Ansford
{{Short description|Village in Somerset, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|51.0938|-2.5143|display=inline,title}}
| official_name = Ansford
| population = 1,175
| civil_parish = Ansford
| unitary_england = Somerset Council
| lieutenancy_england = Somerset
| region = South West England
| constituency_westminster = Glastonbury and Somerton
| post_town = Castle Cary
| postcode_district = BA7
| postcode_area = BA
| dial_code = 01963
| os_grid_reference = ST640328
| static_image_name = Ansford from Ditcheat Hill - geograph.org.uk - 454856.jpg
| static_image_alt = Patchwork of fields and trees with buildings showing in the distance. In the foreground is grass with a ruined building.
| static_image_caption = Ansford from Ditcheat Hill
}}
Ansford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the northern edge of Castle Cary, with a population of 1,175.
The village lies on the A371, close to Castle Cary railway station and the River Brue, where the bridge dates from 1823.{{NHLE | desc=Ansford Bridge | num=1056267 | access-date=22 November 2008}}
Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Wincanton Rural District.{{cite web|title=Wincanton RD|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10202474|work=A vision of Britain Through Time|publisher=University of Portsmouth|access-date=4 January 2014}}
It is also part of the Glastonbury and Somerton county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.
Landmarks
The nearby Hadspen house and garden includes the house which is a grade II* listed building,{{NHLE | desc=Hadspen House | num=1251809 | access-date=24 November 2007}} and a private park with formal gardens created by William Player.{{cite web|url=http://www.thehadspenparabola.com/a-new-walled-garden-at-hadspen/ |title=A New Walled Garden at Hadspen |access-date=24 November 2007 |work=Hadspen Parabola |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811132849/http://www.thehadspenparabola.com/a-new-walled-garden-at-hadspen/ |archive-date=11 August 2007 |url-status = dead}}
Education
There is a Secondary School called Ansford Academy which has over 700 students aged 11–16.
Religious sites
There is a Methodist church and the Church of England St Andrew's, which has a 15th-century tower, with the remainder of the church being rebuilt by Charles Edmund Giles in 1861.{{NHLE | desc=Church of St. Andrew | num=1307553 | access-date=22 November 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ansfordchurch.co.uk/ |title=St Andrew's Ansford |access-date=18 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121014535/http://www.ansfordchurch.co.uk/ |archive-date=21 January 2010 |url-status = dead}}
Notable residents
It was the birthplace of clergyman and diarist James Woodforde and, in 1763, his nephew Samuel Woodforde.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Ansford}}
- {{OpenDomesday|ST6333|ansford|Ansford}}
{{South Somerset}}
Category:Villages in South Somerset