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Uphill

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"UPHILL, a parish in the hundred of Winterstoke, county Somerset, 2 miles W. of Weston-super-Mare, its post town, and 7 N.W. of Axbridge. The village is situated on Uphill Bay, in the Bristol Channel, at the mouth of the river Axe. The soil consists of loam and clay, with a subsoil of clay. Building stone is quarried. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £300. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, was erected in 1843; a memorial window has been inserted to the poet Bowles. The old church stands on the summit of a hill a little to the S. of the village. There are a parochial school for both sexes, and a Sunday-school. Uphill House and Uphill Castle are the principal residences. T. T. Knyfton, Esq., is lord of the manor." From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003

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Archives & Libraries

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Description & Travel

  • The church of St. Nicholas: Alone on a hill above the Roman port of Axium this Norman church has a central tower, chancel, unroofed nave and a north porch sheltering a Norman doorway. The stiff climb to it is well rewarded, not least by the view over the marshes and the Bristol Channel. (1m S of Weston-Super-Mare off A370 - ST 316 584) (Information from Penny Mercer).

     

  • The port of Uphill was never known as Axium. This was a title, for a Roman Villa located on Bleadon Hill, given by the 19th Century excavating team and derived from the nearby river Ax or Axe as it is known today. Uphill port has been known by a number of names all phonetically similar to Uphill e.g. Opopill, Orpophilla etc. The Old Church of St. Nicholas dates from 1080 and was preceded by two Saxon Churches and a Celtic Church from around 380-400. It was reputed to have been used by Alfred the Great whilst he was based at Brent Knoll and he apparently built a small fleet of vessels in The Pill to take on the Dane invaders at sea. The village has a website with historical and current information relating to the village. (Information from Ted Warren).

     

You can see pictures of Uphill which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference ST319588 (Lat/Lon: 51.323961, -2.979183), Uphill which are provided by:

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Societies

You can also see Family History Societies covering the nearby area, plotted on a map. This facility is being developed, and is awaiting societies to enter information about the places they cover.