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{{about|the British town|structure at the entrance to a mine|Headframe|the Irish lighthouse|Mine Head}}{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}

factoids

| official_name = Minehead| population = 11,981PUBLISHER=SOMERSET INTELLIGENCEFORMAT=EXCELARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20140104204152/HTTP://WWW.SOMERSETINTELLIGENCE.ORG.UK/FILES/SOMERSET%20CENSUS%20KEY%20STATISTICS%20-%20SUMMARY%20PROFILES.XLS, live, | civil_parish = Minehead| lieutenancy_england = Somerset| region = South West EnglandBridgwater and West Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)>Bridgwater and West Somerset| post_town = Minehead| postcode_district = TA24| postcode_area = TA| dial_code = 01643| os_grid_reference = SS970460| unitary_england = Somerset Council}}Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, {{convert|21|mi}} north-west of the county town of Taunton, {{convert|12|mi}} from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park. The parish of Minehead has a population of approximately 11,981, making it the most populous town in the western part of the now-defunct Somerset West and Taunton local government district, which in turn, is the worst area in the country for social mobility.NEWS, Morris, Steven, 'It feels a little forgotten': West Somerset bears brunt of social mobility challenge,weblink 16 December 2017, The Guardian, 28 November 2017, 17 December 2017,weblink live, This figure includes Alcombe and Woodcombe, suburban villages which have been subsumed into Minehead.There is evidence of human occupation in the area since the Bronze and Iron Ages. Before the Norman conquest, it was held by Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia and after it by William de Moyon and his descendants, who administered the area from Dunster Castle, which was later sold to Sir George Luttrell and his family. There was a small port at Minehead by 1380, which grew into a major trading centre during the medieval period. Most trade transferred to larger ports during the 20th century, but pleasure steamers did call at the port. Major rebuilding took place in the Lower or Middle town area following a fire in 1791 and the fortunes of the town revived with the growth in sea bathing, and by 1851 was becoming a retirement centre. There was a marked increase in building during the early years of the 20th century, which resulted in the wide main shopping avenue and adjacent roads with Edwardian-style architecture. The town's flood defences were improved after a storm in 1990 caused flooding.Minehead is governed by a town council, which was created in 1983. In addition to the parish church of St. Michael on the Hill in Minehead, the separate parish church of St Michael the Archangel is situated in Church Street, Alcombe. Alcombe is also home to the Spiritualist Church in Grove Place. Since 1991, Minehead has been twinned with Saint-Berthevin, a small town close to the regional centre of Laval in the Mayenne département of France. Blenheim Gardens, which is Minehead's largest park, was opened in 1925. The town is also the home of a Butlins Holiday Park which increases Minehead's seasonal tourist population by several thousand.There is a variety of schools and religious, cultural and sporting facilities including sailing and wind surfing and golf. One popular ancient local tradition involves the Hobby Horse which takes to the streets for four days on the eve of the first of May each year, with accompanying musicians and rival horses. The town is the starting point of the South West Coast Path National Trail, the nation's longest long-distance countryside walking trail. The Minehead Railway was opened in 1874 and closed in 1971 but has since been reopened as the West Somerset Railway.

Toponym

The town sits at the foot of a steeply rising outcrop of Exmoor known as North Hill, and the original name of the town was mynydd, which means mountain in Welsh.BOOK, Curiosities of Somerset, Leete-Hodge, Lornie, 1985, Bossiney Books, Bodmin, 0-906456-98-3, 45, It has also been written as Mynheafdon (1046), Maneheve (1086), Menehewed (1225) and Menedun (also 1225), which contain elements of Welsh and Old English words for hill.WEB,weblink Minehead, Gathercole, Clare, English Heritage Extensive Urban Survey, Somerset County Council, 4–8, 2 May 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110717061650weblink">weblink 17 July 2011,

