View source for Cheddar, Somerset

{{Short description|Village in Somerset, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox UK place
 | static_image_name        = Cheddar 09-06 9.jpg
 | static_image_alt         = Roofs of multiple buildings separated by trees and vegetation. In the distance is a lake and hills.
 | static_image_caption     = Cheddar village, looking due west from the tower at Jacob's Ladder
 | country                  = England
 | official_name            = Cheddar
 | population               = 5,755
 | population_ref           = (2011)<ref name="popn">{{cite web|title=Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes&nbsp;— SUMMARY Profiles|url=http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/files/Somerset%20Census%20Key%20Statistics%20-%20Summary%20Profiles.xls|publisher=Somerset Intelligence|access-date=4 January 2014|format=Excel}}</ref>
 | coordinates              = {{coord|51.279|-2.778|display=inline,title}}
 | unitary_england          = [[Somerset Council]]
 | lieutenancy_england      = [[Somerset]]
 | region                   = South West England
 | constituency_westminster = [[Wells and Mendip Hills (UK Parliament constituency)|Wells and Mendip Hills]]
 | post_town                = CHEDDAR
 | postcode_district        = BS27
 | postcode_area            = BS
 | dial_code                = 01934
 | os_grid_reference        = ST458535
}}

'''Cheddar''' is a large village and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the English county of [[Somerset]]. It is situated on the southern edge of the [[Mendip Hills]], {{convert|9|mi|km|0}} north-west of [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]], {{convert|11|mi|km|0}} south-east of [[Weston-super-Mare]] and {{convert|18|mi|km|0}} south-west of [[Bristol]]. The civil parish includes the [[Hamlet (place)|hamlets]] of '''Nyland''' and '''Bradley Cross'''. The parish had a population of 5,755 in 2011 and an acreage of {{convert|8592|acres}} as of 1961.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cheddar CP/AP through time acreage|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_AREA_ACRES&u_id=10423909&c_id=10001043&add=Y|work=A vision of Britain through time|access-date=12 February 2011}}</ref>

[[Cheddar Gorge]], on the northern edge of the village, is the largest [[canyon|gorge]] in the [[United Kingdom]] and includes several [[show cave]]s, including [[Gough's Cave]]. The gorge has been a centre of human settlement since [[Neolithic]] times, including a [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] palace. It has a temperate climate and provides a unique geological and biological environment that has been recognised by the designation of several [[Sites of Special Scientific Interest]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cheddar Gorge and Caves|url=http://www.bristol-link.co.uk/entertainment/cheddar-gorge.htm|publisher=Bristol-link|access-date=31 January 2011|archive-date=6 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306205935/http://www.bristol-link.co.uk/entertainment/cheddar-gorge.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is also the site of several [[limestone]] [[quarry|quarries]]. The village gave its name to [[Cheddar cheese]]<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Cheddar|volume=6|page=21}}</ref> and has been a centre for [[strawberry]] growing. The crop was formerly transported on the [[Cheddar Valley line|Cheddar Valley rail line]], which closed in the late 1960s and is now a cycle path. The village is now a major tourist destination with several cultural and community facilities, including the Cheddar Show Caves Museum.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plan your day |url=https://www.cheddargorge.co.uk/visitor-info/plan-your-day |publisher=Cheddar Gorge and Caves |access-date=25 November 2018}}</ref>

The village supports a variety of community groups including religious, sporting and cultural organisations. Several of these are based on the site of [[the Kings of Wessex Academy]], which is the largest educational establishment.

== History ==

[[Richard Coates]], Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the [[University of the West of England]], has suggested that the name is ''Ciw-dor,'' 'the door to Chew', referencing an idea that the gorge marked an important routeway through at least part of the Mendip watershed, and giving access between two large and important estates which had probably been a part of the Wessex royal demesne from the 7th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Coates |first=Richard |title=Names, Texts and Landscapes in the Middle Ages: A Memorial Volume for Duncan Probert |publisher=Shaun Tyas |year=2022 |isbn=9781907730948 |editor-last=Bassett |editor-first=Steven |pages=206-232 |chapter=The History of Cheddar |editor-last2=Spedding |editor-first2=Alison J.}}</ref> 

There is evidence of occupation from the [[Neolithic]] period in Cheddar. Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, [[Cheddar Man]], estimated to be 9,000 years old, was found in Cheddar Gorge in 1903.<ref name="Tourist hotspots—Cheddar Gorge">{{cite web| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/naturescalendar/summer/honeypots/cheddar/cheddar_gorge.shtml | title= Tourist hotspots—Cheddar Gorge | publisher = [[BBC]] |access-date =12 August 2007}}</ref> Older remains from the [[Upper Paleolithic|Upper Late Palaeolithic]] era (12,000–13,000 years ago) have been found.<ref name="sher">
{{cite web
 | url= http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/10398
 | title = Gough's Cave, Cheddar Gorge, Cheddar
 | work=Somerset Historic Environment Record
 | publisher = [[Somerset County Council]] |date=January 1983
 | access-date =7 February 2011
}}</ref> There is some evidence of a [[Bronze Age]] field system at the [[Batts Combe quarry]] site. There is also evidence of Bronze Age barrows at the mound in the Longwood valley, which if man-made it is likely to be a field system.<ref>{{cite journal
 | url = http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol23/UBSS_Proc_23_1_9-16.pdf
 | title = Results of geophysical surveys at two barrow sites in Cheddar and Priddy Parishes, Mendip
 | first = Jodie
 | last = Lewis
 | year = 2003
 |author-link=Jodie Lewis 
 | journal = Proc. Univ. Bristol Spelaeol. Soc. 2003
 | publisher = [[University of Bristol]]
 | page = 11
 | access-date =11 July 2012
}}</ref> The remains of a Roman villa have been excavated in the grounds of the current [[Clergy house|vicarage]].<ref name="curio"/>

[[File:Saxon palace at Cheddar.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Reconstruction drawing of the Saxon royal palace at Cheddar around 1000 AD]]
The village of Cheddar had been important during the [[Roman Britain|Roman]] and [[Saxon]] eras.<ref name=EB1911/> There was a [[Cheddar Palace|royal palace at Cheddar]] during the Saxon period, which was used on three occasions in the 10th century to host the [[Witenagemot]].<ref name="rahtz">
{{cite web | url= http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol06-07/6_053_066.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410225720/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol06-07/6_053_066.pdf |archive-date=2008-04-10 |url-status=live
 | last= Rahtz
 | first= Phillip
 | publisher= Archaeology Data Service
 | title= The Saxon and Medieval Palaces at Cheddar, Somerset-an Interim Report of Excavations in I 960-62
 | access-date=31 March 2008
}}</ref> The ruins of the palace were excavated in the 1960s.<ref name="richardson">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/Somerset_EUS_Cheddar.pdf
 |title        = Cheddar Archaeological Assessment
 |last         = Richardson
 |first        = Miranda
 |year         = 2003
 |work         = Somerset Extensive Urban Survey
 |publisher    = [[Somerset County Council]]
 |access-date   = 26 May 2014
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140528005952/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/Somerset_EUS_Cheddar.pdf
 |archive-date = 28 May 2014
 |url-status     = dead}}</ref> They are located on the grounds of [[the Kings of Wessex Academy]], together with a 14th-century chapel dedicated to [[Columbanus|St. Columbanus]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1173737 |desc=Former chapel dedicated to St Columbanus |access-date=31 March 2008 }}</ref> Roman remains have also been uncovered at the site.<ref name=richardson/><ref>{{cite news| title=School dig uncovers Roman grave | publisher= BBC News | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/4630806.stm | date=20 January 2006 | access-date=31 March 2008}}</ref> Cheddar was listed in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Cedre.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thorn |first=Frank |title=Domesday Book: Somerset |last2=Thorn |first2=Caroline |publisher=Phillimore |year=1980 |isbn=0850333679}}</ref> 

