Dear mummy, while touring Somerset on a long weekend break you stumbled on the smallest city in England called Wells and just had to share your visit. With only 12,000 inhabitants it’s only classed as a city because of its impressive medieval Cathedral which is visible from the southern point of the Mendips, an area of outstanding natural beauty with the famous Glastonbury nearby too.
My folks spotted Wells from Pen Hill and they drove down the winding roads past the tallest mast in the region, the Mendip UHF television transmitter, the views were spectacular and my folks were envious of the cyclists and walkers enjoying the warm September sunshine.
The Cathedral and the associated religious and architectural history have made Wells a tourist destination, which provides much of the employment in the city. It remains remarkably unspoilt and has many other historic buildings including the moated Bishop’s Palace, Vicars’ Close, St Cuthbert’s Church and a good local museum. As a result the beautiful location has served as many backdrops for several films and television programmes.
The history of Wells goes right back to Roman times when historians know that there was a settlement, probably because of the springs that bubble up there. The cathedral city of Wells gets its name from three wells, once believed to have curative powers, later dedicated to Saint Andrew. Two are within the grounds of the Bishop’s Palace and the cathedral, with a third now a prominent monument in the main market square.
Without doubt Wells is a beautiful city, not too dissimilar from Winchester in Hampshire, with so much history and lovely architecture it’s easy to get side tracked down the little lanes and end up in a cafe watching the world go by and taking in the atmosphere. But my folks were here for another reason…*sorry historians*
Wells has a little secret. 10 years ago it played host to a major British cult film called Hot Fuzz. Actors such as Simon Pegg (well know for his roles in recently blockbuster Star Trek films) and his sidekick Nick Frost descended onto the little market streets of Wells.
In 2006, for a few weeks, the city was transformed into Sandford, the fictional sleepy village in the British blockbuster film. Hot Fuzz was directed by local Wells boy Edgar Wright and went on to international acclaim and has taken on cult status. My folks love the film so were eager to follow the footsteps of the cast and crew.
If you haven’t seen Hot Fuzz it tells the story of London cop Sgt. Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) who is sent to the seemingly idyllic village of Sandford. At first life seems dull, but along with sidekick, PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), Angel soon discovers some sinister goings on.
As soon as my folks reached the main square of Wells they instantly recognised it from the film. The Crown pub was a major giveaway. A 15th century, Grade II listed coaching inn, in the heart of the historic City of Wells, Somerset; a stone’s throw from Wells Cathedral and Bishop’s Palace. The Crown is an integral part of the story and features in many of the background shots. My folks had fun pretending to reenact the film. Muttering ‘crusty jugglers’ along the way.
The city of Wells is one of the major stars of the film Hot Fuzz. From the Market Place, to St Cuthbert’s Church and back alleys of England’s smallest city, my folks saw almost all of the film’s locations. My folks only spent a couple of hours in the city just stopping for lunch while driving through and managed to see a lot of the film locations. They’re favourite place was visiting The Crown Inn.
Wells makes an ideal destination for a short break or long weekend and has much to see in it as well as providing an excellent base for exploring the surrounding area. Within 25 miles you can visit many attractions which include the famous caves at Wookey Hole, Cheddar Gorge & Caves, Glastonbury Abbey and Glastonbury Tor, Stourhead. It’s a real haven for nature lovers, with some great walks along rolling countryside and coastal routes, perfect for cyclists and campers too.
We’ll definitely be back as a family to spend longer in this beautiful city, with so much history to explore my folks only scraped the surface of this historical town as they just focused on the modern aspects! The city of Wells continues to be used as a backdrop to many films including recently The Huntsman Winter War, 2015 Starring Charlize Theron. Sounds like an awesome place to visit!
Love Bella xx
dearmummyblog.com 
Aww Wells looks absolutely lovely! Definitely my type of city! I have to admit, I have never seen Hot Fuzz though, and I never knew it was filmed in Wells – you learn something new every day. I love the ice cream shot 🙂 #sharingthebloglove
Wow! What an amazing blog post! Hot Fuzz is one of my favourite films of all time! Glad you managed to do this!
