WikiPortallus: Highbridge, Somerset.html

There is archaeological evidence of occupation around the Highbridge area at least as far back as the Roman period. A bridged crossing over the River Brue at this location has existed since the 14th century and it has always been an important crossing on the route from Bristol to the South West. The town that sprung up around this crossing takes it name from the bridge. An older name for the local manor was "Huish," a contraction of the phrase "Huish jaxta altum pontem" (next to a high bridge). There are historical references to a wharf at this site and to usage of the river as part of the drainage plan for the Somerset Levels by the Monks of Glastonbury.

Highbridge grew in importance as a regional market and industrial town during the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Important employers included the livestock and cheese market, Highbridge Wharf, Buncombe's Steamrollers, and the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway rail works, which closed in 1930 with the loss of 400 jobs. Heavy industry and transport declined in Highbridge after the Second World War as the Wharf proved too small for the newer generation of ships, with the last cargo of timber arriving in 1948 and the wharf was closed to shipping the following year,¹ and commercial freight moved away from the railways. Since the 1970s close proximity to the M5 motorway has driven a growth in light industry and in the town's commuter population.

In 1933 Highbridge was sublimated within the joint town council district of Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea. Prior to this the 1931 census listed a population of 2585. The joining of the two towns remains a contentious issue. A 2001 independence referendum was unsuccessful, but there has, as yet, been no indication of a militant tendency within the Highbridge independence movement.

In 2004 a community group, the Highbridge History Project, commemorated the 150th anniversary of opening of the town's station by publishing the results of their own five year long study into the town's history (Weston Mercury "A Glimpse into the past").

The Canal & Railway

Highbridge was originally the seaward terminus of the Glastonbury Canal and the Somerset Central Railway. The Canal was established first and was designed to improve drainage along the River Brue. It was also designed to create a trade link between Glastonbury and the sea. A new straight channel, the clyce which runs from the present day tidal gates to the location of the current Station, was cut in 1801 and the original course of the river was as the basis of Highbridge Wharf. The Canal opened in 1833 and while initially successful it later suffered from financial and engineering problems.

In 1844 the Bristol and Exeter Railway (a future component of the Great Western Railway) opened a station at Highbridge on what is now the Great Western Main Line. Ten years later the Railway companies realised the potential of the route of the failing Glastonbury Canal and it was bought out by the Somerset Central Railway (a component of the Somerset and Dorset Railway). This allowed them to run a railway line along the route of the old Canal. Shortly afterwards local branch lines were added to Burnham-on-Sea and to the Wharf.

At its height Highbridge Station had five platforms and a carriage works. The decline of the British railway network hit the Highbridge Station hard and today there only remains two unmanned platforms. The two branch lines were closed in the 1960s, and the official name of the station is now Highbridge and Burnham. Remnants of the original bridge over the River Brue remain beneath the A38 and Jubilee Gardens, but the course of the river itself has been filled in and covered by the Market Street and Tyler Way developments. Only the 1801 clyce remains of the Glastonbury Canal at Highbridge.

The Town

The town has had an independent livestock market on the same site since 1851. It is currently run by J.H. Palmer and Sons and meets weekly on a Monday. The market closed briefly during the 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis.

Like most British towns Highbridge has had its ample share of alehouses and inns — far out numbering the churches. The Cooper's Arms is one of the best Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) pubs in the region.

The town's secondary school is The King Alfred School, which sits on the border of Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea and serves both towns.