Yeovil

If you want to visit a fine old English country town with all the facilities you need, it would be hard to beat Yeovil.

Today it’s the district town of South Somerset, but it’s been an important place since Roman times.

Its strategic position on the Fosse Way (now A37) between Dorchester and Ilchester was vital to the Romans, and makes it easy to reach for you.

The name just means ‘town on the river’, which goes for most places round here, but no two Somerset towns are alike, and you’ll find that its character is unique. 

Throughout Saxon and medieval times the town continued to thrive.

A market charter from King John, who took a big interest in Somerset, guaranteed its status as the local farming centre.

While most Somerset towns surrounded by upland grazing went in for wool, Yeovil developed the speciality of glove making, and the name still survives in the nickname of ‘giant killers’ Yeovil Football Club – the glovers.

These days the gloves are off, and you can’t buy a pair made in the town.

We can probably fix you up with a helicopter or two, as military equipment is the town’s biggest export, and Augusta Westland the biggest employer. 

Yeovil is one of these towns which is much bigger than it appears.

You can ramble for what seems like miles through the historic centre, built around the noble C14 church of St John the Baptist, passing many fine old buildings, and not passing up many shopping opportunities.

There’s a theatre, all sorts of arts and crafts, and the famous football club.

If you remember Stephen Potter’s Lifemanship books from the 1950s, they’re based on Yeovil, which Thomas Hardy had previously recreated as Ivell.

These days Yeovil only has two railway stations, a comedown from its original four, but it’s on the A37 and A30, a stone’s throw from the A303.

Tags: Yeovil Tourist Information