Weston, Bath

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 51.3962
longitude= -2.3916
official_name= Weston
unitary_england=Bath and North East Somerset
lieutenancy_england= Somerset
region= South West England
constituency_westminster= Bath
post_town= BATH
postcode_district = BA1
postcode_area= BA
dial_code= 01225
os_grid_reference= ST728663

Weston is a suburb of Bath in England, located in the north west of the city. Originally a separate village, Weston has become part of Bath as the city has grown, first through the development of Lower Weston in Victorian times and then by the incorporation of the village itself – also called Upper Weston – into the city with the siting of much local authority housing there in the period after World War II.

Weston is the birthplace of Saint Alphege.cite book |author=Knowles, David |authorlink=David Knowles|coauthors=London, Vera C. M.; Brooke, Christopher |title=The Heads of Religious Houses, England and Wales, 940-1216|edition=Second Edition |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge|year=2001 |isbn=0-521-80452-3 |pages=p. 28, 241] The village parish church is All Saints, originally founded no later than 1156. The current church dates from 1832 and was designed by the local architect John Pinch junior, except for the tower which dates from the 15th century. [cite web|url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442427|title=All Saints Weston|work=Images of England|publisher=English Heritage|accessdate=2008-07-05] The Lower Weston parish church is St John's, barely a mile from Bath's city centre. There is also a Moravian church sited at the bottom of Lansdown Lane and the nearest Catholic church is St. Mary's on Julian Road.

Bath's main hospital, the Royal United Hospital, is on one of the roads from central Bath into Weston, and is generally considered to be in Weston. Strictly however, the hospital is in the neighbouring ward of Newbridge, which covers the Lower Weston area.

Weston has two primary schools, Weston All Saints C.E. V.C Primary School, [cite web|url=http://www.westonallsaints.bathnes.sch.uk/|title=Weston All Saints C.E. V.C Primary School|publisher=BANES|accessdate=2008-07-05] and St Mary's Catholic Primary School. [cite web|url=http://www.st-marys.bathnes.sch.uk/|title=St Marys Catholic Primary Schol|publisher=BANES|accessdate=2008-07-05] Lower Weston is served by Newbridge School; an earlier primary school called Weston St John's closed when the primary departments at Newbridge expanded in the 1970s.

The Weston (Bath) railway station was at Lower Weston and closed in 1953, although the platform building and the stationmaster's house still exist. The station was on the Midland Railway line from Bath to Bristol and to the north, which itself closed in 1966. [Somerset Railway stations by Mike Oakley, Dovecote Press, Wimborne, 2002.]

Weston boasts some of the best transportation connections with the centre of Bath in the city. There are 4 bus services that go to Weston. Firstly the service 14, which runs at a frequency of 7-8 minutes during weekdays and is operated by First and also Faresaver. First use flat floor buses on this route, which is a necessity for this suburb, with its high numbers of young and old who depend on this bus service. Other services include the 20A/C and the 17 which run at half hour intervals.

Weston has a large amount of local amenities, including a recreation ground, and youth club [Centre 69] and large amount of shops and services including a bakery, butcher, supermarket, post office, pet shop, 2 takeaways and 2 newsagents. There is also a greengrocers and 3 hair salons.

References