As early as 1130&nbsp;AD, the [[Cheddar Gorge]] was recognised as one of the "Four wonders of England". Historically, Cheddar's source of wealth was farming and cheese making for which it was famous as early as 1170&nbsp;AD.<ref>{{cite book|title=West Country History: Somerset|year=2002|first=Muriel |last=Searle | publisher=Venton Publications |page=130|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v3YaKvNutIsC&dq=cheddar+somerset+history+farming&pg=PA130|isbn=978-1-84150-802-3 | access-date=7 February 2011}}</ref> In the post-Conquest period, Cheddar emerges as a member of Somerset's [[Winterstoke]] [[Hundred (county subdivision)|Hundred]]. However, Frank Thorn has suggested that at a far earlier period, Cheddar lay at the centre of its own small hundred, and that it acted as the head place (or ''caput'') of a coherent group of three hundreds, namely Cheddar itself, Winterstoke and Bempstone (the latter containing Brent and Wedmore).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thorn |first=Frank |date=2011 |title=Defining 'Winterstoke' Hundred |journal=Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society |volume=154 |pages=119-164}}</ref>

The manor of Cheddar was deforested in 1337 and [[Ralph of Shrewsbury|Bishop Ralph]] was granted a licence by the King to create a hunting forest.<ref>{{cite book | last=Bond|first=James| title=Somerset Parks and Gardens | publisher=Somerset Books | page=25|year=1998|isbn=978-0861834655}}</ref>

As early as 1527 there are records of [[watermill]]s on the river.<ref name=richardson/> In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were several watermills which ground [[wheat|corn]] and made paper, with 13 mills on the [[Cheddar Yeo|Yeo]] at the peak, declining to seven by 1791 and just three by 1915.<ref name=shorthistory>{{cite web|url=http://www.parish-council.com/Cheddar/index.asp?pageid=148051 |publisher=Cheddar Parish Council |first=John |last=Outhwaite |title=A Short History of Cheddar |access-date=30 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715043919/http://www.parish-council.com/Cheddar/index.asp?pageid=148051 |archive-date=15 July 2011 }}</ref> In the [[Victorian era]] it also became a centre for the production of clothing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/about.htm |title=A brief history of Cheddar |publisher=Cheddar Web Site |access-date=30 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305120412/http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/about.htm |archive-date= 5 March 2010 }}</ref> The last mill, used as a shirt factory, closed in the early 1950s.<ref name=shorthistory/>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Cheddar Inclosure Act 1795
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An act for dividing, allotting, and inclosing, the open and commonable lands, within the parish of Cheddar, in the county of Somerset.
| year                  = 1795
| citation              = [[35 Geo. 3]]. c. ''39'' {{small|Pr.}}
| territorial_extent    = [[Great Britain]]
| royal_assent          = 28 April 1795
| commencement          = 28 April 1795{{efn|name=aopca|The [[Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793]].}}
| repeal_date           = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = Current
| original_text         = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
[[William Wilberforce]] saw the poor conditions of the locals when he visited Cheddar in 1789. He inspired [[Hannah More]] in her work to improve the conditions of the [[Mendip Hills|Mendip]] miners and agricultural workers.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Coysh |first1=A.W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iA9IAAAAMAAJ&q=Wilberforce |first2= E.J. |last2=Mason|first3=V. |last3=Waite |title=The Mendips |year=1977 |pages=96 |publisher=Robert Hale Ltd |location=London |isbn=0-7091-6426-2 }}</ref> In 1801, {{convert|4400|acre|km2}} of common land were enclosed under the '''{{visible anchor|Cheddar Inclosure Act 1795}}''' ([[35 Geo. 3]]. c. ''39'' {{small|Pr.}}).<ref name="havinden">{{Cite book|last=Havinden|first=Michael|title=The Somerset Landscape|year=1982|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|location=London|series=The making of the English landscape|page=133|isbn=0-340-20116-9}}</ref>

Cheddar remained a more dispersed dairy-farming village until the advent of tourism and the arrival of the railway in the [[Victorian era]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.strawberrylinetimes.co.uk/?page_id=203 | title=The Strawberry Line District and its communities | work=Strawberry Line Times| access-date=8 October 2012 |url-status = dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005070720/http://www.strawberrylinetimes.co.uk/?page_id=203 | archive-date=5 October 2012 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Tourism of the [[Cheddar Gorge|Cheddar gorge and caves]] began with the opening of the [[Cheddar Valley Railway]] in 1869.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Cheddar Village, Somerset |url=http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/about.htm |work=Cheddar Village |access-date=12 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305120412/http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/about.htm |archive-date= 5 March 2010 }}</ref>

