Welcome to Wells

The cathedral city of Wells is located at the foot of the Mendip Hills, in the county of Somerset, approximately 135 miles west of London and 21 miles south-west of Bath.

The town has a population of around 8,500. Administratively it is within the local government district of Mendip which covers an area of approximately 739 sq kms and which has a population of around 106,000.

Britain's smallest city, it is dominated by one of the country's finest cathedrals, built by the Bishop of Wells in the 12th century. It houses an astronomical clock dating from 1392, one of the oldest working clocks in the world. There are other notable historic buildings in the town, including the Bishop's Palace, which is one of the oldest inhabited houses in the country, and the 16th century Crown Hotel. It is a good base from which to explore the surrounding area, and is a thriving commercial and retail centre.

The town's history dates from the 8th century when the Saxon King Ine built the Anglo Saxon minster, St Andrew, on the site of the present Cathedral. Two centuries later the town was given its first Bishop and Wells acquired the status of Cathedral Church. Robert of Lewes granted a charter which marked the start of the city's independence. Later, three further Charters were granted giving the right to hold weekly markets and four fairs a year. The present cathedral was begun in 1180 by Bishop Reginald de Bolun and took  250 years to complete. William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, stayed here at the Crown Inn, before leaving for America. During the Civil War, Parliamentarian troops stabled their horses in the Cathedral and damaged much of the interior by using it for target practice. During the Monmouth Rebellion Wells was the headquarters for the Somerset militia. They were housed in St Cuthbert's Church, along with their gunpowder. The medieval Bishops Palace, home to the Bishop of Bath and Wells for 800 years, has three fresh water wells in its grounds. These have been a place of worship for milennia; there was once a Roman mausoleum on the site. Wells is England's smallest city, after the City of London.

Historically the town's economy was based upon agriculture but today tourism is a major industry. The service industry, of which tourism, is the largest sector of the local economy, employing 62% of the workforce. There is also a defence systems facility in the town.

The name Wells comes from the Old English 'wella' meaning 'the springs'. This comes from the ancient wells in the grounds of the Bishops Palace which have been a place of worship for milennia.