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112-521: Donald Thomas was born in Weston-super-Mare , Somerset on 18 July 1934. He was educated at Queen's College, Taunton , before completing his National Service in the Royal Air Force (1953–1955) and then going up to Balliol College , Oxford (1955–1958). He held a personal chair as Professor Emeritus of English Literature at Cardiff University . Thomas's earliest works seem to have been in

224-517: A Benedictine enclosed convent for women, who subsequently entered into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church . From 1866 to 1868 he preached regularly at St Bartholomew's Moor Lane Church and other London churches. His conduct was so extravagant, however, that he was suspended, from officiating or preaching in the Diocese of London , by Bishop Archibald Tait ; "owing in part to

336-547: A Zionist , British Israelite , and a believer in the flat earth theory. Lyne was heavily ridiculed by many of his contemporaries, though the Anglican diarist Francis Kilvert described him in his 2 September 1870 diary entry about Kilvert's visit to the Chapel House farm: He struck me as being a man of gentle simple kind manners, excitable, and entirely possessed by the one idea. [...] His head and brow are very fine,

448-680: A Catholic Order, nor a Church of England exactly, but an offshoot of the High Church movement associated with the idea of a revival of the [a]ncient British Church"—which Joanne Pearson in Wicca and the Christian Heritage , calls a "literary fantasm" —and his abbey church conducts some services in Welsh . The Cambrian noted that had Lyne addressed the 1889 National Eisteddfod of Wales , in Brecon , on behalf of

560-507: A boy, Francis George Nobbs, who eventually became known as ex-monk Widdows , from the Guild of St William. In 1868 Hughes became a popular guest speaker at Protestant platforms in London and other places, where he scandalised his audiences with revelations of the "semi-Popish and improper practices" of Ignatius and other ritualists. The Saturday Review published an account of one such meeting that

672-650: A different set of case histories.) In academic circles, he is especially well known for his studies of the criminal underworld of London from Victorian times, through World War II to the Kray twins . He wrote seven biographies and a handful of other biographical studies, as well as fictionalised biographies of individuals such as Bonnie Prince Charlie . His biography of Lewis Carroll is recommended by Representative Poetry Online , and his other biographical works can be found on many academic reading lists. He edited volumes of Everyman's Library on poets ranging from John Dryden to

784-685: A gentle slope, it is inadvisable to try to reach the sea at low tide, as the sand gives way to deep mud which has often resulted in loss of life over the years. Driving on the beach is permitted in certain areas, but occasionally the drivers are caught unawares as they drive too close to the sea and break through the sand into the underlying mud, and are then stuck. The tidal rise and fall in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel can be as great as 14.5 m (48 ft), second only to Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada . This tidal movement contributes to

896-662: A guild for men and boys, called the Society of the Love of Jesus , with himself as superior. Prynne, to Lyne's mother, wrote: "He was animated by a very true spirit of devotion in carrying out such work as was assigned to him; and his earnest and loving character largely won the affections of those among whom he ministered." In Plymouth, Lyne formed two friendships which were very important in his future career; these two friends were Edward Bouverie Pusey and Priscilla Lydia Sellon. According to Bertouch, these two were "the ghostly foster-parents of

1008-531: A licence to preach and subsequently inhibited him. In 1863 Lyne acquired premises on Elm Hill, Norwich , in face of local opposition. Special masses were celebrated for the community by the sympathetic vicar in St Laurence's Church, Norwich , at Lyne's instigation, produced further conflicts between him and the bishop. Lyne's appeal for support to Bishop Samuel Wilberforce only elicited a recommendation of submission. Forcing himself upon public notice by addressing

1120-820: A missionary tour through Canada and the United States where he was cordially invited to preach in the churches of many denominations; but his zeal for heresy-hunting was not appreciated by the Episcopal Church of America. On his return he initiated a petition to the archbishops and convocation for measures against historical criticism of the scriptures; and at the Birmingham Church Congress of 1893 he denounced future Bishop of Oxford Charles Gore for his 1890 essay "The Holy Spirit and inspiration" in Lux Mundi . On 27 July 1898, Lyne, an ordained deacon in

1232-527: A mitre and crozier on the cleric concerned – and therefore the term "consecration" does not imply anything other than a kind of formal induction to an abbatial post. Suggestions that Vilatte went even further and consecrated Ignatius a bishop have been discounted by Peter Anson a leading authority on episcopi vagantes , who says that Vilatte did nothing other than ordain Ignatius to the priesthood, making it clear that Ignatius refused to consider being raised to

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1344-493: A monastic pattern. He was encouraged by Sellon, and largely influenced by Pusey, who presented him with his first monastic habit. With two Brothers, he took possession of this house, but the existence of the community was cut short by Lyne's serious illness. In Bruges , Belgium , where he went to convalesce, he studied the Rule of Saint Benedict . On his return in 1861 he replaced Alexander Heriot Mackonochie as curate of St George in

1456-538: A monk" which Hilliard wrote were a reference to Brother Augustine. Another case was revealed on 18 February 1869, in the Marylebone Police Court , while both men were summoned, on charges of drunkenness and disorder in the public street, the magistrate gathered that both lived some six years back at the Elm Hill Priory and had a sexual relationship. Hughes was in charge of St William's Guild, of which Nobbs