History

The earliest known fossilised forest was discovered in the Hangman Sandstone Formation near to the Butlins Holiday Park. The trees, identified as a species resembling modern palm trees, known as calamophyton, date back to the Devonian period, between 419 and 358 million years ago.WEB, Brosnan, Greg, World's earliest fossilised forest discovered in Minehead, Somerset,weblink BBC News, 7 March 2024, Evidence of prehistoric occupation of the area are Bronze Age barrows at Selworthy Beacon and an Iron Age enclosure at Furzebury Brake west of the town, although there is also possible evidence in the intertidal area, where the remains of a submerged forest still exist.Minehead was part of the hundred of Carhampton.WEB, Carhampton Hundred,weblink Domesday Map, 23 September 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121008052003weblink">weblink 8 October 2012, It is mentioned as a manor belonging to William de Moyon in the Domesday Book in 1086,Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 2003. {{ISBN|0-14-143994-7}} p.262-6 although it had previously been held by Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia. William de Mohun of Dunster, 1st Earl of Somerset and his descendants administered the area from Dunster Castle, which was later sold to Lady Elizabeth Luttrell.BOOK, Binding, Hilary,weblink The book of Minehead with Alcombe, Halsgrove, 2012, 978-0-85704-177-7, Wellington, Somerset, 14, en, There was a small port at Minehead by 1380, but it was not until 1420 that money given by Lady Margaret Luttrell enabled improvements to be made and a jetty built. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the town had its own Port Officer similar to the position at Bristol. Vessels in the 15th century included the Trinite which traded between Ireland and Bristol, and others carrying salt and other cargo from La Rochelle in France. Other products included local wool and cloth which were traded for coal from South Wales. In 1559 a Charter of Incorporation, established a free Borough and Parliamentary representation, but was made conditional on improvements being made to the port. The harbour silted up and fell into disrepair so that in 1604 James I withdrew the town's charter. Control reverted to the Luttrells and a new harbour was built, at a cost of £5,000, further out to sea than the original, which had been at the mouth of the Bratton Stream. It incorporated a pier, dating from 1616, and was built to replace that at Dunster which was silting up. Trade was primarily with Wales for cattle, sheep, wool, butter, fish and coal. These are commemorated in the town arms which include a woolpack and sailing ship. Privateers based at Minehead were involved in the war with Spain and France during 1625–1630 and again during the War of the Spanish Succession from 1702 to 1713. The first cranes were installed after further improvements to the port in 1714.By the beginning of the 18th century, trade between Minehead and Ireland, South Wales, Bristol and Bridgwater grew, with forty vessels based in the harbour for trade and herring fishing. It was also a departure point for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. Until the 19th century, trade continued with Ireland but Minehead vessels started to travel further afield to Virginia and the West Indies. In 1808 a ship, believed to be the {{ship||Bristol Packet|1801 ship|2}} which had been built in 1801, was wrecked on Madbrain Sands.