History

The site of the Old Church was in use in prehistoric Stone Age times. The bones of creatures such as the woolly rhinoceros, hyena, horse, cave bear, and bos (the ancient British ox) were discovered in caves below the church (now quarried away) during quarrying operations, indicating habitation by man. The finds were removed to the Museum. Flint tools and weapons were also found indicating the presence of Palaeolithic peoples. Similar finds were made in Bleadon. Roman coins and artifacts were also discovered in the Uphill caves. Later finds from the caves area are also contained in the Weston-super-Mare Museum.

The Somerset Levels that begin to the south of the hill were ancient field systems with sea and river defences and drainage. Further to the south around (the then island) Brent Knoll were marshes and open water. The sea in those times appears to have encroached as far as Street and Glastonbury in the south, and the estuary of the River Parrett, and to the north as far as Congresbury and there were more tributaries to the River Ax than today.

The road from Uphill via Bleadon and Banwell, to Glastonbury provided the only land route by which Glastonbury could be approached from the West. The route along the higher ground of the Mendips was used by the Romans who built a metalled road, sections of which remain today, such as Roman Road on Bleadon Hill.

The port of Uphill was important and provided the focus for trading activities. Phoenician and Roman merchants visited the area to trade pottery, weapons, and fabric, for dairy produce, ale, mead, and cider, wine, fruit and grain, etc.

The coming of the Romans in the first century BC had a considerable impact of the ways of the people and trade increased even more. A Romano-British temple was erected on the site and evidence of this was discovered last century beneath the floor of the open nave of the Old Church. The Roman Emperor Augustine was responsible for the spread of Christianity to Britain and it is suspected that there has been a church on the site as early as 350AD and that there has been a Christian building here ever since. Certainly there was a wooden Saxon church on the site around 700AD. The hill was also the site of a fire beacon to warn of invasion.

The Abbey Monastery at Glastonbury was constructed during the 2nd Century AD and soon began to control much of the wealth and distribution of imports and exports, becoming wealthy on the taxes they introduced. The local warlords also took a slice of the action but even so the area remained relatively wealthy. Glastonbury became a centre for pilgrimage and the port of Uphill became important as pilgrims came from Wales and further up the Severn by boat.

The Old Church was the nearest to their landfall and they gave thanks there for a safe crossing of the Channel. A monastery dedicated to St. Michael was built on the island of Steep Holm. Its abbot was responsible for the church at Uphill. The monastery was undoubtedly provisioned from the port. In the early 500s a young Welsh monk, called Gildas, the son of a welsh prince, was resident on Steep Holm. He had access to the early writings and records of events and collated this information until eventually he was able to assemble the first known written history of Britain.

A Roman temple and fort was built on Brean Down and it seems likely to be the reason that a ferry service was first instituted in Roman times to cross the River Axe from Brean Down to Uphill. It continued in use to 1995
By the mid 500s the Danes were being troublesome and their raids disturbed his studies so Gildas, by then known as Gildas the Wise, decamped to the relative quiet of Glastonbury to continue his work. He later became famous as the abbot of a monastery in France. The area around Uphill was frequently attacked by the Danes and pillaged. So terrified of the Danes, were the villagers that they deserted the village, except for one old woman who coolly cut the mooring ropes of their vessels and they drifted out on the ebb tide – much to the consternation of the invaders. The courage of the old woman inspired the villagers who returned and fought the Danes and drove then off.

During the latter years of the ninth century a young warrior became Alfred, King of Wessex and he formed a band of young followers into a small army. They were for a time based on Brent Knoll, the island in the marshes and confronted the invading Danes who still plundered the area.

He built a small fleet of ships to attack them in their island stronghold of Flat Holm and at sea, lost a few battles but persisted and eventually beat them.

He won a battle against the Danes at Exeter 877 but was also defeated at Chippenham in 878. After an almost fatal encounter with the army of Hubba the Viking and the destruction of Glastonbury by King Guthrum the Dane, he re-assembled his army and finally defeated the Danes. In 879 the Peace of Wedmore resulted in the uniting the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes. He was a diplomat too!
Eventually he even converted the Danish king to Christianity. He went on to form a civil administration throughout his kingdom, laying down the rules of conduct – the legacy of which remains to this day as the Civil Service. His fleet later evolved to become the Royal Navy. Alfred was the only English king to be given the title “The Great”. He deserved it.
His lasting legacy to the country was to influence our history and way of life until the present day. He ordered the planting of oaks throughout the country to provide timber for ship building in the future. Later kings and queens and governments had reason to be grateful to him for this foresight.

It is sad that the most many people know of him is because of the alleged “burning of the cakes”. Perhaps he had weightier things on his mind! We very much undervalue Alfred the Great. Paintings of him and St Gildas the Wise are displayed in the Old Church.
In medieval times the port was in use for pilgrims Welsh pilgrims to Glastonbury and later to Wells. Cattle were brought across by boat from Wales to Uphill and the luxuriant pastures of Somerset where they were grazed and fattened through the summer. Dairy products grain, fruit and cider were exported to Wales and elsewhere from the port. Later, during the industrial revolution, colliers brought coal from the Welsh pits to the wharf at Uphill and limestone was sent to Wales on the return journey.
Cream, butter, and milk, fruit and vegetables that the Welsh could not easily grow were taken to the ports of Cardiff and a regular traffic was established with steel goods and coal forming the main imports. This was a much shorter and easier route than using the port of Bristol.

Uphill declined in use as a port, but remained in use until after the Second World War. The passenger trade from Wales was lost in Victorian times when the town of Weston grew and ferries plied from the Old Pier. This was popular with day-trippers both ways and continued until the late sixties when the pier fell into such disrepair that the ferries stopped using it.