1568-527: A number of other titles, and three series featuring the main characters of: (Verity was created under the pseudonym Francis Selwyn.) His other novels include The Raising of Lizzie Meek , "based on the scandals surrounding the Victorian miracle-worker Father Ignatius of Capel-y-ffin ". Thomas is represented by Bill Hamilton of A.M. Heath & Company, Ltd. Having retired from Cardiff University, he remained affiliated there, as an Associate Research Professor in

1680-501: A pamphlet in favour of the revival of monasticism in the Church of England. This publication excited vehement controversy. Together with one or two kindred spirits Lyne formed in Claydon, Suffolk , a community, which was frequently menaced by Protestant violence. His reasons were strong and clear. Souls are perishing by thousands close to our doors. The Church of England, as she is at present,

1792-483: A seasonal amusement park and ice rink . In July 2011, North Somerset Council gave planning approval to the £50 million Leisure Dome , a 210-metre (690 ft) indoor ski slope to be built on the site of RAF Locking . In 2015 the future of the project was in doubt because of the need for additional funding, and no mention of the LeisureDome proposals appear on the information provided by St. Modwen Properties ,

1904-408: A significant reduction in the number of rehabilitation facilities in the town, with the number of patient beds having nearly halved. A structure known as Silica was installed at Big Lamp Corner during 2006. It is a piece of public art, an advertising sign, a retail kiosk selling newspapers and hot food, as well as a bus shelter. It has been criticised by local residents who liken it to a carrot or

2016-465: A space ship, although it is meant to symbolise man's harmony with the sea. This was part of North Somerset Council's ongoing civic pride initiative that has sought to revitalise Weston-super-Mare's public spaces, which had suffered a period of decline. Other public space improvements have been made throughout the town such as improvements to the street scene in Grove Park Village. On 28 July 2008,

2128-671: A study on censorship in modern Britain, reviewed as "provocative, timely and disturbing" by Iain Finlayson in The Times . Thomas died on 20 January 2022, at the age of 87. As a poet, Thomas won the Eric Gregory Award in 1962 for his collection Points of Contact . His biography of Robert Browning A Life Within Life was a runner-up for the Whitbread Prize , and his Victorian Underworld

2240-509: A variety of subjects predominantly set in Victorian England. He also wrote a small number of non-fiction works dealing with similar subjects/settings, among them a study of the Victorian underworld, and biographies of Robert Browning , the Marquis de Sade , Henry Fielding , and Lewis Carroll . His 1978 (rev. ed. 2001) biography of Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald highlights

2352-488: Is Ellenborough Park a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the range of plant species found there. The beach of Weston Bay lies on the western edge of the town. The upper part is sandy, but the sea retreats a long way at low tide, exposing large areas of mud flats (hence the colloquial name of Weston-super-Mud). The tidal range in this part of the Bristol Channel is great, and since beach and mud flats are on

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2464-455: Is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the range of plant species found there. Weston comes from the Anglo-Saxon for the west tun or settlement; super mare is Latin for "above the sea" and was added to distinguish it from the many other settlements named Weston in the Diocese of Bath and Wells . Prior to 1348 it was known as Weston-juxta-Mare ("beside

2576-456: Is a 17th-century structure with later additions. Though it remains adjacent to the church, it has not been a parsonage house since the end of the 19th century. Today it is known as Glebe House and is divided into flats. The Old Thatched Cottage restaurant on the seafront carries the date 1774; it is the surviving portion of a summer cottage built by the Revd. William Leeves of Wrington . Early in

2688-399: Is a grade II* listed building . Large areas of land were released for development from the 1850s onwards. Large detached villas, for the middle classes, were built on the southern slopes of Worlebury Hill. Semi-detached and terraced housing was built on the low "moorland" behind the sea front in an area known as South Ward. Many of these houses have now been converted into bedsits . Most of

2800-508: Is about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the seafront. The beach is sandy but low tide reveals areas of thick mud which are dangerous to walk on. The mouth of the River Axe is at the south end of the beach. To the north of the town is Sand Point which marks the upper limit of the Bristol Channel and the lower limit of the Severn Estuary . In the centre of the town is Ellenborough Park , which

2912-452: Is as good as himself and is perfectly unworldly, innocent and unsuspicious. He gave the contractor £500 at first, took no receipt from him. And so on. The consequence is that he has been imposed upon, cheated and robbed right and left. But Kilvert also described in his 15 July 1870 diary entry that Lyne's' brother, Clavering Lyne, told him about "some of the extraordinary visions which had appeared to [...] Ignatius, particularly about

3024-691: Is notable for fully retaining many Art Deco features both internally and externally, and retaining its original theatre organ , a Compton from 1935. It is believed to be the only cinema organ in the West Country left working in its original location and is still in regular use. Other organs by Compton in Weston-super-Mare can be found at Victoria Methodist Church and All Saints' Church by George Bodley (modelled on that in Downside Abbey ). Local traders, unhappy that visitors were not coming as far as

