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National Gazetteer (1868) - Clevedon

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The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"CLEVEDON, a parish in the hundred of Portbury, in the county of Somerset, 11 miles W. of Bristol. It is a railway station of the Great Western line, and is resorted to in summer as a pleasant watering-place. The town is situated on the cliffs at the mouth of the river Severn, commanding a fine view of the channel. It was called Clevedun by the Saxons, from the cliff (cleve) terminating at this point in a valley (dun). It contains a lecture-hall, public baths, numerous hotels and boarding-houses, and is well lighted with gas.

The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Bath and Wells, in the patronage of the Bishop of Worcester. The tithes are commuted for a rent-charge of £500 per annum. There are two district churches, both of which are perpetual curacies, viz. Christ Church, in the patronage of trustees, and East Clevedon, in the patronage of Sir A. H. Elton, Bart. The parish church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an ancient building in the mixed style, with monuments. Christ Church is a modern stone building in the early English style. The church at East Clevedon, dedicated to All Saints, is a fine edifice, in the decorated style. The Plymouth Brethren, Congregationalists, and Society of Friends have places of worship. There are National and infant schools, as well as those of the British and Foreign Union, and a servants' school, supported by ladies. The charities produce about £24 per annum. Clevedon Court, the seat of Sir A. Hallam Elton, Bart., is a fine specimen of the Elizabethan style of architecture. Here are exhausted lead-mines, and the refuse ore is often found near the surface. The air is so mild in winter that the most delicate plants may be reared, and the village is consequently well suited as a residence for invalids. The poet Coleridge once resided here."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]