20 Attractions to Explore Near East Somerset Railway - Cranmore Station

Kilver Court is an historic house and gardens in Shepton Mallet in the English county of Somerset. The River Sheppey powered textile mills and it later became a factory, the headquarters of the Showerings brewing business, and then the headquarters of a leather-goods manufacturer, Mulberry. It is now used as a shopping centre.

Shepton Mallet prison, was built in 1610 and for the past 400 years has be home to 1000's of criminals. it was the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, and had been since the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011. Before closure Shepton Mallet was a category C lifer prison holding 189 prisoners. The prison building is grade II* listed, while the former gatehouse and perimeter walls are grade II.

Nunney Castle in Somerset dates from the 1370s. Its builder was Sir John de la Mare, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Much modernised in the late 16th century, the castle was besieged and damaged by the Parliamentarians in 1645, during the English Civil War. . Its builder was Sir John de la Mare, a local knight who was beginning to enjoy royal favour. Much modernised in the late 16th century. English Heritage maintains the site as a tourist attraction.

Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a pioneering world-class gallery and multi-purpose arts center which acts as a destination for experiencing art, architecture, and so more. It has a meadow, hedged enclosures and a cloister-like courtyard. Grasses, including miscanthus varieties and the purple moor-grass 'Moorhexe', make it an easily recognisable Oudolf garden design. Landscape architect Luis Laplace produced a plan for the historic farm which became the gallery.

King Alfred’s Tower is a 160ft high folly, designed by Henry Flitcroft for Henry Hoare II in 1772. It is believed to mark the site where King Alfred the Great rallied his troops in 878. The tower commemorates the accession of George III to the throne in 1760 and the end of the Seven Years War. The 49-metre-high triangular tower has a hollow centre and is climbed by means of a spiral staircase in one of the corner projections. It includes a statue of King Alfred and dedication inscription.

The Bishop's Palace & Gardens in Wells, Somerset has been home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for over 800 years. This stunning medieval palace is open for all to enjoy. Surrounded by a breathtaking moat, cross the flagstone drawbridge, to experience a true hidden gem in the heart of the City of Wells. The palace was originally surrounded by a medieval deer park. When the walls were built, streams were diverted to form the moat as a reservoir.

Wells Cathedral is set in the medieval heart of England's smallest city and is the earliest English Cathedral to be built in the Gothic style. The cathedral dboasts a magnificent west front covered in medieval sculptures of saints and kings. It has been called "unquestionably one of the most beautiful" and "most poetic" of English cathedrals.

Vicars’ Close, believed to be the only complete medieval street left in England. This significant landmark was designed to provide communal accommodation for the Vicars Choral, who sang daily worship within the Cathedral. This centuries-old tradition continues today and is a unique and much valued part of life at Wells Cathedral.

The Wells Museum was founded by Herbert Balch in 1893. He was a naturalist, caver and geologist who pioneered many of the techniques used by modern cavers. The exhibits include items of local history and archaeological finds. It has permanent and temporary exhibitions, along with a series of events throughout the year

Wincanton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Wincanton, Somerset, England. The steeplechase fences are large, making it a good test of a chaser. Three fences in quick succession in the second half of the home-straight make for exciting racing and often change the complexion of a finish dramatically; resulting in a great many close finishes.

The Longleat hedge maze is considered the world's longest, with 1.69 miles of pathway. It is constructed using more than 16,000 English yews forming the walls surrounding a central tower and features six raised footbridges.The maze has 8-foot tall hedges that winds around a massive estate that functions as the seat of the Marquesses of Bath and hosts a few unusual features including a drive-through safari park stocked with more than 500 exotic animals. The maze has several dead ends and multiple

This circular temple was built in 1765, by the architect Henry Flitcroft, to outdo William Chamber’s earlier Temple of the Sun at Kew. It is dedicated to Apollo, the sun god. Nestled on a hilltop, the temple has delightful views over the lake.

Longleat House was widely regarded as one of the best examples of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public. The house is set in 1,000 acres of parkland landscaped by Capability Brown, with 4,000 acres of let farmland and 4,000 acres of woodland, which includes a Center Parcs holiday village. It was the first stately home to open to the public, and the Longleat estate includes the first safari park outside Africa

Stourhead is the best example of a garden inspired by the great landscape painters of the seveneeenth century. Ernst Gombrich suggests it should bear the signature of an Italianized French painter: Claude Lorrain. The estate is about 4 km northwest of the town of Mere and includes a Grade I listed 18th-century Palladian mansion, the village of Stourton, gardens, farmland, and woodland. Stourhead has been part-owned by the National Trust since 1946.

Wookey Hole is the UK’s largest show caves system, home to the infamous Witch of Wookey Hole and our new Chamber 20 with rare rock formations. With these world famous caves PLUS over 20 magnificent attractions, Wookey Hole is a great day out for all the family. The caves have been used by humans for around 45,000 years, demonstrated by the discovery of tools from the Palaeolithic period, along with fossilised animal remains.

A heavily wooded gorge on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, Ebbor nature reserve offers excellent walks through ash woods and a superb view out over the Somerset Levels. The 41 ha reserve is cleft by two steep-sided valleys. The site was occupied by humans in the Neolithic Era and their tools and flint arrow heads have been discovered, along with pottery from the Bronze Age. There are also fossils of small mammals from the Late Devensian.

White Sheet Hill is another fine example of elevated chalk grassland which has evidence of ancient history at its summit. It has a neolithic enclosure dating back to 3,000 BC, and an Iron Age hill fort at the top. There are also Bronze Age barrows, some of which are clearly visible. It is incredible to think they have survived for 3 to 4,000 years. The Roman road which runs along the hill was at one time the main route through the Selwood Forest. The hill is part of the Stourhead estate and has

Glastonbury Tor is one of the most famous landmarks in Somerset, if not the whole of the West Country. It's not just famous because it can be seen for miles and miles around, but also because it has huge spiritual significance for many people. The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving the hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed rem

The Chalice Well, also known as the Red Spring, is a well situated at the foot of Glastonbury Tor in the county of Somerset, England. The natural spring and surrounding gardens are owned and managed by the Chalice Well Trust, founded by Wellesley Tudor Pole in 1959. Archaeological evidence suggests that the well has been in almost constant use for at least two thousand years.

The Somerset Rural Life Museum is situated in Glastonbury, Somerset, UK. It is a museum of the social and agricultural history of Somerset, housed in buildings surrounding a 14th-century barn once belonging to Glastonbury Abbey. Explore rural life from the 1800s onwards and discover the county’s heritage including its landscape, food and farming, working life and rural crafts. The farmhouse and cowsheds are home to galleries and exhibition spaces, including permanent and temporary displays.