Cheddar, its surrounding villages and specifically the gorge has been subject to flooding. In the [[Chew Stoke flood of 1968]] the flow of water washed large boulders down the gorge, washed away cars, and damaged the cafe and the entrance to Gough's Cave.<ref>{{cite news|title=40 years since the Great Gorge Flood|url=http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/40_years_since_the_great_gorge_flood_1_321776|access-date=24 February 2011|newspaper=Western Mercury|date=10 July 2008|archive-date=29 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929011254/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/40_years_since_the_great_gorge_flood_1_321776|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Chew Valley floods of 1968|url=http://www.publow-with-pensford-pc.gov.uk/pub/backlook/env_agency_leaflet.pdf|publisher=Environment Agency|access-date=24 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716144901/http://www.publow-with-pensford-pc.gov.uk/pub/backlook/env_agency_leaflet.pdf|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Government ==
Cheddar is recognised as a village.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.cheddarparishcouncil.org/documents/CPC%20-%20Parish%20Plan.pdf | title= Cheddar Parish Plan | publisher= Cheddar Parish Council | access-date= 30 March 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110725161412/http://www.cheddarparishcouncil.org/documents/CPC%20-%20Parish%20Plan.pdf | archive-date= 25 July 2011 | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/EUS_CheddarText.pdf |title=An archaeological assessment of Cheddar |first=Miranda |last=Richardson |work=Somerset Extensive Urban Survey |publisher=Somerset County Council |page=12 |quote=Cheddar is one of 30 of the 45 historic towns covered by this project which is not classed as a town in the County Structure Plan. |access-date=4 March 2011 |year=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110915134755/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/EUS_CheddarText.pdf |archive-date=15 September 2011 }}</ref> The adjacent settlement of [[Axbridge]], although only about a third the population of Cheddar, is a town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infobritain.co.uk/Axbridge.htm|title=Axbridge, and King John's Hunting Lodge, Somerset|publisher=InfoBritain|access-date=5 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124055322/http://infobritain.co.uk/Axbridge.htm|archive-date=24 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.axbridge-tc.gov.uk/visitor/history.html |title=Axbridge: History |publisher=Axbridge Town Council |work=Axbridge: Information for Visitors and Residents maintained by Axbridge Town Council |access-date=4 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720090813/http://www.axbridge-tc.gov.uk/visitor/history.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/EUS_AxbridgeText.pdf |title=An archaeological assessment of Axbridge |first=Miranda |last=Richardson |work=Somerset Extensive Urban Survey |publisher=Somerset County Council |pages=4–5 |access-date=4 March 2011 |year=2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913175648/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/EUS_AxbridgeText.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This apparently illogical situation is explained by the relative importance of the two places in historic times. While Axbridge grew in importance as a centre for cloth manufacturing in the [[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] period and gained a charter from [[John of England|King John]], Cheddar remained a more dispersed mining and dairy-farming village. Its population grew with the arrival of the railways in the [[Victorian era]] and the advent of tourism.<ref>{{cite web|title=Axbridge Cheddar—Location Report|url=http://www.nsdatabase.co.uk/locationdetail.cfm?locationid=73|publisher=NSDatabase|access-date=7 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723052541/http://www.nsdatabase.co.uk/locationdetail.cfm?locationid=73|archive-date=23 July 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

The [[Parish councils in England|parish council]], which has 15 members who are elected for four years,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parish-council.com/Cheddar/index.asp?pageid=827|title=Your Council|publisher=Cheddar Parish Council|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715043751/http://www.parish-council.com/cheddar/index.asp?pageid=827|archive-date=15 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> is responsible for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the police, district council officers, and [[Neighbourhood Watch (UK)|neighbourhood watch]] groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.parish-council.com/cheddar/index.asp?pageid=827 | title=Your Council | publisher=Cheddar Parish Council | access-date=4 March 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715043751/http://www.parish-council.com/cheddar/index.asp?pageid=827 | archive-date=15 July 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The village is in the 'Cheddar and Shipham' [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]]. After including [[Shipham]] the total population of the ward taken at the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]] is 6,842.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/cheddar-and-shipham-e05008905#sthash.NORE1ey7.dpbs|title=Cheddar and Shipham ward 2011|access-date=6 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402102622/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/cheddar-and-shipham-e05008905#sthash.NORE1ey7.dpbs|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Cheddar fire station.jpg|thumb|Cheddar Fire Station has a crew of retained firefighters.]]
For [[local government in England|local government]] purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] of [[Somerset Council]]. Prior to this, it was part of the [[non-metropolitan district]] of [[Sedgemoor]], which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], having previously been part of [[Axbridge Rural District]].<ref name=axbridgerd>{{cite web|title=Axbridge RD|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10025515|work=A vision of Britain Through Time|publisher=University of Portsmouth|access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> Fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the [[Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service]], [[Avon and Somerset Constabulary]] and the [[South Western Ambulance Service]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.somersetstrategicpartnership.org.uk/about-the-ssp/ | publisher=Somerset Strategic Partnership | title=About the Somerset Strategic Partnership | access-date=5 March 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817010613/http://www.somersetstrategicpartnership.org.uk/about-the-ssp/ | archive-date=17 August 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

It is also part of the [[Wells and Mendip Hills (UK Parliament constituency)| Wells and Mendip Hills]] [[county constituency]] represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111006181638/http://www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/parliamentary_constituencies_in_the_county/10281.html Parliamentary Constituencies in the county of Somerset]}} Government News. Retrieved 14 November 2001.</ref> It elects one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) by the [[first past the post]] system of election. Prior to [[Brexit]] in 2020, it was part of the [[South West England (European Parliament constituency)|South West England constituency]] of the [[European Parliament]].

== International relations ==
Cheddar is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with [[Felsberg, Hessen|Felsberg]], Germany and [[Vernouillet, Eure-et-Loir|Vernouillet]], France, and it has an active programme of exchange visits.<ref name=twin>{{cite web|url=http://www.sedgemoorgermantwinning.org.uk/cheddar.html|title=Cheddar / Felsberg Vernouillet Friendship Association (CFVFA)|publisher=Sedgemopor German Twinning Association|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315224433/http://www.sedgemoorgermantwinning.org.uk/cheddar.html|archive-date=15 March 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Initially, Cheddar twinned with Felsberg in 1984. In 2000, Cheddar twinned with Vernouillet, which had also been twinned with Felsberg.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cheddar Felsberg And Vernouillet Friendship Association|url=http://cheddaraxbridgepaper.co.uk/newspop.php?paperid=10&id=6080|access-date=25 December 2010|newspaper=Nailsea e-paper}}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Cheddar also has a friendship link with [[Ocho Rios]] in [[Saint Ann Parish]], Jamaica.<ref name=twin/><ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/Credit-crunch-hits-trip-Jamaica/article-1022312-detail/article.html | archive-url= https://archive.today/20120912020822/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/Credit-crunch-hits-trip-Jamaica/article-1022312-detail/article.html | url-status= dead | archive-date= 12 September 2012 | newspaper= Cheddar Valley Gazette | date= 26 May 2009 | title= Credit crunch hits trip from Jamaica | access-date= 25 December 2010 }}</ref>

It is also twinned with the commune of [[Descartes, Indre-et-Loire|Descartes]] in the [[Indre-et-Loire]] department.

== Geography ==
[[File:Cheddar Village - Mendip Hills - Somerset - England - Project Gutenberg eText 12287.jpg|thumb|right|Cheddar Gorge {{Circa|1907}}]]

The area is underlain by Black Rock slate, Burrington Oolite and Clifton Down Limestone of the [[Carboniferous]] [[Limestone]] Series, which contain [[Oolite|ooliths]] and [[fossil]] debris on top of [[Old Red Sandstone]], and by [[Dolomite (rock)|Dolomitic Conglomerate]] of the [[Keuper]]. Evidence for [[Variscan orogeny]] is seen in the sheared rock and cleaved shales. In many places weathering of these strata has resulted in the formation of immature calcareous soils.<ref name="sssi">{{cite web | title=The Cheddar Complex | work=English Nature | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003940.pdf | access-date=17 July 2006}}</ref>

