South Esplanade, Burnham-on-Sea - 01278 787852 burnham.tic@sedgemoor.gov.uk

Burnham-on-Sea - derived from Burnhamm, as it was called in the will of King Alfred, made up from the Old English words Burna meaning stream and Hamm for home. On-Sea was added later as there are several other towns of the same name in England.

Burnham-on-Sea is notable for its beach and mudflats, the danger they pose to individuals and shipping, and the efforts locals have gone to defend their town and to prevent loss of life. Burnham is close to the estuary of the River Parrett where it flows into the Bristol Channel, which has the second highest tidal range in the world of 15 metres (49 ft), second only to Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada. The extensive mud flats at Burnham are characteristic of Bridgwater Bay and the rest of the Bristol Channel where the tide can recede for over 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Bridgwater Bay consists of large areas of mud flats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1989, and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Over the years a many people have died after becoming trapped in the mud and being overcome by the fast moving and rapidly rising waters.

In the south west corner of Burnham-on-Sea, north of the River Brue, is Apex Leisure and Wildlife Park. Covering over 42 acres (17 ha), the park has been created from excavated clay pits; these were flooded, and the lakes are now home to many types of wildlife and leisure activities.

Hinkley Point is a headland extending into Bridgwater Bay 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett. The landscape of Hinkley Point is dominated by two nuclear power stations: Hinkley Point A - Magnox (now closed) and Hinkley Point B - AGR. A third, twin-unit European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) reactor is planned, and will become Hinkley Point C.

The history of Burnham-on-Sea is the history of the reclamation of the Somerset Levels from the River Severn and the Bristol Channel. The Romans were the first peoples to try to reclaim the Somerset levels, and it was their people who were probably the first settlers in the high sand dunes behind the River Parrett. This could have been in part to maintain navigational systems, to aid ships entering the River Parrett and what is now Highbridge. When the Romans left, the system of drainage they had installed was not maintained, and the areas reverted to become a tidal salt flat under the Anglo Saxons.

Good evidence exists at the time of the Norman Domesday book that settlements existed at both Burnham and Huntspill, with their common boundary running along what is now the Westhill Rhyne. The church at Burnham and its lands were given to Gloucester Abbey in the 12th century, later transferred to the Wells Cathedral with up to 50 houses surrounding the church.

One of the earliest recorded historical incidents to affect the town was the Bristol Channel floods of 1607, and various flood defences have been installed sincee then. In 1911 a concrete wall was built. After World War II further additions to the defences against the sea were added by bringing part of the remains of a Mulberry harbour used for the Normandy Landings and burying them in the sand. Today the town is defended from flooding by a large curved concrete wall, completed in 1988 following serious flooding in 1981, that runs along the Esplanade, boasting a wide variety of graffiti and street art.

The USS Aulick (DD-258) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy built in 1918 to 1919. In 1940 she was transferred to the British under the agreement with the United Kingdom exchanging American destroyers for bases in the Atlantic. She transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Burnham (H82) during World War II. In 1942, Burnham was formally adopted by Burnham-On-Sea. In 1944, she was used on aircraft training duties in the Western Approaches Command, which allowed a contingent from the ship to visit the Somerset town and march the streets. Burnham was reduced to reserve at Milford Haven, Wales, in November 1944. She was ultimately scrapped at Pembroke, in December 1948. On Thursday October 21, 2004 - exactly 60 years after the crew of the vessel marched through the streets of the Somerset town to cheering crowds, Ron Giles, president of the former HMS Burnham Association, unveiled a plaque on the seawall of Burnham-on-Sea.

There have been many shipwrecks on the Gore sand and the first lifeboat was sent to Burnham by the Bridgwater Corporation in 1836, with a second boat in 1847. The first Royal National Lifeboat was funded by the town of Cheltenham and arrived in 1866. The lifeboat was removed in 1930 because of the difficulty in getting a full crew, and because the launching arrangements were not suitable for a powered boat.

BARB rescue hovercraftBurnham-on-Sea Area Rescue Boat (BARB) was set up in 1992 to fund and operate rescue craft in the Bridgwater Bay area. BARB's boat house on the sea front was built in 1994 by the Challenge Anneka TV show. In 2002, Lelaina Hall, a five-year-old girl from Worcester, died on the mud flats before help could reach her. The outcry over her death prompted a Western Daily Press campaign to fund an inshore hovercraft. BARB currently operates the Spirit of Lelaina alongside her sister hovercraft the Light of Elizabeth, which is named after Lelaina's sister.