Kingsbury Episcopi

Kingsbury Episcopi is a village found on the River Parrett. It is 9 miles outside of Yeovil. At the last census, the village had a popular of 1,307.

The ‘Episcopi’ part of the name means ‘of the Bishop’ in Latin. This means that in the past, the village was the property of the bishop of the local area as opposed to the local abbey.

Despite being a small village, there are plenty of interesting buildings to see in Kingsbury Episcopi. Close to the centre of the village is the village lock-up. In days gone by, this building was used to detain drunks and criminals. They were held here until the morning in the case of minor crimes and taken to a magistrate. If they were not suspected of anything other than being drunk, they were just released.

Many of the residences within Kingsbury Episcopi are also from about the 15^th Century, with very few modern buildings within sight.

The village’s local pub, The Wyndham Arms, has been in place for several centuries now.

East Lambrook Manor, which overlooks the village, dates back to the 15^th Century. This is a particularly popular manor house among botanists. The current garden at the manor was planted by Margery Fish. Up until her death, she was an expert on cottage gardens. She also managed to cultivate several species of plant which can only be found at the manor.

There are two churches within Kingsbury Episcopi. The church of Saint Martin has a stunning tower which stands 99 feet tall. This tower was built using completely local materials, with the stone coming from the close Ham Hill. We are not completely sure of the age of the church, but parts of it have been dated back to way back 1400.

The second church is the church of St James. It has been dated back to the 12^th Century.

Every year, Kingsbury Episcopi holds a bank holiday festival on May Day. Over 4,000 people travel to the village on this day. The Lowland Games is also held each year, with mud wrestling and river raft racing being the main ‘attractions’