=== Gorge and caves ===
{{Main article|Cheddar Gorge}}
[[Cheddar Gorge]], which is located on the edge of the village, is the largest [[canyon|gorge]] in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/may05/Travels0505.html | title= Cheddar Gorge: Not entirely cheesy |date=May 2005 | work= Geotimes, a publication of the American Geological Institute | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref>
The gorge is the site of the Cheddar Caves, where [[Cheddar Man]] was found in 1903.<ref name="Tourist hotspots—Cheddar Gorge"/> Older remains from the [[Upper Paleolithic|Upper Late Palaeolithic]] era (12,000–13,000 years ago) have been found.<ref name="sher"/> The caves, produced by the activity of an underground river, contain [[stalactite]]s and [[stalagmite]]s. [[Gough's Cave]], which was discovered in 1903,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://piclib.nhm.ac.uk/results.asp?image=033406&itemw=4&itemf=0001&itemstep=1&itemx=1 |title=Gough's Cave excavation site |publisher=Natural History Museum |access-date=7 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313075020/http://piclib.nhm.ac.uk/results.asp?image=033406&itemw=4&itemf=0001&itemstep=1&itemx=1 |archive-date=13 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> leads around {{convert|400|m|yd|0|abbr=on}} into the rock-face, and contains a variety of large rock chambers and formations. [[Cox's Cave]], discovered in 1837,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/localities/cheddar.html |title=Cheddar Gorge |access-date=4 March 2011 |publisher=British Geological Survey }}</ref> is smaller but contains many intricate formations. A further cave houses a children's entertainment walk known as the "Crystal Quest".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddarcaves.co.uk/section.php/22/1/cox_s_cave___the_crystal_quest |title=Cox's Cave and the Crystal Cave |publisher=Cheddar Caves and Gorge |access-date=18 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129222749/http://www.cheddarcaves.co.uk/section.php/22/1/cox_s_cave___the_crystal_quest |archive-date=29 November 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Cheddar Gorge, including Cox's Cave, Gough's Cave and other attractions, has become a tourist destination, attracting about 500,000 visitors per year.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1843 | title = Access Q&A: Cheddar Gorge | work = British Mountaineering Council | year = 1999 | access-date = 12 August 2007 | archive-date = 28 September 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020333/http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1843 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
In a 2005 poll of ''[[Radio Times]]'' readers, following its appearance on the 2005 television programme ''[[Seven Natural Wonders]]'', Cheddar Gorge was named as the second greatest natural wonder in Britain, surpassed only by the [[Dan yr Ogof]] caves.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4735935.stm |title = Caves win 'natural wonder' vote | publisher = [[BBC]] | date =2 August 2005 | access-date =7 February 2011}}</ref>

=== Sites of Special Scientific Interest ===
[[File:Cheddarreser.JPG|thumb|right|[[Cheddar Reservoir]] at dusk, looking towards the western edge of the [[Mendip Hills]] and [[Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill|Crook Peak]]]]
There are several large and unique [[Sites of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) around the village.

[[Cheddar Reservoir]] is a near-circular artificial reservoir operated by [[Bristol Water]]. Dating from the 1930s, it has a capacity of 135&nbsp;million&nbsp;gallons (614,000&nbsp;cubic&nbsp;metres).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/cheddar-info.asp |title=Cheddar Reservoir Introduction |publisher=Bristol Water |access-date=30 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325204405/http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/cheddar-info.asp |archive-date=25 March 2010 }}</ref> The reservoir is supplied with water taken from the [[Cheddar Yeo]], which rises in Gough's Cave in Cheddar Gorge and is a tributary of the [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]]. The inlet grate for the {{convert|54|in|m|1|adj=on}} water pipe that is used to transport the water can be seen next to the [[sensory garden]] in Cheddar Gorge.<ref>{{cite web|title=Axbridge Raw Water Treatment Works|url=http://www.ceequal.co.uk/awards_035.htm|work=Axbridge Raw Water|publisher=CEEQUAL|access-date=5 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912011706/http://www.ceequal.co.uk/awards_035.htm|archive-date=12 September 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its wintering waterfowl populations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1003948 |title=English Nature SSSI information for Cheddar Reservoir |publisher=[[English Nature]] |access-date=7 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524222856/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1003948 |archive-date=24 May 2011}}</ref>

[[Cheddar Wood]] and the smaller Macall's Wood form a [[biological Site of Special Scientific Interest]] from what remains of the wood of the [[Bishops of Bath and Wells]] in the 13th century and of [[Edmund I of England|King Edmund]] the Magnificent's wood in the 10th. During the 19th century, its lower fringes were grubbed out to make [[strawberry]] fields. Most of these have been allowed to revert to woodland. The wood was [[coppice]]d until 1917.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Aspects of the medieval landscape of Somerset |last=Aston |first=Michael |author-link=Mick Aston |year=1988 |publisher=[[Somerset County Council]] |isbn=0-86183-129-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aspectsofmediaev0000unse/page/30 30] |url=https://archive.org/details/aspectsofmediaev0000unse/page/30 }}</ref> This site compromises a wide range of habitats which include ancient and secondary semi-natural broadleaved woodland, unimproved neutral grassland, and a complex mosaic of [[calcareous grassland]] and acidic dry dwarf-shrub heath. Cheddar Wood is one of only a few English stations for [[starved wood-sedge]] (''Carex depauperata'').<ref name="cheddarwoodsssi"/> [[Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum|Purple gromwell]] (''Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum''), a nationally rare plant, also grows in the wood.<ref name="cheddarwoodsssi"/> [[Butterflies]] include [[silver-washed fritillary]] (''Argynnis paphia''), [[dark green fritillary]] (''Argynnis aglaja''), [[pearl-bordered fritillary]] (''Boloria euphrosyne''), [[holly blue]] (''Celastrina argiolus'') and [[brown argus]] (''Aricia agestis''). The [[slug]] ''[[Arion fasciatus]]'', which has a restricted distribution in the south of England, and the [[soldier beetle]] ''[[Cantharis fusca]]'' also occur.<ref name="cheddarwoodsssi">{{cite web| title=Cheddar Wood | publisher=[[English Nature]] | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003970.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013121948/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003970.pdf |archive-date=2006-10-13 |url-status=live | access-date=17 July 2006}}</ref>

By far the largest of the SSSIs is called [[Cheddar Complex]] and covers {{convert|441.3|ha|acre|1}} of the gorge, caves and the surrounding area. It is important because of both biological and geological features. It includes four SSSIs, formerly known as Cheddar Gorge SSSI, August Hole/Longwood Swallet SSSI, GB Cavern Charterhouse SSSI and Charterhouse on-Mendip SSSI.<ref name="cheddarcomplexsssi">{{cite web| title=The Cheddar Complex | publisher=[[English Nature]] | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003940.pdf | access-date=17 July 2006}}</ref> It is partly owned by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] who acquired it in 1910<ref>{{cite web|title=Nature and the National Trust|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/w-nature/w-nature-strategy.htm|publisher=National Trust|access-date=4 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130222504/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl/w-countryside_environment/w-nature/w-nature-strategy.htm|archive-date=30 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> and partly managed by the [[Somerset Wildlife Trust]].<ref name="cheddarcomplexsssi"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Cheddar Complex|url=http://www.somersetwildlife.org/cheddar_complex.html|publisher=Somerset Wildlife Trust|access-date=4 March 2011}}</ref>

