Bridgwater.

Bridgwater Squibs are specially made fireworks for an event that is unique to the town, A Squib is a large firework which is tied to a block of wood at the end of a long pole which when lit is held above the head in the fashion of a weight lifter, (see note 1) They are a traditional end to Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival procession when around 150 squibbers line the High Street for a simultaneous display, www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk Squibbing the bridge (above) First occured when th bridge was opened in 1883 and has now become the modern tradition as part of the switching on of the towns Christmas lights. Large for detail. ******A Happy and Healthy Chistmas to you all,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Stay Safe! *****

This is the oldest of Bridgwater's seven bridges across the River Parrett, Known as the "Town Bridge" this was erected in 1883 at a cost of £3,214 and replaced earlier stone and wrought iron versions, The all year around lighting has a colour change sequence that changes every minute or so. Shot in 16.9 format. HFF

Morning light cuts through the mist of a cold January day

This is on the edge of The Meads which is a floodplane close to the center of town, it is allowed to flood a number of times each winter to protect the town and water is then pumped away when watercourses can cope with extra capacity, during the dry season cattle graze on the lush grass however this fence was not erected with enough strength to allow for cattle having a good rub , In the distance are the lower reaches of the Quantock Hills, A large view would be appreciated.

This time an image from 2011. Bridgwater claims to be the home of carnival , origins can be traced back to the Gunpowder plot of 1605 , Pictured is Baron Von Schmidtts World Famous Flying Circus the entry by Masqueraders Carnival Club. Floats (locally called carts) have a maximum length of 100 feet, contain many thousands of lamps and can be powered by generators over 1 megawatt in size. The procession contains over 100 entries and takes over Two hours to pass a given point Web pages anyone is interested . www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © all rights reserved.

Taken in the 1950s with a Kodak box camera and captured on the Somerset and Dorset Railways Bridgwater North to Edington Junction Line which had by then been connected to the GWR Docks branch at Bridgwater North station, The employees in the photograph are setting the points to allow access to John Boards brick and tile works siding which sat at the start of the 1 in 72 bank that raised the line over the GWR Main Line and the A38 trunk road which was at that time the main route to the West Country. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © all rights reserved.

Please View in large.......... These fireworks know locally as Squibbs are unique to Bridgwater Carnival. www.bridgwatercarnival.org.uk The Squibs are attached to a block on the end of a long pole ( known as a cosh) which when lit from a flame in the road are held above the head, Between 150 and 200 people take part in the event which stretches the length of the High street. This image shows a part of around 60 people who took part in the Christmas lights switch on. ................. © copyright 2014, All rights reserved, Image may not be used without my explicit written permission

Bridgwater High Street, Thanks to Tiabunna it dates to early 1960s and what I take to be a Scammel tractor unit, with my Triumph Herald car parked behind the man stood with his bicycle, A wide load with no signs, orange beacons or escort vehicles not even extended wing mirrors how times change, Please enlarge for details. This was the main A39 road, hard to believe when you see the amount of traffic it carries now. Found in a box of old photographs so not my image.

Looking out to the Cornhill and Fore Street from St Mary's Church yard on a quiet Monday morning, The domed building on the left is the old corn exchange and market, work started on the building in 1779 and was extended twice in the 1800s, Part of the building is still a market the remainder a restaurant and small shops, Large Please Because this is our home town the link for Sight and Sound is a lovely song written by Iris Dement, www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0UOF1z6Sj0