:Midsomer Norton

"Norton" means 'northish enclosure' from the Old English, while the use of its forename to distinguish it from other 'Nortons' is of late origin and not mentioned until 1334.{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Stephen|title=Somerset Place Names|publisher=Dovecote Press|year=2007|isbn=978-1-874336-03-7|page=102}} Sources point to the town being situated midway between two branches of the River Somer; the Somer itself and Wellow Brook, which joins the Somer a short distance to the east near Radstock.

The spelling "Missomerys Norton" may be a variation.{{cite web|title=Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives; CP 40/629|url=http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H5/CP40no629/aCP40no629fronts/IMG_0665.htm|access-date=26 October 2013|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222814/http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H5/CP40no629/aCP40no629fronts/IMG_0665.htm|url-status=dead}}; third entry. line 3; the place where a trespass occurred, according to the plea.

Eilert Ekwall wrote that the village "is said to be so called in allusion to the festival held at midsummer on the day of St. John, the patron saint."{{cite book|last=Ekwall|first=Eilert|title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names|year=1960|publisher=Oxford U.P.|isbn=0-19-869103-3|page=345}}

John Wesley wrote of the appalling local road conditions which ensured it was reachable "only in midsummer." As Simon Winchester notes in his book The Map that Changed the World, "...the roads on this part of Somerset were atrocious, thick with mud and as rough as the surface of the moon".{{cite book|last=Winchester|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Winchester|title=The Map That Changed the World: A Tale of Rocks, Ruin and Redemption|year=2002|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-14-028039-5|page=55|title-link=The Map That Changed the World: A Tale of Rocks, Ruin and Redemption}}

In some church records the town is referred to as 'Norton Canonicorum' as an alternative to Midsomer Norton,{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=67401|title='Index: L — R', volume 1 |last=Historical Manuscripts Commission|year=1907|work=Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Dean & Chapter of Wells|pages=625–657|access-date=14 March 2010}}{{CCEd |type=bishop |id=90 |name=Berkeley, Gilbert |title=Bishop of Bath & Wells |accessed=5 February 2014 }} and this may be because of the local Priory's link to Merton Priory in London until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538.{{cite web|url=http://www.msnmcc.org/Indexa.htm|title=Historical Note|publisher=Midsomer Norton Methodist Church|access-date=30 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725205610/http://www.msnmcc.org/Indexa.htm|archive-date=25 July 2009|url-status=dead}}

The area at what is now Langley’s Lane in Midsomer Norton was an important and rare area of Mesolithic activity focused around an

active tufa spring.http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/7518/7/RAIJ-2018-0007_R1_submitted_accepted_pre_typesetting.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

The Fosse Way runs through the south-western edge of the town between Westfield, Somerset and Stratton-on-the-Fosse.

The parish was part of the hundred of Chewton.{{cite web|title=Somerset Hundreds|url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/|publisher=GENUKI|access-date=8 October 2011}}

Following the Norman Conquest William the Conqueror gave large parts of north Somerset, including the manor of Norton to Geoffrey de Montbray, bishop of Coutances, and Norton was held under him by Ulveva. From about 1150 until 1300 the manor was held by {{Not a typo|Alured}} de Lincoln. From 1387 the manor was held by the family of Thomas West, 1st Baron West and his descendants.{{cite book |title=West Country Churches |last=Robinson |first=W.J. |year=1915 |publisher= Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd|location=Bristol |pages=48–53 }}

The Duchy of Cornwall owned most of the mineral rights around Midsomer Norton and various small pits opened around 1750 to exploit these. Coal mining in the Somerset coalfield gave the town and area its impetus as an industrial centre.

Around 1866 an obelisk Crimean War monument with two marble plaques, was built at the site of St Chad's well, by the mother of Frederick Stukeley Savage for the benefit of the poor. The obelisk was in the grounds of Norton House, a Georgian mansion built by Thomas Savage, an investor in coalmines in the area, in 1789. The house itself has since been demolished but other features of its estate are still visible at Silver Street Nature reserve (see below).{{NHLE|num=1115172|desc= Midsomer-Norton Monument and St Chad's Well|access-date=30 January 2010}}

File:Midsomer Norton Town Hall.jpg]]

There are two electoral wards in the town from which Midsomer Norton elects its own Town Council with an elected Mayor.{{cite web | url= http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/councilanddemocracy/electedrepresentatives/parishandtowncouncils/wardsandtheirparishes.htm | publisher= Bath and North East Somerset | title= Ward/Parish List | access-date=18 January 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080316152754/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/councilanddemocracy/electedrepresentatives/parishandtowncouncils/wardsandtheirparishes.htm |archive-date = 16 March 2008}} It is part of the Frome and East Somerset constituency, which elects a Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The Palladian council offices were built in the mid to late 18th century.{{NHLE|num=1115164|desc=Council Offices|access-date=30 January 2010}} Midsomer Norton Town Hall was commissioned by a local brewer, Thomas Harris Smith, designed in the Italianate style and completed in 1860.{{NHLE|num=1115167|desc= Midsomer-Norton Town Hall|access-date=30 January 2010}}

File:Silver Street Nature Reserve.JPG]]

The main geological feature in this area of the Mendip Hills south of Hallatrow consists of Supra-Pennant Measures which includes the upper coal measures and outcrops of sandstone. The relics of the industrial past are very evident within the area, including the distinct conical shape of the Old Mills batch overlooking the town.{{cite web | title=Rural Landscapes — Area 8 Farrington Gurney Farmlands | work=Bath and North East Somerset Council | url=http://www.highlittletonhistory.org.uk/mining.html | access-date=10 December 2006}}

Midsomer Norton lies on the River Somer which rises to the west of Chilcompton and on the Wellow Brook which rises near the village of Ston Easton. The town therefore occupies two valleys of the Mendip Hills and these merge west of Radstock. The combined river then flows east reaching the River Avon near Midford, thence to Bath and through Bristol into the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth.

