Things to Do in Frome!

Cheese and Grain, Frome

The Cheese & Grain is also an arts venue with a regular programme of events which have included "the poet laureate of comedy" John Hegley and The Wurzels who have now injected their Somerset cider based songs with dance beats! Music gigs are regularly hosted including jazz, world music, famous chart bands and tribute bands as well as showcases for new talent.

Check the Cheese & Grain website for up-to-date event listings. The Cheese & Grain also has a licensed bar and cafe.

Cheese & Grain, Market Yard, Frome, Somerset BA11 1BE. Box Office: 01373 455420. Email: office@cheeseandgrain.co.uk

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Theatres in Frome

The Merlin Theatre is a professional venue that hosts a range of productions including theatre, film, music and dance from all over the world. Check out their website for the latest productions. The theatre is dedicated to linking the theatre strongly with the local community and they offer a range of youth activities and education work. The theatre also organises a range of workshops looking at various aspects of arts and crafts from around the world. For knitters visiting don't miss "Stitch 'n' Bitch", a drop in group for knitters and sewers that meet between 6-9pm on Tuesdays! The Box Office is open for bookings by telephone or in person. In the evenings the box office will be open one hour before the performance.

Box Office Tel: 01373 465949. The Merlin Theatre, Bath Road, Frome, Somerset BA11 2HG.

Frome's other arts venue is the Memorial Theatre set in the 1920s theatre built in memorial of those who fell during the First World War. A whole host of performances are hosted throughout the year including musicals, ballet, drama and productions from Frome Amateur Operatic Society. It also contains the Assembly Rooms that are available for hire for wedding receptions, birthday parties, dances, concerts and conferences.

Frome Memorial Theatre, Christchurch Street West, Frome, Somerset BA11 1EB.

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Frome Museum & Library

Frome Museum holds a collection of local artefacts. These range from an ancient quern stone through to local industrial items from J W Singers & Sons Art Metal Works and the printing industry that has formed a major part of Frome's industrial heritage from the nineteenth century to the present day. Butler & Tanner printers is one of the largest employers in the town. From Museum also hosts guided town walks between May to September. Local historian guides take you around the medieval highlights of Frome and give you a more in depth history on individual listed buildings and places. Walks start from outside the Tourist Information Centre at 2.30pm on the first Sunday of each month during May-September.

Frome's Library is housed in the same building as the Museum which also has a shop - good for local history books and maps. If you're researching you're family history, parish records or genealogy from Frome you'll need to check the Somerset County Record Office in Taunton.

Frome Museum is open Tues-Sat between April-October. Admission is free but donations will help to continue. Frome Museum is open during the summer Tues-Sat. Closed in winter. Frome Museum, North Parade, Frome. BA11 1AT. Tel: 01373 454611.

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Radstock Museum - Somerset Mining History

Just north of Frome is Radstock and Midsomer Norton. Radstock was in the heart of the Somerset Coalfield. Coal had been discovered by the Romans in Somerset, but only started to be mined in Radstock in 1763. The Old Pit at Radstock extended 1,000 feet by the eighteenth century and during the 1790s the Somersetshire Coal Canal was built, with a separate branch serving Radstock, to export the coal from the area.

The coal industry has long gone with the last mine having been closed down in the 1970s, but Radstock showcases the social and industrial heritage of the area in the acclaimed industrial museum, Radstock Museum. The Museum is housed in a former market hall and has one of the old coal mining wheels dominating a colourfully planted public garden area across the way. It's a good family day out and you can show the kids how lucky they are not to have to endure a Victorian schoolroom - complete with strict schoolmaster! Exhibits include re-created rooms of miners' houses, a forge and carpenter's shop and displays about the Somersetshire Coal Canal and railways.

Radstock Museum is closed on Mondays except Bank Holidays. Closed December and January. Radstock Museum, Waterloo Road, Radstock BA3 3EP. Tel: 01761 437722. Fax: 01761 420470. Email: info@radstockmuseum.co.uk

There are mines dotted all over the Somerset landscape, both coal and stone mines, particularly in North Somerset. Although these are no longer mined they are surprisingly important to wildlife. Many bat species use old mine shafts as hibernation roosts and some even use them in summer. These are particularly important for the rare greater and lesser horseshoe bats which are largely restricted to the South West of England. There are a variety of sites, both caves and mines, in North Somerset that receive international protection due to the presence of bats.

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Colliers Way - Dundas Aqueduct Radstock and Frome

The Colliers Way is part of the National Cycle Network. It will eventually link up with routes all the way down to Southampton and Portsmouth. It can also be used by walkers, horseriders as well as cyclists.

The route follows disused railway lines and country lanes from Dundas Aqueduct on the east of the River Avon south west of Bath. The Dundas Aqueduct carries the Kennet and Avon Canal over the River Avon. Building started in 1797 and it was constructed out of Bath Stone. There is a Visitor Centre with refreshment facilities available. The Colliers Way route takes you through the Somerset Coalfield area through Radstock - where you can pop into the museum to find out more about the area's social and industrial history - and then down to Frome for a welcome relax and refreshment stop in one of the cafes in the medieval streets.

Check the links right for a downloadable route leaflets, maps showing places of interest and downloadable walking, cycling and riding leaflets.

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