3136-414: Is wholly unable to grapple with the task. . . . Communities of men   —   call them colleges, monasteries, or whatever you please   —   appear to be the most suitable for the object in view. These men should be unmarried and altogether unshackled by earthly cares and domestic ties. Such establishments must be governed by rule. The rule of St. Benedict has received universal sanction, and

3248-461: The Norfolk News , that occurred at Elm Hill Priory in which a monk, Brother Augustine, wrote a love letter to a boy, an apprentice printer, who sang in the choir. The allegations horrified Norwich. The newspaper included the following passage in an editorial about the situation published a week later: We tell "Ignatius" plainly, and we tell everybody else connected with this establishment who has

3360-456: The Bristol Channel 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill . Its population at the 2021 census was 82,418. The area around the town has been occupied since the Iron Age . It was still a small village until the 19th century when it developed as a seaside resort. A railway station and two piers were built. In the second half of the 20th century it

3472-646: The Luftwaffe . The first bombs fell in June 1940, but the worst attacks were in January 1941 and in June 1942. Large areas of the town were destroyed, particularly Orchard Street and the Boulevard. On 3 and 4 January 1941, incendiary bombs fell on the town. The Air Ministry set up a " Q-station " decoy at Bleadon in an attempt to divert the bombers to an unpopulated area. In all 110 civilians lost their lives through enemy action in

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3584-587: The Member of Parliament (MP), John Penrose during his maiden speech in the House of Commons in 2005. By 2009, Weston was home to around 11% of drug rehabilitation places in the UK, and North Somerset Council proposed an accreditation system examining the quality of counselling, staff training, transparency of referral arrangements, along with measures of the treatment's effectiveness and site inspections. By 2012, there had been

3696-571: The Poppy Appeal . The Bristol and Exeter Railway arrived in Weston-super-Mare on 14 June 1841. This was not the route that serves today's Weston-super-Mare railway station , but rather a single-track branch line from Weston Junction , midway between the present day Worle and Uphill junctions, which terminated at a small station in Regent Street close to the High Street. A second larger station

3808-758: The Queen's Flight . Residential areas outside the town centre include Ashcombe and the Oldmixon, Coronation, and Bournville housing estates , built in the mid to late 20th century. In 1986, Weston General Hospital was opened on the edge of Uphill village, replacing the Queen Alexandra Memorial Hospital on The Boulevard, which was opened in 1928. Around 2000, the town saw a growth in residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment centres, with attendant crime and social problems. These problems were highlighted by Weston's councillors and newspapers, and by

3920-716: The Welsh language and of the Ancient British Church and also admitted a Druid, taking the bardic name Dewi Honddu, by the Archdruid Clwydfardd ; and had spoken for the rights of the Ancient Welsh Church at the English Church Congress held at Cardiff , by the permission of the Bishop of Llandaff . Pearson argues that "concern with ancient, indigenous religions emerging and operating independently of

4032-511: The West Midlands . Weston was found to attract two distinct groups: "grey tourists" over the age of 60 and families with young children. The Art Deco Tropicana , once a very popular lido on the beach, suffered years of neglect before closing to the public in 2000, and despite a number of attempts to reopen it, permission was given to demolish it in 2012. However, the complex reopened in 2015 and now serves as an events space, primarily hosting

4144-481: The 1970s, Weston has suffered a decline in popularity as a holiday destination, as have most British seaside resorts, due to the advent of cheap foreign holidays and the demise of the traditional "works holidays" of heavy and manufacturing industries elsewhere in UK. The town had become a centre of industries such as helicopter production, and maintenance at the GKN Westland factory until its closure in 2002, however

4256-520: The 19th century, Weston was a small village of about 30 houses, located behind a line of sand dunes fronting the sea, which had been created as an early sea wall after the Bristol Channel floods of 1607 . The Pigott family of Brockley , who were the local Lords of the Manor, had a summer residence at Grove House. Weston owes its growth and prosperity to the Victorian era boom in seaside holidays. Construction of

4368-473: The Bristol Channel in the spring of 1897, from Penarth (near Cardiff) to Brean Down (just south west of Weston, on the other side of the River Axe ). A second railway, the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway , opened on 1 December 1897, connecting Weston to Clevedon . The terminus station was at Ashcombe Road. The railway was extended to Portishead on 7 August 1907 but was closed in 1940. Much of

4480-702: The Bristol Church Congress of 1863, he could only secure a hearing through the interposition of Bishop Charles Ellicott . His life in Norwich was varied by a mission to London and by quarrels within the community. In 1866, owing to a flaw in the title-deeds, Lyne found himself dispossessed of his Elm Hill property, and he moved to a house in Chale , Isle of Wight, lent him by Pusey. In 1867 he moved to Laleham and in Feltham nearby he started another Anglican religious order ,

4592-555: The Church of England but "unable to receive orders in his own church" for over three decades, was ordained priest by Joseph René Vilatte . Rene Kollar wrote, in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , that "for a time" Lyne "dreamed of establishing a British Old Catholic church." Years earlier, in 1890–1891, while Lyne was on his tour of North America raising funds for his work in England, The Cambrian wrote that his order "is not

