Kewstoke Totally Explained

Everything about Kewstoke totally explained

Kewstoke is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of North Somerset, located next to the strip of coast called Sand Bay. Its population in the 2001 census was 1,624.
The local parish church is St Paul's, which dates from the 12th century with the tower being built in 1395. The tower, is in two stages, with rendered, diagonal buttresses with set-backs which rise through parapet as corner pinnacles. A polygonal stair turret at the south east corner rises to a pyramidal cap. The first stage has two 2-light perpendicular west window under a plain drip mould, and similar but smaller window with carved stops to the south. The second stage has one 2-light perpendicular window under a drip mould with carved stops on each side; all louvres except the west which is blank. A quatrefoil pierced parapet has gargoyles at the corner. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. In 1849 a reliquary was found in St Paul's Church that was believed to have come originally from the priory and to contain the blood of Thomas a Becket. It is believed that it was moved to St Paul's for safe keeping at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Near the village, at the base of a promontory called Middle Hope (which extends out into the sea as Sand Point), is Woodspring Priory, which is grade I listed. This Priory was founded in 1210 by William de Courtenay, grandson of Reginald Fitz Urse (one of the knights who murdered Thomas a Becket - later St. Thomas a Becket), perhaps to atone for the past action of his grandfather.

Monk's Steps

Monk's steps (also known to some as St Kew's Steps) are an ancient set of stone steps leading from St. Paul's church up through the woods on Monk's Hill. Although the origin of the steps are unknown, the presence of man in the adjacent woodland on Worlebury Hill can been tracked back to the Iron Age.

Flooding and flood protection

Being in places only 6 metres above sea level, the settlements of Kewstoke and Sand Bay are, and have been historically, susceptible to flooding. Following several incidents of flooding a sea defence of combined dune system (sand was imported from the estuary to form this) and concrete walls are now in place along much of Sand Road. Whilst the sea defences have proved very effective for the last two decades, concerns about the long term stability of the dunes, in particular, remain.
In the Severn Estuary Shoreline Management Plan, 2000, commissioned by the Severn Estuary Coastal Group and carried out by Gifford Associated Consultants, the importance of sea defence maintenance was highlighted. The report stated that leaving the defences unmaintained would 'increase the risk of a severe flood to the low-lying residential area of Kewstoke and an extensive area of agricultural land that are currently defended. The authors went on to discuss the importance in the shorter and longer term of ensuring that the current defence line is kept and that monitoring and research of the coastal processes on the foreshore is recommended. The Sand Bay Management Committee is keeping a close eye on the conditions of both the salt marsh and the sand dunes and is working in partnership with
The UK's Environment Agency are currently revising the North and Mid-Somerset Catchment Flood Management Plan, due for publication April 2007. The results of this will be summarised here.

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