PILTON VILLAGE HISTORY GROUP The Pilton Village History group has been in existence for many years. During this time, a substantial archive of documents and information concerning the village and its inhabitants, past and present, has been assembled. There is also a varied collection of artefacts that relates in some way to the village. The Group holds six meetings a year in the Village Hall at which a variety of talks and presentations are given either members or invited speakers. The subjects covered are of local and historical interest. The Group has recently had an escorted tour of the Pilton Village Church tower and another excursion is being planned for later in the year. Membership of the group is £2 per annum and members pay a £1 admission to meetings and non-members pay £2 per meeting. This is to cover hire of the hall and speakers. For more information contact Mrs Celia Clark, secretary, Tel: 890512 2009 sees the launch of the publication “Aspects of Pilton’s Past”, written by the late Keith Harlow. This is the latest publication produced by the group. Past booklets produced were: 1. "A Walk Round Pilton's Past" - currently out of print. 2. "Pilton Parish Rooms Centenary - 100 years in pictures". 3. "Recollections of Schooldays in Pilton Between the Wars" by Ernest Darch. The most recent research to be undertaken by the group is a study of the village of Pilton between the years 1900 and 1910
History A Brief History Of Pilton The village Pilton can be found on the A361 road in Somerset, England in the Mendip district. (Grid reference ST590408) It's about three miles south west of Shepton Mallet and six miles east of Glastonbury. The population currently stands at about 1100 (though this number has been known to swell dramatically at certain times of the year). A little known fact about the village is that although today Pilton is almost 20 miles from the sea, it wasn't always that way. Pilton sits on the edge of the Somerset Levels which is an area that at one time was entirely covered with water that formed a vast but shallow tidal lake. Although the water has long since been drained away, back in Saxon times when the water levels reached much further inland, Pilton was a harbour and because of this was known as Pooltown. According to legend Pilton (or Pooltown) is where Joseph of Arimathea landed in Britain in the 1st century. Pilton still has a magnificent Grade I listed Norman and Medieval church dedicated to St John the Baptist and it is believed that it may well stand on the site of a much earlier wattle and daub church built by early missionaries. |  |
| The village also has a grade II listed Manor house and a grade I Tithe barn, both of which once belonged to Glastonbury Abbey. |
Today, Pilton is probably most famous for the Festival that takes place most years and is known throughout the World as the Glastonbury Festival.
Old Map Of Pilton.
Click to enlarge Click HERE to see old Photographs of Pilton If you can remember when Pilton was a harbour! or have any information or historic material relating to the village such as photographs, interesting facts, names, dates or even memories please send them in. They will be collated and placed here, hopefully building into a comprehensive and useful resource. e-mail: postbox@pilton.com |
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