See Also

South West England

South West England is one of the regions of England Regions of England

The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government [i] ... 

. It is the largest such region in terms of area, and extends from Gloucestershire Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England [i]. ... 

 and Wiltshire Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a large southern English county [i]. ... 

 to Cornwall Cornwall

Cornwall is a county [i] in South West [i] ... 

 and the Isles of Scilly Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago [i] of islands off the southwesternmost tip of England [i]. ... 

. This includes the area often known as the West Country, and much of Wessex Wessex

Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon [i] kingdoms that preceded the Kingdom of England [i] ... 

. The size of the region is shown by the fact that the northern part of Gloucestershire, near Chipping Campden, is as close to the Scottish border as it is to the tip of Cornwall. Traditionally, the South West of England has been well known for producing Cheddar cheese Cheddar cheese

Cheddar cheese is a pale yellow, sharp-tasting cheese [i] originally made in the English [i] vil ... 

, named after Cheddar Cheddar

Cheddar is a village in the district of Sedgemoor [i] in Somerset [i], England [i], situated on the edge ... 

 in the Mendip Hills Mendip Hills

[i] and [[Bath]... 

, for Devon Devon

Devon is a large county [i] in South West [i] England [i], border ... 

 cream tea Cream tea

A cream tea or Devonshire tea is tea [i] taken with a combination of scones [i], clotted cream [i] ... 

s, and for Somerset Somerset

Somerset is a county [i] in the south-west of England [i]. ... 

 cider Cider

Cider, known in the U.S.... 

.

Discussions

  Discussion Features

   Ask a question about 'South West England'

   Start a new discussion about 'South West England'

   Answer questions about 'South West England'

   'South West England' discussion forum


Encyclopedia

South West England is one of the regions of England Regions of England

The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government [i] ... 

. It is the largest such region in terms of area, and extends from Gloucestershire Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England [i]. ... 

 and Wiltshire Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a large southern English county [i].... 

 to Cornwall Cornwall

Cornwall is a county [i] in South West [i]... 

 and the Isles of Scilly Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago [i] of islands off the southwesternmost tip of England [i]. ... 

. This includes the area often known as the West Country, and much of Wessex Wessex

Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon [i] kingdoms that preceded the Kingdom of England [i] ... 

. The size of the region is shown by the fact that the northern part of Gloucestershire, near Chipping Campden, is as close to the Scottish border as it is to the tip of Cornwall.

Traditionally, the South West of England has been well known for producing Cheddar cheese Cheddar cheese

Cheddar cheese is a pale yellow, sharp-tasting cheese [i] originally made in the English [i] vil ... 

, named after Cheddar Cheddar

Cheddar is a village in the district of Sedgemoor [i] in Somerset [i], England [i], situated on the edge ... 

 in the Mendip Hills Mendip Hills

[i] and [[Bath]... 

, for Devon Devon

Devon is a large county [i] in South West [i] England [i], border... 

 cream tea Cream tea

A cream tea or Devonshire tea is tea [i] taken with a combination of scones [i], clotted cream [i] ... 

s, and for Somerset Somerset

Somerset is a county [i] in the south-west of England [i]. ... 

 cider Cider

Cider, known in the U.S.... 

. It is now probably equally well known as the home of the Eden Project Eden Project

The Eden Project is a large-scale environmental [i] complex near St Austell [i], Cornwall [i],... 

, Aardman Animations Aardman Animations

Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, is an Academy Award [i] wi ... 

, the Glastonbury festival Glastonbury Festival

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury Festiv... 

, trip hop Trip hop

Trip hop is a term coined by British [i] dance magazine Mixmag [i], to describe DJ Shadow [i] ... 

 music, Cornwall's seafood restaurants, and surfing Surfing

Surfing is a surface water sport [i] that involves the participant being carried by ... 

 beaches. Two National Parks National parks of England and Wales

The national parks of England and Wales are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape [i] tha ... 

 and four World Heritage Sites  fall within the region's boundaries.

Geography


Geology & landscape

Most of the South West occupies a peninsula Peninsula

A peninsula is a geographical [i] formation [i] consisting of an extension of land [i] ... 

 between the English Channel English Channel

The English Channel is the part of the Atlantic Ocean [i] that separates the island [i] of Great Britain [i] ... 

 and Bristol Channel Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain [i], separating South Wales [i] from ... 

. It has the longest coastline of any region of England – over 1,130 kilometres - much of which, such as the Jurassic coast Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site [i] on the English Channel [i] coast of southern England [i] ... 

, is now protected from further substantial development because of its environmental importance, and which contributes to the region’s attractiveness to tourists and residents. More than three million people live within 10 kilometres of the coastline.