{{NHLE|desc=Wreck at Minehead, possibly the Bristol Packet|num=1437202|access-date=25 December 2016}} Further problems with the port continued and led to a decline in trade and the fisheries in the late 18th century and in 1834 the port lost its jurisdiction to Bridgwater. In the 20th century most trade transferred to larger ports, but pleasure steamers did call at the port. Minehead Lifeboat Station was established in 1901 near the harbour.WEB,weblink History, Minehead lifeboat, 2 May 2010, 19 April 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100419135040weblink">weblink live, The pier was demolished during the Second World War as it obstructed the view from the gun battery set up on the quay head,BOOK, Somerset Harbours, Farr, Grahame, 1954, Christopher Johnson, London, 140–154, as part of the coastal defence preparations, which stopped steamers calling at the harbour until it was cleared in 1951.File:Queen Anne statue Minehead.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Statue of Queen Anne in Wellington Square]]Major rebuilding took place in the Lower or Middle town area following a fire in 1791.BOOK, Havinden, Michael, The Somerset Landscape, 1982, Hodder and Stoughton, London, The making of the English landscape, 139, 0-340-20116-9, In that year a Carrara marble statue of Queen Anne, sculpted by Francis Bird was presented to the town by Sir Jacob Bancks, who served as the local Member of Parliament from 1698 to 1715.BOOK, Byford, Enid, Somerset Curiosities, 1987, Dovecote Press, 0946159483, 45,weblink It originally stood in the parish church but was moved to Wellington Square in 1893, when the marble pedestal and canopy by H. Dare Bryan were added.{{NHLE|num=1207015|desc=Statue of Queen Anne|access-date=2 May 2010}} Lower town and the quay area were rebuilt and the fortunes of the town revived with the growth in sea bathing, and by 1851 was becoming a retirement centre.File:Market House, Minehead (geograph 5459259) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Minehead Town HallMinehead Town HallEarly areas of development of the town include Higher Town with its cottages, many of which are "listed" buildings of historic interest, some of which are still thatched, and the Quay area. In Victorian times wealthy industrialists built large houses on North Hill and hotels were developed so that tourism became an important industry.WEB, Minehead Holidays,weblink Minehead Holidays, 21 August 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100902025008weblink">weblink 2 September 2010, It was in the Victorian and Edwardian era that tourism in the town increased.BOOK, Brain, Pauline, Some Men Who Made Barnstaple...: And Arts & Crafts in Barnstaple, 2010, Roundabout Devon Books, 978-0-9565972-0-5, There was a marked increase in building in the early years of the 20th century when the landowners, the Luttrells of Dunster Castle, released extensive building land. Probably the most prolific Edwardian architect was W.J.Tamlyn from North Devon who settled in the town and was responsible for designing several hundred domestic properties as well as Minehead Town Hall and the Queen's Hall.WEB, The Town Hall,weblink Minehead Town Council, 13 June 2017, 24 June 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170624020948weblink">weblink live, The steamship SS Pelican grounded in Minehead Bay on 22 June 1928, on an unmarked reef known as the Gables that circles Minehead Bay, {{cvt|0.7|mile}} from land.WEB,weblink Wreck, Minehead foreshore, Somerset Historic Environment Record, Somerset County Council, 2 May 2010, 3 October 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161003093546weblink">weblink live, The Pelican was sailing from Port Talbot to Highbridge. The crew of five were rescued by the Minehead Lifeboat. Evacuees were billeted in Minehead during the Second World War. During the war, the town was bombed by KG 54, a Luftwaffe bomber wing on the night of the 7/8 April 1941.Goss, Chris. (2010). The Luftwaffe's Blitz: The Inside Story, November 1940—May 1941. Crecy, Manchester. {{ISBN|978-0-85979-148-9}}, p. 237. Butlins opened in 1962, and has brought thousands of visitors to the town.

