Wick St. Lawrence is a civil parish and village in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset. The population of the parish, which includes Bourton, Icelton and Ebdon, in the 2011 census was 1,331.[1]

Wick St. Lawrence
Stone steps up to a stone shaft which would once have had a cross at the top. To the left are yellow painted houses. To the right is an old stone church with a square tower partially obscured by trees.
Ancient cross and Church of St Lawrence
Wick St. Lawrence is located in Somerset
Wick St. Lawrence
Wick St. Lawrence
Location within Somerset
Population1,331 [1]
OS grid referenceST365655
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWeston-super-Mare
Postcode districtBS22
Dialling code01934
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireAvon
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°23′02″N 2°54′43″W / 51.384°N 2.912°W / 51.384; -2.912

History

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The parish of Wick St Lawrence was part of the Winterstoke Hundred, while Bourton was in Portbury Hundred.[2]

The 15th century village cross stands on an area of grass opposite the parish church, raised up on five ascending octagonal stone platforms.[3] The crosshead was destroyed during the time of the English Civil Wars.[4] It is a Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.[5]

The Ebdon Bow Bridge which carries the road from the village to nearby Worle over the River Banwell was built in the late 18th or early 19th century.[6]

Governance

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North Somerset's area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters are in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare. Between 1 April 1974 and 1 April 1996, it was the Woodspring district of the county of Avon.[7] Before 1974 that the parish was part of the Axbridge Rural District.[8]

Religious sites

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The windows of the church are in the Perpendicular style, while the modest tower has a peal of six bells; the oldest of which were cast in 1655. The intricately carved stone pulpit came from Woodspring Priory in 1536 following the Dissolution of the Monasteries.[4]

It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "2011 Census Profile". North Somerset Council. Archived from the original (Excel) on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  3. ^ "Village cross". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Rosie & Howard. North Somerset Coast in Watercolours. The Garret Press, Weston-super-Mare. ISBN 0-9541546-5-7
  5. ^ "Village Cross 5 Yards East of Banksea Cottages". Listed Buildings Online. English Heritage. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  6. ^ "Ebdon Bow Bridge". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  7. ^ "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995". HMSO. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  8. ^ "Axbridge RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Parish Church of St. Lawrence". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
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