Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Wellington is a historic market town situated between the River Tone and the Blackdown Hills in the west of Somerset. The town has Saxon origins and was recorded in Domesday as 'Walintone'. A royal charter in 1215 established it as a market town, growing on the trade route between Bristol and Exeter. From the 18th century it became a centre for cloth-making. The Grand Western Canal reached the town in 1835 and the Bristol and Exeter Railway in 1843. The Fox family were a prominent Quaker dynasty whose industrial and social influence shaped Wellington for over 250 years, most notably forming the Fox Brothers & Co clothmaking company in 1772. Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, took his title from the town. Wellington Monument (completed in 1854) is a 175ft-tall triangular tower on the Blackdown Hills, built to commemorate the Duke's victory at Waterloo. Wellington Town Hall (1833) is in the neoclassical style. The Church of St John the Baptist (C of E) dates from the 15th century, on the site of an earlier church. The town is within the council area of Somerset.

Place Type: Town
Historic County: Somerset
Lat, Long: 50.978568,-3.2274488
Grid Reference: ST 1392 2062
Civil Parish: Wellington CP
Council Area: Somerset CA
Police Area: Avon and Somerset PA

GBPN ID: 48275
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Wellington,_Somerset_48275

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