On the southern fringes of the town is the {{convert|2|ha|acre}} Silver Street Local Nature Reserve, on the site of the estate of Norton House, an eighteenth century mansion built by the coalmine-owning Savage family but demolished in 1937-8.{{cite web|url=http://www.lostheritage.org.uk/houses/lh_somerset_nortonhouse_info_gallery.html|title=England's Lost Country Houses – Norton House|website=www.lostheritage.org.uk}} It contains a broad-leaf woodland around several ponds, a restored nineteenth-century wellhead that supplied water to the house, and a grassland field. The woodland is leased to the Somerset and Dorset Heritage Railway Trust by Bath and North East Somerset Council and the meadow in the stewardship of Somervale School.{{cite web|url=http://www.avonlocalnaturereserves.org.uk/reserve.asp?id=9|title=Silver Street Local Nature Reserve, Midsomer Norton|publisher=Avon local nature reserves|access-date=15 March 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923180920/http://www.avonlocalnaturereserves.org.uk/reserve.asp?id=9|archive-date=23 September 2015}}

Along with the rest of South West England, the Midsomer Norton has a temperate climate generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about 10 °C (50 °F) with seasonal and diurnal variations, but the modifying effect of the sea, restricts the range to less than that in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 1 °C (34 °F) and 2 °C (36 °F). July and August are the warmest, with mean daily maxima around 21 °C (70 °F). In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The south-west of England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the Azores High extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK.{{cite web|url=http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wxfacts/The-Azores-High.htm|title=The Azores High|access-date=19 November 2006|work=WeatherOnline Weather facts}}

Cloud often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduces exposure to sunshine. The average annual sunshine is about 1,600 hours. Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower clouds and a large proportion of the annual precipitation falls from showers and thunderstorms at this time of year. Average rainfall is around 800–900 mm (31–35 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest; the prevailing wind direction is from the south-west.{{cite web | title=About south-west England | publisher=Met Office |url=http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/location/southwestengland/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007072229/http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/location/southwestengland/index.html |archive-date=7 October 2008 | access-date=21 May 2006}}

For many years, the centre of Midsomer Norton was prone to flooding. Sometimes several times a year, the Somer rose up during prolonged rainfall and flooded shops, particularly where the high street is at its lowest point in the middle between Martin's newsagent and the former Palladium cinema.{{cite web |title=Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of Bath and North East Somerset Level 2 SFRA for Midsomer Norton / Radstock |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Flood-Risk/sfra_level_2_msn_radstock.pdf |publisher=Bath and North East Somerset Council |access-date=8 August 2018}}

To prevent future deluges, a major flood alleviation tunnel — completed in 1977 – was constructed beneath the high street to remove excess water when the town centre was threatened with flooding. The infrastructure comprises a sluice gate situated at the top of the high street near Somervale School through which the water is carried under the town via a pre-cast concrete culvert several metres in diameter to an outlet further downstream at Rackvernal. Since it began operation, no flooding has occurred to the high street and an Environment Agency report confirms that the relief scheme remains in good condition and continues to serve to its 100-year standard.{{cite web|title=Bath and North East Somerset Flood Risk Management Strategy Report Final Report June 2010|url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Environment%20and%20Planning/Flood%20Risk%20Management%20Strategy%20Final%20Report.pdf|publisher=Bath and North East Somerset Council|access-date=7 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928011335/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Environment%20and%20Planning/Flood%20Risk%20Management%20Strategy%20Final%20Report.pdf|archive-date=28 September 2011|url-status=dead}}

Despite the success of the scheme, some outlying areas of the town are now rated at increased risk of flooding from Wellow Brook due to climate change and the increased provision of housing in the vicinity. In 2008 a new monitoring station was installed at nearby Welton through which data on water pressure and flood levels can be collected via metal tubes placed in the river linked to a telemetry box. This facility is now providing the Environment Agency with extremely useful information for use in future assessments of flood risk.

File:Batch Midsomer Norton.jpg

For hundreds of years mining was an important industry for the area, and there were a number of mines in Midsomer Norton,  e.g. Old Mills, Norton Hill,{{cite web | title= List of Mines in Great Britain and the Isle of Man, 1908 | work=Coal Mining Resource Centre | url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cmhrc/lom08glos.htm | access-date=12 November 2006}} and Welton.{{cite web | title=Peak District Mines Historical Society Ltd | url=http://www.pdmhs.com/1896%20Lists/1896-68.htm | access-date=10 March 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715060710/http://www.pdmhs.com/1896%20Lists/1896-68.htm | archive-date=15 July 2011 | df=dmy-all }}{{cite web|title=Camerton |work=Flickr |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/fray_bentos/137850671/in/set-72057594120295305/ |access-date=13 June 2017|date=November 2008 }} However the seams were thin and with the hilly nature around, not easily worked.{{cite book|last=Whitlock|first=Ralph|author-link = Ralph Whitlock|title=Somerset|publisher=B.T. Batsford|year=1975|page=69|isbn=0-7134-2905-4}} Generations of miners who worked in the difficult conditions of the local collieries are remembered at the Radstock Museum. The coming of the railways, particularly the Bath extension of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&D) in 1874, transformed the conveyance of coal out of the area.

