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A Snapshot Into... Taunton

• July 19, 2021

Taunton is a town in Somerset, England, with an estimated population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastery. Taunton has an abundance to offer from individual boutiques to historic architecture, modern dining to traditional tea rooms. It harbours unspoilt views to the Blackdown Hills and Quantock Hills both areas of outstanding natural beauty. Truly, Taunton offers a wide mix of activities, attractions and events. 

Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust includes Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton. It is Somerset's largest acute hospital, servicing a population of nearly 340,000 people as well as providing some specialty and tertiary services to a catchment population of 544,000 people.  The hospital has nearly 600 beds, 30 wards, 15 operating theatres, a fully equipped diagnostic imaging department and a purpose-built cancer treatment centre which includes outpatient, chemotherapy day care, radiotherapy and inpatient facilities. The Trust employs over 4,000 staff.

Facts About Taunton

• Taunton was the first town in the country to be lit permanently by electric street lighting in 1881. This was 12 months before the Electric Lighting Act of 1882 which enforced the switch from oil lamps to electric across the UK.

• The West Somerset Railway is the longest preserved steam railway in the country. It has 20 miles of track running from Bishop’s Lydeard to its seaside station at Minehead.

• The oldest complete human skeleton ever found in Britain was Cheddar Man, found at Cheddar Gorge. It was aged at around 9,000 years old.

• There are two gorges in Somerset, the Ebbor Gorge and the more celebrated Cheddar Gorge. Ebbor has caves where bones of Ice Age mammals were found, while Cheddar is the largest in Britain, standing at around 500 feet.

Cost of Living in Taunton

Cost of Renting Accommodation per month

One-Bedroom Apartment in the City Centre	£637.50
One-Bedroom Apartment outside of the City Centre	£533.33
Three-Bedroom Apartment in the City Centre	£833.33
Three-Bedroom Apartment outside of the City Centre	£762.50

Transportation

1ltr Petrol	£1.12
One-Way Public Transport Ticket	£2.75
Monthly Public Transport Ticket	£60.00
1km Taxi Journey	£1.37

Entertainment

Meal out for two in a local pub	£12.00
Meal out for two in a mid-range restaurant, 3 courses	£40.00
Cinema tickets for one person	£9.50
One-month gym membership	£27.40
Tennis court rental for 1 hour on the weekend	£9.00
Beer 0.5ltr bottle	£3.00
Coke/Pepsi 0.33ltr bottle	£1.39
Cappuccino	£2.55

Time It Takes to Travel by Train from Taunton to Cities in the UK

City	Time it Takes to Travel
London	1 Hour 47 Minutes
Bristol	31 Minutes
Cardiff	1 Hour 45 Minutes
Manchester	3 Hours 57 Minutes
Newcastle	5 Hours 6 Minutes
Birmingham	2 Hours 8 Minutes
Liverpool	3 Hours 57 Minutes
Edinburgh	6 Hours 34 Minutes

Education in Taunton:

According to the government website, Taunton has access to 22 Secondary Schools and 61 Primary Schools. To find out more information about term dates, applications, standards, curriculum and general education, visit the Somerset County Council Education and Families website here.

Taunton is a short distance to the University of bath which was founded in 1966. The university offers a diverse selection of topic areas, as well as extensive student unions and study facilities, with more to come.

Things to do in Taunton:

Vivary Park

Vivary Park is a public open space in Taunton, Somerset, England. The Shefford Stream, a tributary of the River Tone, flows through the 7.5 hectares park, which is located near the centre of the town.

Fleet Air Arm Museum

Representing the Royal Navy in the Air. With four exhibition halls, over ninety aircraft and over 2 million records and 30 thousand artefacts the Museum is Europe's largest naval aviation Museum.

Vivary Adventure Centre

Vivary Adventure Centre is a different way to spend your day. Challenge yourself on the climbing wall and test your limits on the high ropes course! Vivary Adventure Centre has lots of different activities available for all abilities and all age types. They just ask that you are aged 8 or above. Bring your friends, parents and even grandparents along for a fun-packed day! Why not also try out the crazy mini golf course which winds its way around the high ropes course.

Hestercombe Gardens

Discover Somerset at Hestercombe Gardens and lose yourself in 50 acres of lakes, temples, cascades and tranquil woodland walks, plus formal terraces, vivid colours and outstanding views. One to take the camera along to!

Relocation to Taunton

If you’re an international doctor looking to relocate to Taunton, or another location in the UK, please email your CV to [email protected] and we can support you in securing an NHS post and on your journey to relocate to the UK.

Are you a member of our Facebook group? When you join IMG Advisor, you join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of vlogs and blogs to the group every day. We will also be on hand to answer all of your relocation queries.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 60 videos on everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS!

Listen to BDI Resourcing on the go to IMG Advisor the Podcast. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Buzzsprout. We have a number of episodes with tips and advice on relocating to the UK and the routes you can take to achieve this.

References

DOWTK.co.uk, 2021. Hestercombe Gardens | Day Out With The Kids. [online] Day Out With The Kids. Available at: <https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/attractions/hestercombe-gardens-7e26fb53> [Accessed 16 July 2021].

DOWTK.co.uk, 2021. Vivary Adventure Centre | Day Out With The Kids. [online] Day Out With The Kids. Available at: <https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/attractions/vivary-adventure-centre-6b3a2b1b> [Accessed 16 July 2021].

Tripadvisor.co.uk, 2021. The 10 best things to do in Taunton. [online] Available at: <https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g190730-Activities-Taunton_Somerset_England.html> [Accessed 16 July 2021].

Visitsomerset.co.uk, 2021. Visit Somerset | Your Guide to Accommodation, Attractions, Things to Do, Activities & Events - Visit Somerset. [online] Visitsomerset.co.uk. Available at: <https://www.visitsomerset.co.uk/taunton> [Accessed 16 July 2021].

Numbeo.com, 2021. Cost of Living in Taunton. [online] Numbeo.com. Available at: <https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Taunton-United-Kingdom> [Accessed 16 July 2021].