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Introduction
The adjacent
sketch is taken from the Geology of England and Wales by the late-19th
century geologist Henry B. Woodward. It neatly sums up the spirit of this
geological guide to Taunton Deane. The geologist has an air of anticipation.
He is looking at the landscape ahead of him rather than burying his head
in a book! He has his sights on what looks like a rocky outcrop. There
will be a notebook, hammer and some bags for specimens in his rucksack.
He may well have looked in at the church to examine the building stones.
Twenty contrasting
areas have been selected where a day or half-day may be usefully spent
exploring the Taunton area. These are shown in Figure 10.2. The accounts
provide loosely woven descriptions for the visitor to use as desired.
Two exceptions are the self-guided trails: one in central Taunton and
the other in the southern Quantocks. The details for each venue are selective
and should not be looked upon as definitive descriptions and explanations.
The OS 1:50,000,
or better still, the 1:25,000 map series are essential for making the
best use of the network of footpaths and lanes. A hand lens will reveal
some of the finer details in the rocks. The Wellington and Taunton geological
maps are good investments. Needless to say, this is excellent walking
country. Without doubt, building stones are the most accessible material
for studying rocks, apart that is, from the coastline. Hence most chapters
mention the stones used in the fabric of the local church. There is open
access at least to the outsides and they contain much of artistic and
historical interest and are often well- researched.
Taunton Deane
Borough Council (TDBC) have produced some excellent leaflets which are
listed in Appendix F and available from Deane House and Tourist Information
offices: Taunton Deane Church Trail, Bench Ends and Pulpits, Towers and
Hunky Punks and The West Deane Way are very useful guides. The West Deane
Way is a circular walk which touches on a number of places mentioned in
the book (details can be found in the Appendix F).
The centre of Taunton provides an exceptionally rich display of building
stones and is highly recommended: the experience will enable you to recognise
Blue Lias and Devonian sandstone and compare Bath Stone with Ham Hill
Stone and many more.
We start
with a splendid word picture of a late-18th century traveller from the
days long-before the advent of the audio cassette. When did you last meet
lime carts or see a string of oxen at work in the fields?
Fig 10.2 Chapter numbers
of the regional studies.
The great vale
of Taunton Deane, seen distantly from Wills Neck or the lower Quantock
slopes, is not easy to forget. A landscape both spectacular and serene
reaches south to the long line of the Blackdown Hills, west to the Brendon
foothills, and east, beyond the towers and spires of Taunton itself, to
the levels of central Somerset. This is the 'paradise of England'
described by John Norden in 1609, the land of meadows, orchards and 'rich
redd earth' which Thomas Gerard discovered a generation later, the
'golden vale' so often praised by sentimental Victorians.
The Vale of Taunton
Past by Tom Mayberry.
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