The last pit in the town, at Norton Hill, closed in 1966.{{cite book|last=Collier|first=Peter|title=Coliers Way — The Somerset Coalfield|publisher=Ex Libris Press|year=1986|isbn=0-948578-05-X|page=33}} Despite modernisation in the early 1960s, this final pit lapsed into unprofitability due to local geological difficulties and manpower shortages.{{cite book|last=Down and Warrington|first=C.G. and A.G.|title=The History of the Somerset Coalfield|publisher=David and Charles|year=1972|isbn=0-7153-5406-X|page=222}}

One of the town's best known businesses was Prattens, manufacturer of prefabricated buildings, founded in 1912. It was acquired by Beazer in 1980 and its factory in Charlton Road was demolished in the 1990s.{{cite news|url=http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/History-F-Pratten-talk-Thursday/story-24545516-detail/story.html#ixzz449G1qGwu|title=History: F. Pratten|newspaper=Somerset Live}} {{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Midsomer Norton traditionally hosted other industries and became a major manufacturing centre for printing and packaging.{{cite web|url=http://www.business-matters.biz/site.aspx?i=pg67|title=Radstock and Midsomer Norton in focus|year=2008|work=Business Matters in Bath and North East Somerset|publisher=Bath & North East Somerset Council|access-date=14 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706144423/http://www.business-matters.biz/site.aspx?i=pg67|archive-date=6 July 2011}} Some 2,000 people (27% of total employment) work in this industry locally. Following the decline of mining, these companies expanded on local trading estates and in Welton. The sites of the disused collieries in the area have subsequently been developed for light industry.

In recent years some large local firms have closed or relocated blaming poor transport links.{{cite web|url=http://consultations.bathnes.gov.uk/inovem/gf2.ti/f/54018/1231909.1/pdf/-/Core%20Strategy%20Launch%20document%20final%20draft.pdf|title=Bath and North East Somerset Core Strategy Launch document|year=2007|publisher=Bath and North East Somerset Council|page=43|access-date=7 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813230921/http://consultations.bathnes.gov.uk/inovem/gf2.ti/f/54018/1231909.1/pdf/-/Core%20Strategy%20Launch%20document%20final%20draft.pdf|archive-date=13 August 2011|url-status=dead}} Packaging company, Alcan Mardon closed in 2006, although its social club remains.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} Polestar Purnell, based in nearby Paulton also closed the same year with the loss of 400 jobs.BBC News 1 January 2006: End of the line for print workers In August 2011, the town's largest remaining employer, Welton, Bibby & Baron, the largest producer of recyclable paper bags in Europe, announced the closure of its site in Welton, which it occupied for 150 years. The company, known locally as ‘Welton Bag’ planned to move to larger premises at Westbury in Wiltshire, but promised to transfer all 400 jobs to the new site.The Somerset Guardian 11 August 2011

The business parks remain busy however, and the town and environs has its share of national trading companies including supermarkets and retail outlets. The town's High Street has free parking. Many inhabitants commute to Bath and Bristol for employment and shopping.{{cite web|url=http://consultations.bathnes.gov.uk/inovem/gf2.ti/f/54018/1231909.1/pdf/-/Core%20Strategy%20Launch%20document%20final%20draft.pdf|title=Bath and North East Somerset Core Strategy Launch document|year=2007|publisher=Bath and North East Somerset Council|page=23|access-date=7 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813230921/http://consultations.bathnes.gov.uk/inovem/gf2.ti/f/54018/1231909.1/pdf/-/Core%20Strategy%20Launch%20document%20final%20draft.pdf|archive-date=13 August 2011|url-status=dead}}

Dial-a-Ride services for the elderly and handicapped are well used, along with the local Community minibus set up by the local Rotary Club in 1967 under Midsomer Norton & Radstock Community Service Vehicle Trust. This vehicle is for use primarily by organisations in the area serving the disabled and infirm.{{cite web|url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/healthandsocial/communitytransport/Pages/NortonRadstockDialaride.aspx|title=Midsomer Norton & Radstock Ring & Ride|publisher=Bath and North East Somerset Council|access-date=20 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927151947/http://bathnes.gov.uk/healthandsocial/communitytransport/Pages/NortonRadstockDialaride.aspx|archive-date=27 September 2010|url-status=dead}}

File:Midsomernortonstation.jpg

The town was previously served by a station on the Somerset and Dorset Railway (S&D) but this closed in 1966,{{cite web|url=http://www.somersetanddorsetrailway.co.uk/the-railway/stations/midsomer-norton-south/default.asp|title=Midsomer Norton South Station|publisher=New Somerset and Dorset Railway|access-date=14 March 2010}} and by a second station on the Bristol and North Somerset Railway at Welton in the valley.{{cite book|last=Yorke|first=Stan|title=Lost Railways of Somerset|publisher=Countryside Books|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84674-057-2|page=97}} The railways were separate, the S&D being administered by the Midland Railway and the London and South Western Railway companies (later the London Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway) and the North Somerset being run by and then owned by the Great Western Railway. The stations were both called "Midsomer Norton and Welton" (the B&NSR station was originally called just "Welton"); under British Railways, the S&D station was renamed as Midsomer Norton South after a short period as Midsomer Norton Upper; and is currently being restored with occasional open weekends with engines in steam. The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust operates steam trains for a mile up to Chilcompton Tunnel. Today the nearest operating railway stations are at Frome (10.5 miles away) and Bath Spa (11 miles), the latter of which is the most easily accessible via regular direct bus routes.{{cite web |title=Chilcompton |url=http://www.sdjrchilcompton.co.uk/about.html |publisher=Somerset & Dorset Railway |access-date=8 August 2018}}

Midsomer Norton's railway station was mentioned in Slow Train by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann:

{{poemquote|No more will I go to Blandford Forum and Mortehoe, on the slow train from Midsomer Norton and Munby Road

