Knowle St Giles

Knowle St Giles
A series of houses along a lane.
Malherbie Court, Knowle St Giles
Knowle St Giles is located in Somerset
Knowle St Giles
Knowle St Giles
Location within Somerset
Population244 (2011) [1]
OS grid referenceST345115
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCHARD
Postcode districtTA20
Dialling code01460
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
50°53′57″N 2°55′58″W / 50.899246°N 2.932789°W / 50.899246; -2.932789

Knowle St Giles is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, situated on the River Isle 2 miles (3 km) south of Ilminster and 2.5 miles (4 km) north east of Chard. The village has a population of 244.[1]

The parish includes the village of Cricket Malherbie.

History

In the Domesday book of 1086, Knowle St Giles is recorded as having small holdings by five villani and four bordarii. In the medieval period this grew with the reclamation of forest on Windwhistle Hill.[2]

The parish of St Giles Knowles was part of the South Petherton Hundred.[3]

Governance

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including evaluating local planning applications, initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, consulting with the district council on the maintenance and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths and street cleaning, working with the police, district council and neighbourhood watch groups on crime, security and traffic, and assessing environmental and conservation matters such as trees and listed buildings.

The village falls within 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 Chard Rural District.[4] The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.

It is also part of the Yeovil 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.

Landmarks

Cricket Court was erected as a country house in 1811 for Admiral Stephen Pitt, his family being cousins of the Earl of Chatham.[5]

The road bridge over the River Isle is a Grade II listed building.[6]

Religious sites

The former Church of St Giles is no longer consecrated and has been converted into a private house.[7]

The Church of St Mary Magdalene in Cricket Malherbie, has 12th-century origins, but was rebuilt around 1855 by Rev J.M. Allen. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.[8]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Knowle St Giles.
  1. ^ a b "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ Havinden, Michael. The Somerset Landscape. The making of the English landscape. London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 97. ISBN 0-340-20116-9.
  3. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Chard RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Cricket Court, and attached balustraded walling around basement areas (1056158)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  6. ^ "Road Bridge over River Isle". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Former Church of St Giles (1366430)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Mary Magdalen (1177461)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 February 2008.