerset – useful links to guides, what’s on and places to see

 

 

Exmoor National Park - Somerset

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