No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat, at Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street

We won't be meeting you, on the slow train ...}}

Children's author Roald Dahl sold kerosene in Midsomer Norton and the surrounding area in the 1930s. He described the experience in his autobiographical work Boy: Tales of Childhood (published 1984):

{{Blockquote|My kerosene motor-tanker had a tap at the back and when I rolled into Shepton Mallet or Midsomer Norton or Peasedown St John or Huish Champflower, the old girls and the young maidens would hear the roar of my motor and would come out of their cottages with jugs and buckets to buy a gallon of kerosene for their lamps and their heaters. It is fun for a young man to do that sort of thing. Nobody gets a nervous breakdown or a heart attack from selling kerosene to gentle country folk from the back of a tanker in Somerset on a fine summer’s day.}}

The Waugh family connection with Midsomer Norton began when Dr Alexander Waugh, father of Arthur Waugh and grandfather of Evelyn Waugh and Alec Waugh, moved in 1865 to Island House, which had been built in the early eighteenth century,{{NHLE|num=1115170|desc=Island House|access-date=30 January 2010}} in The Island in the centre of the town. The family later moved to a house in Silver Street. As a boy, Evelyn Waugh spent his summer holidays in Midsomer Norton with his maiden aunts. He later described his visits there: "I suppose that in fact I never spent longer than two months there in any year, but the place captivated my imagination as my true home never did."The Midsomer Norton, Radstock and District Journal, Thursday 24 September 2009

File:Palladium-electric-wetherspoons-midsomer-norton.jpg

The Palladium cinema was opened as the Empire in 1913 in a building which had previously been a brewery. It closed in 1993 and various attempts were made to turn it into a club and shop,{{cite news|url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/guardian/news/Memories-nights-Palladium-wanted/article-1006555-detail/article.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915124056/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/guardian/news/Memories-nights-Palladium-wanted/article-1006555-detail/article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 September 2012|title=Memories of nights at Palladium wanted|date=20 May 2009|work=Somerset Guardian|publisher=Thbis is Somerset|access-date=30 January 2010}} before Wetherspoons announced in January 2015 that they had acquired the site and intended to seek planning and licensing permission to convert it to a pub, which opened in September 2018 with the name of the Palladium Electric in reference to one of the cinema's former names.{{Cite web |title=Wetherspoon pub chain buys derelict Midsomer Norton builiding [sic] | Somerset Guardian |url=http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Wetherspoons-buys-delelict-Midsomer-Norton/story-25831836-detail/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111215837/http://www.somersetguardian.co.uk/Wetherspoons-buys-delelict-Midsomer-Norton/story-25831836-detail/story.html |archive-date=11 January 2015 |access-date=12 January 2015}} The town was left without cinema for almost two decades. Cinema was brought back to the town under the Palladium name in 2012 with a new community cinema at the Town Hall. In 2013, permanent cinema equipment was installed in the building and an upgrade in 2018 saw new release cinema return to the town for the first time in 25 years.{{cite web|url=http://www.midsomernortoncommunitytrust.co.uk/cinema/ |title=Cinema |publisher=Midsomer Norton Community Trust |date=2 June 2014 |access-date=9 June 2014}}

The town is commemorated in "The Sheriff of Midsomer Norton", by Somerset band The Wurzels.{{cite web |author=Somersetmade Ltd |url=http://www.somersetmade.co.uk/wurzelmania/songsP-S.php |title=Wurzelmania: The Adge Cutler & The Wurzels Encyclopaedia. Made In Somerset! Songs by Adge Cutler and the Wurzels |publisher=Somersetmade.co.uk |access-date=9 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910135608/http://www.somersetmade.co.uk/wurzelmania/songsP-S.php |archive-date=10 September 2012 }} Midsomer Norton hosts the only unofficial carnival on the West Country Carnival circuit. Originally, floats travelled through the main High Street but road improvements put paid to the larger vehicles and for many years the procession was held on the main Fosseway through Westfield. Since 2014 however, the carnival has returned to the High Street following changes made to the traffic layout.{{cite web|url=http://www.midsomernortontowncouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/DRAFT-MINUTES-Annual-Town-Meeting-20th-April-2015.pdf|title=Annual Town Meeting|date=20 April 2015|publisher=Midsomer Norton Town Council|access-date=22 June 2016|archive-date=12 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812182329/http://www.midsomernortontowncouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/DRAFT-MINUTES-Annual-Town-Meeting-20th-April-2015.pdf|url-status=dead}}

The town's free newspaper is the Midsomer Norton, Radstock & District Journal. The other local weekly paper is the Somerset Guardian, which is part of the Daily Mail and General Trust. The monthly magazine, the Mendip Times, also includes local features.

Somer Valley FM (97.5FM and online) is the Community Radio for the district. There is also a community website called Midsomer Norton People where residents can discuss local issues.{{cite web|url=http://www.midsomernortonpeople.co.uk/home|title=Midsomer Norton People|publisher=Associated Northcliffe Digital Limited|access-date=12 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308161439/http://www.midsomernortonpeople.co.uk/home|archive-date=8 March 2010|url-status=dead}}

In 2016 the town's first LGBT Pride celebration event was held at The Wunderbar, which had previously been host to comedians Matt Lucas and Ed Byrne.{{cite news|url=http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/midsomer-norton-gets-ready-lgbt-pride-rural/story-29318216-detail/story.html|title=Midsomer Norton gets ready|newspaper=Somerset Live}} {{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mnrjournal.co.uk/article.cfm?id=100992&headline=Midsomer+Norton+to+have+its+own+Pride§ionIs=news&searchyear=2016|title=Midsomer Norton to have its own Pride | The Midsomer Norton & Radstock Journal|website=www.mnrjournal.co.uk}} The event was held again in 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://www.somersetlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/midsomer-norton-pride-2017-what-27836|title=Midsomer Norton Pride 2017 what you need to know|first=Ruth|last=Ovens|date=18 April 2017|website=somersetlive}}

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the alternative live music and DJ scene in Midsomer Norton flourished with the help of venues such as The Stones Cross and The Wunderbar, which promoted unsigned bands for over 25 years.

