| Wookey Hole | |
|---|---|
| 👁 Image Entrance to Wookey Hole village | |
Location within Somerset | |
| OS grid reference | ST530474 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wells |
| Postcode district | BA5 |
| Dialling code | 01749 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°13′26″N 2°40′28″W / 51.2238°N 2.6744°W / 51.2238; -2.6744 | |
Wookey Hole is a village in Somerset, England. It is the location of the Wookey Hole show caves.
Location
[edit]Wookey Hole is located in the civil parish of St Cuthbert Out. It is one mile north-west of the city of Wells, and lies on the border of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Toponymy
[edit]One possible origin for the name Wookey is from the Old English wocig (an animal trap),[1] although it is also a possible alteration from a Celtic word ogo (cave), referring to Wookey Hole Caves.[2][3]
Features
[edit]
The village of Wookey Hole is dominated by the Wookey Hole Caves tourist site which has show caves and a controversial crazy golf course which was built on the site of the village bowling green.[4]
The village has shops, a pub, restaurants, hotels and a campsite. The Grade II listed Church of St Mary Magdalene dates to 1873-74.[5]
The former paper mill building, whose water wheel is powered by a small canal from the river, dates from around 1860 and is a Grade II-listed building.[6] The production of handmade paper ceased in February 2008 after the owner Gerry Cottle concluded there was no longer a market for the product, and therefore sold most of the historic machinery.
Glencot House is a Grade II listed country house dating from 1887, by Ernest George and Harold Peto, for W. S. Hodgkinson. A report of the building appeared in The Building News, 13 May 1887; the architect's drawing was exhibited at the Royal Academy, and is now at RIBA.[7]
The 18th-century Bubwith farmhouse is also a Grade II listed building,[8] as is the post office in the High Street.[9]
The Monarch's Way and Mendip Way long-distance footpaths both pass through the village, as does National Cycle Route 3. Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve is just outside the village.
References
[edit]- ^ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimborne, Dorset: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1-874336-03-2.
- ^ Anderson, Flavia (1955). "Review - The Ancient Secret. In Search of the Holy Grail". French Studies. IX (3): 252–253. doi:10.1093/fs/IX.3.252.
- ^ Holmes, Thomas Scott (1885). The History of the Parish and Manor of Wookey. Bristol, C.T. Jefferies and Sons, Printers.
- ^ "Pirate ship sails into Wookey Hole Caves crazy golf row". Bristol Evening Post. This is Bristol. 13 February 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- ^ "CHURCH OF ST MARY MAGDALENE, St. Cuthbert Out - 1390977 | Historic England".
- ^ "Wookey Hole Paper Mill". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
- ^ "Glencot and terraces at rear". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
- ^ "Bubwith Farmhouse and forecourt wall". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
- ^ "Post Office". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
External links
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