=== Quarries ===
[[File:Batts Combe Quarry from tower.JPG|alt=Exposed stone face of quarry, and buildings|thumb|upright=1.5|Batts Combe Quarry from the lookout tower above [[Cheddar Gorge]]]]
Close to the village and gorge are [[Batts Combe quarry]] and [[Callow Rock quarry]], two of the active [[Quarries of the Mendip Hills]] where [[limestone]] is still extracted. Operating since the early 20th century, Batts Combe is owned and operated by [[Hanson plc|Hanson Aggregates]]. The output in 2005 was around 4,000 tonnes of limestone per day, one third of which was supplied to an on-site lime kiln, which closed in 2009;<ref>{{cite web |title=Notice of variation and consolidation with introductory note |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/607057/Variation_Notice.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125164112/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/607057/Variation_Notice.pdf |archive-date=2018-11-25 |url-status=live |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=25 November 2018}}</ref> the remainder was sold as coated or dusted aggregates. The limestone at this site is close to 99&nbsp;percent [[carbonate]] of [[calcium]] and [[magnesium]] ([[Dolomite (mineral)|dolomite]]).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Atthill |first=Robin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_KMwAAAAMAAJ&q=99%25 |title=Mendip: A new study |year=1976 |pages=22 |publisher=David & Charles |location=Newton Abbott |isbn= 0-7153-7297-1 }}</ref>

The Chelmscombe Quarry finished its work as a limestone quarry in the 1950s and was then used by the [[Central Electricity Generating Board]] as a [[tower testing station]].<ref>{{cite web|title=West Mendip Quarries|url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/more_info/west_mendip_quarries_history.htm|publisher=British Geological Survey|access-date=22 February 2011}}</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s it was also used to test the ability of containers of radioactive material to withstand impacts and other accidents.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Farrant |first1=Andrew |year=2024 |title=Foundations of the Mendips. Detailed site information. History — West Mendip quarries. Chelms Combe Quarry, Cheddar |publisher=[[British Geological Survey]] |website=www2.bgs.ac.uk |location=Keyworth |language=en |url=https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/more_info/west_mendip_quarries_history.htm |access-date=24 September 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924043837/https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/mendips/more_info/west_mendip_quarries_history.htm |archive-date=24 September 2024}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
Along with the rest of [[South West England]], Cheddar has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.<ref name="weather">{{cite web|title=South West England: climate |work=Met Office |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/sw/ |access-date=14 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605003222/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/sw/ |archive-date= 5 June 2011 }}</ref> The annual mean temperature is approximately {{convert|10|°C|°F|1}}. [[Temperateness|Seasonal temperature variation]] is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea, which moderates temperature. The summer months of July and August are the warmest with mean daily maxima of approximately {{convert|21|°C|°F|1}}. In winter mean minimum temperatures of {{convert|1|or|2|°C|°F|1}} are common.<ref name="weather"/> In the summer the [[Azores]] high-pressure system affects the south-west of England. [[Convective]] cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine; annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600&nbsp;hours.<ref name="weather"/> Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused by [[Low-pressure area|Atlantic depressions]] or by [[convection]]. Most of the rainfall in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which are most active during those seasons. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around {{convert|700|mm|abbr=on}}. About 8–15 days of snowfall per year is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.<ref name="weather"/>

{{Geographic location
| title = '''Settlements and geographic features near Cheddar'''
| Centre = Cheddar
| North = [[Mendip Hills]]
| Northeast = [[Mendip Hills]]<br />[[Cheddar Gorge]]
| East = [[Mendip Hills]]<br />[[Priddy]]
| Southeast = [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]]
| South = [[Somerset Levels]]<br />[[Wedmore]]
| Southwest = [[Somerset Levels]]
| West = [[Axbridge]]
| Northwest = [[Shipham]]
}}

== Demography ==
The parish has a population in 2011 of 5,093,<ref name="popn"/> with a mean age of 43 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=799138&c=Cheddar&d=16&e=15&g=483368&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1269942898773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=781|title=Area: Cheddar CP (Parish)|work=Parish Profile—People ONS Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612123101/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=799138&c=Cheddar&d=16&e=15&g=483368&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1269942898773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=781|archive-date=12 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Residents lived in 2,209 households. The vast majority of households (2,183) gave their ethnic status at the 2001 census as white.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=799138&c=Cheddar&d=16&e=14&g=483368&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1269943242688&enc=1&dsFamilyId=785|title=Area: Cheddar CP (Parish) Parish Profile—Households|work=2001 Census Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612123152/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=799138&c=Cheddar&d=16&e=14&g=483368&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1269943242688&enc=1&dsFamilyId=785|archive-date=12 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===2021 census===
According to the most recent 2021 census, the village had a total population of 6,263 with 51.1% female and 48.9% male. 
Over 6,101 people or 97.3% identified as white, 1% (61) Asian, 0.3% (17) Black and 1.3% (79) as mixed.<ref name="censusdata.uk">{{cite web|url= https://www.censusdata.uk/e04008617-cheddar|title= Cheddar Location Type: Civil Parishes, ONS|date=2021|accessdate=8 April 2024}}</ref>

The most common places of birth were: 94.1% or 5,900 born in the United Kingdom and 2.5% (156) born in the European Union, 81 Africa and 65 Middle East and Asia, 29 Americas and Caribbean.<ref name="censusdata.uk"/>

== Economy ==
[[File:Cheddar Youth Hostel - geograph.org.uk - 11648.jpg|thumb|right|Cheddar Youth Hostel]]
The village gave its name to [[Cheddar cheese]],<ref name=curdswhey>{{cite news| title= Separating the curds from the whey | url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5241544.stm | work= [[BBC Radio 4]] Open Country| date= 21 August 2006 | last= Smale | first=Will | access-date=7 August 2007 }}</ref> which is the most popular type of cheese in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web| title=The Interview—Lactalis McLelland's 'Seriously': driving the Cheddar market | work=The Grocery Trader | url=http://www.grocerytrader.co.uk/News/October_2006/G_lactalis.html | access-date=9 May 2007}}</ref> The cheese is now made and consumed worldwide, and only one producer remains in the village.