Geologically the region is divided into the largely igneous and metamorphic west and sedimentary east, the dividing line slightly to the west of the River Exe. Cornwall and west Devon's landscape is of rocky coastline and high moorland, notably at Bodmin Moor Bodmin Moor

Bodmin Moor is a granite [i] moorland [i] in northeastern Cornwall [i], UK [i], 208 km in size, dating f ... 

 and Dartmoor Dartmoor

Dartmoor is an area of moorland [i] in the centre of the English [i] county of Devon [i]. ... 

 National Park National park

A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government [i], protected ... 

. These are due to the granite Granite

Granite is a common and widely-occurring type of intrusive [i], felsic [i], igneous [i] ... 

 and slate Slate

Slate is a fine-grained, [i], metamorphic rock [i] derived from an or ... 

 that underlie the area. The highest point of the region is High Willhays, at 621 metres, on Dartmoor Dartmoor

Dartmoor is an area of moorland [i] in the centre of the English [i] county of Devon [i]. ... 

. In North Devon the slates of the west and limestones of the east meet at Exmoor Exmoor

Exmoor National Park is a national park [i] situated on the Bristol Channel [i] ... 

 National Park. The variety of rocks of similar ages seen here have led to the county's name being lent to that of the Devonian Devonian

Disambiguation: "Devonian" is sometimes used to refer to the Southwestern Brythonic language [i], and the pe ... 

 period.

The east of the region is characterised by wide, flat clay vales and chalk Chalk

Chalk is a soft, white, porous form of limestone [i] composed of the mineral [i] calcite [i].... 

 and limestone Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock [i] composed largely of the mineral [i] calcite [i] . ... 

 downland Downland

A downland is an area of open chalk [i] hills. ... 

. The vales, with good irrigation, are home to the region's dairy agriculture. The Blackmore Vale Blackmore Vale

The Blackmore Vale is a vale [i], or wide valley [i], in North Dorset [i], and to a lesser extent South Somerset [i] ... 

 was Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy, OM [i] was a British [i] novelist [i], short story [i] ... 

's "Vale of the Little Dairies", another, the Somerset Levels Somerset Levels

The Somerset Levels is a sparsely populated wetland [i] area of central Somerset [i], England [i], betwe ... 

 was created by reclaiming wetlands. The Southern England Chalk Formation Southern England Chalk Formation

The Chalk Formation [i] of Southern England [i] is a system of chalk [i] downland [i] in the south of England [i] ... 

 extends into the region, creating a series of high, sparsely populated and archaeologically rich downs, most famously Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a 300 sq mi [i] chalk [i] plateau [i] in central southern England [i], part of ... 

, but also Cranborne Chase Cranborne Chase

Cranborne Chase is a Chalk [i] plateau [i] in central southern England [i], straddling the counties Dorset [i] ... 

, the Dorset Downs Dorset Downs

The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk [i] downland [i] in the centre of the county Dorset [i] in south w ... 

 and the Purbeck Hills Purbeck Hills

The Purbeck Hills and South Dorset Downs are a ridge of chalk [i] downs [i] in Dorset [i]... 

. These downs are the principal area of arable agriculture Arable land

In geography [i], arable land is a form of agricultural [i] land use [i], meaning land [i] ... 

 in the region. Limestone is also notable in the region, at the Cotswolds Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is the name given to a range of hills in central England [i], sometimes called the "Heart ... 

, Quantocks and Mendip Hills Mendip Hills

[i] and [[Bath]... 

, where they support sheep farming. All of the principal rock types can be seen on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon, where they document the entire Mesozoic era from west to east.

Settlements

The South West region is largely rural, with many small towns and villages. A higher proportion of people live in such areas than in any other English region. The largest cities and towns are Bristol Bristol

Bristol is a city [i], unitary authority [i] and ceremonial county [i] ... 

, Plymouth Plymouth

Plymouth is a city [i] in the southwest [i] of England [i] ... 

, Bournemouth Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast [i] of England [i]. ... 

 and Poole Poole

For people with Poole as surname, see Poole [i]
... 

 , Swindon Swindon

Swindon is a large town in the South West [i] of England [i]. ... 

, Gloucester Gloucester

Gloucester is a city [i] and district [i] i... 

, Cheltenham Cheltenham

!colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Borough of Cheltenham
... 

, Torbay Torbay

Torbay is an east-facing bay, at the western most end of Lyme Bay [i] in the south-west of England [i], ... 

, Exeter Exeter

The city [i] of Exeter is the county town [i] of Devon [i], in England [i] ... 

, Bath Bath

Bath is a city [i] in South West England [i] most famous for its baths ... 

, Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare is an English [i] seaside resort [i] town in North Somerset [i], population 71 ... 

, Taunton Taunton

Taunton is the county town [i] of Somerset [i], England [i]. ... 

 and Weymouth Weymouth

Weymouth is a town [i] in Dorset [i], England [i], situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey [i] ... 

