Just outside Bath there is a small village where it feels like you are travelling back in time. When doing a tour of Somerset, Norton St Philip is a must-see stop, if only for its famous coaching inn – The George.
However, that is not the only thing the stunning hamlet offers; it was once the scene of a horrifying battle when the streets ran red with blood. If you are a fan of secret tunnels, blind alleys and quaint cottages, Norton has to be added to your bucket list
Speaking to SomersetLive in 2022, Liz Matthews said she moved to the village several years ago after falling in love with its “quintessential Englishness”. She said: “My husband brought me to The George on our first date. He was an architect and wanted to show me the outside gallery that leads to the toilets – he thought it was brilliant.
“Then when I moved here, I noticed people always stopped to take pictures of the old pump opposite my cottage. It made me wonder about the history of the place and, over lockdown, I put together a free walking tour for people.”
Liz’s Battlefield Trail allowed locals to explore Norton through the eyes of a 17th-century villager. There was a manor house and farm – the walls of which can still be seen on North Street, the main road to Bath at that time.
Then, in June 1685, the village was caught up in a brutal battle between the Duke of Monmouth and his uncle, James II. According to a village tour by Jeremy Taylor, Sita Smyth and Pat Lawless, Monmouth set himself up at The George and – as he sat in a room on the first floor – a bullet whizzed through the window, just missing him.
The next day, he set up a barricade in North Street and as the King’s troops entered the village, battle was joined.
Blood is said to have run down the streets from the barricade and – though Monmouth’s side lost very few men – 12 villagers were hanged for treason afterwards. This gruesome tale formed the basis of Liz’s walking tour, but it isn’t the only story often told about Norton St Philip.
The George inn is said to date back to the 13th century, when monks built the priory at Hinton and needed somewhere for visitors. Rumour has it there was even a tunnel from the priory to the inn, for use in bad weather, which still exists today.
Take a virtual stroll through the village using our picture gallery below.
Elsewhere in the village, you will find a 14th-century church, one of the smallest commons in England, and a Tudor dovecote. You’ll also find friendly people who still say “good morning” and are always up for a chat.
Matt, who did not give his surname, lives in what used to be the milking parlour for the village’s manor farm. He said: “I moved here to be on the bus route into Bath, and now I’m surrounded by history.
“The building next door, which is houses now, used to be the tithe barn and nearby we’ve got the dovecote, which held up to 800 birds for the manor. You can still see the Tudor rose in the masonry on the roof.”
It seems that no matter where you go in Norton, you are surrounded by history and even the names of the streets recall days gone by. Like Bell Hill, which was named after an ingenious system rigged up by The George.
According to the village tour guide, at the bottom of the hill where the car garage is now located, lay the Prince Blucher Inn.
Coal wagons from Radstock would get there and need help getting up the climb, so they would pull a rope that rang a bell in the courtyard of The George. A cart-horse would be waiting there and, on hearing the bell, he would go down the hill – completely on his own – to help pull the wagon to the top.
Some money would be placed in his pouch and then he would return to his stable. But don’t take my word for it, come and climb Bell Hill for yourself, then grab a pint in The George – the view is simply breath-taking. You can find more info about Norton and an online guide to the village here.
This story was first published in December 2022 and was republished in December 2024.