On the first Friday of every month the Paradis Palm Court Trio perform free classical concerts in the Town Hall. Choir concerts (male voices in particular) command a local following and the Lions club is a promoter of such attractions usually held in the Methodist or Parish churches.

There are a number of local brass bands. In 2006 Midsomer Norton hosted the European Open Marching and Show Band Championship which saw many bands from all over Europe visit the town.{{cite web|url=http://polaris.king.ac.uk/firsthookscouts/band.htm|title=1st Hook Scout & Guide Band|publisher=1st Hook Scout & Guide Band|access-date=7 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824215000/http://polaris.king.ac.uk/firsthookscouts/band.htm|archive-date=24 August 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rdtc.org/news/images/euro.htm|title=Romford Drum & Trumpet Corps win 4 gold medals at European championships|publisher=Romford Drum & Trumpet Corps|access-date=7 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725052713/http://www.rdtc.org/news/images/euro.htm|archive-date=25 July 2011|url-status=dead}}

Anthony Horowitz, the original writer of Midsomer Murders, borrowed part of the name of the town when he adapted Caroline Graham's Chief Inspector Barnaby series for television in 1997. Although no filming of the show has ever taken place in Midsomer Norton or the surrounding parishes, some names of other nearby locations have been used by the producers in creating their fictional county of Midsomer, including Midsomer Wellow (Wellow), Midsomer Magna (Chew Magna), Midsomer Morton and the main settlement of Causton (Corston). Despite some occasional confusion, there is no other link between Midsomer Norton and the television series.{{cite web|title=Bridge over the River Somer|url=http://www.somersetphotos.co.uk/somerset_pictures/486,places,48,Bridge-over-the-River-Somer,3.html|publisher=Somerset Photos|access-date=29 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073724/http://www.somersetphotos.co.uk/somerset_pictures/486,places,48,Bridge-over-the-River-Somer,3.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}

File:Midsomer Norton parish church.jpg]]

The Old Priory, which was a hotel and restaurant,{{cite web|url=http://www.moodygoose.co.uk/|title=The Moody Goose at the Old Priory|publisher=The Moody Goose at the Old Priory|access-date=30 January 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407092432/http://www.moodygoose.co.uk/|archive-date=7 April 2010}} dates from the early to mid 17th century.{{NHLE|num=1115160|desc=The Priory|access-date=16 March 2010}} Another old building is the Catholic Church of the Holy Ghost, which is a 15th-century tithe barn converted by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It is a grade II* listed building.{{NHLE | desc=Church of the Holy Ghost | num=1115202 | access-date=10 December 2006}} For many years, the local Catholic community were served by Benedictine monks from the now defunct Downside Abbey, formerly under the Diocese of Clifton.

The Anglican Church of St John the Baptist has a tower dating from the 15th century, although the upper stages are from the 17th century, but the rest was rebuilt in Gothic Revival style by John Pinch the younger in 1830–1831 and was extended in the 20th century with new chancel and lady chapel. It is a grade II* listed building.{{NHLE | desc=Church of St John the Baptist | num=1320561 | access-date=10 December 2006}} The churchyard includes a memorial to the 12 miners killed in 1839 when their rope was severed.{{cite book |title=The hidden places of Somerset |last=Scott |first=Shane |year=1995 |publisher=Travel Publishing Ltd |location=Aldermaston |isbn=1-902007-01-8 |page=20 }} St. John's is part of the Diocese of Bath and Wells.{{cite web|url=http://www.bathandwells.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.parish&parishid=26489 |title=Benefice of Midsomer Norton with Clandown (no church) |publisher=Diocese of Bath and Wells |access-date=15 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722110356/http://www.bathandwells.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.parish&parishid=26489|archive-date=22 July 2011 }} The Patronage vests in Christ Church, Oxford.{{cite web|url=http://www.achurchnearyou.com/midsomer-norton-st-john-the-baptist/|title=St John the Baptist, Midsomer Norton|publisher=A church near you|access-date=15 March 2010}}

The Methodist Church in the town's High Street celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.msnmcc.org/Indexa.htm|title=Midsomer Norton Methodist Church Centre|publisher=Midsomer Norton Methodist Church Centre|access-date=18 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725205610/http://www.msnmcc.org/Indexa.htm|archive-date=25 July 2009|url-status=dead}} In 1746, John Wesley's travelling preachers, based in Bristol, were invited in the mid-1700s to support the local society, the man himself first coming in 1767.{{cite web|url=http://www.midsomernorton.bathnes.sch.uk/School_History.htm|title=School History|publisher=Midsomer Norton Primary School.|access-date=12 March 2010}} By the middle of the 1800s, the congregation had outgrown the original chapel erected in 1775 in Rackvernal Road (now demolished). In the 1990s, the present church building and adjoining hall were totally refurbished and linked, the facilities being well used by the local community. Local Methodists are part of the Bristol District of the Methodist Church and in the North East Somerset & Bath Circuit.

The Baptist Church have their building in Welton but hold their Sunday morning service at Paulton Rovers Football Club now in order to accommodate their congregation.

