Wanstrow | |
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Wanstrow shown within Somerset | |
Population | 489 (2011) |
OS grid reference | ST715415 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | SHEPTON MALLET |
Postcode district | BA4 |
Dialling code | 01749 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Devon and Somerset |
Ambulance | South Western |
EU Parliament | South West England |
UK Parliament | |
Wanstrow is a village and civil parish 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Frome in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Cloford.
The name of the village comes from the Old English and means Waendel's tree.
The Bishop of Wells had an estate in the parish before the Norman Conquest which supported a prebend at Wells Cathedral. The estate was split in two with one first called East Wanstrow, and later Church Wanstrow supporting Wells Cathedral and West Wanstrow, Wanstrow Rogers and Wanstrow Buller was given by Hugh Sexey to support the hospital at Bruton.
The parish was part of the hundred of Frome.
The village was involved in the production of coarse earthenware, using clay dug on Wanstrow Common, until 1826.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Mendip, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Frome Rural District, which 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.