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The ceremonial county of Somerset consists of the non-metropolitan county Somerset County Council, and two unitary authorities North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset or BANES as it is known, not too affectionately, to its inhabitants.
In general I stick to the ceremonial counties, otherwise I'd have to keep redesigning the site every time the government decides it is in its interest to redraw the boundaries.
Dating back to medieval times, Allerford Packhorse Bridge is Allerford village's main attraction.
The village takes its name from the ford next to the bridge over the River Aller. It is still in use to this day.
Claverton Manor, sits on the top of the hill with spectacular views over the Limpley Stoke Valley and the River Avon.
It is a fine old Georgian house with extensive grounds, much of which are open to the public.
It also houses The American Museum in Britain which is worth visiting even if you are not particularly interested in Americana.
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The cairn on Dunkery Beacon marks the highest point in Somerset and one of the highest in southern England.
It is 520 m (1,705 ft) above sea level, and needless to say the views across Exmoor and north to the Bristol Channel are stunning.
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There always seems something vaguely incestuous about using water running downhill to pump water uphill but, in fact, it was a common practice.
A number of water wheel driven examples are preserved at Wheal Martyn China Clay Country Park in Cornwall, and the almost magical ram pumps are still used in remote areas.
Claverton Pump uses the same principal, but on a grand scale. The massive waterwheel is 7.3m (24ft) wide and 5.2m (17ft) in diameter, and the pump can raise 447 cubic metres (98,500 gallons) of water an hour to the Kennet and Avon Canal some 14.6m (48ft) above the river.
It was built by the great architect and engineer, John Rennie, and completed in 1813. The pumping station operated continuously until 1952, and then lay derelict until restored by volunteers and reopened in 1978.
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N.B. The information on the Martock Treasurer's House that used to be here is now to be found on my Treasurer's House, Martock page.
The information on Yeovil Junction Station that used to be here is now to be found on my Yeovil Railway Centre page.
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