The Salvation Army meet in their citadel at Stones Cross. There is a successful Scout group, the 1st Midsomer Norton Scout Group based at Radstock Road, providing scouting to around 140 boys and girls per week, and a similarly popular Guide group a short distance away at Rock Hall.{{cite web|title=1st Midsomer Norton Scout Group|url=http://www.nortonscouts.net/|publisher=1st Midsomer Norton Scout Group|access-date=23 September 2011}}

First schools for children up to 11 include Midsomer Norton Primary, St. John's Church of England, Welton Primary, Longvernal Primary, Westfield Primary and Norton Hill Primary.{{cite web|url=http://www.radstock-tc.gov.uk/about-radstock/local-information/education |title=Education |publisher=Norton Radstock Town Council |access-date=13 June 2017 }} In addition, St Benedict's Catholic Primary School on the edge of Midsomer Norton with a 'Midsomer Norton, Radstock' postal address, is actually part of the neighbouring Somerset Council's education service.{{cite web |title=St Benedict's Catholic Primary School |url=https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/123840 |publisher=Ofsted |access-date=8 August 2018}}

There are two local secondary schools. Norton Hill School has approximately 1,400 students from the age of 11 to 18. In 1999, it became a Technology College and in 2007 changed specialism to become a Maths and Computing College. In 2006, Norton Hill was also awarded a second specialism as a Language College. The school was described by Ofsted in 2007 as outstanding in every respect.{{cite web |url=http://www.nortonhillschool.com/ |title=Norton Hill School |access-date=7 December 2007 }} The school has received both the Sportsmark Award by Sport England and Artsmark Silver Award.{{cite web|url=http://www.nortonhillschool.com/index.php?id=30,0,0,1,0,0|title=Awards|publisher=Norton Hill School|access-date=8 August 2008}} Somervale School which has foundation status, is a specialist Arts College. In 2008, the school was the first in Bath and North East Somerset to win the Eco-Schools Silver Award.{{cite web | url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/news/latestnews/2008/December/Pages/Somervale%20Wins%20Eco%20School%20Silver%20Award.aspx | title=Somervale Wins Eco School Silver Award | date=4 November 2008 | access-date=6 June 2012 | publisher=Bath & North East Somerset Council | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021212339/https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/news/latestnews/2008/December/Pages/Somervale%20Wins%20Eco%20School%20Silver%20Award.aspx | archive-date=21 October 2011 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} The number of pupils on the school roll had fallen to 603. This fall prompted the school to propose a federation with nearby Norton Hill School in March 2009 called the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership.{{cite web|title=Welcome to Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership|url=http://www.midsomernortonschoolspartnership.com/|publisher=Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership|access-date=9 December 2017}} This is now in place with Alun Williams as the overall head teacher of both schools within the federation.

In October 2010 the federation was confirmed as an academy. Somervale School was awarded ‘Good’ in June 2022 and Norton Hill School was awarded ‘Good’ in March 2023.{{Cite news |date=2022-10-10 |title=Somervale School achieve 'Good' thanks to Ofsted report |url=https://www.mnrjournal.co.uk/news/somervale-school-achieves-third-consecutive-good-judgement-from-ofsted-567522 |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=The Midsomer Norton & Radstock Journal}}{{Cite web |last=Watkins |first=Susie |date=2023-05-19 |title=Norton Hill school retains Good Ofsted status |url=https://midsomernorton.nub.news/news/local-news/norton-hill-school-retains-good-ofsted-status-184854 |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=Midsomer Norton and Radstock Nub News |language=en}} The two schools share a sixth form called the Midsomer Norton Sixth Form which is based across the two school sites.{{cite web|title=Sixth Form|url=http://www.msnsixth.com/|publisher=Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership|access-date=7 January 2014}}

The town is served by a further education college, the Somer Valley branch of Bath College, in neighbouring Westfield. It serves 1,000 full-time students and 5,000 part-time students. The College has steadily expanded since it opened in the 1940s to serve the Somerset coalfields.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/student/into-university/az-uni-colleges/norton-radstock-college-459007.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/student/into-university/az-uni-colleges/norton-radstock-college-459007.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title= Norton Radstock College|date=22 June 2009|work=The Independent|access-date=11 September 2009}} As a Community College, it has expanded its range of vocational programmes, and has become an established part of the community. The college works with local employers to provide training programmes that meet the needs of both employers and employees. This ranges from short skills workshops, through to NVQs, BTEC, Higher National Diplomas and apprenticeships.{{cite web|url=http://www.uk-universities.net/Colleges/Norton-Radstock-College.html|title=Profile of Norton Radstock College|publisher=uk universities.net|access-date=11 September 2009}}

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the Mendip TV transmitter.{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Mendip|title= Full Freeview on the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=7 November 2023}}

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Somerset on 95.5 FM, Heart West on 102.6 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South West on 102.4 FM and Somer Valley FM, a community based station which broadcasts from the town on 97.5 FM.{{Cite web |url=https://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/ |title=Somer Valley FM |access-date=7 November 2023}}

The town is served by the local newspaper, the Midsomer Norton, Radstock & District Journal.{{Cite web |url=https://www.mnrjournal.co.uk/ |title=Midsomer Norton, Radstock & District Journal|access-date=7 November 2023}}

File:South Wansdyke Leisure Centre.jpg

South Wansdyke Leisure Centre provides a wide range of activities including swimming.{{cite web|url=http://www.aquaterra.org/south-wansdyke-sports-centre|title=South Wansdyke Leisure Centre|publisher=South Wansdyke Leisure Centre|access-date=30 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111105703/http://www.aquaterra.org/south-wansdyke-sports-centre|archive-date=11 January 2010|url-status=dead}} Norton Hill and Somervale School also have sports facilities used by town and local groups.

