Stratton-on-the-Fosse

Village in Somerset, England

Stratton on the Fosse is a village and civil parish located on the edge of the Mendip Hills, 2 mile (3 km) south west of Westfield, 6 mile (10 km) north east of Shepton Mallet, and 9 mile (14 km) from Frome, in Somerset, England. It has a population of 1,108,

The parish of Stratton on the Fosse was part of the Kilmersdon Hundred,

The manor was given to Glastonbury Abbey by King Edgar the Peaceful and during the time of Edward the Confessor was let by the abbey to a Saxon thane named Alwold. After the Norman Conquest William the Conqueror took many lands, including Stratton on the Fosse, from the abbey and gave them to Geoffrey de Montbray the Bishop of Coutances. The manor later passed to the Gourney family. Sir Thomas de Gournay was concerned in the murder of Edward II at Berkeley Castle, for which his estates were confiscated, and Stratton was later annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall. Land just south of Benter Cross which contains the remains of coal mines from around 1700 is owned by the Somerset Wildlife Trust to be managed for grassland species. Benter House is a small country house dating from 1829. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. Many of the houses in Nettlebridge are owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. Coal mining on the Somerset coalfield was a major industry but all mines have now closed.

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. The village falls within the Non metropolitan district of Mendip, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Shepton Mallet Rural District, which is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. It is also part of the Wells 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.

Very close to Nettlebridge is the ancient Harridge Wood, which is in the care of the Somerset Wildlife Trust. It comprises five sites with a total area of 54 ha (133 acres). It forms a major element of the Mells Valley Prime Biodiversity Area.

Hill House in Nettlebridge, a former pub, is a Grade II listed building. Manor Farmhouse on the edge of the village is a Grade II listed building.

The abbey church of St Gregory the Great, which is known as Downside Abbey church, is an example of neo gothic architecture. It dominates the village with its tower, and is a Grade I listed building. Downside School, which has grown in conjunction with the abbey, is a Roman Catholic Public School. There is also a catholic church in the village which is dedicated to St Benedict and opened in 1857. From 1952–87 the parish priest here was the eminent composer and liturgist Dom Gregory Murray. The Anglican Church of St. Vigor dates from the 12th century and is also Grade I listed.