Getting started!

So, I have started my research on The Crescent in Taunton, Somerset.  I have been out taking photographs, which I will use on this blog over time.

I have also been pulling together the data from all the different English Census' from 1841 to 1911 along with the 1939 Register, which cover The Crescent, which is situated in the parish of St Mary Magdalene, Taunton. I have been and visited the church of the parish and got a little guide book about it. I also took a trip out to the Somerset Heritage Centre (https://www.swheritage.org.uk/somerset-archives) as well as visiting the town library to see what kind of books and information is available for use in my research. I have been focusing initially on No 1 The Crescent and have already been intrigued by the Lewis family, who were living there on the 1901 and 1911 census'. 

In the meantime, the first reference that I found to No 1 The Crescent was in the Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser on Thursday 3 May 1810, which I viewed on the British Newspaper Archive at https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk (subscription required). 

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


It reads as follows: 

COUNTY OF SOMERSET 

Notice is hereby given, that the Office of the Clerk of the Peace of this County is removed from Chard to the Office of Mr Edward Coles, Solicitor, No. 1, Crescent, Taunton. 

JAMES COLES, Clerk of the Peace. 

I believe that this will be a good little study for me to do and am looking at ways to collate and present the information that I find. Ideas and suggestions are appreciated so please comment below. 

A History of The Crescent, Taunton, Somerset, England

A view of The Crescent, Taunton, Somerset.

The Crescent is a street in Taunton, a town in the English county of Somerset.

Construction began in 1807, during a period of extensive redevelopment in the town, driven by the Market House Society and the Member of Parliament, Sir Benjamin Hammet. 


The Crescent formed part of Hammet's plan for Taunton. It was built to the north of Upper High Street, in what was known at the time as Paul's Field.  Although Hammet died in 1800, the foundation stone was placed in 1807 by William Kinglake.

Lined on the eastern side by a Georgian terrace, the street follows a shallow crescent shape, broken in the middle by Crescent Way and a bit further south by St George's Place. It links Upper High Street, at its southern end, with Park Street and Tower Street to the north. 

A view of County Hall, The Crescent, Taunton, Somerset.

On the western side, Somerset County Council have their offices in the County Hall, erected in 1935, and extended in the 1960's. 

Masonic Hall, The Crescent, Taunton, Somerset.

In 1822, a Catholic chapel, known as St George's Chapel, was built at the southern-end of the terrace, the first Catholic church built in Taunton since the Reformation. The Catholic congregation moved out to a larger church in 1878 and the chapel was bought by the Freemasons, who converted it into a Masonic Lodge. 

Today, all of the Crescent is resident to various businesses, ranging from Dentists & Estate Agents to Recruitment Agencies and Charity offices. 

The Georgian terrace, the Masonic Hall, and the County Hall are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as listed buildings.