. The region's total population is about 5 million.

Transport

The region lies on several main line railways. The Great Western Main Line Great Western Main Line

The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway [i] in Great Britain [i], corresponding to the princi ... 

 runs from London to Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance Penzance

[i], [[England]... 

 in the far west of Cornwall. The South Western Main Line South Western Main Line

The South Western Main Line is the from London Waterloo [i] to Weymouth [i] ... 

 runs from London and Southampton to Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth in Dorset. The West of England Main Line West of England Main Line

The West of England Main Line is the from London Waterloo [i] to Exeter [i].
... 

 runs from London to Exeter via south Wiltshire, north Dorset and south Somerset. The Wessex Main Line runs from Bristol to Salisbury Salisbury

Salisbury is a cathedral city [i] in Wiltshire [i], England [i]. ... 

 and on to Southampton.

Three major roads enter the region from the east. The M4 motorway M4 motorway

The M4 motorway is a motorway [i] in Great Britain [i] linking London [i] and West Wales [i] via Bristol [i] ... 

 from London to South Wales via Bristol is the busiest. The A303 cuts through the centre of the region from Salisbury Salisbury

Salisbury is a cathedral city [i] in Wiltshire [i], England [i]. ... 

 to Honiton, where it merges with the A30 to continue past Exeter to the west of Cornwall. The A31, an extension of the M27 M27 motorway

The M27 motorway is a major road in England [i]. ... 

, serves Poole and Bournemouth and the Dorset coast. The M5 M5 motorway

The M5 is a motorway [i] in England [i]. ... 

  runs from the West Midlands West Midlands

The West Midlands is an area of central England [i]. It has several specific meanings. ... 

 through Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset to Exeter. The A38 A38 road

The A38 is a major trunk road [i] in England [i]. ... 

 serves as a western extension to Plymouth. There are three other motorways in the region, all in the Bristol area Transport in Bristol

Bristol [i] is a city in south west England [i], situated near the Bristol Channel [i] coast, approximat ... 

.

History


Pre-Roman

There is some evidence of human occupation of southern England before the last ice age, but largely in the south east. The British mainland was connected to the continent during the ice age and humans may have repeatedly migrated into and out of the region. There is evidence of human habitation at Cheddar Gorge and Caves Cheddar Gorge and Caves

Cheddar Gorge is the largest gorge [i] in the United Kingdom [i], near the village of Cheddar [i] in the ... 

 10-11,000 years BCE, during a partial thaw in the ice age. The landscape at this time was tundra Tundra

In physical geography [i], tundra is an area where the tree [i] growth is hindered by low temperatures a ... 

. Britain's oldest complete skeleton, Cheddar Man, lived at Cheddar Gorge around 7150 BCE , shortly after the end of the ice age, however it is unclear whether the region was continually inhabited during the previous 4,000 years, or if humans returned to the gorge after a final cold spell. During this time the tundra gave way to birch forests and grassland and evidence for human settlement appears at Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a 300 sq mi [i] chalk [i] plateau [i] in central southern England [i], part of ... 

 and Hengistbury Head Hengistbury Head

Hengistbury Head is a headland [i] jutting into the English Channel [i] between Bournemouth [i] ... 

 in Dorset.

Economy and industry



The most economically productive areas within the region are Bristol, the M4 corridor, and south east Dorset – that is, the areas with the best links to London. Bristol alone accounts for a quarter of the region's economy, with the surrounding areas of Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire accounting for a further quarter. Bristol's economy has historically been built on maritime trade including the import of tobacco . Since the early 20th century, however, aeronautics Aeronautics

Aeronautics is the science [i] involved with the study, design, and manufacture of flight [i] capable ma ... 

 have taken over as the bedrock of Bristol's economy, with companies including Airbus Airbus

Airbus S.A.S. [i] is a leading aircraft [i] manufacturer based in Toulouse [i] ... 

, Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce plc

Rolls-Royce plc [i] is the second-largest aircraft engine [i] maker in the world, ... 

 and British Aerospace British Aerospace

British Aerospace was a UK [i] aircraft [i] and defence systems ma... 

 manufacturing in Filton Filton

Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire [i], England [i], on the northern outskirts of Bristol [i], ab ... 

. More recently defence, telecommunications, information technology and electronics have been important industries in Bristol, Swindon and elsewhere.

The region's Gross Value Added breaks down as 69.9% service industry Tertiary sector of industry

The tertiary sector of industry is one of the three main industrial categories of a developed economy [i] ... 

, 28.1% production industry and 2.0% agriculture Agriculture

Farming redirects here. For Farming in computer games, see Farmer [i].
... 

