Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort.
Burnham-on-Sea forms part of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge and shares a town council with its neighbouring small market town of Highbridge. According to the 2011 census the population of the parish (including Highbridge) was 19,576, of which the most populous wards 'Burnham Central' and 'Burnham North'; totalled 13,601.
The history of Burnham-on-Sea is the history of the reclamation of the Somerset Levels from the River Severn and the Bristol Channel. The Romans were the first peoples to try to reclaim the Somerset levels, and it was their people who were probably the first settlers in the high sand dunes behind the River Parrett. This could have been in part to maintain navigational systems, to aid ships entering the River Parrett and what is now Highbridge. When the Romans left, the system of drainage they installed was not maintained, and the areas reverted to become a tidal salt flat during the Anglo Saxon period. since when various flood defences have been installed. In 1911 a concrete wall was built. After the Second World War, further additions to the defences against the sea were added by bringing part of the remains of a Mulberry harbour used for the Normandy Landings, and burying them in the sand.
Geography
thumb|Aerial view of Burnham-on-Sea
Burnham-on-Sea is notable for its beach and mudflats, the danger they pose to individuals and shipping, and the efforts to which locals have gone in defending their town and preventing loss of life. Burnham is close to the estuary of the River Parrett where it flows into the Bristol Channel, which has the second highest tidal range in the world. At , it is second only to the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada.
Burnham's extensive mud flats are characteristic of Bridgwater Bay and the rest of the Bristol Channel, where the tide can recede for over . Bridgwater Bay consists of large areas of mud flats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1989, and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
thumb|The beach and pier, 2016
Apex Leisure and Wildlife Park, in the south-west corner of Burnham-on-Sea, north of the River Brue, occupies an area of more than . The park was created from excavated clay pits, which were flooded, and the lakes are now home to many types of wildlife and leisure activities.
Hinkley Point is a headland extending into Bridgwater Bay west of Burnham-on-Sea, one the opposite side the mouth of the River Parrett. The landscape of Hinkley Point is dominated by two closed nuclear power stations: Hinkley Point A and Hinkley Point B, and Hinkley Point C, which is under construction.
Climate
Along with the rest of South West England, Burnham has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately . Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately . In winter, mean minimum temperatures of are common.
Burnham, being the largest occupied town within the 1981 surge affected area, also bore the brunt of the resultant damage. 400 properties were affected, with pavements, stone and concrete from the sea wall ripped up and the Esplande destroyed; total damage within the parish was estimated at £1.5M.
The first Royal National Lifeboat was funded by the town of Cheltenham, and arrived in 1866. The lifeboat was removed in 1930 because of the difficulty in getting a full crew, and because the launching arrangements were not suitable for a powered boat. In 2002, Lelaina Hall, a five-year-old girl from Worcester, died on the mud flats before help could reach her. The outcry over her death prompted a Western Daily Press campaign to fund an inshore hovercraft.
BARB currently operates the Spirit of Lelaina alongside her sister hovercraft the Light of Elizabeth, which is named after Lelaina's sister.
Governance
There are two tiers of local government covering Burnham-on-Sea, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council and Somerset Council. The town council is based at the Old Courthouse on Jaycroft Road in Burnham-on-Sea.
For national elections, Burnham-on-Sea forms part of the Bridgwater constituency.
Administrative history
Burnham was an ancient parish in the Bempstone hundred of Somerset. As well as Burnham itself, the parish included the parts of Highbridge north of the River Brue and rural areas to the east of Burnham, including the hamlet of Edithmead.
A local board district covering the western part of Burnham parish around Burnham itself was established in 1850, administered by an elected local board. Under the Local Government Act 1894, such districts were reconstituted as urban districts, and civil parishes were no longer allowed to straddle district boundaries. The part of the old Burnham parish outside the urban district therefore became a separate parish, which was named Highbridge. The Highbridge parish was short-lived; in 1896 a new Highbridge Urban District was created covering the built-up area of Highbridge, and the more rural part of the Highbridge parish became a separate parish called Burnham Without, having been part of Burnham parish prior to 1894.
thumb|Princess Theatre and Arts Centre, formerly Town Hall
Burnham Urban District Council acquired the Town Hall on Princess Street to serve as its meeting place and offices. After the urban district council's abolition in 1974, the Town Hall was converted into the Princess Theatre and Arts Centre.
