Museums · South Wales
Portishead, Somerset
Portishead ( PORT-iss-hed) is a town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary authority area, in the county of Somerset, England. With a population of 26,366 at the 2021 Census, the town is loca
Neil Owen — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Best time of year
- Year-round
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Portishead ( PORT-iss-hed) is a town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary authority area, in the county of Somerset, England. With a population of 26,366 at the 2021 Census, the town is located on the Severn Estuary opposite Cardiff and Newport in Wales. The town is 8 miles (13 km) to the west of Bristol and 18 miles northeast of Weston-super-Mare and approximately 110 miles (180 km) west of London. Portishead has a long history as a fishing port. As a royal manor it expanded rapidly during the early 19th century around the docks, with supporting transport infrastructure. A power station and chemical works were added in the 20th century, but the dock and industrial facilities have since closed and have been redeveloped into a marina and residential areas. Portishead was also the telephone control centre used by British Telecom (BT) for non-direct dialled calls to maritime vessels, a service known as Portishead Radio. The headquarters of both Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Avon Fire and Rescue Service are in Portishead. Portishead Lifeboat Station is situated close to the marina. Run solely by local Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers, it serves the waters of the Severn estuary and inland waterways into the city of Bristol.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Portishead ( PORT-iss-hed) is a town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary authority area, in the county of Somerset, England. With a population of 26,366 at the 2021 Census, the town is located on the Severn Estuary opposite Cardiff and Newport in Wales. The town is 8 miles (13 km) to the west of Bristol and 18 miles northeast of Weston-super-Mare and approximately 110 miles (180 km) west of London. Portishead has a long history as a fishing port. As a royal manor it expanded rapidly during the early 19th century around the docks, with supporting transport infrastructure. A power station and chemical works were added in the 20th century, but the dock and industrial facilities have since closed and have been redeveloped into a marina and residential areas. Portishead was also the telephone control centre used by British Telecom (BT) for non-direct dialled calls to maritime vessels, a service known as Portishead Radio. The headquarters of both Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Avon Fire and Rescue Service are in Portishead. Portishead Lifeboat Station is situated close to the marina. Run solely by local Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers, it serves the waters of the Severn estuary and inland waterways into the city of Bristol.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The name Portishead derives from the "port at the head of the river". It has been called 'Portshead' and 'Portschute' at times in its history and Portesheve in the Domesday Book, and was locally known as Posset. The town's recorded history dates back to Roman times, Other sites that have been identified include a 1200 by site that was successively occupied by the Romans, Britons and Danes. There is some evidence that it may have been the western end of the Wansdyke, an early medieval or possibly Roman boundary with a series of defensive linear earthworks extending to the Savernake Forest near Marlborough in Wiltshire. After the Norman conquest the manor was held by the Bishop of Coutances…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.4840, -2.7626
- District
- North Somerset
- Parish
- Portishead
- Postcode
- BS20 7GD
- Parliamentary constituency
- North Somerset
Sources
- wikipedia: Portishead, Somerset (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Portishead, Somerset?
- Portishead, Somerset is in South Wales, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 51.4840°, -2.7626°.
- Is Portishead, Somerset wheelchair accessible?
- Partially — OpenStreetMap notes limited wheelchair access at Portishead, Somerset. Check ahead for specific facilities.