United Kingdom · England · Weston-super-Mare
Mendip, Weston-super-Mare — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Named for the Mendip Hills, this Somerset district was run from Shepton Mallet, though Frome was always its largest town.
About Mendip
Where to stay in Mendip
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Two towns hold the beds. Shepton Mallet, the old administrative centre, puts the Church of St Peter and St Paul, the Merchant's House and the Kilver Street frontages within a few minutes of one another. Frome, the largest town, takes the rest.
Anyone wanting the Mendip Hills rather than a high street has the rural spread between the Wiltshire border and the Somerset Levels to choose from, and little of it is served by hotels.
About Mendip
What are the main landmarks in Mendip?
The Church of St Peter and St Paul carries the oldest fabric in Shepton Mallet, and the Shepton Mallet War Memorial stands in the same town. Houses do the rest. Bowlish House and Old Bowlish House, the Merchant's House, Park House and Whitstone House are listed, along with the Old Manor House, Grove House and The Round House.
Kilver Street holds a listed run of its own. Downside House, Longbridge House, Coombe House and Highfield House fill out the register.
What is the history of Mendip?
Mendip existed as a local government district from 1974, one of the units Somerset was divided into. Shepton Mallet held the offices. The name came from the Mendip Hills, though the district reached well beyond them, from the Wiltshire border in the east to part of the Somerset Levels in the west, across 285 square miles of mostly farmland.
Frome grew larger than the seat that governed it, and the older money shows in the Merchant's House, Bowlish House and The Old Grammar School House.
Where is Mendip?
Mendip stretched from the Wiltshire border in the east to part of the Somerset Levels in the west, taking its name and its high ground from the Mendip Hills.
Updated August 2026