expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. The village falls in the 'Beckington and Selwood' electoral ward. The ward stretches from Beckington south to East Woodlands but avoiding Frome. The total population of the ward at the 2011 census was 2,125. It is also part of the Somerton and Frome 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. It was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. Transport Beckington was on the A36 until a bypass was built in 1989. For years, the T-junction in the centre of the village was in grid-lock during the busy commuter times and holiday season. The location was marked by a large, evergreen bush that was cleverly snipped to the shape of a battle-tank. Education Beckington school is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School which was built in 1852. Springmead Preparatory School is also based in the village. Landmarks Seymours Court Farmhouse dates from the 15th century and is Grade I listed. It was once the home of Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, who married Queen Catherine Parr. Beckington Castle, which housed Ravenscroft School between 1945 and 1970, was originally built in the 17th century. It is now home to a company providing technical and procurement support to the Ministry of Defence. The Wool Hall, next door, dates from the 16th century, was substantially restored in the 19th century, and served as a recording studio from the early 1980s until its closure in 2004. The cottages along Church Street date from around 1720. Like the Wool Hall, the Woolpack Inn took its name from the village trade and opened as a coaching inn in the 16th century, but the current building was rebuilt on the site in the late 18th. Beckington is also home to two village pumps. One of these described as "smart", is near the church under a hooded wooden structure, whilst the other, described as "altogether less grand", is located on a parkway. Religious sites It has a Norman Church of