Governance

The civil parish of Minehead is governed by a town council, which was created in 1983.WEB,weblink Welcome to Minehead Town Council. Minehead, West Somerset - The Gateway to Exmoor - Home, 28 November 2019, 19 December 2019,weblink live, In 2002, the parish was estimated to have a population of 10,330. Since April 2023 Minehead has been part of the unitary authority area administered by Somerset Council. Administrative tasks and services are shared between unitary and town councils. Minehead was previously in the district of Somerset West and Taunton and before that West Somerset. Until 1974 it was part of Minehead Urban District.WEB, Minehead UD,weblink A vision of Britain Through Time, University of Portsmouth, 5 January 2014, 6 January 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140106031731weblink">weblink live, The town falls within the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election. The current MP is Ian Liddell-Grainger, a member of the Conservative Party.WEB,weblink Alphabetical List of Constituencies and Members of Parliament, House of Commons Information Office, 21 August 2010, 4 November 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101104174226weblink">weblink live,

Geography

(File:Exmoor Pony1.jpg|thumb|right|One of the wild ponies on North Hill)Minehead is located on the Bristol Channel coast of South West England, and thus experiences one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. The tidal rise and fall in the Bristol Channel can be as great as {{convert|48|ft|0}},WEB, Severn River Basin District,weblink Envioprnment Agency, 28 September 2010, 3, dead,weblink 7 February 2009, second only to the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada.BOOK, Extreme Depositional Environments: Mega End Members in Geologic Time, Marjorie A., Chan, Archer, Allen William, 151, Boulder, Colorado, 0-8137-2370-1, Geological Society of America, 2003,weblink 17 November 2020, 7 November 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Coast: Bristol Channel, BBC, 27 August 2007, 7 March 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130307233742weblink">weblink live, The town is overlooked by North Hill, which rises steeply from the harbour shoreline. The town lies just outside the boundaries of Exmoor National Park. The cliff exposures around the shoreline are dramatic and fossils are exposed. Areas of the town include Higher Town, Quay Town and Lower or Middle Town, although they are no longer separate.In 1990, much of Minehead's beach was washed away in a severe storm which also caused serious flooding in the town. A £12.6 million sea defence scheme by the Environment Agency was designed to reduce the risk of this erosion and flooding happening in the future. The Environment Agency built {{convert|1.1|mi}} of new sea wall and rock or concrete stepped revetments between 1997 and 1998 and imported 320,000 tons of additional sand in 1999 to build a new beach. This beach sits between four rock groynes and has been built at a much higher level than the previous beach so that the waves are broken before they reach the new sea wall. Any waves that do reach the new wall are turned back by its curved shape. The town's new sea defences were officially opened in 2001.WEB, Minehead – Taming the tempestuous tides,weblink Environment Agency, 31 August 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120305201427weblink">weblink 2012-03-05, Blenheim Gardens, which is Minehead's largest park, was opened in 1925.WEB,weblink History, Minehead Town Council, 13 June 2017, 27 June 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170627211221weblink">weblink live, The bandstand within the park is used to host musical events.WEB,weblink Blenheim Gardens Festival, Brit Events, 2 May 2010, 24 January 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110124194228weblink">weblink live, Along with the rest of South West England, Minehead has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about {{Cvt|10|C}} with seasonal and diurnal variations, but due to the modifying effect of the sea, the range is less than in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between {{Cvt|1|C}} and {{Cvt|2|C}}. July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around {{Cvt|21|C}}. In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The south west of England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the Azores High extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK.WEB, South West England: climate, Met Office,weblink 14 March 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110605003222weblink">weblink 5 June 2011, Cloud often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduces exposure to sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1,600 hours. Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower clouds and a large proportion of the annual precipitation falls from showers and thunderstorms at this time of year. Average rainfall is around {{cvt|800|–|900|mm}}. About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.

Landmarks

File:Southwestcoastpathstart.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Sculpture marking the start of the South West Coast PathSouth West Coast PathThe town's major tourist attraction is Butlins holiday camp. Others include: the terminus of the West Somerset Railway; the town's main ornamental park, Blenheim Gardens, off Blenheim Road; and the Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club, Somerset's oldest golf club, established in 1882, which has an 18-hole links course. A variety of sailing and wind surfing options are on offer, as well as the usual beach activities. There are many other attractions and amusement arcades, for example "Merlins" and a variety of well-known high street stores such as WHSmith and Boots, together with independent local shops. The town has both a Tesco and a Morrisons supermarket on its outskirts as well as a new Lidl.The South West Coast Path National Trail starts at a marker, erected in Minehead in 2001, partly paid for by the South West Coast Path Association. The UK's longest long-distance countryside walking trail, it runs along the South West Coast to Poole in Dorset.WEB,weblink SWCPA, Photo tour: Minehead marker, 19 November 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071103001004weblink">weblink 3 November 2007,

Transport

The town's location—sea to the north and Exmoor to the south—means that transport links are limited. Minehead is located on the A39 road, and is {{Convert|28|mi}} north-west of the M5 motorway at junction 24.Local bus services are operated by First West of England and Quantock Motor Services.Minehead railway station is close to the beach. The Minehead Railway was opened on 16 July 1874, linking the town to {{Stnlnk|Taunton}} and beyond. It was operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway which was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway in 1876. The Minehead Railway was itself absorbed into the GWR in 1897,BOOK, MacDermot, E T, History of the Great Western Railway, 1, 2, Great Western Railway, 1931, 1863–1921, London, 0-7110-0411-0, 173–174, which in turn was nationalised into British Railways in 1948.BOOK, Allen, G. Freeman, G. Freeman Allen, The Western Since 1948, 1979, Ian Allan Publishing, Shepperton, 0-7110-0883-3, 9–12, It was closed on 4 January 1971 but has since been reopened as the West Somerset Railway,BOOK, Oakley, Mike, Somerset Railway Stations, Redcliffe Press, 2006, Bristol, 1-904537-54-5, 88–89, which is notable for being the longest standard-gauge heritage railway in Britain.WEB,weblink West Somerset Railway, Angielski co uk, 2 May 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080723120149weblink">weblink 23 July 2008,

Media

Minehead's local radio station is the community based West Somerset Radio that broadcasts from the town on 104.4 FM. WEB,weblink West Somerset Radio, 2 October 2023, The local newspapers are West Somerset Free Press and Somerset County Gazette. WEB,weblink West Somerset Free Press, 26 November 2013, British Papers, 2 October 2023, WEB,weblink Somerset County Gazette, 24 February 2014, British Papers, 2 October 2023,

