Welcome to the Langport Heritage website
This website is presented by the Langport & District History Society. We aim to celebrate the rich history of the Langport area in words and images, and for each topic we try to give a bit of context. We have a special focus on Walter Bagehot, Langport’s most famous celebrity. He was born in Langport, worked in the Bank here, and is buried here, but his career in banking and journalism brought him not just a national, but an international reputation that endures to this day.
Read our latest news items below
This month's featured image
This month's featured artefact
This month’s image is the earliest photograph we have of the Langport carnival. It dates from 1929. The Langport Branch of the British Legion started to organise carnivals in 1925. This month’s featured artefact is an advertisement for that first carnival, from the Langport & Somerton Herald. You can see more of the images we have of our carnivals here.
We will have a display of images from Langport carnivals in the Local History Marquee at the Drayton Village Fair on 31 August.
How the pages are organised
Apart from Home and News, there are three main sections:
- About the Society – which gives information about the Langport & District History Society
- Langport History – which illustrates aspects of the history of the area, arranged in subjects
- Walter Bagehot – which gives details about his life, his family, his work and his legacy
Disclaimer: It is our understanding that we either own, or have been granted permission to display, the images on this site. If you feel that we do not have this right, please contact us and we will, of course, investigate.
Recent News
RESULTS OF THE BIRDS QUIZ
We had a near-record total of 67 entries. Four entrants got all the answers right, so their names were put in a hat
LANGPORT ARMS
A new section has been added to the website giving the history of the Langport Arms. We reproduce a leaflet from Trust Houses
CARNIVALS EXHIBITION
We will have an exhibition about local carnivals in the Local History Marquee at Drayton Fair on Saturday 31st August. People you may
AUTUMN TALKS PROGRAMME
Our future talks programme for this autumn and for next year has just been released. Topics covered range from follies and castles to
CHANGE TO THE JUNE TALK
Unfortunately Brian Wright is unable to give us his talk about the hidden history of nursery rhymes, as planned on 3 June. Instead
A NEW QUIZ ABOUT BIRDS
Our latest quiz, For the Birds, is out now and available in outlets in and around Langport, or you can get one by