Burnham Urban District was formally renamed Burnham-on-Sea Urban District in 1917, although the name of the civil parish it covered remained just Burnham at that point. The neighbouring Highbridge Urban District was abolished in 1933 and its area absorbed into the Burnham-on-Sea Urban District. As part of the 1933 reforms, the civil parishes within the enlarged urban district were merged into a single Burnham-on-Sea parish.
Burnham-on-Sea Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, with its area becoming part of the new Sedgemoor district. A successor parish called 'Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge' was created covering the former urban district as part of the 1974 reforms, with its parish council taking the name Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council.
Sedgemoor was abolished in 2023. Somerset County Council then took over district-level functions across its area, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Somerset Council.
Landmarks
Lighthouses
Because of its position near the mouth of the River Parrett, and the constantly shifting sands of the Bristol Channel, there has always been a significant risk to shipping in the area. As a result, several lighthouses, have been built.
upright|thumb|100px|left|High Lighthouse
The original lighthouse, known as the Round Tower, was built after the local vicar, either John Goulden in 1764 or Walter Harris in 1799, raised a subscription amongst the local population to replace the light on the top of St Andrews Church tower. The four-storey Round Tower was built next to the church. It was taken over and improved by Trinity House in 1815, and operated until 1832, following which the top two storeys were removed.
The pillar or High Lighthouse was designed and built by Joseph Nelson for Trinity House in 1830, and equipped with a paraffin lamp. The ground floor was in diameter and the top room . It was automated in 1920. In 1992, it was sold to a member of the Rothschild family, who owned it until 1996, when it was bought at auction by Patrick O'Hagan. Conversion for residential use included the removal of the 6th floor and the construction of stairs where there had previously only been ladders.
thumb|alt=Burnham on Sea Low Lighthouse.|Low LighthouseThe low wooden pile lighthouse or "Lighthouse on legs", or "Nine Pins", was built two years later, also by Joseph Nelson, to complement the High Lighthouse. It is a total of high, with the light being at above the sand. It stands on nine wooden piers, some with plate metal reinforcement. The structure is whitewashed with a vertical red stripe on the sea side. The lights were inactive between 1969 and 1993, but were recommissioned when the High Lighthouse lights were permanently deactivated. They have a focal plane of and provide a white flash every 7.5 seconds, plus a directional light (white, red, or green depending on direction) at a focal plane of . It is now owned by the local council.
The concrete pier, built in 1911–1914, is claimed to be the shortest pier in Britain. However it is merely a beach pavilion, and is thus discounted by many pier experts. In 2008, it was rated amongst the top five piers in Britain by the Daily Express.
The Royal Clarence Hotel
The hotel was built in 1796 and incorporated the first bar in Burnham-on-Sea.
Listed buildings
The Esplanade along the sea front contains several listed buildings from the early 19th century, including number 44, which is also known as Steart House, and numbers 46 and 47.
On Berrow Road, near the High Lighthouse, numbers 4, 6 and 8 were part of a terrace built between 1838 and 1841. Number 31 was previously a lodge. On the corner of Berrow Road and Sea View is a drinking fountain from 1897 with a single dressed stone pier and moulded plinth, topped by a cast iron urn. Each side has the lions head design with those on the north and south sides giving water into a Purbeck Marble bowl.
Education
Primary schools in the town providing education for children up to the age of 11 include: Berrow Church of England Primary School, Burnham-on-Sea Community Infants School, St Andrew's Church of England Junior School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Nursery.
The nearest secondary school is The King Alfred School, a coeducational comprehensive school located in Highbridge. The school is a specialist Sports College. In 2007, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary. The facilities of the dual-use King Alfred Sports Centre, which is next to the school site, are shared between the school and town.
Religious sites
thumb|upright|St Andrew's Church
The parish church, St. Andrew's, is a Grade I listed building dating from the 14th century. It has a high tower, which leans significantly from the vertical, caused by its poor foundations. During the 18th century, a light was placed on the tower to guide fishing boats into the harbour. The church contains a number of marble carvings designed by Sir Christopher Wren for the private chapel in the Palace of Westminster.
