Somerset Industrial Heritage

Somerset is one of the most varied counties in the country. People come here for hill walking, cycling, birdwatching and many other leisure activities. Invariably while exploring this rich and diverse countryside you will stumble across the remains of industrial activity, such as ruined buildings, ivy-clad walls, the paths of bygone railways or roads seemingly going nowhere, all of which indicate that the lonely spot in which you are standing was once thronged with people going about their business. Here these lost industrial landscapes of Somerset are uncovered to reveal the great variety of industry and employment that existed in the county. They show how England has changed from the days when every corner of the land was home to some sort of manufacturing and the country was regarded as the workshop of the world.

Henry Buckton details this rich tapestry, from iron-ore mining on the Brendon Hills and Exmoor to lead mining on the Mendip Hills, from quarrying at places such as Ham Hill to peat extraction on the Somerset Levels, as well as the Somerset coalfield and the isolated mills that dot the banks of rivers in the county.

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