Sovereign state United Kingdom Region South West England Admin HQ Shepton Mallet Area 739.4 km² | Constituent country England Ceremonial county Somerset Created 1 April 1974 Local time Saturday 11:48 PM | |
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Weather 10°C, Wind W at 26 km/h, 90% Humidity Points of interest Mendip Hills, Wookey Hole Caves, Wells Cathedral, Glastonbury Abbey, Nunney Castle | ||
Mendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of 285 square miles (738 km2) ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 112,500. The administrative centre of the district is Shepton Mallet but the largest town (three times larger than Shepton Mallet) is Frome.
Contents
- Map of Mendip District UK
- Toponymy
- Governance
- Settlements
- Major roads
- Railway stations
- Education
- References
Map of Mendip District, UK
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Glastonbury and Wells, along with Frome, Shepton Mallet, Street urban districts, and Frome Rural District, Shepton Mallet Rural District, Wells Rural District, and part of Axbridge Rural District and part of Clutton Rural District.
Toponymy
Several explanations for the name "Mendip" have been suggested. Its earliest known form is Mendepe in 1185. One suggestion is that it is derived from the medieval term "Myne-deepes". However, A D Mills derives its meaning from Celtic monith, meaning mountain or hill, with an uncertain second element, perhaps Old English yppe in the sense of upland, or plateau.
An alternative explanation is that the name is cognate with Mened (Welsh mynydd), a Brythonic term for upland moorland. The suffix may be a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon hop, meaning a valley. Possible further meanings have been identified. The first is 'the stone pit' from the Celtic meyn and dyppa in reference to the collapsed cave systems of Cheddar. The second is 'Mighty and Awesome' from the Old English moen and deop.
Governance
The region falls under the jurisdiction of Mendip District Council. As of the 2015 Local elections the Council remained under Conservative control.
Settlements
The five main settlements in Mendip are:
Frome, Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet are the only towns in the district, as Wells has city status and Street has maintained its status as a village despite a population in excess of 11,000.
Other villages and hamlets include:
Major roads
Railway stations
Railway stations
served by the East Somerset Railway.
Education
County schools (those which are not independent) in the five non-metropolitan districts of the county are operated by Somerset County Council.
For a full list of schools see: List of schools in Somerset