Bridgwater is a market town in Somerset, with about 40,000 inhabitants, on the banks of the River Parrett, between the flatlands of the Somerset Levels and the Quantock Hills. Little known to foreign visitors, it has a rich history, a great illuminated carnival and a convenient position for exploring a quiet, authentic part of south-west England.
A rebellious history
In the Middle Ages Bridgwater was a thriving river port, thanks to its bridge over the Parrett and its castle, now vanished. Here in 1598 was born Admiral Robert Blake, one of the greatest English naval commanders, who fought for Parliament in the Civil War and then against the Dutch and the Spanish; his birthplace now houses the Blake Museum, devoted to the town's history. In 1685 Bridgwater was at the heart of the Monmouth Rebellion: the Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of Charles II, was proclaimed king here before being defeated at the nearby Battle of Sedgemoor, regarded as the last pitched battle fought on English soil, followed by fierce repression. In 1785 the people of Bridgwater were the first in England to send Parliament a petition for the abolition of the slave trade, an episode of which the town is proud.
What to see
St Mary's church, from the 13th and 15th centuries, has the tallest parish church spire in Somerset and holds a large 17th-century Italian painting above the altar. The historic centre, with Castle Street, one of the finest Georgian streets in the region, keeps many red-brick buildings from the period when the town was a busy port. The docks of 1841, connected to the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, are now a quiet marina from which a pleasant towpath walk sets off.
The carnival
The most famous event is the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, held in early November to mark the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Dozens of huge carts lit by thousands of bulbs parade through the streets before tens of thousands of spectators, making it one of the largest illuminated processions in Europe. The evening ends with squibbing, when dozens of people simultaneously light large hand-held fireworks.
Surroundings
The Quantock Hills, the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designated in England in 1956, offer woods, moorland and views over the Bristol Channel; at their foot, in Nether Stowey, you can visit the cottage where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The Somerset Levels, with their rhynes, willows and migrating birds, can be explored by bike. On the coast, the great Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, under construction, is now one of the area's main employers. Also within easy reach are Glastonbury and Dunster.
Practical information
Bridgwater has a railway station on the line between Bristol, about 35 minutes away, and Taunton; from London you arrive in about two and a half hours with one change. The M5 motorway runs next to the town.
See also Dunster, Glastonbury and Bristol.