Norton Fitzwarren
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  Map sources for Norton Fitzwarren at grid reference ST198258
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Norton Fitzwarren is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated two miles north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 2,325 .
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[edit] Railway
Norton Fitzwarren is on the former Bristol and Exeter Railway mainline, and site of the former junctions for branch lines to Minehead and Barnstaple. Taken over by the GWR in 1890, serious railway accidents happened here on 10 November 1890 and 4 November 1940. It is now on the First Great Western network. Most of the Minehead branch is now operated by the West Somerset Railway as a heritage railway. After much delay, work is underway to extend regular operations from the current terminus at Bishops Lydeard to Taunton via Norton Fitzwarren.
[edit] Industry
For many years Norton Fitzwarren was the site of the main factory of the Taunton Cider Company producing cider brands such as Blackthorn Cider. Production was moved to Shepton Mallet after Matthew Clark plc, the UK division of Constellation Brands, bought Taunton Cider in 1995
[edit] PoW Camp
It was the location of a 300person Prisioner of War camp during World War II, initially housing Italian prisoners from the Western Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners post the Battle of Normandy. POW Camp Number 665 - 'Cross Keys Camp', Norton Fitzwarren.
[edit] References
- ^ Somerset County Council, 2002. Population estimates.
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