Banwell Village is situated close to junction J21 on the M5 motorway and is within easy reach of Bristol, with the International Airport only 20 minutes drive away, just off the A38. The coastal resort of Weston super mare is 5 miles away along the A371/A370 and the attractions of Cheddar Gorge and Wells Cathedral are to the east below the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills.

Banwell was once on the coach road from the coast to Wells, and at one time had seven pubs & 26 shops. Only three pubs now survive, The Bell - formerly a coaching inn, The Brewers Arms, and the Whistling Duck. The number of shops have also been reduced considerably but there is still a thriving community in Banwell supporting these pubs, and three other restaurants; Chillies - once The Anvil Restaurant, Delicious - a Chinese Takeaway & Fish & Chip Shop, and The Restaurant in Banwell Castle

Banwell is the first village to pass through when travelling on the A371 from Weston super Mare towards Winscombe, Cheddar, and then onto Wells.

In a south easterly direction from the A370, the A371 passes the disused airfield and The Helicopter Museum then continues north of Locking Village, over the M5 Motorway, and directly to Banwell where it joins the end of A368, Bath road, in the centre of the village. The A371 then climbs the hill out of Banwell, past the castle, and then continues across open countryside to join the A38 via Winscombe.

The Old Banwell Road passes through the village of Locking, which was by-passed during WW2 to facilitate aircraft production when the Bristol Aeroplane Company (BAC) opened a new wartime dispersal factory, between the hamlets of Hillend and Elborough, just off the road to Hutton west of Banwell and Knightcott.

RAF Locking was opened in 1939 as a training establishment for the RAF and Fleet Air Arm, and occupied a triangular area, north of Locking Village, bounded by Drove Farm to the east, Locking Head Farm to the north, and the outskirts of Knightcott to the east.

Later, during 1941, the road from Moorlane Drove (now Moor Lane), near Locking Bridge over the railway, was widened to by-pass Locking Village and continued past the southern boundary of RAF Locking to rejoin the path of a the Old Banwell Road east of Locking. The widened road allowed aircraft to be transported, or taxied, to the airfield near Locking, from BAC's new Banwell factory.

The area was defended by several Pillbox emplacements built for wartime Defence of Britain, with accommodation and training facility buildings constructed to the east of the factory on the Old Banwell Road.

Aircrew and ground crew training at RAF Locking, and aircraft production during WW2 had a significant effect on the prosperity of Banwell for several decades. The initial WW2 development of RAF Locking, BAC's Banwell factory, and the accommodation and training unit buildings (now Knightcott Industrial Estate) continued after the war until the 1990's.

The RAF No. 1 Radio School moved from Cranwell to RAF Locking in January 1950, to be followed by RAF Apprentice Training which commenced in November 1952. National Service and Regular Servicemen received technical training in parallel with a number of Aircraft Apprentice and Craft Apprentice Entries; the RAF Western Band established their base, and the United States Navy opened a Contingency Wartime Hospital at the RAF Station in the late 1980’s.

The Filton based (BAC) commenced civilian aircraft production at the Banwell factory in the 1950’s; Bristol Freighter assembly was transferred from Filton in 1953, and in 1956 a rocket manufacturing facility was established at the factory. Later BAC undertook a joint venture with Aerojet General Corporation of the USA, with the formation of Bristol Aerojet (BAJ). The Banwell factory housed specialised machinery and furnaces for rocket motor casing manufacture.

A new housing development is now located on the site of the former BAC factory, the airfield and RAF Locking are now closed with most of the buildings, excepting the Chapel and former married quarters, now completely demolished. The former accommodation and training unit buildings are still in use but a large dome that formed part of the training facility was dismantled when the M5 Motorway was contructed.

The M5 Motorway cut a swathe through the hillside between Banwell and Locking severing the Old Banwell Road between Knightcott and Hillend; a new road and motorway bridge then linked the widened road, constructed during WW2, and Banwell Village. The new road followed the route of a footpath from the Old Banwell Road to Knightcott, thus isolating the former accommodation and training unit buildings, and Hillend on the west side of the motorway from the A371 main road.

After nearly eight years since the RAF left Locking there are new developments for Locking and Banwell Villages. The site formerly occupied by RAF Locking is now promoted by the South West Regional Development Agency as:
Locking Parklands - An Excellent Location: The site will offer a contemporary working and living environment without the congestion and stresses of city life. In a world of increasing business cost, Locking Parklands offers an affordable option for relocation....

The widened A371, and the A368, still serve today as a convenient link between the A38 and Weston super Mare, often carring diverted traffic during motorway hold-ups through Banwell Village.

To be continued 16th July 2008.

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Banwell Village Somerset - Seasons Restaurant - Banwell Winscombe North Somerset

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