There is also an unofficial mosque in the community centre to hold prayer during Jummah and festivals like Eid-ul-Adha, otherwise the nearest official mosque would be in Weston-super-Mare.
There are also places of worship for Baptists, Methodists, Roman Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses in the town.
Transport
Burnham-on-Sea railway station was the terminus of the Burnham branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, but the tracks continued onto the jetty, where ferry services to South Wales could be boarded. The station opened in 1858 as Burnham, and was renamed Burnham-on-Sea in 1920. It closed to scheduled passenger traffic in 1951 and stopped being used for excursions in 1962. It finally closed to goods traffic in 1963.
The former Great Western Railway station is now known as Highbridge and Burnham. The station was opened as "Highbridge" on 14 June 1841, when the Bristol and Exeter Railway opened its broad gauge line as far as Bridgwater. A road crossed the line at the north end of the platforms, and a goods shed was provided beyond this on the west side of the line. The Bristol and Exeter Railway amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876.
thumb|[[Highbridge and Burnham railway station|Highbridge & Burnham station on the Bristol to Exeter line]]
The town is approximately from the M5 motorway and the A38 road.
There are two main bus routes serving Burnham-on-Sea. These are service 21A from Taunton operated by The Buses of Somerset and service 20 from Weston-super-Mare operated by First West of England.
Culture and sport
The town is part of the West Country Carnival circuit.
Burnham and Berrow Golf Course lies at the North of the town and is a 36-hole championship.
Burnham-on-Sea is a noted venue for kitesurfing, as well as other water sports, and has its own sailing club.
Land side many activities cater for either the dominant resident elderly population or the seasonal tourists, including bowls, and there is also a swimming pool and sports academy.
The Burnham-on-Sea rugby union club was formed in 1887. It was wound up after World War 2 and subsequently reformed. After winning the Tribute Somerset Premier in the 2008–09 they were promoted to the Western Counties North, a level seven rugby union league for clubs based in the south-west of England.
The Burnham-on-Sea cricket club was established in 1861 and has played continuously since then. They currently play in the Somerset Cricket League Premier Div. The ground is in Stoddens Road and boasts fine facilities. The best-known player in the club's history is Sammy Woods, who played Test cricket for England and Australia during the 1890s. The club has also provided a number of players for Somerset in the County Championship competition.
In 2016 the town held the Burnham Spray Jam which decorated the streets with artwork from John D'Oh, Andrew Burns Colwill, SPZERO, Irony, Cheba, Diff, Angus, The Agent, Miss Wah, 23 Magpies, Korp and many others. This year the Spray Jam has been incorporated into BOSfest which will also include music, poetry and street entertainment.
The town is home to multi-award-winning eat:Festivals, who organise three food and drink festivals in this town and in 9 other Somerset towns. The festivals have very high sustainability standards and are always free to attend. Featuring workshops, demos, master classes alongside over 100 local producers from within 25 miles and lots of free entertainment.
Notable residents
- Fanny Trevor (c.1818–1904), educator, the first college principal of Bishop Otter College.
- Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (1829–1917), the head of state of Sarawak, 1868 until his death.
- Thomas Alan Stephenson (1898–1961), a marine biologist, he specialised in sea anemones.
- Isobel English (1920–1994), a novelist who wrote Every Eye, attended La Retraite, a Burnham-on-Sea convent school, in 1928.
- John Pople (1925–2004), theoretical chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1925.
- George Shelley (born 1993) of X Factor boy band Union J lived locally and attended The King Alfred School, Highbridge.
Sport
- Ernest Whitcombe (1890–1971), Charles Whitcombe (1895–1978) & Reg Whitcombe (1898–1957) were golfing brothers, all three played together for Great Britain in the 1935 Ryder Cup.
- Arthur Gilbert (1921–2015), the world's oldest competing triathlete in 2011, lived and competed in the town.
- Gary Anderson (born 1970), has been world champion Scottish Darts player, he lives locally.
Twin towns
Burnham-on-Sea is twinned with:
- Cassis, France
- Fritzlar, Germany
References
External links
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- Burnham & Highbridge Town council Website