Since the 1880s, Cheddar's other main produce has been the [[strawberry]],<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rendell |first1=J. |editor1-last=Nisen |editor1-first=A. |date=February 1973 |title=Symposium on Strawberry under Protection |section=Economic Problems of the Protected Strawberry Crop in South West England |publisher=[[International Society for Horticultural Science]] |series=Acta Horticulturae |volume=1 |number=30 |pages=211{{Ndash}}218 |location=The Hague |language=en |doi=10.17660/actahortic.1973.30.26 |issn=0567-7572 |oclc=5891863629 |section-url=https://www.actahort.org/books/30/30_26.htm |access-date=24 September 2024 |section-url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905180154/https://www.actahort.org/books/30/30_26.htm |archive-date=5 September 2024}}</ref> which is grown on the south-facing lower slopes of the Mendip hills.<ref name="richardson"/> As a consequence of its use for transporting strawberries to market, the since-closed [[Cheddar Valley line]] became known as ''The Strawberry Line'' after it opened in 1869.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/leaflets/Strawberry%20Line%20leaflet.pdf | publisher= Sustrans | title= The Strawberry Line | access-date= 25 April 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100326090404/http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/leaflets/Strawberry%20Line%20leaflet.pdf | archive-date= 26 March 2010 | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.thestrawberryline.co.uk/d/103/Search_Results.php?doc=62 | title= Archive | publisher= The Strawberry Line | access-date= 25 April 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111005040858/http://www.thestrawberryline.co.uk/d/103/Search_Results.php?doc=62 | archive-date= 5 October 2011 | url-status= dead }}</ref>
The line ran from [[Yatton]] to [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]]. When the rest of the line was closed and all passenger services ceased, the section of the line between Cheddar and Yatton remained open for goods traffic. It provided a fast link with the main markets for the strawberries in [[Birmingham]] and London, but finally closed in 1964,<ref name="daniels">{{Daniels-NoMore | edition = 3rd | page = 16 }}</ref> becoming part of the Cheddar Valley Railway Nature Reserve.<ref name="Strawberry Line">{{cite web |url=http://www.forestofavon.org/sl.html |title=Strawberry Line |access-date=23 November 2007 |work=Forest of Avon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111150036/http://www.forestofavon.org/sl.html |archive-date=11 November 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Cheddar Ales]] is a small brewery based in the village, producing beer for local [[public houses]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.camrabristol.org.uk/pw72s.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704121327/http://www.camrabristol.org.uk/pw72s.pdf |archive-date=2008-07-04 |url-status=live | page= 7 | publisher= [[Campaign for Real Ale|CAMRA Bristol]] | work= Pints West No. 72 Winter 2006/2007 edition | title= Discovering Cheddar Ales | access-date=21 January 2008}}</ref>

Tourism is a significant source of employment. Around 15&nbsp;percent of employment in [[Sedgemoor]] is provided by tourism,<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1531&p=0 | work= Sedgemoor District Local Plan 1991&nbsp;– 2011 Adopted Version | title= Recreation, Leisure and Tourism | publisher= Sedgemoor District Council | access-date= 6 June 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221604/http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1531&p=0 | archive-date= 2 December 2013 | url-status= dead }}</ref> but within Cheddar it is estimated to employ as many as 1,000 people.<ref>{{Cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tA-2NAuiAa4C | title= Focus on Geography: Tourism, leisure and recreation | first= Garrett | last= Nagle| publisher=Nelson Thornes | year= 1999 | pages=54–56 | isbn= 978-0-17-444705-4}}</ref>
The village also has a [[youth hostel]],<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/south-west-england/hostels/cheddar/index.aspx | publisher= [[Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)|YHA]] | title= Cheddar Youth Hostel | access-date= 30 March 2010 | archive-date= 12 March 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100312001747/http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/south-west-england/hostels/cheddar/index.aspx | url-status= dead }}</ref> and a number of camping and caravan sites.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.cheddarvillage.org.uk/accommodation/camping-and-caravanning/ | title= Campsites and caravan sites |publisher=Cheddar Web Site | access-date=6 June 2012}}</ref>

== Culture and community ==
Cheddar has a number of active service clubs including Cheddar Vale [[Lions Clubs International|Lions Club]], Mendip [[Rotary International|Rotary]] and Mendip [[Inner Wheel Club]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/Clubs%20and%20charities/index.htm|title=Clubs and Charities in Cheddar|publisher=Cheddar Web Site|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-date=12 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412001629/http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/Clubs%20and%20charities/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The clubs raise money for projects in the local community and hold annual events such as a fireworks display, [[Rubber duck|duck races]] in the Gorge, a [[dragon boat]] race on the reservoir and concerts on the grounds of the nearby St Michael's [[Leonard Cheshire|Cheshire Home]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lcdisability.org/?lid=21272|title=St Michaels|publisher=Leonard Cheshire Disability|access-date=6 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505034250/http://www.lcdisability.org/?lid=21272|archive-date=5 May 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Several notable people have been born or lived in Cheddar. Musician [[Jack Bessant]], the bass guitarist with the band [[Reef (band)|Reef]] grew up on his parents' strawberry farm,<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/we-like-big-fat-voices-with-plenty-of-welly-1265034.html | newspaper= [[The Independent]] | title= We like big, fat voices with plenty of welly | first= James | last= McNair | date= 4 April 1997 | access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> and [[Matt Goss]] and [[Luke Goss]], former members of [[Bros (British band)|Bros]], lived in Cheddar for nine months as children.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2004/09/20/matt_goss_minehead_interview_feature.shtml | publisher= BBC Somerset | title= Matt Goss... he's a man, yes he is! | first= Helen | last= Otter | access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> [[Trina Gulliver]], ten-time World Professional Darts Champion, previously lived in Cheddar until 2017. The comedian [[Richard Herring]] grew up in Cheddar.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2007/03/09/richard_herring_interview_feature.shtml | publisher= BBC Somerset | title= Interview: Richard Herring | first= Helen | last= Otter | access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> His 2008 [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]] show, ''The Headmaster's Son'' is based on his time at [[The Kings of Wessex Academy|The Kings of Wessex School]], where his father Keith was the headmaster.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2009/03/10/richard_herring.shtml | publisher= BBC Oxford | title= Richard Herring—The Headmaster's Son | first= Tim | last= Bearder| date= 10 March 2009 | access-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> The final performance of this show was held at the school in November 2009. He also visited the school in March 2010 to perform his show ''Hitler Moustache''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard Herring's Hitler Moustache Tour |url=http://www.kowessex.co.uk/cheddarArts/reviews/review20100329.php |publisher=Cheddar Arts |access-date=25 November 2018 |archive-date=25 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125162557/http://www.kowessex.co.uk/cheddarArts/reviews/review20100329.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> In May 2013, a community radio station called Pulse was launched.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pulse|url=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/Community/commitments/cr000239.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221045425/http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/Community/commitments/cr000239.pdf |archive-date=2013-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=Ofcom|access-date=26 September 2015}}</ref>

== Landmarks ==
[[File:Cheddar Cross.jpg|thumb|[[Photochrom]] of Cheddar Market Cross in the 1890s]]
The [[Market Cross, Cheddar|market cross]] in Bath Street dates from the 15th century, with the shelter having been rebuilt in 1834. It has a central octagonal pier, a socket raised on four steps, a hexagonal shelter with six arched four-centred openings, shallow two-stage buttresses at each angle, and an embattled parapet. The shaft is crowned by an [[abacus]] with figures in niches, probably from the late 19th century, although the cross is now missing. It was rebuilt by [[Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath|Thomas, Marquess of Bath]]. It is a [[scheduled monument]] (Somerset County No&nbsp;21) and Grade&nbsp;II* [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE| desc=Market Cross | num=1173642 | access-date=9 May 2006}}</ref>