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4704-801: The Church of Rome characterises the heterodox Christian churches of the episcopi vagantes in England, Wales and France" and "was a theme that was to influence the development of Druidry and Wicca ." She believes, based on accounts published during his tour of him being the "Druid of the Welsh Church" and "belonging to an Ancient British Church, older than any except Antioch and Jerusalem", Lyne may have been part of another episcopus vagans ' , Richard Williams Morgan , recreated Ancient British Church , given its overtones of Welsh nationalism and links to neo-druidism. It was, according to Desmond Morse-Boycott, in Lead, Kindly Light , his accepting ordination "at

4816-574: The East , London, and took charge of St Saviour's mission church. Now convinced of his monastic vocation, he assumed the Benedictine religious habit . The innovation was challenged by Charles Lowder , founder of the Society of the Holy Cross , his ritualist vicar, and after nine months Lyne resigned rather than abandon his monastic dress. In 1862 Lyne, who henceforth called himself Father Ignatius , issued

4928-514: The Grand Pier in the top ten free attractions in England. However, as of 2014, the pier charges for admission. On the Beach Lawns was a miniature railway operated by steam and diesel locomotives, which closed in 2012. The Paddle Steamer Waverley and MV Balmoral offer day trips from Knightstone Island to various destinations along the Bristol Channel and Severn estuary . Since the 1970s

5040-686: The Helicopter Museum, are staged at the beach lawns over a long weekend around the end of July, when up to 75 helicopters from Europe fly in for a static display. There are frequent Helicopter Air Experience flights from the Museum heliport. There is also an annual display by the Red Arrows . Weston Bike Nights are motorcycle meetings on the Promenade each Thursday during the summer. They are organised by The Royal British Legion Riders Branch to raise money for

5152-532: The Post-Romantics, and also offered a translation of Michel Millot and Jean L'Ange's bawdy 17th century novel L'École des filles , which is described as "both an uninhibited manual of sexual technique and an erotic masterpiece of the first order" on its back cover. In fiction terms, he is perhaps best known for his more recent works, in particular a series of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, beginning with 1997's The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes . He has also written

5264-658: The Protestant world ablaze with joy and expectation." Joseph Leycester Lyne died in Camberley on 16 October 1908, and was buried in Llanthony Abbey. The abbey was left to the few remaining monks, subject to the right of an adopted son, William Leycester Lyne; in 1911 it passed into the hands of the Anglican Benedictine community of Caldey Island . At one point, an Anglican priest, one Father Richard Courtier-Forster

5376-581: The School of English, Communication and Philosophy. In 2005, as Personal Chair in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy at Cardiff University, he "donated a selection of his personal archive of research papers, used in writing his series of acclaimed books on the Underworld in Victorian and World War II eras to the University [of Cardiff]'s Special Collections and Archives." Some of his last works included

5488-458: The Selwyn pseudonym (returning to it briefly in the late 1980s for some non-fiction works, and once in 2000, for another "Verity" novel), and began writing under his own name, Donald (S.) Thomas, switching from academic study and biography to Sherlockiana and crime fiction, all underpinned with his deep knowledge of the times and cultures of which he writes. He wrote a number of books, mostly novels, on

5600-441: The abbey church and various pictures are cared for by the present owners of the monastery but are not normally on view. Ignatius's effort to revive monasticism in England bore little fruit. His persuasive oratory and his courage in the face of persecution were combined with extravagance of conduct and an impatience of authority which rendered him unable to work even with sympathisers. The Order of St Benedict founded by Ignatius

5712-553: The action taken by [Ignatius] in respect to a lady whom he proposed to 'solemnly excommunicate from our Holy Congregation'." In 1869 Lyne purchased land near Capel-y-ffin in the Black Mountains , Wales, and built Llanthony Abbey , four miles further up the valley from Llanthony Priory . The cost of the building, which remained incomplete, was defrayed by friends and the pecuniary returns of Lyne's mission preaching. Accounts of miracles and supernatural visitations enhanced

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5824-527: The administration of Somerset County Council . When Avon was split up in 1996, it became the administrative headquarters of the unitary authority of North Somerset , one of the successor authorities, which remains part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. There are 11 electoral wards in Weston. The MP for the Weston-super-Mare parliamentary constituency is Dan Aldridge of the Labour Party , who won

5936-404: The area of legal and historical fact, notably revised texts of Thomas Bayly Howell 's collection of state trials, originally collected at the behest of William Cobbett and published between 1809 and 1826. Among his earliest forays into the world of fiction was Sergeant Verity and the Cracksman , 1974, published under the pseudonym Francis Selwyn . By the early 1980s, however, he had largely shed

6048-447: The borough. In the later part of the war, United States Army troops were billeted in the area, but they were relocated in the run-up to D-Day . RAF Weston-super-Mare was opened in 1936 by No. 24 Group, with a single tarmac runway. It served as a flying candidates selection and initial training facility, and as a relief airport during World War II , latterly as the Polish Air Force Staff College from April 1944 to April 1946. After

6160-421: The centre of the town, built a new pier closer to the main streets. Opened in 1904, and known as the Grand Pier , it was designed to be 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. Further development occurred after World War I , with the Winter Gardens Pavilion in 1927, the open air pool , with its arched concrete diving board, and an airfield dating from the inter-war period. Art Deco influences can be seen in much of

