Hi Mum,
Another great weekend - First of all we said farewell to Natt Noy who has gone off on an adventure for a few days to see where he was born, and then our adventure began - me, Pisoni & Julie's new TV Co Co Rabbit ..... back on the train again as we went to Taunton to see Julie's family - she had to babysit her little brother for the day! We did get to see much of Taunton this time though - but hope to see a little more next weekend as we are back down again to see Julie's best friend from school, Helen, it's Helen's, and her daughter Amelie's birthday!
But did learn a little about Taunton while we were there:
TAUNTON:
Taunton began as a Saxon village in Somerset. It was called Tone Tun. The Saxon word tun means farm or estate. The word Tone is Celtic and may mean roaring river.
By the early 13th century there was a fulling mill in Taunton. After wool was woven it was fulled which means it was pounded in water to clean and thicken it. From the 13th century Taunton was famous for its wool industry. By the 15th century wool from Taunton was being exported to France, and by the late 16th century it was being exported as far away as Africa
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. There is now a pub named after Perkin Warbeck in the centre of Taunton!
The Market House was built in 1682 with assembly rooms over it. The assembly rooms were used for events like balls and card games. Martket House is still a centre point of Taunton, with pub below & rooms still used for events upstairs!
In the late 18th century wool manufacture in Taunton declined but silk making was introduced into the town in 1778. The railway reached Taunton in 1842. Queens College was built in 1843. It was named after Queen Victoria. Taunton school opened in 1847. Kings College opened in 1880.
In 1974-75 a motorway was built past Taunton - the M5. Today the population of Taunton is 61,000. It is in the country of Somerset & just half an hour away from Bristol on the train.
Taunton also has a a vast military history too:
UK Forces:The Royal Marines are the amphibious commando force of the Royal Navy. In recent times, the Royal Marine Commandos have been deployed to Afghanistan and played a major part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. They have a marine base at Norton Manor Barracks, Taunton, Somerset. 6 Riffles Army Regiment, Taunton: 6 RIFLES, formerly the Rifle Volunteers, comprises over 450 territorial officers and soldiers and covers the Southwest. The Battalion has Company Headquarter locations in Truro, Exeter, Taunton, Dorchester and Gloucester and provides the population of the West Country with the opportunity to be part of an increasingly active and operationally capable Territorial Infantry, illustrated recently with tours to Afghanistan and Iraq. The 6th Battalion will provide support to Regular Rifles Battalions on operations and training, ensuring that The Rifles establishes itself as a truly integrated national Regiment.
The Castle Hotel: The Castle at Taunton is steeped in the drama and romance of English history. Once a Norman fortress, it has been welcoming travellers to the town since the 12th century.
Over the past 60 years, the Castle has been owned and run as a luxury hotel by the Chapman Family. The Castle Restaurant is ranked among the top 40 best places to eat in Britain by The Good Food Guide.
Somerset County Cricket Club: Is based in Taunton. It hosts many tournaments. It is on just on the Rover Tone, and was founded in 1875 . It is having allot of redevelopment done to it at present to add more seats, extend the restaurant & to add a conference centre to the grounds!
The weather was so lovely! We sat outside with Julie in the back garden & did a little sunbathing, but it got a little too hot for me & my fur so i went back inside & played some Mario on the Nintendo DS - that was great fun! We got to meet Julie's cats - Charlie & Hixxy, they are very cute - Charlie had the right idea by curling up in the sink - nice & cool in there for her, ha ha!!
On our way home we stopped of at the Somerset Cricket Ground, didn't get to see much of a good view of the inside - but was still nice to say we had been! They have a whole stand named after the famous player Ian Botham! We also stopped off at the beach - was such a lovely view just as the sun was going down! We had a ice-cream & sat on the deck chairs to relax! We wanted to go on the Pier, but it got burnt down last year - they are going to build another one though, maybe i will get to see that one day!
Back to Julie's before bed time & i had enough time to squeeze in another ice-cream to help me cool down - we had early start the next day so needed to get my rest
On Sunday we went with Julie up to the 'Downs' - it was beautiful - 400 acres of grassland stretching from the very cliffs of the Avon Gorge to the edges of the Victorian-built suburbs. It is just at the top of area called Clifton in Bristol - it's a very posh area of the city!! There were so many people up there playing football & having BBQ's as the weather was great again! We weren't there to eat though, we were there to go on a bike ride with Julie! We ended a great bike ride & weekend with a little drink - perfect
Anyway, that is enough from me for now - i am shattered after my weekend, don't realise how much the heat takes it out of you!! Going to rest up in the Julie's room as nice & cool in there until Friday when we are off again on our travels!
Hope you are ok, Lots of Love, Claire xxx
