Rockwell Green

Rockwell Green
Rockwell Green  Rockwell Green shown within Somerset
OS grid reference	ST125205
District	Taunton Deane
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WELLINGTON
Postcode district	TA21
Dialling code	01823
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Taunton Deane
List of places UK England Somerset

Coordinates: 50°58′38″N 3°14′52″W / 50.9772°N 3.2477°W

Rockwell Green is a village near Wellington, in the Taunton Deane district of Somerset, England. It lies just east of the Somerset-Devon border and is overlooked by the Blackdown Hills.

The Wellington Monument is visible from almost anywhere in the village. The monument is on the verge of collapsing, but is to be substantially rebuilt at the cost of up to £4 million by the National Trust.^[1]

Rockwell Green has a railway bridge, under which a steam train, the City of Truro, was first recorded travelling at over 100 mph (160 km/h) in 1904. Although this has been the subject of much debate since then, recent research supports the claim.^[2] There have been numerous requests for a plaque or monument to be placed at the Beam Bridge hotel or Westford rail bridge: however very little has come of this so far.

Two large water towers, both disused, bring a small number of visitors to the village. The older (redbrick) tower was built in the late 19th century and includes a circular steel tank. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.^[3] The more recent concrete tower was built in the 1930s.^[4]

Rockwell Green's concrete water tower

A number of houses in the original village are council owned. In 1991 the population was estimated at 1,618. Since then more houses have been built and the population estimate from the 2001 census was 2,600.^[5]

The village has a butcher's shop, one pub, a fish and chip shop, a post office, a general store, a church, a beauty salon/hairdressers, a primary school and pre school and a village hall. The post office dates from the 19th century.^[6]

References

1. "Wellington monument to cost £4m". BBC News (BBC). 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
2. Andrews, David (2008). "Special Experimental Tests: more pieces of the City of Truro puzzle". Backtrack (Pendragon Publishing) 22 (2): 116–121.
3. "Water Tower (easternmost of pair)". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
4. "Water Tower (westernmost of pair)". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
5. "Town Population". Rockwell Green (Somerset). Town-Guides.org. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
6. "Rockwell Green Post Office". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 2008-07-15.