Mendips & North Somerset

Towns & Villages

CLEVEDON

A small, traditional seaside resort, Clevedon existed as far back as the 11th century but came of age during the Victorian era when families from nearby Bristol sought the sea air. Its pier, opened in 1869, is one of the oldest in England. Visitors can take cruises across the Bristol Channel from here. The long seafront contains gardens, a lake and other genteel asides while a light railway carries tourists around Salthouse Fields. The ‘Curzon’ cinema is the oldest of its type in the world.

Clevedon tidal lake - Photo: Clive Perrin

Clevedon Court - Photo: Derek Meek

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge honeymooned here with his bride Sarah Fricker. Another writer, William Makepeace Thackeray (‘Vanity Fair’), was a frequent visitor to 14th century Clevedon Court, now run by the National Trust. One of the building’s former owners, Sir Edmund Elton, created the famous ‘Elton Ware’ pottery. The Court was also once home to Arthur Hallam who inspired Tennyson’s ‘In Memoriam’. Nearby is an Iron Age fort known as Cadbury Camp.