Taunton
| Taunton | |||
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| Coordinates | 51 ° 1 ′ N , 3 ° 6 ′ W | ||
| OS National Grid | ST228250 | ||
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| Residents | 60,479 (as of 2011) | ||
| administration | |||
| Post town | TAUNTON | ||
| ZIP code section | TA1, TA2, TA3 | ||
| prefix | 01823 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| region | South West England | ||
Taunton [ˈtɔːntən] is the capital and administrative seat of the county of Somerset , England and also the administrative seat of the district Taunton Deane . The village is located in the Taunton-Deane Valley and is surrounded by the hills of the Quantock Hills , Black Downs and Brendons. It was founded in 710 by the Anglo-Saxon King Ine . It is believed, however, that there was a British-Roman village nearby. The name of the place is derived from Town on the river Tone or Tone Town .
The town and its surrounding communities have 58,241 inhabitants (as of 2001), whereby according to an estimate from 2002 the town itself has 44,050 inhabitants. This makes it the largest city in Somerset.
Culture
Sights include the town's former, listed almshouses: the 17th century “Gray's Almshouses” on East Street and the “St Margaret's Almshouses”, which were originally part of a leper colony in the 12th century . Other attractions include Taunton Castle , Mary Street Unitarian Chapel, and St Mary Magdalene Church near the city center.
The place has a theater and a museum of city history, which is housed in the former castle.
Economy and Transport
Taunton is known for its dry cider from the Somerset Cider Brandy Company . The remarkable King's College Taunton on the outskirts is also one of the best British private boarding schools. As the capital, the city is, in addition to Bridgwater , the central shopping area in the region. There is a weekly market there .
The city is the seat of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office .
The place is well connected to the rest of the country via the M5 ( Wolverhampton / Birmingham - Bristol - Exeter ) and the main railway line from London / Bristol to Exeter / Penzance . The city can also be reached by regular buses from major centers in the country. The nearest commercial airports are Bristol and Exeter.
Twin cities
Sister cities are Königslutter am Elm in Germany and Lisieux in France .
Others
From 1927 to 1936, the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke attended Huish's Grammar School in Taunton. The location often plays a (secondary) role in literature and films. This is e.g. For example, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams or British comedy series like Monty Python's Flying Circus ("historically, Taunton was always a part of Minehead") , Blackadder and Vic Reeves .
Personalities
sons and daughters of the town
- Pattie Boyd (* 1944), photo model who was married to George Harrison (1966 to 1977) and Eric Clapton (1979 to 1985)
- Richard Lintern (born 1962), actor
- James Purefoy (born 1964), actor
- Mark Pritchard (* 1971), musician, DJ and label owner
- Chris Buncombe (* 1979), racing car driver
- Edward Ling (born 1983), marksman
- Tom Austen (* 1988), actor
- Greg Draper (* 1989), New Zealand soccer player
Well-known people in the city
- David Henry Wilson (* 1937), children's and youth author
- Justin Pipe (* 1971), darts player
- Juno Temple (born 1989), actress
