Blagdon Village Plan
The Plan

About the village

farms; apple orchards; little pollution; woods; tobogganing hills

Blagdon is a largely rural Village in an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) at the foot of Mendip, overlooking Blagdon Lake. It lies 15 miles south of Bristol and 13 miles east of Weston-Super-Mare.

The Village is made up of the historic centre of St Andrew’s Church and the Playing Fields, including the Village-owned Eldred’s Orchard. Within the centre is the Village stores/post office, the family run butcher/greengrocer, a dolls house collectors’ shop, a beautician, four pubs and three churches. The late Victorian Village Club building and The Mead are leased to the Club and Parish Council respectively by Sir David Wills. Blagdon Lake is owned by Bristol Water Company and is a popular spot for trout fishing and naturalists.

Local bus transport is subsidised by both North Somerset and the adjoining unitary authority, which runs services to and from Bristol, Weston-Super-Mare, Cheddar and Bath. Of the 1,200 inhabitants, some work in Bristol, some from home and a number within the Village itself, with the largest employer being Yeo Valley Farms. A coach business also offers employment opportunities and services. On the Village periphery are two restaurant/conference centres and a number of residences, whilst significant areas of the land are still farmed.

The nearest secondary school is 4 miles away. The Village primary school, with its small class sizes and high staff/pupil ratios, provides top quality education in a traditional environment. The school has recently expanded to provide accommodation for pre-school children on site.

The Village has almost 40 active clubs and associations. Young people are catered for during Blagdon’s Youth Week, when a number of individuals and organisations run a week of activities and outings for children of school age, in addition to Scouts, Guides, Youth and Sports Clubs.

The Village has a Parish Magazine to which readers subscribe; and, more recently, the Parish Council’s Blagdon Views, which goes to every household. The Parish Council also helps to fund the Village website, which is beginning to prove a useful resource for the Village.