Ashwick can be explored through its different historical layers: the Church of St James and Ashwick Court reveal building phases from different centuries, while the Parish of Ashwick also contains archaeological traces dating back a long way. There is also a linear walking route between Gurney Slade and Stoke St Michael. Those planning a stay can consider architectural history, archaeology and landscape as different points of interest.
Church and Architectural History
The Church of St James in Ashwick is a Grade I listed building. Its architectural history can be read in two distinctly different phases: the tower is a Perpendicular tower dating from around 1450, while the rest of the building dates from 1881 and is Gothic Revival in style. The church was originally a chapel of ease under Kilmersdon. The building thus brings together a 15th-century tower, a later main structure and an earlier ecclesiastical function.
Ashwick Court offers another perspective on how buildings change over time. The imposing house dates from the early 17th century. It was remodelled in the 18th century and given a new, elegant main façade. Both the house’s early origins and its later façade are therefore relevant to understanding it. Together with the Church of St James, Ashwick Court illustrates the different ways in which buildings acquired their present-day appearance over several centuries.
Fosse Way and Archaeological Traces
Ashwick’s eastern boundary follows the route of the Roman Fosse Way. The Boundary Stone at ST6389946560 also stands on the Fosse Way in Ashwick: it is an 18th-century listed limestone boundary stone bearing the carved date 1766. The stone is a specific example of a historic feature along the route; its material and inscription distinguish it from the archaeological sites in the parish.
There are around 14 Neolithic burial mounds on Beacon Hill, the highest point in the Parish of Ashwick. They date from between 4,000 and 2,500 BC. In Cockles Wood in the Nettlebridge Valley are two rock shelters, where the earliest traces of human settlement in the valley were found. Artefacts discovered in the shelters date from around 2,500 BC. These sites represent different kinds of archaeological evidence: the burial mounds on Beacon Hill, and the rock shelters and artefacts found there in Cockles Wood.
Landscape and Walking
Woodland areas also form part of the parish’s archaeological picture. The part of Beacon Wood within Ashwick contains remains spanning a period of around 4,000 years. A smaller rectangular patch of woodland also lies within the Parish of Ashwick, west of the Fosse Way.
For a walk, the linear route from Gurney Slade to Stoke St Michael is a clearly defined option: it is 3.4 miles, or 5.6 kilometres, long. The route crosses open pasture to Ashwick, then continues through woodland and across fields to Stoke St Michael. Pasture, woodland and fields are therefore part of the route’s described sequence. As the route is linear, take the start and end points into account when planning. Check the route details locally before setting out; conditions in the fields may vary seasonally.
Discover more destinations: Milverton, Burnham-On-Sea, Milborne Port, North Curry, Wiveliscombe, Templecombe, Nunney, Chiselborough.
For the overarching travel guide: Somerset.
