Information about Street

Street is a town and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England, situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills. Its earliest known name of the settlement was Lantokay, meaning the sacred enclosure of Kea, a Celtic saint. In the Domesday Book it was recorded as Lega, a name still used throughout the country in the modern form, ‘Leigh’, such as the villages of Lower Leigh, Middle Leigh and Overleigh to the south of the village. In the 12th century the Roman causeway, the Fosse Way from Glastonbury was renewed, giving Street its name from the Latin ‘strata’ - a paved road.

The Society of Friends established itself there in the mid 17th century and among the close knit group of Quaker families were the Clarks: Cyrus, who started a business in sheepskin rugs, later joined by his brother James, who introduced the production of woollen slippers and, later, boots and shoes. Under James's son, William, the business flourished but most of the profits were ploughed back into employee welfare, housing and education. Ironically, the Clark children would often be seen barefoot in the town - not through poverty, but because they liked going barefoot (although it was rumoured that the Clark shoe experts believed shoes to be bad for the development of children's feet, and should only be worn when absolutely necessary). C&J Clark still has its headquarters in Street, behind a frontage which includes the clock tower and water tower, but shoes are no longer manufactured there. Instead, in 1993, redundant factory buildings were converted to form Clarks Village, the first purpose built factory outlet in the UK. Despite strong concerns being voiced by local retailers at the time, the retail outlet have not led to a demise in the existing shops.

The Clark family mansion and its estate at the edge of the town is now owned by Millfield School which is an independent co-educational boarding school with a strong focus on sport. Crispin School is a secondary school teaching 11-16 year olds from the town and many local villages, Strode College is a further education college and which is an independent co-educational boarding school with a strong focus on sport. Other schools include Avalon, Hindhayes, Brookside and Elmhurst.

Street has two public swimming pools, one indoor and one outdoor. The indoor pool forms part of the Strode complex. The outdoor pool, Greenbank, is open daily from early May until mid September each year. The only cinema in Street was closed down and converted into a nightclub in the 1990s. Now Strode Theatre, linked to the Crispin School and Strode College complex, remains as the only venue to see film, exhibitions and live performances. Even before the opening of the Clarks Village retail development Street was notable for the number of shoe and sheepskin shops adorning the high street shopping area. The number of such stores has only increased since 1993 and fears of a general retail decline proved unfounded.

The Anglican Parish Church of The Holy Trinity dates from the 14th century but underwent extensive restoration in the 19th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.

Photographs of Street