Sedgemoor

Sedgemoor
Shown within Somerset
Shown within Somerset
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Ceremonial countySomerset
Administrative CountySomerset Council
Area
 • Total
217.90 sq mi (564.36 km2)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total
125,752
 • Density580/sq mi (220/km2)
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Post Code
Area code01278
Websitewww.somerset.gov.uk

Sedgemoor is a low-lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense).[2] The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels and Moors. Historically the area was known as the site of the Battle of Sedgemoor.

Sedgemoor gave its name to a local government district formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal borough of Bridgwater, the Burnham-on-Sea urban district, Bridgwater Rural District and part of Axbridge Rural District. The district covered a larger area than the historical Sedgemoor, extending north of the Polden Hills across the Somerset Levels and Moors to the Mendip Hills.

On 1 April 2023 the district was abolished and replaced by a new unitary district for the area previously served by Somerset County Council. The replacement council is Somerset Council.[3] Elections for the new council took place in May 2022, and it ran alongside Sedgemoor and the other councils until their abolition in April 2023.[4]

  1. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. ^ Robert Dunning, ed. (2004). "Introduction". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 8: The Poldens and the Levels. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Frequently asked questions". Somerset County Council. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Elections for new Somerset Council to be held in May 2022". BBC News. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.