Wookey Hole

Wookey Hole is a village in Somerset, England. It is the location of the Wookey Hole show caves.

Wookey Hole

Entrance to Wookey Hole village
Wookey Hole
Location within Somerset
OS grid referenceST530474
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWELLS
Postcode districtBA5
Dialling code01749
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

Location

Wookey Hole is located in the civil parish of St Cuthbert Out, in Mendip District. 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

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
Glencot House

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.

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References
  1. Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimborne, Dorset: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1-874336-03-2.
  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.
  3. Holmes, Thomas Scott. The History of the Parish and Manor of Wookey.
  4. "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.
  5. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1390977
  6. "Wookey Hole Paper Mill". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
  7. "Glencot and terraces at rear". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
  8. "Bubwith Farmhouse and forecourt wall". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
  9. "Post Office". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2007.

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