The West Country: Difference between revisions

{{tropeUseful Notes}}

[[File:once_upon_a_time_in_the_west_country_3275once upon a time in the west country 3275.jpg|frame|link=http://www.b3ta.com/challenge/britishamerica/page10|Yeah, it's [[Blatant Lies|kinda like]] [[Once Upon a Time in the West|that]].]]

{{quote|'''Cause I got a bran' new combine 'arvester an' I'll give you the key!''

{{quote| --'''The Wurzels'''}}

[[The West Country]] is the informal term for the area of the [[United Kingdom]] that encompasses the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol. Known for being very rural with towns and cities being small and spread out (resulting in very poor support for the Labour Party, who came ''fifth'' in European elections and subsequently strong support for the Lib Dems!). As such it's mostly depicted on TV as farmer towns where the inhabitants wear wellies and tweed and speak with thick Somerset accents, even though the majority of people living in the South West actually speak perfectly standard English. Known to everyone else as "Mummerset". Expect plenty of 'oo-ar's!' to be heard and some cunning wit or action to follow. Was known as "Zedland" to wits in the 19th century, owing to the way the accent turns S to Z ("Oi be drinkin' zoider!") Generally a laid-back set of counties too, especially considering the amount of comedians the area has produced. Bristol is the only major city in the region (although Swindon, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Exeter, Torbay, Bournemouth and Plymouth are fairly populated) and as such is the focal point for most events of notice.

Known for producing huge amounts of cider and scrumpy, cheddar cheese, clotted cream and cornishCornish pasties. Naturally, they are all consumed in greater quantities down there than in the rest of the UK. Also gave us the [[Glastonbury Festival]] too and also is the location of Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Also, [[Patrick Stewart]] trained as an actor in this area. Weston-super-Mare in Somerset was also fairly well known for its pier by the beach and was an icon in the West Country; the pier was seriously damaged by a fire in 2009, but has reopened as of late 2010. Is also quite popular amongstamong engineers due to having such marvels like the Severn Bridges and the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, the fact Bristol also had an important role in the Aerospace Industry and helped build Concorde also helps, Concorde's last flight ended up returning it to Bristol, where it now stands at Filton Airport until a permanent museum can be built. The local airport also started doing flights from there to New York City a few years back. Bristol also is somewhat notorious for its relationship with [[Pirates]] because the Bristol Channel coast was a major sea-trade region during the age of pirates, and the coast was a notoriously dangerous for shipwrecks (not always accidental), so some of the speech is derived from pirate jargon. Has recently had some of the city renovated and tidied up. Word of advice though: Avoid Knowle West unless you absolutely have to go there, although that area is improving.

Plymouth and most of West Devon are liberally drenched in references to Sir Francis Drake, British National Hero of the 16th Century and the last interesting person to come out of the county (apart from actor twins [[Harry And Luke Treadaway]]); Plymouth is also the site of the Mayflower Steps and the departure of various soon-to-be-Americans from the country.<ref> Apparently, we've just said that no-one who left to found America was worth noting. Moving on...</ref>

{{examples|ExamplesFamous ofpeople famous/fictionalfrom peopleThe West Country include:}}

* [[The Wurzels]]: Somerset band who make songs about cider, farming and the West Country in general, usually perform with a pint of cider in their hands. Popular amongst the West Country and also amongst university students for obvious reasons.

* Michael Adams, Britain's current{{when}} #1 chess player, was born and brought up in Cornwall, and now lives in Somerset.

* Although [[Terry Pratchett]] was born in Buckinghamshire, his family moved to Somerset when he was a child, and he's spent much of his adult life in Somerset and then Wiltshire.