Dummy Run Contd

Aside

On the way back from Cannington as we passed through Kilve I noticed a sign ’to the beach’ and realised it must be over twenty years since we had ventured there, so we decided to refresh our memory. Kilve is a small parish 12 miles N W of Bridgwater and is bounded on the N by the Bristol Channel and the turnpike road from Bridgwater to Minehead.

As we drove down the narrow lane we couldn’t remember if there was a car park at the end, (there is) so I left MTL and the car in a sensible place and went to explore. I came upon some interesting buildings, a friendly pony and at last, the beach. There were a lot of families around because it was the first decent day since the schools broke up. Fortunately lunch was still fresh in my mind so I wasn’t tempted by the inevitable ‘cream teas’ in the garden of one of the buildings. I made a mental note to bring the grand-children here; young and older there is lots to; interest them

Interesting looking buildings

The ruined Chantry

On the left is the Chantry which was founed in 1329 by Simon Furneaux for five priests to pray for his soul in Kilve Church. The living included a house and garden (now used for cream teas). Then it was used as a farmhouse until 1856 when it was gutted by fire.

Oil Retort
In 1916 it was discovered that the shale beach was rich in oil and in 1924 Dr Forbes Leslie founded the Shaline company to exploit this but sadly it was found to be too expensive to convert the shale to oil so the idea wasn't viable

Excuse me but is this the way to the beach?

Kilve Beach with North Hill in the background
It is a geological site of special interest for rock formation and fossils. There are alternate layers of limestone and shale and they date back to 200 million years ago. The creatures would have been living near the sunlit surface of the sea during the mid Jurassic period. No wonder I feel at home here:)