One of my closest mum friend moved to Cornwall from Wells. She did mention the Cathedral, but I didn’t know it looked that stunning! Will plan a visit now, thanks to your post 😉
Gorgoeus photos the cathedral looks stunning I’ve watched hot fuzz only once before.
haha this is so fun! Such an awesome day out! You could do it with so many different films! Harry Potter would be one of my favourite ones 🙂 I did go to the pub where they filmed Kingsman, its in London!
Haha! What a fab trip out,
I absolutely love Hot Fuzz.
Sooooo…
Want anything from the shop?!
It certainly looks a beautiful city to spend a few hours. Great photos x
Never been to Wells but would really like to go. I love a historic town and the Hot Fuzz connection is just fab. #SharingtheBlogLove
I’ve been to Wells as a child and I definitely didn’t appreciate how stunning the cathedral is. My husband loves Hot Fuzz and tells me all the time we should visit Wells!!! I’m totally showing him your post, he will love it. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove X
Hahaha, loved that film. We must have watched it about 4 times on the trot.
Ahhh I love that film so much. I love that you got a cornetto, you just have to don’t you! It really does look like a really cute, sleepy town! x
Gosh, that looks beautiful! The type of place you know you can enjoy an ice cream and maybe a cream tea! Brilliant!
Wells is beautiful isn’t it…….never twigged it was the location for Hot Fuzz
I’ve not been to Wells, but I have seen Hot Fuzz! I love the look of the stunning catherdral and those archway windows at Bishops Place are beautiful. I’d love visiting all the Hot Fuzz locations too though – I think it might tempt my husband for a visit! Thanks so much for joining us again at #SharingtheBlogLove
I have never been to Wells but I did know Hot Fuzz was filmed there, such an amazing film, so funny x
Aww it looks amazing and that’s one of my favourite movies!!
What a beautiful location! Loved the movie as well.
thanks for sharing this! it looks like one of those places that I love to visit at the weekends 🙂 x
haha I love this movie! I need to chek out this place. I had no idea that they filmed it there! #justanotherlinky
I loved that film – brilliant post!
#justanotherlinky
Wells is such beautiful location. Looks like you had a great time
Gorgeous photos, we visited here the year before last on holiday in Somerset, it’s a gorgeous part of the country and the cathedral is well worth a visit. #justanotherlinky
Lovely pictures, it looks beautiful here. Ha, my husband loves that film, he can watch it again and again 🙂
What a quaint little town, I would never had of linked it to the Hot Fuzz films before this post
I’ve seen the movie:) It was hilarious:) #citytripping
I used to live and work in Bristol as a reporter and part of my ‘patch’ was Somerset so I found myself in Wells a few times. I couldn’t believe when it popped up in Hot Fuzz, a film that still makes me whimper with laughter. So much fun to go back and retrace the action. Hope they watched out for swans… #citytripping
Haha! We were on the look out for swans!
I didn’t know that’s where Hot Fuzz was filmed! I love that film! Thanks showing us around it and reenacting some of the scene. It looks beautiful. I really must make it to that part of the world…especially with Glastonbury and Cheddar Gorge so near!
I have watched Hot Fuzz but didn’t know it had been filmed at Wells. I will be visiting Wells later this year so this was a fun post to read. #CityTripping
No way! I’ve been to Wells and didn’t even know it was the location for Hot Fuzz (great film!) Your photo’s are hilarious btw! #citytripping
We aim to inject a bit of fun in our adventures 😉
I’ve never been there before but looks beautiful. I love Hot Fuzz!
Thank you for linking up to #justanotherlinky
I’ve never watched Hot Fuzz, but film location chasing is always fun! Your ice-cream photo really got me laughing… #CityTripping
Ooo we are looking for a venue for a long weekend away so will mention this to the OH! I quite liked the film so it would be quite a fun place to stay espically as its close to so many other tourist haunts! Stopping by from #citytripping xx