Keynsham

Keynsham
From the top, High street, Riverside Centre, Church of St John the Baptist, Marketplace and the Clocktower
Keynsham Location within Somerset
Population	19,603 (2021 census)[1]
OS grid reference	ST654684
Civil parish	Keynsham
Unitary authority	Bath and North East Somerset
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRISTOL
Postcode district	BS31
Dialling code	0117
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Somerset North East and Hanham
List of places UK England Somerset 51°24′49″N 2°29′48″W / 51.4135°N 2.4968°W / 51.4135; -2.4968

Keynsham (/ˈkeɪnʃəm/ KAYN-shəm) is a town and civil parish located on the outskirts of the city of Bristol on the A4 that links the cities of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. It had a population of 19,603 at the 2021 Census. It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham (as it is pronounced), which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne.

The site of the town has been occupied since prehistoric times, and may have been the site of the Roman settlement of Trajectus. The remains of at least two Roman villas have been excavated, and an additional 15 Roman buildings have been detected beneath the Keynsham Hams. Keynsham developed into a medieval market town after Keynsham Abbey was founded around 1170. It is situated at the confluence of the River Chew and River Avon and was subject to serious flooding before the creation of Chew Valley Lake and river level controls at Keynsham Lock in 1727. The Chew Stoke flood of 1968 inundated large parts of the town. It was home to the Cadbury's chocolate factory, Somerdale, which opened in 1935 as a major employer in the town.

It is home to Memorial Park, which is used for the annual town festival and several nature reserves. The town is served by Keynsham railway station on the London-Bristol and Bristol-Southampton trunk routes and is close to the A4 road which bypassed the town in 1964. There are schools, religious, sporting, and cultural clubs and venues.