Axminster

Sister cities

• Douvres-la-Délivrande

History

The town dates back to the Celtic times of around 300 BC. It lies on two major Roman roads: the Fosse Way from Lincoln to Seaton, and the Dorchester to Exeter road. There was a Roman fort on the crossroads at Woodbury Farm, just south of the present town. Axminster appears on the Peutinger Map, one of only 15 British towns on that Roman era map. Axminster was recorded in the late 9th century as and in the Domesday Book of 1086 as . The name means "monastery or large church by the River Axe" and is a mixture of languages; the river name Axe has Celtic origins and is an Old English word. There was allegedly a castle in the town, as reported in the 1600s by Sir William Pole, and believed to have been close to the current Market Square. The later history of the town is very much linked to the carpet industry, started by Thomas Whitty at Court House near the church in 1755. The completion of the early hand-tufted carpets was marked by a peal of bells from the parish church as it took a great amount of time and labour to complete them. Axminster carpets continue to this day providing carpets for Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and other royal buildings. In 1210, a charter was granted to the town that included the right to hold a weekly cattle market; this was held in the market square until it was moved to Trinity Square in 1834. It then moved in October 1912 to a site off South Street, where it was held for 94 years. It finally closed in 2006 in the aftermath of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak. A building on the site then continued to be used for a general auction until all the buildings were demolished and replaced by a housing development. The town was on the coaching route from London to Exeter. In 1760 a coaching inn named The George Hotel was…

Geography

The hamlet of Abbey Gate lies to the south of the town near the A35 and A358 intersection. Other villages within of Axminster include Chardstock, Colyford, Combpyne, Dalwood, Hawkchurch, Kilmington, Membury, Musbury, Raymond's Hill, Rousdon, Shute, Smallridge, Tytherleigh, Uplyme and Whitford.

Most-observed species

• Meadow Brown

  Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  2,176
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,840
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,785
• Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 · Aves
  1,731
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,714
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,546
• Speckled Wood

  Pararge aegeria (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  1,440
• Gatekeeper

  Pyronia tithonus (Linnaeus, 1771) · Insecta
  1,417

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2019-12-05
  1 km ESE of Taunton, United Kingdom
• M 3 — 2019-05-19
  7 km ESE of Swanage, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2011-06-23
  4 km WSW of Bovey Tracey, United Kingdom
• M 2.5 — 2006-08-14
  1 km E of North Petherton, United Kingdom
• M 3.7 — 2004-01-29
  2 km E of North Petherton, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2004-01-29
  2 km E of North Petherton, United Kingdom