Chard is a town and
civil parish in the county
Somerset,
England, situated on the
A30 road near the
Devon border, south west of
Yeovil. The parish has a
population of approximately 12,000 and, at an
altitude of , is the highest town in Somerset and also the southernmost. Administratively Chard forms part of the district of
South Somerset.
The name of the town was
Cerden in 1065 and
Cerdre in the
Domesday Book of 1086. Before the
Norman Conquest Chard was held by the
Bishop of Wells. The town's first charter was from
King John in 1234. Most of the town was destroyed by fire in 1577. Further damage to the town took place during the
English Civil War. A 1663 will by Richard Harvey of
Exeter established Almshouses known as Harvey's Hospital. In 1685 Chard was one of the towns in which
Judge Jeffreys held some of the
Bloody Assizes after the failure of the
Monmouth Rebellion. textile manufacture was important in the
Middle Ages. Chard claims to be the birthplace of
powered flight and the development of articulated
artificial limbs. Chard is a key point on the
Taunton Stop Line, a
World War II defensive line. The
Chard Canal was a
tub boat canal built between 1835 and 1842.
Chard Branch Line was created in 1860 to connect the two
London and South Western Railway and
Bristol and Exeter Railway main lines and ran through Chard until 1965.
At an
altitude of , Chard is the highest town in Somerset and also the southernmost. Local folklore claims that the town has a very unusual and unique feature, a stream running along either side of
Fore Street, one stream eventually flows into the
Bristol Channel and the other eventually reaches the
English Channel. Chard reservoir, approximately a mile north east of the town, is a
Local Nature Reserve, and
Snowdon Hill Quarry a
geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Major employers in the town include
Numatic International Limited and the
Oscar Mayer food processing plant owned by
Kraft Foods. There are a range of sporting and cultural facilities, with secondary education being provided at
Holyrood Community School and religious sites including the
Church of St Mary the Virgin which dates from the late 11th century.
History
The name of the town was
Cerden in 1065 and
Cerdre in the
Domesday Book of 1086. This is derived from the
Old English word
ceart which means
a rough common, overgrown with gorse, bracken or broom.
Before the
Norman Conquest Chard was held by the
Bishop of Wells.
The town's first charter was from
King John and another from the bishop in 1234, which delimited the town and laid out burgage holdings in one acre lots at a rent of twelve pence per year.
Most of the town was destroyed by fire in 1577.
After this time the town was largely rebuilt including Waterloo House and Manor Court House in
Fore Street which were built as a house and courtroom, and have now been converted into shops and offices. Further damage to the town took place during the
English Civil War with both sides plundering its resources, particularly in 1644 when
Charles I spent a week in the town.
A 1663 will by Richard Harvey of
Exeter established Almshouses known as Harvey's Hospital. These were rebuilt in 1870 largely of stone from previous building.
In 1685 Chard was one of the towns in which
Judge Jeffreys held some of the
Bloody Assizes after the failure of the
Monmouth Rebellion in which 160 men from Chard joined the forces of the
Duke of Monmouth. The subsequent hangings took place on Snowden Hill to the west of the town.
There was a
fulling mill in the town by 1394 for the textile industry.
After 1820 this expanded with the town becoming a centre for lace manufacture led by manufacturers who fled from the
Luddite resistance they had faced in the
English Midlands. Bowden's Old Lace Factory and the Gifford Fox factory are examples of the sites constructed. The Guildhall was built as a Corn Exchange and Guildhall in 1834 and is now the Town Hall.
Fore Street
Chard claims to be the birthplace of
powered flight, as it was here in 1848 that the
Victorian aeronautical pioneer
John Stringfellow (1799–1883) first demonstrated that engine-powered flight was possible through his work on the
Aerial Steam Carriage.
James Gillingham (1839–1924) from Chard pioneered the development of articulated
artificial limbs when he produced a prosthesis for a man who lost his arm in a cannon accident in 1863.
[ Chard Museum has a display of Gillingham's work.]
Chard was a key point on the Taunton Stop Line, a World War II defensive line consisting of pillboxes and anti-tank obstacles, which runs from Axminster north to the Somerset coast near Highbridge.Governance
thumb|left|The Guildhall
Chard was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and remained a municipal borough known as Chard Municipal Borough. until the Local Government Act 1972, when it became a successor parish in the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset.
The town council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. The town council has a reception and offices in the guildhall. The building was built in 1834 as a corn exchange, replacing an earlier 16th century building. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The South Somerset district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, the library, roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service.
