Oakhill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oakhill | |
  Oakhill shown within Somerset |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Mendip |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Radstock |
| Postcode district | BA3 |
| Dialling code | 01749 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Wells |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Oakhill, Somerset is a village located approximately 2 miles north of Shepton Mallet between the A37 and the A367 (The Fosseway). Oakhill is today is mainly a commuter village of 0.4 square miles in size, but it is more famous for its past activities.
Little London is the name given to a cluster of houses at the far Western end of the village. It is sometimes referred to as a district in itself for the purpose of location by trades persons etc. due to the 'stretched out' nature of the village.
The village borders with the Parish village of Ashwick and the now demolished Ashwick Grove was arguably closer to Oakhill than its neighbour. Ashwick Grove was the home of John Billingsley of Ashwick, the grandson of Nicholas Billingsley, a Presbyterian dissenter who was minister at Ashwick from 1699 to 1729, and is most remembered locally as the owner of Oakhill Brewery, established in 1761, and famous for its Oakhill Invalid Stout.
The village had its own railway, built in 1904, to take beer barrels to the Somerset & Dorset Railway at nearby Binegar. The railway had a 2'6" gauge and operated two 0-4-0T locomotives, the 'Mendip' and the 'Oakhill', which were painted in an olive green livery. Traces of the railway can still be seen in the surrounding area. The railways made a brief reappearance in the village of Oakhill in the 1980s, albeit in a miniature form. In the grounds of Oakhill Manor, the manor's owner, Walter Harper, opened his impressive 'ride on' replica collection to the public. Among the engines, which towed thousands of people during their time there, was a 'Pacific' replica locomotive called Robin Hood. Oakhill Manor closed its doors to the public in 1985 and the collection of engines are now elsewhere around the country.