6272-433: The character of the buildings in the town derives from the use of local stone, much of it from the Town Quarry. Notable among the architects working in the 19th century was Hans Price (1835–1912). Many examples of his work are still to be seen: the Town Hall , the Mercury Office, the Constitutional Club (originally the Lodge of St Kew), villas and numerous other domestic dwellings. The Odeon Cinema by Thomas Cecil Howitt

6384-475: The characteristics of that individual which served in large part as inspiration both for C. S. Forester 's Horatio Hornblower , and for Patrick O'Brian 's Jack Aubrey . In 1994, his Hanged in Error? provided an overview/investigation as to the likely guilt of seven individuals all hanged in the UK before its abolition as a means of capital punishment in 1965. The book dealt with the cases of Timothy Evans , John Williams (alias George MacKay, hanged in 1913 for

6496-476: The company still retains a design office under the name GKN Aerospace Engineering Services at the Winterstoke Road site. Road transport links were improved with the M5 motorway running close by, and the town now supports light industries and distribution depots, including Lidl 's distribution centre for its southern based stores, and is also a dormitory town for Bristol . Vutrix, one of the largest semiconductor and video/audio distribution equipment companies in

6608-449: The deposition of natural mud in bays such as Weston. There has been concern about pollution levels from industrial areas in Wales and at the eastern end of the Bristol Channel; however this tends to be diluted by the Atlantic waters. There are measurable levels of chemical pollutants, and little is known about their effects. Of particular concern are the levels of cadmium and to a lesser degree residual pesticides and hydrocarbons. Just to

6720-404: The developers about their plans for Locking Parklands as the site is now known. It was planned to include a 40-metre (130 ft) climbing wall , a vertical wind tunnel for indoor skydiving , indoor surfing, a BMX track, a health and fitness club , and a number of shops and restaurants. The ski slope will be the longest in the United Kingdom. 'International HeliDays', in association with

6832-584: The effects of which he feels to this day". Bertouch saw it as "the culminating link in a heavy chain of influences, and one which was destined to throw a strange psychological glamour over the entire atmosphere of this devotional and emotional career." He was removed, and his education was completed at private schools in Spalding and Worcester . He early developed advanced views of sacramental doctrine. An acquaintance with Bishop Robert Eden procured Lyne's admission to Trinity College, Glenalmond . There he studied theology under William Bright , and impressed

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6944-449: The episcopate, even though it is equally certain that Vilatte did offer to consecrate him. Anson, who was at one time a monk under Aelred Carlyle at Caldey, wrote extensively on the Llanthony and Caldey Anglican monastic experiments, and describes the Baroness de Bertouch's hagiographic book (for which Ignatius himself furnished much information) as being one that "reads like fiction"). According to Kollar, Ignatius eventually also became

7056-500: The established villages of Worle , Uphill , and West Wick, as well as new areas such as Locking Parklands and Haywood Village. Municipal history began in 1842 when a Local Act was obtained for "paving, lighting, watching, cleansing and otherwise improving the Town of Weston-super-Mare in the County of Somerset and for establishing a Market therein" under the jurisdiction of eighteen appointed Commissioners. Town Commissioners gave way to an Urban District Council in 1894, and then in 1937

7168-423: The fatal shooting of Inspector Arthur Walls in Eastbourne during a burglary attempt), Edith Thompson , Robert Hoolhouse , Neville Heath , Charles Jenkins (hanged in 1947 together with Christopher Geraghty for fatally shooting Alec de Antiquis following a botched London jewel robbery), and James Hanratty . (N.B. This is not the same as the similarly titled 1961 book Hanged in Error by Leslie Hale , which contains

7280-447: The first hotel in the village started in 1808; it was called "Reeves" (now the Royal Hotel). Along with nearby Burnham-on-Sea , Weston benefited from proximity to Bristol , Bath and South Wales . The first attempt at an artificial harbour was made in the late 1820s at the islet of Knightstone and a slipway built from Anchor Head towards Birnbeck Island. Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his family lived in Weston, at Swiss Villa (towards

7392-445: The forehead beautifully rounded and highly imaginative. The face is a very saintly one and the eyes extremely beautiful, earnest and expressive, a dark soft brown. When excited they seem absolutely to flame. He wears the Greek or early British tonsure all round the temples, leaving the hair of the crown untouched. His manner gives you the impression of great earnestness and single-mindedness. [...] Father Ignatius thinks every one

7504-431: The ghosts which come crowding round him and which will never answer though he often speaks to them. Also about the fire in the monastery chapel at Norwich, that strange unearthly fire which Father Ignatius put out by throwing himself into it and making the sign of the cross." David Hilliard wrote in Victorian Studies that an "Anglo-Catholic underworld" produced groups "whose members delighted in religious ceremonial and

7616-419: The hands of Eric Gill , the sculptor and typographer. The monastery has a later religious association in that it was, for two years or so, the home of the controversial Carmelite friar and writer Father Brocard Sewell , who withdrew there after he had written to The Times questioning Catholic teaching on birth control and criticising the encyclical Humanae Vitae ; as things turned out, no sanction

