Skip to content | Skip to navigation | Mobile Version

Taunton

Taunton, Somerset

Taunton
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 3TP
Show on map

Surrounded by some of South West England’s most beautiful rural and coastal landscapes, Taunton has excellent transport links to London, the Midlands, Bristol, Exeter and beyond.

The town was established in the 8th century by King Ine of Wessex who built earthwork fortifications here. A generation later Queen Frithogyth founded a minster here and some time later a monastery was created under the control of the Bishop of Winchester.

Taunton’s Saxon castle, which dates back to the 12th century and was the scene of many a bloody uprising particularly during the English Civil War when the castle was held siege. A particularly blood thirsty episode in the castle’s history were the Bloody Assizes carried out by Judge Jeffreys. After the battle of Sedgemoor and the defeat of the Duke of Monmouth around 1,300 of his supporters were tried here with many of them executed by drawing and quartering. Queen Victoria is said to have drawn the curtains whenever she passed through Taunton on the train. Today the castle is home to the brand new County Museum and the Castle Hotel

A weekly farmer’s market sells local produce, from cheese, bread and cakes to vegetables and, of course, cider. There is also a thrice-weekly ‘county market’ on the picturesque Bath Street and, on Silver Street, one of the West Country’s largest antique markets, boasting more than one hundred and thirty dealers.

Map

Nearby Eden Hotels

The Mount Somerset Hotel & Spa, Taunton, Somerset (approx miles)

Categories

Historic Towns & Landmarks