. This is a slightly higher proportion in production, and lower proportion in services, than the UK average. Agriculture, though in decline, is important in many parts of the region. Dairy farming is especially important in Dorset and Devon, and the region has 1.76 million cattle, second to only one other UK region, and 3,520 square miles of grassland, more than any other region. Only 5.6% of the region's agriculture is arable Arable land

In geography [i], arable land is a form of agricultural [i] land use [i], meaning land [i] ... 

. In 2001 the GVA of the hotel industry was £2,200 million, and the region had 13,800 hotels with 250,000 bedspaces. some parts of Cornwall and Devon have among the lowest average incomes in the UK. Cornwall in particular relies on tourism. The county has the lowest GVA per head of any county or unitary authority in the country,, contributes only 6.5% of the region's economy, and receives EU Objective One funding. Around five million people visit the county each year. Cornwall's poor economic performance is partly caused by its remoteness and poor transport links,b divisions



The region covers much of the historical area of Wessex Wessex

Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon [i] kingdoms that preceded the Kingdom of England [i] ... 

, although omitting Hampshire Hampshire

Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire, is a county [i] on the so... 

 and Berkshire Berkshire

Berkshire is a county [i] in England [i] and forms part of the South East England [i] region [i] ... 

. In terms of local government, it was divided after 1974 into Avon, Cornwall Cornwall

Cornwall is a county [i] in South West [i]... 

, Devon Devon

Devon is a large county [i] in South West [i] England [i], border... 

, Dorset Dorset

Dorset is a county in the south-west of England [i], on the English Channel [i] coast.... 

, Gloucestershire Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England [i]. ... 

, Somerset Somerset

Somerset is a county [i] in the south-west of England [i]. ... 

, and Wiltshire Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a large southern English county [i].... 

. Avon has since been abolished, and several mainly urban areas have become unitary authorities.

Local government


The official region consists of the following historic counties and local government areas:

Map Ceremonial countyShire county / unitary Districts
Somerset Somerset

Somerset is a county [i] in the south-west of England [i]. ... 

 
1. Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority [i] that was created on April 1 [i], 1996 [i] follow ... 

2. North Somerset North Somerset

North Somerset is a unitary authority [i] in England [i]. ... 

11. Somerset South Somerset, Taunton Deane, West Somerset, Sedgemoor, Mendip
3. Bristol Bristol

Bristol is a city [i], unitary authority [i] and ceremonial county [i] ... 

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England [i]. ... 

 
4. South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire is a district [i] with a unitary authority [i] in the ceremonial county [i] ... 

5. Gloucestershire Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Cotswold, Stroud, Forest of Dean
Wiltshire Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a large southern English county [i].... 

 
6. Swindon Swindon

Swindon is a large town in the South West [i] of England [i]. ... 

7. Wiltshire Salisbury, West Wiltshire, Kennet, North Wiltshire
Dorset Dorset

Dorset is a county in the south-west of England [i], on the English Channel [i] coast.... 

 
8. Dorset Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, East Dorset, Christchurch
9. Poole Poole

For people with Poole as surname, see Poole [i]
... 

10. Bournemouth Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast [i] of England [i]. ... 

Devon Devon

Devon is a large county [i] in South West [i] England [i], border... 

 
12. Devon Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, Torridge, West Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge
13. Torbay Torbay

Torbay is an east-facing bay, at the western most end of Lyme Bay [i] in the south-west of England [i], ... 

14. Plymouth Plymouth

Plymouth is a city [i] in the southwest [i] of England [i] ... 

Cornwall Cornwall

Cornwall is a county [i] in South West [i]... 

 
Isles of Scilly Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago [i] of islands off the southwesternmost tip of England [i]. ... 

15. Cornwall Penwith, Kerrier, Carrick, Restormel, Caradon, North Cornwall


Regional assembly



Although referendums had been planned on whether elected assemblies should be set up in some of the regions, none was planned in the South West.

There is some controversy over the status of Cornwall Constitutional status of Cornwall

The constitutional status of Cornwall, in the south west of Great Britain [i], is the subject of ongoing ... 

. Some consider it to be a nation in its own right. Many others wish to see devolution outside a "Devonwall"/"South West" region. A petition for a Cornish assembly has received over 50,000 signatures. The British Government's position is that Cornwall is a county of England and is far too small to become a region, having around one fifth of the population of the smallest existing English region.

European Parliament constituency



South West England South West England

South West England is one of the regions of England [i]. ... 

 is one of the constituencies used for elections to the European Parliament European Parliament

The European Parliament is the parliament [i]ary body of the European Union [i] , directly elected by EU citizen [i]... 

. From the 2004 election onwards, Gibraltar Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory [i].... 

 has been included within the constituency for the purpose of elections to the European parliament only.

References



External links





;Photographs
  • Bristol
  • Cornwall:
  • Devon:
  • Dorset:
  • Somerset: