Mendip | Cheddar Gorge, Wookey Hole, Caves | Britannica (original) (raw)

Mendip, district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, southwestern England, about 20 miles (32 km) south of the city of Bristol. Shepton Mallet, in the centre of an area that produces cider apples, is the administrative centre.

The district is named for the most prominent feature in the district, the Mendip Hills, a limestone tableland with a summit above 800 feet (240 metres) high in the northwest. The Mendips extend for about 25 miles (40 km) from between the parishes (towns) of Frome and Bruton in the eastern part of the district to its northwestern corner and drop steeply to the south, forming many caves and combes (deep narrow valleys), the latter extending to the alluvium-filled easterly extension of the Sedgemoor Basin.

Pigs, sheep, poultry, and large herds of dairy and beef cattle are raised on the fertile lowlands. A variety of local industries are based on the processing of these animals’ products; shoes are produced at Street and Shepton Mallet, woolen goods at Glastonbury, and cheese at Wells. Frome, the largest town in the district, has a light industrial base including printing, metal casting, and carpeting. Many of the district’s villages, as well as the famous medieval cathedral at Wells and the abbey at Glastonbury, are built of the locally quarried high-quality Doulting limestone. Area 285 square miles (739 square km). Pop. (2001) 103,869; (2011) 109,279.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.