   burnham-on-sea is a town in somerset, england, at the mouth of the river parrett and bridgwater bay. burnham was a small village until the late 18th century, when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. it forms part of the parish of burnham-on-sea and highbridge. according to the 2011 census the population of the parish was 19,576. the position of the town on the edge of the somerset levels, where they meet the bristol channel, has resulted in a history dominated by land reclamation and sea defences since roman times. burnham was seriously affected by the bristol channel floods of 1607, with the present curved concrete wall being completed in 1988. there have been many shipwrecks on the gore sands, which lie just offshore and can be exposed at low tides. lighthouses are hence prominent landmarks in the town, with the original lighthouse known as the round tower built to replace the light on the top of the 14th century tower of st andrews church. the  pillar or high lighthouse and the low wooden pile lighthouse or lighthouse on legs on the beach were built to replace it. the town's first lifeboat was provided in 1836 by the corporation of bridgwater. a stone pier was built in 1858 by the somerset central railway. soon afterwards, in 1860, a steamer service to wales was inaugurated, but it was never a commercial success, and ended in 1888. burnham-on-sea railway station was the terminus of the burnham branch of the somerset and dorset joint railway. it opened in 1858, closed to scheduled passenger traffic in 1951, and st
Beaches_of_Somerset Populated_coastal_places_in_Somerset Post_towns_in_the_TA_postcode_area Seaside_resorts_in_England Somerset_Levels Towns_in_Sedgemoor