In 2010, additional leisure facilities were constructed including a skate board park and new children's play area. In 2023, parts of the existing playground were removed and placed on the side of the building where a new playground was erected.

There are several football clubs including Welton Rovers F.C. who play in the Western Football League,{{cite web|url=http://www.weltonroversfc.co.uk/page11.html|title=History of Welton Rovers|publisher=Welton Rovers FC|access-date=30 January 2010|archive-date=24 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824053526/http://www.weltonroversfc.co.uk/page11.html|url-status=dead}} Welton Arsenal, and Norton Hill Rangers.

Midsomer Norton has its own Cricket club,{{cite web|url=http://www.msncc.co.uk/|title=Midsomer Norton Cricket Club|publisher=Midsomer Norton Cricket Club|access-date=30 January 2010}} as do Midsomer Norton Methodists, and a Rugby union team.{{cite web|url=http://www.midsomernortonrfc.co.uk/|title=Midsomer Norton Rugby Club|publisher=Midsomer Norton Rugby Club|access-date=30 January 2010}}

File:Denise Johns.jpg (foreground) in action with her teammate Lucy Boulton at Weymouth, Dorset, 2007]]

In 2002, the World Professional Billiards Championship was held at the Centurion Hotel, part of L&F Jones, Midsomer Norton.{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/05/19/stories/2002051902852000.htm|title=Advantage Nalin Patel|last=Sethi|first=Geet|date=18 May 2002|work=The Hindu|access-date=30 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606113625/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/05/19/stories/2002051902852000.htm|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=usurped|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tssonnet.com/tss2525/25250780.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020819054220/http://tssonnet.com/tss2525/25250780.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=19 August 2002|title=Russell crowns himself with glory|date=22 June 2002|work=Potting it right – Geet Sethi Column|publisher=Sportstar|access-date=30 January 2010}}

{{clear left}}

{{Main|:Category:People from Midsomer Norton}}

File:Los Campesinos - 2010.jpg, featuring Midsomer Norton natives Kim (far left) and Gareth Paisey (second from right)]]

File:Uriah Maggs.jpg]]