Education

In Minehead, there are two first schools, one middle schoolWEB,weblink Minehead Middle School, Minehead Middle School, 1 May 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100728144100weblink">weblink 28 July 2010, dead, (Minehead Middle School) and an upper school, West Somerset College, which provides education for 1,298 students between the ages of 13 and 18.WEB,weblink West Somerset Community College, Ofsted, 1 May 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110526211852weblink">weblink 26 May 2011, In 2006 there was debate about changing West Somerset's 3-tier school system to a 2-tier system to match the rest of Somerset and the majority of education authorities in the UK.

Religious sites

(File:St Michael's Church tower, Minehead - geograph.org.uk - 1766929.jpg|thumb|200px|St Michael's Church tower)The Anglican parish church of St Michael dates from the 15th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building;{{NHLE |num=1207000 |desc=Parish Church of St Michael |access-date=2 March 2008 }} its tower used to display a beacon light for ships approaching the harbour. After being caught in a violent storm at sea, Robert Quirke dedicated a ship and its cargo to God's service, as well as donating a cellar near the quay for prayers to be offered for those at sea. Dating from 1628 and known as the Gibraltar Celler {{sic}}, it is now the Chapel of St Peter.WEB, St Peter, Minehead,weblink Church of England, 6 June 2012, 21 October 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121021050617weblink">weblink live, Quirke also donated money from the sale of the ship and its cargo to build almshouses.WEB, QUIRKE, James (d.1611), of Minehead, Som.,weblink History of Parliament, The History of Parliament Trust, 20 November 2013, 12 May 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140512213130weblink">weblink live, WEB, History of Minehead,weblink Minehead Town Council, 13 June 2017, 27 June 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170627211221weblink">weblink live, BOOK, Holt, Alan L., West Somerset: Romantic Routes and Mysterious Byways, 1984, Skilton, 978-0284986917, 40–41, WEB,weblink Point 4: History, Bbc.co.uk, 23 December 2019, 18 December 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20181218022905weblink">weblink live, St Michael's parish church contains a number of historical highlights, including an impressive late medieval rood screen and rood stair, and an attractive stained glass window designed by Sir Henry Holiday. There are views from the churchyard of the surrounding hills and coastline.The Church of St Michael the Archangel in Alcombe was built in 1903 as a chapel of ease for the Dunster parish, but in 1953 it became the Parish Church of Alcombe in its own right.WEB, Minehead,weblink Churches together, 6 June 2012, 11 March 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140311090541weblink">weblink live, St Andrew's Church, on Wellington Square in the town, was built of red sandstone in 1877–1880, by George Edmund Street.{{NHLE |num=1207013 |desc=Church of St Andrew |access-date=2 March 2008 }}Butlins Minehead is the only Butlins resort still to have a small on-site chapel,WEB, Minehead over the years,weblink Butlins Memories, 21 August 2010, 27 August 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100827180758weblink">weblink live, and over the Easter period the resort hosts an annual Spring Harvest, the largest Christian festival in the UK.NEWS,weblink No to knobbly knees: Butlins tries to bring Miami touch to Minehead, Morris, Steven, 5 July 2007, The Guardian, 2 May 2010, 5 October 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141005093206weblink">weblink live, The Catholic parish of Minehead covers an area of {{convert|200|mi2}} and is served by the Sacred Heart Parish Church, built in 1896,WEB,weblink Sacred Heart Parish Church, 12 September 2008, Sacred Heart, 3 July 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080703175525weblink">weblink live, as well as a mass centre in the nearby village of Watchet. There are also religious sites serving the needs of the Baptist, Evangelical, Methodist and United Reformed communities and the Plymouth Brethren. Alcombe is also home to the Spiritualist Church in Grove Place.