In January 2000, the cross was seriously damaged in a traffic accident.<ref>{{Cite news| title= Market cross was reduced to rubble in costly smash | first= Ian | last= Mat | newspaper= Cheddar Valley Gazette | date= 28 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Pcikering |first1=Andrew |last2=Foster |first2=Nicola |title=Cheddar Through Time Revised Edition |date=2015 |publisher=Amberley Publishing |isbn=9781445650722 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RwEnCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT113 |page=113}}</ref> By 2002, the cross had been rebuilt and the area around it was redesigned to protect and enhance its appearance.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/AnnualReport02.pdf | publisher= Somerset Heritage | title= Annual Report 2002 | page= 13 | access-date= 30 March 2010 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120324051214/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/AnnualReport02.pdf | archive-date= 24 March 2012}}</ref>
The cross was badly damaged again in March 2012, when a taxi crashed into it late at night demolishing two sides.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-17572356 | publisher= [[BBC News]] | title= Cheddar's medieval cross damaged in taxi crash | date = 31 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.itv.com/news/west/story/2012-03-31/taxi-crashes-into-cheddars-market-cross/ | newspaper= [[ITV News]] | title= Taxi Crashes into Cheddar's Market Cross | date = 31 March 2012}}</ref>
Repair work, which included the addition of wooden-clad steel posts to protect against future crashes, was completed in November 2012 at a cost of £60,000.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-20250354 | publisher= BBC News | date= 7 November 2012 | access-date= 8 November 2012 | title= Cheddar's medieval cross repaired after taxi crash}}</ref>

[[Hannah More]], a philanthropist and educator, founded a school in the village in the late 18th century for the children of miners. Her first school was located in a 17th-century house. Now named "Hannah More's Cottage",<ref>{{NHLE| num= 1344881 | desc= Hannah More's Cottage | access-date=31 March 2008}}</ref> the Grade II-listed building is used by the local community as a meeting place.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hannah Mores Cottage, Cheddar|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-268787-hannah-mores-cottage-cheddar|work=British Listed Buildings|publisher=History in Structure|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref>

== Transport ==
[[File:Cheddar First 46253.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A [[First West of England|First Somerset & Avon]] bus picks up passengers at the Market cross on service 126 from Weston-super-Mare to Wells, the principal bus service through Cheddar.]]
The village is situated on the [[A371 road]] which runs from [[Wincanton]], to [[Weston-super-Mare]].{{cn|date=September 2025}} It is approximately {{convert|5|mi|km}} from the route of the [[M5 motorway]] with around a {{convert|10|mi|km}} drive to junction 22.<ref name="OS182">{{cite map |publisher=Ordnance Survey |title=182 Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater and Wells |url=http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/paper-maps/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain-os-landranger-map/weston-super-mare/pid-9780319228609 |edition=C2 |year=2002 |scale=1:50000 |series=Landranger |access-date=24 February 2011 |isbn=0-319-22782-0 |archive-date=10 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210142633/http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/paper-maps/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain-os-landranger-map/weston-super-mare/pid-9780319228609 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

It was on the [[Cheddar Valley line]], a railway line that was opened in 1869 and closed in 1963. It became known as The Strawberry Line because of the large volume of locally-grown [[Strawberry|strawberries]] that it carried. It ran from [[Yatton railway station]] through {{stnlnk|Cheddar}} to [[Wells (Tucker Street) railway station]] and joined the [[East Somerset Railway]] to make a through route via [[Shepton Mallet (High Street) railway station]] to [[Witham (Somerset) railway station|Witham]]. Sections of the now-disused railway have been opened as the Strawberry Line Trail, which currently runs from Yatton to Cheddar. The Cheddar Valley line survived until the "[[Beeching Axe]]". Towards the end of its life there were so few passengers that diesel [[railcar]]s were sometimes used. The Cheddar branch closed to passengers on 9 September 1963 and to goods in 1964.<ref name="daniels"/> The line closed in the 1960s, when it became part of the Cheddar Valley Railway Nature Reserve,<ref name="Strawberry Line"/> and part of the [[National Cycle Network]] route&nbsp;26. The cycle route also intersects with the West [[Mendip Way]] and various other footpaths.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movingsomersetforward.co.uk/files/uploads/maps/CheddarWEB.pdf|title=Cycling Map 10 Cheddar and Axbridge|publisher=Moving Somerset Forward|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305105155/http://www.movingsomersetforward.co.uk/files/uploads/maps/CheddarWEB.pdf|archive-date=5 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The principal bus route is the hourly service 126 between [[Weston-super-Mare]] and [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] operated by [[First West of England]]. Other bus routes include the service 668 from [[Shipham]] to [[Street, Somerset|Street]] which runs every couple of hours operated by Libra Travel, as well as the college bus service 66 which runs from [[Axbridge]] to the Bridgwater Campus of [[Bridgwater and Taunton College]] in the mornings and evenings of college term times, and is operated by [[Bakers Dolphin]].