7728-427: The hands of a wandering (Old Catholic) bishop, who was an adventurer" that discredited him with the Church of England which "denied him the priesthood". De Bertouch wrote that Vilatte also consecrated Ignatius as a mitred Abbot, but whether this is so is not clear. In Catholic practice the conferring of abbatial status is closely analogous to the consecration of a bishop – in that both procedures involve conferring

7840-431: The houses built in the Victorian era are built from stone and feature details made from Bath Stone , influenced by local architect Hans Price . In 1885, the first transatlantic telegraph cable of the Commercial Cable Company was brought ashore and the company started a long association with the town, ending in 1962. Guglielmo Marconi , the inventor of wireless telegraphy, successfully transmitted radio signals across

7952-425: The lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011 , the population of Weston-super-Mare is 76,143. This makes it the largest settlement in North Somerset, which has a total population of 188,564. 20.1% of the town's population are aged 65 or over, compared with the national average of 16.5%. By 2017 the population was estimated at 88,000. 96.5% of

8064-667: The local prestige of the monastery, of which Ignatius constituted himself abbot . But the life of the community never ran smoothly. Few joined the order; in many cases those who joined soon fell away. In 1873 Lyne was summoned before Vice-chancellor Sir Richard Malins for detaining Richard Alfred J Todd, a ward in chancery, as a novice at Llanthony, and was ordered to release the young man. His difficulties were increased by family quarrels. His father, who had persistently opposed his son's extreme Anglican practices, repudiated him altogether after his mother's death in 1877, and publicly denounced his conduct and doctrines. Ignatius combined

8176-584: The local trains between Taunton, Bristol and Cardiff, but during the peak periods London trains call at both stations. Weston Milton station is on the single track loop and therefore has only one platform, while Worle is on the main line and has two side platforms. The Weston loop diverges just to the southwest of Worle station, and the junction is therefore known as Worle Junction. Joseph Leycester Lyne Joseph Leycester Lyne , known by his religious name as Father Ignatius of Jesus ( ( 1837-11-23 ) 23 November 1837 – ( 1908-10-16 ) 16 October 1908),

8288-549: The locality. Over a three-year period the Heritage Action Zone aimed to boost economic growth and researched Weston's heritage and urban development, by reviewing Weston's listed buildings, using aerial photographs , undertaking a historic characterisation of Weston-super-Mare, its land and sea environs and a report on the architecture of the town, which culminated with the publication of a new book Weston-super-Mare The town and its seaside heritage . In November 2021, it

8400-477: The monk's vocation, or at any rate of its consummation". Almost up to his death, Pusey was the chosen administrator of the Sacrament of Penance to Ignatius. Pusey was his "friend, his confidant, his arbitrator in all situations difficult." This Society grew to about forty members. Lyne went to Pusey and Sellon for advice about it. Sellon, with Pusey's encouragement, loaned him a house to begin his community life on

8512-517: The north end of Trevelyan road), while he was supervising the construction of the Bristol and Exeter Railway in the area. With the opening of the railway in 1841, thousands of visitors came to the town from Bristol, the Midlands and further afield, on works outings and bank holidays . Mining families also came across the Bristol Channel from South Wales by paddle steamer . To cater for them, Birnbeck Pier

8624-543: The north of the town is Sand Point which marks the lower limit of the Severn Estuary and the start of the Bristol Channel . It is also the site of the Middle Hope 84.1-hectare (208-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest . The town's suburbs include Ashcombe, Bournville, Coronation, Ebdon, Haywood Village, Hutton , Locking , Locking Parklands, Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon, St. Georges , Uphill , West Wick, Worle and Worlebury . Along with

8736-497: The number of visitors staying for several nights in the town has decreased, but the numbers of day visitors has increased. In 1995 there were 4 million visitors but by 2005 this had risen to 5.3 million. In 2007 69% of visitors to the resort were day visitors, compared to 58% in 2005. The 2005 survey showed that day visitors stay in Weston-super-Mare for an average of six hours whilst overnight visitors stay for an average of five nights. The largest percentage of visitors (22%) were from

8848-478: The pavilion at the end of the Grand Pier was completely destroyed by a fire. Eleven fire engines and 80 firefighters could not contain the blaze, which is believed to have started in the north-east tower of the Pavilion. A competition was held to design a new pavilion, and the project was awarded to the winning architect Angus Meek Architects of Bristol. Construction work began on the pier and new pavilion in 2009, and it

8960-411: The picturesque neo-Gothic externals of monastic life." Hilliard wrote that those groups did not enforce strict criteria for entry and "it is likely that they were especially attractive to homosexually inclined young men who felt themselves drawn to the male environment of a monastic community and the dramatic side of religion." An example cited by Hilliard was an incident, published on 17 September 1864 in

9072-437: The population are white, compared with 86% nationally. In 1831 the town population was 1,310, and in 1801 just 138. In 2001, the town comprised 34,441 households, while in 1829 it comprised just 250. The vast majority (96.5%) of the population described themselves as white in the 2011 census. 58.2% are Christian, with 32.4% describing themselves as having no religion. No other religious groups achieved as much as 0.5%. Since