Local economy

Minehead has one of the UK's three remaining Butlins holiday camps, and tourism has been a part of Minehead's economy since Victorian times. At the height of the season in late July and early August, the town's population is significantly increased by tourists.There is a Farmers' Market in the Parade every Friday from 8:30 am to 2 pm, selling local produce.WEB, Minehead Farmers Market,weblink Minehead Farmers Market, 18 November 2011, 23 January 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120123080013weblink">weblink live,

Culture

The town hosts the annual Minehead and Exmoor Festival, a week-long classical music festival that has been running since 1963.WEB,weblink Minehead and Exmoor Festival, Minehead and Exmoor Festival, 1 May 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100630084925weblink">weblink 30 June 2010, Richard Dickins has held the post of artistic director for the festival since 1982.WEB,weblink Links | the Regal Theatre - Minehead, The wooded bluffs above Minehead feature as the Hermit's abode "in that wood which slopes down to the sea", in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.WEB,weblink Minehead, Everything Exmoor, 6 June 2012, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120702001441weblink">weblink 2 July 2012, The poet lived nearby, at Nether Stowey (between Bridgwater and Minehead). His statue can be seen at the nearby harbour at Watchet. He and Wordsworth (who lived nearby at Alfoxton House) would often roam the hills and coast on long night walks; leading to local gossip that they were 'spies' for the French. The Government sent an agent to investigate, but found they were, indeed, "mere poets". Cecil Frances Alexander wrote the popular Anglican hymn All Things Bright And Beautiful in Minehead and in nearby Dunster the verse:"The purple headed mountain,The river running by,The sunset and the morning,That brightens up the sky;−" Refers to Grabbist Hill and the River Avill that runs near it through the popular tourist location Snowdrop Valley on ExmoorMinehead was the setting of Monty Python's 1970 "Mr. Hilter" sketch, in which Adolf Hitler (posing as a "Mr. Hilter"), Joachim von Ribbentrop ("Ron Vibbentrop") and Heinrich Himmler ("Heimlich Bimmler") conspire at a local rooming house to win the local by-election as the "National Bocialist" candidate and unite Minehead with neighbouring Taunton (in the style of the Anschluss in 1938).WEB,weblink Episode 12, Ib Rasmussen's Web Domain, 2 May 2010, 24 June 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080624050740weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Visitors / Mr. Hitler / The North Minehead By-election, Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Sketches, PythoNet, 2 May 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100418033346weblink">weblink 18 April 2010,

May Day Hobby Horse

(File:mineheadhobbyhorse.jpg|thumb|right|Minehead Hobby Horse)One popular ancient local tradition involves the Hobby Horse, or Obby Oss, which takes to the streets on the eve of the first of May each year, with accompanying musicians and rival horses, for four days. In fact there are three rival hobby horses, the Original Sailor's Horse, the Traditional Sailor's Horse and the Town Horse.WEB,weblink Minehead Hobby Horse, Minehead Hobby Horse, 1 May 2010, 6 April 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100406193208weblink">weblink live, They appear on May Eve (called "Show Night"), on May Day morning (when they salute the sunrise at a crossroads on the outskirts of town), 2 and 3 May (when a ceremony called "The Bootie" takes place in the evening called "Bootie Night" at part of town called Cher). Each horse is made of a boat-shaped wooden frame, pointed and built up at each end, which is carried on the dancer's shoulders.As at Padstow, his face is hidden by a mask attached to a tall, pointed hat. The top surface of the horse is covered with ribbons and strips of fabric. A long fabric skirt, painted with rows of multicoloured roundels, hangs down to the ground all round. A long tail is attached to the back of the frame. Each horse is accompanied by a small group of musicians and attendants. The Town Horse is accompanied by "Gullivers", dressed similarly to the horse but without the large frame; as at Padstow, smaller, children's horses have sometimes been constructed. The horses' visits are (or were) believed to bring good luck. In the past there was also a similar hobby horse based at the nearby village of Dunster, which would sometimes visit Minehead. The first of May has been a festival day in Minehead since 1465.WEB, Coast,weblink BBC, 10 February 2018, 18 December 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20181218022905weblink">weblink live, {{Clear}}

