Taunton Heritage Trail

Do you know I still haven't walked this trail! I think I must have covered the points of interest, just not necessarily in the same order! This is what the Town Centre website says about it.

Burtons

This is the Burtons/Dorothy Perkins shop on North Street in Taunton town centre.
I love the fact that Barbara Jessie Burton laid the foundation stone for this shop in 1930 and here it is 77 years later still being used by the same company - not many shops on the high street have that sort of heritage.

There is a photo of the same foundation stone laid three years earlier on a Burtons shop in Cork, Ireland here.

Burtons itself was started by Monty Burton in 1900 in Chesterfield, England as a tailors and gents outfitters.

Oh, and did anyone see Dr Who? Hot up there wasn't it! ;)

Tudor House

Just a quickie - this building deserves some real good photos taking so I will go back and try and get some!
It's the Tudor House on Fore Street, the oldest house in Taunton, parts of it date back to 1350. It belonged to Sir William Portman who was responsible for escorting the Duke of Monmouth to London for his execution after the Monmouth Rebellion!
I would love to spend the night in there, I bet it is so creaky and spooky!

YMCA Gym

Not entirely sure it is somewhere I would enjoy working out but back in 1895 I am sure it was cutting edge!

I thought the YMCA was an American institution but it seems to be thriving over here, and by the looks of this imposing building, was thriving here over a hundred years ago.

I will definitely go back when the light is a little more favourable to see if I can get some sky into the photo so it doesn't look so artificial.

Taunton Castle

Taunton castle started as a Burh (where the word borough comes from) in the 9th century, a burh is a settlement surrounded with a ditch and rampart,
Construction of the castle proper began in 1138 by Henry de Blois, the Bishop of Winchester. At this point it was a Motte and Bailey.
In 1451 during the civil wars known as the wars of the roses a battle was fought at Taunton. In 1497 a man named Perkin Warbeck attempted to overthrow Henry VII and make himself king. His men occupied Taunton castle but they fled when a royal army approached.

Then in 1642 came civil war between king and parliament. The town sided with parliament but in June 1643 a royalist army approached Taunton and the town surrendered without a fight. It remained in royalist hands for a year. Then in July 1644 Taunton was captured by parliamentary troops. However, the royalists had not given up. In October 1644 they returned. They entered the town and the parliamentary soldiers retreated into the castle.
The royalists laid siege to the castle but they were unable to take it. They let when they heard a parliamentary army was coming. The royalists returned in April 1645. Again they captured most of the town but were unable to take the castle. This time much of the town was burned in the fighting. Once again in May 1645 parliament sent troops to Taunton. Once again the royalists fled when they heard the parliamentarians were coming. This time they did not return and soon after the king was losing the war and it ended in 1646.

In 1660, when Charles II became king he took away the towns charter (no doubt remembering how Taunton had supported parliament against his father). However it was restored in 1677. Charles II also ordered the destruction of Taunton castle to prevent it being used as a rebel base in the future.


In 1788 Sir Benjamin Hammet restored the castle.
The castle is now in daily use as Somerset County Museum.