• Peter Alexander (born 1952), actor who appeared in Emmerdale Farm
• Thomas William Allies (1813–1903), historical writer specialising in religious subjects
• Sir Frank Beauchamp (1866–1950), owner of coalmines in the Somerset coalfield{{cite web|url=http://www.dmm.org.uk/company/n1019.htm|title=Durham Mining Museum – Norton Hill Colliery Co.|first=Durham Mining|last=Museum|website=www.dmm.org.uk}}
• Joan Beauchamp (1890–1964), suffragette and co-founder of the Communist Party of Great Britain
• Kay Beauchamp (1899–1992), Communist who helped found the Daily Worker{{cite web|url=http://www.grahamstevenson.me.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43:kay-beauchamp&catid=2:b&Itemid=98|title=Kay Beauchamp|last=Stevenson|first=Graham|publisher=Graham Stevenson|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• William Bees (1871–1938), English recipient of the Victoria Cross for services in South Africa
• Arthur Bulleid (1862–1951), antiquarian{{cite web|title=Bulleid and Gleeson 1849–1987|url=http://bulliedfamily.com/histories/1987%20Book%20(4).pdf|publisher=Bulleid Family|access-date=1 February 2015}}
• Don Carter (1921–2002), footballer for Bury and Blackburn Rovers{{cite web|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player2/doncarter.html|title=Don Carter|publisher= Post War English & Scottish Football League A — Z Player's Database|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Walter Cook (1894–1973), footballer for Plymouth Argyle, Brighton & Hove Albion and Stockport County.{{cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |publisher=SoccerData |location=Nottingham |date=2004 |page=59 |isbn=978-1-899468-67-6}}
• Chloe Davies (born 1998), paralympic swimmer.{{cite news|url=http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/sport_olympics_2012_news/9890530.PARALYMPICS__Chloe___s_London_2012_bid_overwhelms_proud_mum/ |title=PARALYMPICS: Chloe's London 2012 bid overwhelms proud mum |publisher=The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald |date=25 August 2012 |access-date=9 June 2014}}
• David Fisher (1946–2013), award-winning artist.{{cite web|url=http://www.oldbakeryartists.co.uk/dfisher1.htm|title=David Fisher|publisher=Old Bakery Artists|access-date=7 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303064744/http://www.oldbakeryartists.co.uk/dfisher1.htm|archive-date=3 March 2012}}
• Jody Gooding (born 1981), professional beach volleyball player, lives in the town.{{cite news|url=http://www.akron.com/akron-ohio-sports-news.asp?aID=4203|title=Copley grad enjoying professional volleyball in Great Britain|last=Patrick|first=Sean|date=18 December 2008|publisher=Akron Ohio News|access-date=7 February 2010|archive-date=7 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707102434/http://www.akron.com/akron-ohio-sports-news.asp?aID=4203|url-status=dead}}
• Frederick Gould (1879–1971) MP for Frome, 1923–24 and 1929–31{{cite web|url=http://www.parrytree.co.uk/2992.html|title=Frederick Gould|publisher=Parry Tree|access-date=30 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213140/http://www.parrytree.co.uk/2992.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}
• Sir Ronald Gould (1904–1986), General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers{{cite book|last=Aldrich|first=Richard|author2=Peter Gordon|title=Dictionary of British educationists|publisher=Routledge|year=1989|page=98|isbn=978-0-7130-0177-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-9LxdX7N9AC&q=Ronald%20Gould%20Midsomer%20Norton&pg=PA98}}
• Elizabeth Hallam-Smith (born 1950), historian and former librarian of the House of Lords Library.England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
• Anita Harris (born 1942), actor, singer and entertainer.
• Bert Head (1916–2002), footballer for Torquay United and Bury FC.{{cite web|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player3/berthead.html|title=Bert Head|publisher= Post War English & Scottish Football League A — Z Player's Database|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Denise Johns (born 1978), professional beach volleyball player for Great Britain who lives in the town.{{cite web|url=http://www.doosport.com/people/denise-johns_349/profile |title=Denise Johns |publisher=doosport |access-date=30 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710144334/http://www.doosport.com/people/denise-johns_349/profile |archive-date=10 July 2011 }}
• Uriah Maggs (c.1828–1913), founder of Maggs Bros Ltd, long-surviving antiquarian bookseller{{cite journal|year=1963|title=Maggs Brothers|journal=The Private Library: Quarterly Journal of the Private Libraries Association|volume=4|issue=8|page=161|url=http://www.plabooks.org/media/vol_4_number_8_173.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121112822/http://www.plabooks.org/media/vol_4_number_8_173.pdf|archive-date=21 November 2008}}
• Adrian Monk (1917–2004), Falkland Islands politician.{{Cite web|url=https://www.falklandsbiographies.org/biographies/331|title=DFB|website=www.falklandsbiographies.org}}
• Professor Leslie Rowsell (L.R.) Moore (1912–2003), Professor of Geology at Sheffield University{{cite web|url=http://www.gly.bris.ac.uk/www/history/biogs/moore.html|title=Leslie Rowsell Moore|publisher=University of Bristol|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Sedge Moore (born 1958), musician with The Wurzels{{cite web|url=http://www.thewurzels.com/sedge.htm|title=Sedge Moore|publisher=The Wurzels|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Gareth and Kim Paisey from indie pop band Los Campesinos!.{{cite web|url=http://www.bristolrock.co.uk/BandPages/LosCampesinos/Review/LosCampesinos.htm|title=Los Campesinos at the Thekla|publisher=Bristol Rocks|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Frederick Pratten (1904–1967), cricketer{{cite web|url=http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=pjc4ax&id=I12023|title=RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Somerset Coalfield Connections|website=wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com}}
• George Rowdon (1914–1987), cricketer for Somerset{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/3/3799/3799.html|title=George Rowdon|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Samuel Evans Rowe (1834–1897), Methodist missionary to South Africa{{cite web|url=http://www.genealogyworld.net/missionaries/missionaries_b3.html|title=Missionaries: Selected brief biographies|last=Dixon-Smith|first=Rosemary|publisher=Missionary World|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Ashley Steel (born 1959), business person{{Cite web|url=https://www.accountancyage.com/2005/09/21/profile-ashley-steel-standing-up-for-diversity-in-the-city/|title=Profile: Ashley Steel, standing up for diversity in the City|date=21 September 2005|website=Accountancy Age}}
• Duncan Steel (born 1955), writer on space science{{cite web|url=http://aca.unsw.edu.au/People/Steel.htm|title=Dr DuncanSteel|publisher=Australian Centre for Astrobiology|access-date=30 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013164045/http://aca.unsw.edu.au/People/Steel.htm|archive-date=13 October 2009|url-status=dead}}
• Karen Steel (born 1953), geneticist{{cite web|url=http://elib.uum.edu.my/kip/Author/Home?author=Steel%2C+Duncan.&sort=title&view=list|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307131422/http://elib.uum.edu.my/kip/Author/Home?author=Steel%2C+Duncan.&sort=title&view=list|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 March 2014|title=Duncan Steel}}
• Sir Reginald Thatcher (1888–1975), composer and Principal of the Royal Academy of Music{{Cite web|url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp80627/sir-reginald-sparshatt-thatcher|title=Sir Reginald Sparshatt Thatcher - National Portrait Gallery|website=www.npg.org.uk}}
• Dr. Geoffrey Tovey (1916–2001), expert in serology and founder of NHS Blood and Transplant Service{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1365785/Geoffrey-Tovey.html|title=Geoffrey Tovey|date=20 December 2001|publisher=The Telegraph|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Chris Urch, award-winning playwright{{cite web |url=https://www.lct.org/explore/blog/chris-urch-why-he-wrote-rolling-stone/ |title=Chris Urch On Why He Wrote THE ROLLING STONE |first=Brendan |last=Lemon |date=24 May 2019 |website=www.lct.org |publisher=Lincoln Center Theater Blog |access-date=6 August 2021}}
• Mike Veale, former Chief Constable of Cleveland Police and Wiltshire Police{{Cite web |url=http://www.wiltshire.police.uk/about-us/force-structure/senior-management-team/3-mike-veale |title=Mike Veale |access-date=11 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015003855/http://www.wiltshire.police.uk/about-us/force-structure/senior-management-team/3-mike-veale |archive-date=15 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/12/ted-heath-inquiry-police-chief-quits-wiltshire-head-cleveland/|title=Ted Heath inquiry police chief quits Wiltshire to head up Cleveland force|first1=Victoria|last1=Ward|first2=Martin|last2=Evans|first3=Robert|last3=Mendick|date=12 January 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|newspaper=The Telegraph}}
• Steve Voake, children's author{{cite web|url=http://www.faber.co.uk/author/steve-voake/|title=Steve Voake|publisher=Faber & Faber|access-date=30 January 2010}}
• Arthur Waugh (1866–1943), author and member of a literary family
• Tim Weaver, born 1977, novelist
• Louise Whittock (1896–1951), actress and singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
• C. J. F. Williams (1930–1997), philosopher
• Maisie Williams, born 1997, actor famous for Game of Thrones

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