9184-622: The profession of a cloistered monk with the activities of a wandering friar. When the churches were closed to him, he appeared in lecture halls and theatres, and impressed the public everywhere by his eloquence. On 12 December 1872 he appeared as the champion of Christianity in an interesting public encounter with Charles Bradlaugh , founder of the National Secular Society , in the Hall of Science in Old Street, London. From 1890 to 1891, he made

9296-467: The rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 900 mm (35 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have

9408-587: The rest of South West England , Weston has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 11  °C (52  °F ). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately 22 °C (72 °F). In winter mean minimum temperatures of 2–3 °C (36–37 °F) are common. In

9520-458: The sea front. It has direct services to London Paddington operated by Great Western Railway , and also trains to stations such as Bristol Temple Meads , Taunton , Severn Beach and Cardiff Central . CrossCountry services run to Birmingham and the North. The station has two platforms . Other stations are located at Weston Milton and Worle . During the middle of the day they are served by

9632-515: The sea"). The name was changed by Ralph of Shrewsbury , who was the Bishop of Bath and Wells . Between the 14th and 17th centuries the "super Mare" part of the name disappeared and it was just known as Weston, although in 1610 it was recorded as Weston on the More; môr being the Welsh word for sea. Weston's oldest structure is Worlebury Camp , on Worlebury Hill , dating from the Iron Age . Castle Batch

9744-464: The seat from John Penrose of the Conservative Party in the 2024 general election . The mainly flat landscape of Weston is dominated by Worlebury Hill , 109 metres (357 ft), which borders the entire northern edge of the town, and Bleadon Hill , 176 metres (577 ft) which together with the River Axe , and Brean Down at Uphill form its southern border. In the centre of the town

9856-455: The slightest power of reflection, that the herding together of men in one building, with the occasional letting in of young girls—some of them morbid, some of them silly and sentimental—and of boys likewise, with soft, sensitive temperaments, cannot fail to produce abominations. A year later the community at Elm Hill Priory was almost destroyed when James Barrett Hughes, known as Brother Stanislaus, rebelled against Lyne's authority, then fled with

9968-623: The statue of the Blessed Virgin commemorating her alleged apparitions at the monastery in August and September 1880, as well as the memorial Calvary opposite the site of the related ‘holy bush’. A considerable collection of archives and artefacts has been assembled under the auspices of the Trust, most of which is housed at the Abergavenny Museum; the tabernacle which formerly stood on the high altar of

10080-475: The summer the Azores high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours. In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection . Most of

10192-440: The television broadcasting industry, is based in the town. Two of the town's largest employers are the local council and Weston College , which has recently begun to offer university degrees as a secondary campus of Bath Spa University . Weston-super-Mare is a tourist destination, with its long sandy beach, Helicopter Museum , Weston Museum , Grand Pier and seasonal Wheel of Weston. A 2009 survey by Visit England placed

10304-609: The town received its Royal Charter as a municipal borough . In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , it was merged into the Woodspring district of the Avon County Council , and became a Charter trustees town. Weston-super-Mare regained its town council in 2000, becoming a civil parish . The island of Steep Holm is part of the civil parish of Weston-super-Mare. Before 1 April 1974, Weston-super-Mare came under

10416-407: The town's architecture from this period. During World War II over 10,000 official evacuees were accommodated in the town, however only 130 spent four or more years in the town. The area was also home to war industries, such as aircraft and pump manufacture, and a Royal Air Force station at RAF Locking . The town was also on the return route of bombers targeting Bristol and was itself bombed by

10528-604: The veneration of thirteen centuries. It is suitable in almost every way for all ages and times, and is consistent with the most faithful loyalty to the English Church. The specific objectives of this order were: There were three orders within the Community. The First Order, to whom the above objects apply, observed the Rule of St. Benedict in its integrity. The novitiate lasted, first for six months, then for four, then for two, then for

10640-486: The war it served as a logistics supply station, with helicopter makers Westland Helicopters on site until closure in 1987. Today there is an operational heliport on site used occasionally by the RAF Search and Rescue service. The former Westland site, which closed in 2002, houses the Helicopter Museum featuring examples of Westland aircraft. Pride of place is given to an immaculate Westland Wessex HCC Mk.4, formerly of

10752-499: The warden, John Hannah , by his earnest piety. After a year's lay work as catechist in Inverness , where his eccentricity and impatience of discipline brought him into collision with Bishop Eden, Lyne was ordained into the diaconate in 1860, on the express condition that he should remain a deacon and abstain from preaching for three years. He became curate to George Rundle Prynne , vicar of St Peter's, Plymouth , and soon started

10864-475: The well-known Cheshire family, the Leycesters of Tabley. In October 1847 Lyne entered St Paul's School, London , under Herbert Kynaston. In 1852 he suffered corporal punishment for a breach of discipline. His biographer, Baroness Beatrice de Bertouch, four years before his death, described it as the event, "which not only endangered his life" but also "was the cause of a distressing condition of nerve collapse,

10976-431: The work, a scour protection apron and splash wall were added as part of flood prevention measures. In March 2017 Weston-super-Mare was chosen as one of the 10 successful bids for the first phase of the creation of Heritage Action Zones (HAZ) a scheme where Historic England works with local partners in places with significant historic environment to use that heritage to help build economic growth and other opportunities in

