Lopen
Lopen is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 260 people.
History
The name of the village means Lufa's pen or fold.A Roman mosaic, probably from a Roman villa, was found in the village in 2001. The Roman Mosaic was discovered by George Caton who was operating a mechanical digger and noticed small cubes of coloured stone, which turned out to be part of the floor of an eight-roomed Roman Villa and is the largest Roman Mosaic so far discovered in Britain. Photogrammetry by English Heritage was followed by excavation led by the Somerset County Council archaeologist exposed and documented the mosaic in three weeks. It was then covered with sand and soil to preserve it. The work was recognised with the award of the Tarmac Finders Award at the British Archaeological Awards in 2002. The stones used for the mosaic are Blue Lias from the surrounding hills. The fragments which were discovered in the surrounding soil were used to create a new mosaic, featuring a cantharus, using methods which would have been available in Roman times. It is now displayed in All Saints Church.
Lopen is listed in the Domesday Book, with three manors, one of which was held by the Knights Templar. These were bought by the Earls Poulett of Hinton St George in 1560s. The parish of Lopen was part of the South Petherton Hundred.
In the 18th century the parish was noted for flax growing and for the production of linen sailcloth and twine. These industries continuing until the end of World War II. A mill had first been recorded in the parish around 1285. The mill was a water/grist mill until the mid 18th, then becoming jointly used as a grain mill and for linen production.
Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept 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 and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the parish comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of South Somerset. It was part of Chard Rural District before 1974.
Lopen is part of the Yeovil 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.
Geography
The parish of Lopen is bounded to the north by the A303 Trunk Road and to the south by Lopen Brook with the road from South Petherton to Merriott, Crewkerne and the south coast running through the middle. Between Lopenhead and Lopen the road crosses the ancient Roman Fosse Way, which at this point is just a minor country lane.The main retail outlets in the parish are the pub and an organic food shop at Lopen Head, but although they are in the parish they are not really in the village itself which is located half a mile to the south. The road from Lopenhead to Lopen descends steeply through a deep and twisty cutting with no pedestrian pavement. However these outlets can be safely reached on foot by way of a footpath from the church.