== Education ==
[[File:Kings of Wessex from tower.jpg|left|thumb|[[The Kings of Wessex Academy]] seen from the tower of St. Andrew's Church (looking north-west)]]
The first school in Cheddar was set up by [[Hannah More]] during the 18th Century,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.historyhome.co.uk/people/more-h.htm|title=Hannah More (1745-1833)|website=historyhome.co.uk|access-date=2017-08-10}}</ref> however now Cheddar has three schools belonging to the Cheddar Valley Group of Schools, twelve schools that provide Cheddar Valley's [[three-tier education]] system.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.markfirstschool.ik.org/documents/1086325389.ikml#sbt8 | publisher= Mark First School | title= Prospectus | access-date= 5 February 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101101082614/http://www.markfirstschool.ik.org/documents/1086325389.ikml#sbt8 | archive-date= 1 November 2010 | url-status= dead }}</ref> Cheddar First School has ten classes for children between 4 and 9 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddarfirst.ik.org/|title=Cheddar First School|publisher=Cheddar First School|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726172607/http://www.cheddarfirst.ik.org/|archive-date=26 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Fairlands Middle School]], a [[middle school]] categorised as a middle-deemed-secondary school, has 510 pupils between 9 and 13.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slp2.somerset.gov.uk/schools/fms/Site%20Pages/About%20the%20School.aspx|title=School Profile|publisher=Fairlands Middle School|access-date=5 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306192004/https://slp2.somerset.gov.uk/schools/fms/Site%20Pages/About%20the%20School.aspx|archive-date=6 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fairlands takes children moving up from Cheddar First School as well as other first schools in the Cheddar Valley. [[The Kings of Wessex Academy]], a coeducational [[comprehensive school]], has been rated as "good" by [[Ofsted]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.kowessex.co.uk/downloads/performance/KOWOfstedReport2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125015508/http://www.kowessex.co.uk/downloads/performance/KOWOfstedReport2015.pdf |archive-date=2016-11-25 |url-status=live|title=The Kings of Wessex School Inspection report|date=March 2015|publisher=[[Ofsted]]|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref> It has 1,176 students aged 13 to 18, including 333 in the [[sixth form]].<ref name=":0" /> Kings is a [[faith school]] linked to the [[Church of England]]. It was awarded the [[Specialist school|specialist status]] of [[Technology College]] in 2001, enabling it to develop its Information Technology (IT) facilities and improve courses in science, mathematics and design technology. In 2007 it became a [[foundation school]], giving it more control over its own finances. The academy owns and runs a sports centre and swimming pool, Kings Fitness & Leisure, with facilities that are used by students as well as residents. It has since November 2016 been a part of the Wessex Learning Trust which incorporates eight academies from the surrounding area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wessexlearningtrust.co.uk/menu/academies/kingsOfWessex.php|title=Wessex Learning Trust|last=Trust|first=Wessex Learning|website=wessexlearningtrust.co.uk|access-date=2017-08-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029000552/http://www.wessexlearningtrust.co.uk/menu/academies/kingsOfWessex.php|archive-date=29 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Religious sites ==
[[File:Cheddarchurch.jpg|thumb|[[Church of St Andrew, Cheddar|Church of St Andrew]]]]
The [[Church of St Andrew, Cheddar|Church of St Andrew]] dates from the 14th century. It was [[Victorian restoration|restored]] in 1873 by [[William Butterfield]]. It is a Grade&nbsp;I [[listed building]] and contains some 15th-century [[stained glass]] and an altar table of 1631. The [[church monument|chest tomb]] in the [[chancel]] is believed to contain the remains of Sir [[Thomas Cheddar]] and is dated 1442.<ref>{{NHLE| desc=Church of St. Andrew | num=1173613 | access-date=9 May 2006}}</ref> The tower, which rises to {{convert|100|ft|m|0}},<ref name="curio">{{Cite book|title=Curiosities of Somerset |last=Leete-Hodge |first=Lornie |year=1985 |publisher=Bossiney Books |location=Bodmin |isbn=0-906456-98-3 |page=20 }}</ref> contains a bell dating from 1759 made by Thomas Bilbie of the [[Bilbie family]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moore |first1=James |first2=Roy |last2=Rice |first3= Ernest |last3=Hucker |title=Bilbie and the Chew Valley clock makers |year=1995 |publisher=The authors |isbn=0-9526702-0-8 }}</ref> The graveyard contains the grave of the hymn writer [[William Chatterton Dix]].

There are also churches for [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], [[Methodism|Methodist]] and other denominations, including Cheddar Valley Community Church, who not only meet at the Kings of Wessex School on Sunday, but also have their own site on Tweentown for meeting during the week.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddarvalleycommunitychurch.org/|title=Cheddar Valley Community Church|publisher=Cheddar Valley Community Church|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-date=19 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119094806/http://www.cheddarvalleycommunitychurch.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Baptist]] chapel was built in 1831.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1296121|desc=Baptist Chapel|access-date=30 March 2010}}</ref>

== Sport ==
Kings Fitness & Leisure, situated on the grounds of [[the Kings of Wessex School]], provides a venue for various sports and includes a 20-metre swimming pool, racket sport courts, a sports hall, dance studios and a gym.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/Sport_Leisure/index.htm|title=Sport and Leisure|publisher=Cheddar Web Site|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215033044/http://www.cheddarvillage.co.uk/Sport_Leisure/index.htm|archive-date=15 December 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> A youth sports festival was held on Sharpham Road Playing Fields in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Summer-festival-youth-sports-receives-2-000-boost/story-12312094-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505143234/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Summer-festival-youth-sports-receives-2-000-boost/story-12312094-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2013|title=Summer festival of youth sports receives £2,000 boost|publisher=This is Somerset|access-date=6 June 2012}}</ref> In 2010 a [[skatepark]] was built in the village,<ref>{{Cite news | newspaper= Cheddar Valley Gazette | url= http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/shepton/news/Skate-park-man-appears-TV/article-1784459-detail/article.html | archive-url= https://archive.today/20130505080439/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/shepton/news/Skate-park-man-appears-TV/article-1784459-detail/article.html | url-status= dead | archive-date= 5 May 2013 | title= Skate park man appears on TV | date= 1 February 2010 | access-date= 30 March 2010 }}</ref> funded by the Cheddar Local Action Team.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/lions_pledge_skate_help_1_312349| newspaper= The Weston Mercury| title= Lions pledge skate help| date= 9 July 2007| access-date= 31 January 2011| archive-date= 29 September 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110929011059/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/lions_pledge_skate_help_1_312349| url-status= dead}}</ref>

[[Cheddar A.F.C.]], founded in 1892 and nicknamed "The Cheesemen",<ref name="football">{{Cite news|url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/Cheddar-Football-Club-premises/article-1031461-detail/article.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421120609/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/Cheddar-Football-Club-premises/article-1031461-detail/article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 April 2013|title=Cheddar Football Club could move premises|date=28 May 2009|newspaper=Cheddar Valley Gazette|access-date=30 March 2010}}</ref> play in the [[Western Football League]] Division One. In 2009 plans were revealed to move the club from its present home at Bowdens Park on Draycott Road to a new larger site.<ref name="football"/>

Cheddar Cricket Club was formed in the late 19th century and moved to Sharpham Road Playing Fields in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddarcc.co.uk/history.html|title=History|publisher=Cheddar Cricket Club|access-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922182644/http://www.cheddarcc.co.uk/history.html|archive-date=22 September 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> They now play in the [[West of England Premier League]] Somerset Division. Cheddar Rugby Club, who own part of the Sharpham playing fields, was formed in 1836. The club organises an annual Cheddar Rugby Tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddar-rugby.co.uk/home.asp|title=Cheddar Rugby Club|publisher=Cheddar Rugby Club|access-date=5 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105191216/http://www.cheddar-rugby.co.uk/Home.asp|archive-date=5 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cheddar [[Lawn Tennis]] Club, was formed in 1924,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheddartennisclub.co.uk/history.php|title=History|publisher=Cheddar Tennis Club|access-date=8 December 2015|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306081756/http://www.cheddartennisclub.co.uk/history.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> and play in the North Somerset League and also has social tennis and coaching. Cheddar Running Club organised an annual [[half marathon]] until 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Undefined-Headline/story-12290118-detail/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505063513/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Undefined-Headline/story-12290118-detail/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2013|title=No More Cheddar Half Marathon|publisher=This is Somerset|date=3 December 2009|access-date=6 June 2012}}</ref>

The village is both on the route of the [[West Mendip Way]] and [[Samaritans Way South West]].

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

{{Sedgemoor}}
{{Mendip Hills}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cheddar, Somerset| ]]
[[Category:Villages in Sedgemoor]]
[[Category:Mendip Hills]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Somerset]]