11088-646: The year, until the novice was considered really called by God to take the life vows. The Second Order consisted of men and women living in the world, and yet leading in their own homes a strictly religious life, using a prescribed dress, reciting the canonical day hours according to the Benedictine Use, and also observing the five rules of the Third Order . This Third Order consisted of men, women and children bound by solemn promise to obey five definite rules regulating: The Bishop of Norwich , John Pelham , refused him

11200-483: Was a castle that once stood overlooking the town. The present site has an earthwork mound of 160 feet (50 m) in diameter which is believed to be the remains of a motte . The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred . The medieval church of St John was demolished in 1824 and rebuilt on the same site, though a stump of the medieval preaching cross survives by the exterior south wall. The former rectory

11312-475: Was a member. Bertouch wrote that Nobbs "was reported to have affirmed that not only had the Superior [Ignatius] been aware of their degeneracy, but that he had condoned and encouraged it, by performing on their behalf, and in his own church, a ceremony which in itself was blasphemy and sacrilege of the most revolting kind." Bertouch also wrote: "This was the digest of the accusation, and it needed no more to set

11424-604: Was an Anglican Benedictine monk. He commenced a movement to reintroduce monasticism into the Church of England . Lyne was born in Trinity Square, in the parish of All Hallows-by-the-Tower , London, on 23 November 1837. He was the second son of seven children of Francis Lyne, merchant of the City of London, by his wife Louisa Genevieve (d. 1877), daughter of George Hanmer Leycester , of White Place, near Maidenhead, Berkshire , who came of

11536-634: Was announced that North Somerset Council had agreed to purchase Birnbeck Pier from its owners and planned to restore it with additional funding from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Historic England , and others. Newer housing has since been built towards the east of the town in North Worle, Milton, Locking Parklands, Weston Village, Haywood Village and West Wick, nearer to the M5 motorway . Weston-super-Mare has expanded to include

11648-583: Was appointed to succeed Ignatius as Abbot, but following the ordination of Ignatius' designated Prior Asaph Harris by Vilatte, the Abbot-designate resigned and all real hope of regularising the Llanthony Benedictines as an Anglican foundation ended. Father Asaph Harris lived on until 1960. The Caldey Benedictines collectively submitted to Rome in 1913 and the Llanthony monastery eventually passed into

11760-456: Was completed in 1867, offering in its heyday amusement arcades , tea rooms, amusement rides and a photographic studio. It is now in a derelict state and has been added to English Heritage 's Buildings at Risk Register , but visitors can still admire its structure from behind barbed wire. It was designed by Eugenius Birch with ironwork by the Isca Foundry of Newport , Monmouthshire . It

11872-647: Was connected to the M5 motorway but the number of people holidaying in the town declined and some local industries closed, although the number of day visitors has risen. Attractions include the Grand Pier , Weston Museum and The Helicopter Museum . Cultural venues include The Playhouse , the Winter Gardens and the Blakehay Theatre . The Bristol Channel has a large tidal range ; the low tide mark in Weston Bay

11984-440: Was constructed in 1866 to replace this, when planning permission was gained to create a loop station from the main line. After legal action was taken by residents along the proposed new route through issues of planning blight, the station on the current site was constructed in 1881. Today, the station, which is on a short loop off the Bristol to Exeter line , is situated close to the town centre and less than ten minutes walk from

12096-527: Was ever imposed on Fr Sewell either by the Prior Provincial of his Order or the local bishop. Sewell considered his stance a matter of conscience and subsequently published a book The Vatican Oracle (1970) detailing his views. Fr Ignatius's abbey church, which was never completed, fell into disrepair before the Gill family arrived and the roof was removed during the 1930s. In 1967 responsibility for its upkeep

12208-488: Was held in London, noted inconsistencies in his story, called Hughes a novice "in the art of reasoning", and congratulated "the devotees of Exeter Hall on having found an orator so entirely worthy of them as the converted novice, Mr James Barrett Hughes; and Father Ignatius on having got rid of a monk and created an enemy, who seems to be even madder than himself." At a different meeting in London, two Norwich youths "made frightful charges, utterly unfit for publication, against

12320-509: Was scheduled to reopen in July 2010, after a £39 million rebuilding programme. After continuing problems and setbacks, with the pier not opening until a formal opening ceremony on 23 October 2010, the overall costs reached £51 million. During the same period there was a £34 million redevelopment of the promenade, including refurbishment of the Marine Lake and pedestrianisation of Pier Square. As part of

12432-538: Was shortlisted for the Gold Dagger Award . Weston-super-Mare 51°20′46″N 2°58′37″W  /  51.346°N 2.977°W  / 51.346; -2.977 Weston-super-Mare ( / ...   ˈ m ɛər / ... MAIR ), also known simply as Weston , is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary authority area in the county of Somerset , England. It lies by

12544-527: Was transferred to a new ecumenical body, the Father Ignatius Memorial Trust, of which Fr Brocard Sewell was a founder member. Extensive restoration work was subsequently carried out on both the surviving abbey walls and Ignatius's grave within. As the structure was fundamentally unsound, this work has been only partially successful, and at the time of writing (April 2018) public access is denied. The Father Ignatius Memorial Trust also cares for

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