subject: Bridgwater - Somerset: A Town That Knows What It Wants And Gets It Done [print this page] A town that is eight hundred years old is not only established it usually has a voice. Bridgwater - Somerset is that kind of place. A typical market town and a site where the people spoke their minds, this town offers a strong perspective on who they are and what they are about.
Located on both sides of the River Parrett has various topography of hills, harbor, and wooded countryside. This town was famous for their markets and fairs dating as far back as the Middle Ages. They continue this trend with the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival.
Named for the extremist Guy Fawkes whose plan was to blow up the Parliament in London, this carnival speaks to the political landscape of this town. Bridgwater has held their political beliefs out loud and proud as far back as the Civil War when they stood for the Royalists and ended paying dearly by being persecuted by the other side.
Either way this event is the toast of the Friday closest to November fifth. With up to two hundred thousand people descending here it is a show and an event that you would not want to miss. With floats, or cars as they are called, up to a hundred feet long decorated with lights, people, and anything else participants can find, it is a festival of epic proportions. Those that are involved are called Features or Masqueraders and they make sure they are there for the big, enormous fireworks show at the end.
Some celebrated individuals resided in and around this area from literature to politics. The infamous Admiral Robert Blake was born here at Blake House. Visit the house to see about his brilliant military career and his time as a member of Parliament. Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge of Kubla Khan fame lived and wrote at the Coleridge Cottage. His buddy William Wordsworth would visit and the two would find inspiration in their daily walks. Visit to see where he wrote some of his best poetry like The Nightingale and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
The historical industry was cloth making but the Industrial Revolution changed how cloth was made and where and that shifted the mainstay of this town. Manufacturing products is what keeps the economic balance these days.
The flavor of Bridgwater - Somerset is far from stuffy and boring. This town has found that putting their voice to good use and taking their ability to throw a great party has brought a strong dynamic to this area that brings people to visit seeing something new every time.
