Town Hall
Wells Town Hall is a functioning municipal building in the Market Place in Wells. It is the headquarters of Wells City Council, which has the responsibilities of a large Parish Council plus some additional ones devolved from Somerset Council.
Accessibility Rating: 3/5
Visit Length: 5-10 minutes
“It’s a pity the lifts are not reliable. But when they are working it’s good to be able to access the upper floors. The grand hall upstairs certainly shows Wells punches above its weight as a city of just 12,000 inhabitants.”
Rosie Obern, wheelchair user
Over the years the Town Hall has served many functions. Magistrates’ court hearings continued to be held in the building until 2010, and the Council Chamber is used to this day for formal Council meetings and occasional Coroner’s Court hearings. The building is also an approved and popular venue for marriages and civil partnerships.
There are a few important paintings and artefacts displayed in the Town Hall and the more interesting rooms are upstairs. However, the lifts currently installed are not always reliable, so the upper floors are not always easily accessible and there is not much to see downstairs from a wheelchair.
The 2025 (and 750th) Mayor of Wells, Cllr. Jasmine Browne and Cllr. Georgie Robbins are members of the Accessible Wells campaign’s Steering Group. Additionally, Wells City Council has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Accessible Wells and Somerset Council as a commitment to work collaboratively towards achieving the aims of the Accessible Wells campaign.
What the Town Hall lacks in accessibility features, it makes up for with disabled toilets.
- Just to the right of reception is a large disabled toilet
- Set into the rear of the building, there is a large fully equipped Changing Places toilet. This is accessed from the back of the Town Hall and is subject to key control from reception during opening hours only. On Sundays the key is also available on request from the Bishop’s Palace ticket office.