Sport and recreation

Minehead Barbarians, the town's rugby club, have been playing together since the 1930s,WEB, History,weblink Minehead Barbarians RFC, 6 June 2012, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120827132751weblink">weblink 27 August 2012, but the main local football club, Minehead A.F.C., is even older, founded in 1889.WEB,weblink About Us, Minehead FC, 30 June 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100822150543weblink">weblink 22 August 2010, In September 2007, the TWIF European Outdoor Tug of war Championships was held at the football club's stadium.WEB,weblink Fixtures, St Pats Tug of War, 1 May 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090301072351weblink">weblink 1 March 2009, Minehead Cricket Club, based at the West Somerset College in Alcombe, field four men's teams and one women's teamWEB, Minehead CC,weblink play-cricket, 13 June 2017, 3 July 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160703181328weblink">weblink live, while Minehead Hockey Club plays close by at the West Somerset Sports & Leisure Centre.WEB,weblink Find Us, Minehead Hockey Club, 5 December 2016, 2 February 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170202065310weblink">weblink live, There were plans for a swimming pool to be built in the grounds of the West Somerset CollegeNEWS, Vaughan, Lloyd, New Minehead swimming pool "a long journey",weblink 29 September 2010, Somerset County Gazette, 14 August 2009, 15 December 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101215111604weblink">weblink live, and there is a bowls club on Irnham Road.WEB, Minehead Bowls Club,weblink Bowlsclub.org, 29 September 2010, 25 July 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110725100724weblink">weblink live, Minehead has on several occasions been the location of 'Britain's Strongest Man' contest, most recently in 2004,WEB, History of Butlins,weblink Butlins, 21 August 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100807093326weblink">weblink 7 August 2010, and since 2006 the Butlin's Resort has been one of the venues for the World Wrestling Entertainment's UK winter tour.WEB, WWE at Butlins,weblink Butlins, 21 August 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100817144155weblink">weblink 17 August 2010, In 2010 stage four of the Tour of Britain road cycling race started in Minehead.WEB, Vacansoleil shine in the South West,weblink Tour of Britain, 29 September 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110927121903weblink">weblink 27 September 2011, In April 2010 RadioMinehead.com started to broadcast music, travel news, events guide and general to and for the Minehead community.The 2011 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships was held within the grounds at Butlin's Minehead from 22 to 25 September.WEB,weblink News and results, Tug of War association, 27 January 2011, 19 July 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110719102237weblink">weblink live, Since December 2012 Minehead has hosted the PDC Players Championship Finals.WEB, Players Championship Finals Darts 2016 live scores and tournament schedule of play,weblink Barts TV, 13 June 2017, 26 June 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170626225902weblink">weblink live, Minehead also hosts many motorsport events including the Somerset Stages Rally which has been hosted in the area for years. There is also the Enduroland Quad and Motocross Event held in Bratton Woods.

Notable residents

• Richard Chorley (1927–2002), physical geographer, was born and brought up in Minehead.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100911054434weblink">weblink dead, 11 September 2010, Professor Richard Chorley, 2 May 2002, The Independent, 1 May 2010,
• Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008), science fiction writer, was born in Minehead.NEWS, Lech Mintowt-Czyz and Steve Bird, Science fiction author Arthur C Clarke dies aged 90,weblink The Times, 19 March 2008, 19 March 2008, London, 14 May 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090514065434weblink">weblink live,
• Edward Ellicott (1768–1847), naval officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, lived in Alcombe with his family and died there.
• Peter Hurford (1930–2019), organist and composer, was born in Minehead.
• Tim Kevan writer, blogger and barrister, author of the Baby Barista series of books, was brought up in Minehead.
• Stephen Mulhern (born 1977), television presenter, lived in Minehead at an early age where his family owned the joke shop ‘Magic Moments’ on The Avenue. His first job was a Redcoat at Butlins Minehead, aged 17.
• Adam O'Brian (born 1989), actor in The Imposter, was brought up in Minehead.
• Sir Nick Partridge (born 1955), Chief Executive of The Terrence Higgins Trust, and a key campaigner on HIV and AIDS, lived in the town in the 1970s when his family moved there to run a hotel.WEB,weblink Nick Partridge, Charities Direct, 1 May 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101226074558weblink">weblink 26 December 2010,
• Danielle Waterman (born 1985), member of the England women's national rugby union team and member of the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup-winning team, was brought up in Minehead.

References

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External links

{{Commons category|Minehead}}{{Wikivoyage|Minehead}}

• Minehead Town Council (official site)
• {{curlie|/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Somerset/Minehead/|Minehead}}
• The Minehead Meander
• {{OpenDomesday|SS9646|minehead|Minehead}}
• {{OpenDomesday|SS9745|alcombe|Alcombe}}

{{West Somerset}}{{Somerset}}{{Good article}}{{Authority control}}