Axbridge Heritage Trail’s new notice board
Ahead of the unveiling of the first blue plaque as part of Axbridge’s new Heritage Trail, the craftsmen of the Axe Valley Men’s Shed based in Cheddar have constructed a notice board.
The beautifully crafted board will take pride of place in the Town’s Square by the former phone box to carry information about the town. The men’s shed chairman Andy Laken said the board has been a joint effort by members of the shed and they were delighted to help the new heritage trail in Axbridge with its contribution.
On Saturday, November 6, the town’s mayor Kate Browne will unveil the first of the plaques of the Heritage Trail at the town hall. The new plaque will eventually make up the heritage trail of 40 sites around Axbridge. Former mayor and town councillor Barbara Wells who has been the driving force behind the heritage trail said: “The trail will eventually consist of some 40 properties with blue plaques and QR codes on buildings around Axbridge.
“The plaques will have a brief description of the history of the building or the famous person that lived there and in many cases also a QR code in the window with more information and photos.
“The local firm Enable have provided IT support for the trail and local charities and groups have helped provide grants.
“The Town Trust and Town Council have given support and the Cheddar Valley Men’s Shed have helped make a beautiful noticeboard for the square.
“There is also a children’s trail to follow with 25 questions, leaflets can be picked up in the Church, Ripleys or The Almshouse, answers can be found on the website.
“We hope the heritage trail will be up and running soon after Christmas and a geo cache trail is also planned.”
The unveiling will take place at 10am during the farmer’s market and the manager of the Co-operative store in the town will also present the Heritage Trail with a cheque for £150 to help fund the project. For details of the heritage trial visit www.axbridgeheritagetrails.com
Barbara Wells said they had taken care to gain the permission of the property owners where the plaques would be sited including advice from Sedgemoor District Council officers. Local historian John Page had assisted with the wording for the plaques and the QR codes in order to give accurate information to visitors.
The Heritage Trails aims to attract new visitors to the town and encourage them to stay longer and to appreciate the long and varied history of Axbridge and its medieval, Georgian and Victorian buildings. It will also be on interest to residents, especially young people, to examine the history on their own doorstep ahead of the pageant in 2022.
For about the men’s shed visit https://axevalleymensshed.org/ or their Facebook site.
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