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Bridgwater Public Services
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About Bridgwater - show infohide info
Bridgwater in Somerset, England, is a market town with Saxon origins. The name of Bridgwater is meant to come from the Saxon, Brigg, meaning quay. The Domesday Book has the town listed as Brugie, while Brugia was also used. After the Norman invasion, the land was given to a Norman prince Walter Douai. Hence the name became corrupted from Burgh-Walter, Brugg-Walter and Brigg-Walter to Bridgwater. William de Briwere was granted the lordship of the Manor of Bridgwater by Henry II, and new buildings appeared. Bridgwater Castle was built in Old Red Sandstone and covered a site of 8 or 9 acres with its own tidal moat. Unusually, the main entrance opposite the Cornhill was built with a pair of adjacent gates and drawbridges. It also had a keep, a dungeon, chapel, stables and a bell tower. William de Briwere also founded St John's hospital as well as starting the construction of the town's first stone bridge. One of William's sons went on to found a Franciscan priory in the town. During the English Civil War the town and the castle were held by the Royalists under Colonel Sir Francis Wyndham, and following the troubles, Bridgnorth Castle was destroyed in 1645. Further problems with for Bridgwater ensued with the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion. Because of the rebellion it is alleged that, until recently members of the Royal Family would not travel through Bridgwater without drawing the blinds of the Royal Train as a response to the ancient rebellion. Bridgwater has often been at the forefront of political progression; in 1797 it was the first town in Britain to petition the government to ban slavery. Bridgwater�s River Parrett was formerly central to the town�s trade, and Bridgwater became a major seaport for the south west. With the Industrial Revolution, Bridgwater was linked to Taunton by the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal (1827), and docks were built in 1841. The focus has now shifted from port trade to industry in plastics, engine parts, industrial chemicals, and foods, making Bridgwater one of Somerset�s major industry centres. The factory formerly producing cellophane was closed in the summer of 2005. Bridgwater is also home to two major distribution centres: Excel, as well as the NHS Logistics Authority.
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