Street, Somerset

Friends' Meeting House in Street

Street is a village in the county of Somerset, England, situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, two miles south west of Glastonbury. The town has a population of 11,100 (2002 estimate).

History

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 from Glastonbury was renewed, giving Street its name from the Latin "strata" - a paved road.

C&J Clark

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 barefooted 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, 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.

External links

• Population data

• The Somerset Urban Archeological Survey: Street by Clare Gathercole

• Webcam of Ivythorn Road in Street, Somerset can be found here whilst online