Wookey

Wookey is a village and civil parish 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Wells, where the River Axe travels the length of the village. Somerset Council has been the local authority since 1 April 2023; before that it sat in Mendip district. The parish also includes Henton, with the hamlets of Yarley and Bleadney.

The Church of St Matthew dates to the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building. Nearby is Wookey Hole, a separate village that is easily confused with Wookey itself. The two share a name but not a setting, so check which one a listing means.

At Wookey Hole, the caves are a series of limestone caverns and a show cave on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, where the River Axe flows through them. They are a Site of Special Scientific Interest for both biology and geology. A stalagmite in the first chamber is the Witch of Wookey Hole in legend, a witch said to have been turned to stone by a monk from Glastonbury. The river’s water is used at a handmade paper mill that began operating around 1610. Commercial paper production ended in 2008, though the mill’s visitor attraction still shows how paper is made by hand.

Wookey works as a quiet base close to a city. Wells is 2 miles east.