Wells Town in Somerset

Location

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Map showing location of Wells

The city of Wells lies in the Mendip District of east Somerset. The city, with a population of just under 11,000, is the smallest city in England.

Wells lies on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills and has had city status since 1205. The name of Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral. The settlement dates from at least Roman times. It gained importance when the Saxon King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church here in 704.

Wells became a centre for the cloth making industry in medieval times and also figured in the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion during the 17th century.

Nowadays recent traffic improvements has seen Wells return to a character more suited to a small market town. Wells lies at the junction of the A39 Bath to Glastonbury road; the A371 between Cheddar and Shepton Mallet and the B3139 goes heading to the Somerset coast via Wedmore and Highbridge. The city is well located to tour Bath, Stonehenge and Glastonbury as well as the beaches of the Somerset coast.

Wookey Hole Caves, the Mendip Hills, the Somerset Levels and Cheddar Gorge are just a short drive away.