Wedmore – Building History, Windmill and Walking Routes

Wedmore offers several ways to choose a destination for your stay: historic buildings, a local history passed down through the generations, an annual festival and named walking routes. Its landscape setting also gives the village its own character. If you are looking for a hotel for a trip to Wedmore, you can first consider whether you are more interested in architectural history, local heritage or walking routes. The places and information below help put these themes into context.

Church and Historic Village Landmarks

The Church of St Mary is predominantly a 15th-century building, with surviving elements from the 12th and 13th centuries. The church also contains an octagonal 14th-century font. This brings together several medieval periods in one building: the main structure dates chiefly from the 15th century, while the older elements and the font reveal further historical layers. Guides are available for adults and children.

Another village landmark is the Wedmore village cross. Its shaft and head survive; historically, the cross was the official site for the village's fairs and markets. Its former role as a market site complements the church's architectural history with a connection to public life in Wedmore. If historic buildings and landmarks are important to your choice of destination, you will find different themes here: the development of a church building and the cross's former role as a market site.

Landscape, Windmill and Heritage

Wedmore lies in a sheltered hollow on the northeastern slope of a ridge. Nearby, Ashton Windmill stands on the Isle of Wedmore ridge. The corn mill dates from the 18th century; the history of the mill site goes back to 1317. The mill was last in operation in 1927 and was subsequently carefully restored. The age of the mill site and the history of the building can therefore be distinguished: the site's association with a windmill goes back further than the 18th-century corn mill.

The area's history also stretches far back: Wedmore has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic period. According to a historical account, an agreement was made at a royal estate in Wedmore during a feast and has since been known as the “Peace of Wedmore.”

Ashton Windmill is usually open on Sundays and public holidays from Easter Sunday to the end of September, and also on Wednesdays in July and August, from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Check opening hours before travelling, as they may change.

September Festival and Walking Routes

The Wedmore Real Ale Festival has been held in Wedmore every September since 2001. It offers real ale and craft beer from breweries across the United Kingdom. Programme details may vary from year to year. If you would like to time your trip to coincide with the festival, check the dates and programme for the relevant year.

Two named circular walks with different local connections are described. “Marshes & Mendips” links Westhay Moor Nature Reserve with the higher parts of the Isle of Wedmore. The “Wedmore, wetlands and Sand” circular walk starts at St Mary's Church on Church Street. The first walk focuses on the connected landscapes; the second has a named starting point at the church. Check route conditions before setting out, as they may change. This helps you choose between a route connecting two named landscapes and one starting at the church.

Discover more destinations: Ashwick, Brompton Regis, Highbridge, North Brewham, Nether Stowey, Clatworthy, Beckington, Stowell

For the regional travel overview: Somerset.