It is also part of the Yeovil county 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, and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects six MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.Twinnings
Chard is twinned with Helmstedt in Germany (since 12 April 1980), Morangis in France (since 29 May 1994) and also Şeica Mare in Transylvania, Romania.Geography
thumb|Chard reservoir
At an altitude of , Chard is the highest town in Somerset and also the southernmost.
The Chard reservoir, approximately a mile north east of the town, is a Local Nature Reserve. It is used for dog walking fishing and birdwatching, with a bird hide having been installed. Species which are spotted regularly include Herons, Kingfishers, Cormorants, Grebes, ducks and also a wide range of woodland songbirds. Others include the Great white egret, Cattle egret, and Spotted redshank.
Snowdon Hill Quarry is a 0.6 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western outskirts. The site shows rock exposures through the Upper Greensand and Chalk which contain fossil crustaceans which are both unique and exceptionally well-preserved and support study of palaeontology in Britain. The unit has been dated to the subdivision of the Chalk known as the Turrilites acutus Zone, named after one of the characteristic fossils.
Along with the rest of South West England, Chard has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately and shows a seasonal and a diurnal variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between and . July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around .
The south-west of England has a favoured location with respect to the Azores high pressure when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK, particularly in summer. Convective cloud often forms inland however, especially near hills, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1,600 hours.
Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. The Atlantic depressions are more vigorous in autumn and winter and most of the rain which falls in those seasons in the south-west is from this source. Average rainfall is around 31–35 inches (787–889 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 winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.Economy
Chard is the home of Numatic International Limited, notable for their 'Henry' vacuum cleaners. The company employs over 700 people. In contrast to competitors such as Hoover and Dyson the firm continues to manufacture in Britain. The site occupies an area of more than 10 hectares and operates continuously, producing over 4,000 products per day.
One of the other large employers in Chard is the Oscar Mayer food processing plant owned by Kraft Foods. In 2007, it was announced that the factory would be bought by Icelandic company, the Alfesca Group which owns Lyons seafoods. However this deal fell through and the company announced 250 job losses.Transport
thumb|left|Central Station
From 1842 Chard was the terminus of the Chard Canal, a tub boat canal that joined the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal at Creech St. Michael. It had four aqueducts, three tunnels and four inclined planes along its length. It took seven years to construct and cost about £140,000 (£ as of ).[Lost canals of England and Wales Ronald Russell page 68 ISBN 0-7153-5417-5]
In the 1860s the town became the terminus of two railway lines. The first was opened in 1863 by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) as a short branch line from their main line. This approached the town from the south. The second and longer line was opened by the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) in 1866 and ran northwards, close to the route of the canal, to join their main line near . From 1917 they were both operated by one company, but services were mostly advertised as though it was still two separate lines.
The LSWR's station (later known as Chard Town) opened in 1860 with a single platform, and the B&ER's (variously known as Chard Joint or ) in 1866. For five years LSWR trains continued to call at Chard Town and then reversed to the connecting line and then resumed their forward journey to the Joint station. In 1871 a new platform was opened on the connecting line; this closed to passengers on 1 January 1917 but the twon station was the main goods depot for the town until it finally closed on 18 April 1966. Passenger trains ceased to operate to Chard Central on 11 September 1962, and private goods traffic on 3 October 1966. The station building and train shed still stand and are in use by engineering companies.
The town's public transport link is now the First Somerset & Avon bus route 30 between Axminster and Taunton.Sport
Chard has a number of local sport clubs. Chard Town F.C. play football in the Western Football League. There is also a Rugby union club Chard RFC which was formed in 1876.
Chard Hockey Club was established in 1907 and it now runs 3 Men's & 3 Ladies sides. There are also facilities for cricket, tennis, bowls, and golf.Education
thumb|left|The old grammar school
The original school building in Fore Street was built in 1583 a private residence for William Symes of Poundisford. In 1671 he conveyed the property to 12 trustees so that it should be converted into a grammar school.
Avishayes Community Primary School, Manor Court Community Primary School, Tatworth Primary School and The Redstart Primary School all offer primary education, while Holyrood Community School offers secondary education. The school which has specialist Technology college status has 1226 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.Religious sites
Baptist church
Notable residents
It was the birthplace in 1812 of William Samuel Henson aviation engineer and inventor who worked with John Stringfellow to achieve the first powered flight, in 1848, in a disused lace factory, with a 10 foot (3 m), steam-driven flying machine, James Gillingham who pioneered the development of articulated artificial limbs was also born in the town,
