Woolavington

Woolavington is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the English county of Somerset. It is 5.2 mi north east of Bridgwater, 7.2 mi south east of Burnham on Sea and 11.9 mi west of Glastonbury. At the 2021 census it had a population of 2,325.

History
Known as Hunlavintone in the Domesday Book of 1086, the village's name comes from 'the settlement of Hunlaf's people'. The parish of Woolavington was historically part of the Whitley Hundred.

Close to the village is the Royal Ordnance Factory ROF Bridgwater, a factory which produced high explosives for munitions from 1941 until its closure in 2008.

Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of Sedgemoor, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Bridgwater Rural District.

It is also part of the Bridgwater and West Somerset county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Religious sites
The Anglican parish Church of St Mary has 11th-century origins and is a Grade I listed building. In the early 12th century it was granted to Goldcliff Priory in Monmouthshire by its founder Robert de Chandos who was lord of the manor of Woolavington. In the 15th century it passed to the cannons of Windsor.

Notable residents
In 1807 it was the birthplace of the Reverend George Andrew Jacob and in 1812 his brother John Jacob, who became a British army officer.