Editing Shepton Mallet (section)

==Transport==
[[Image:charlton viaduct from kilver gardens.jpg|alt=A series of seven stone archways, connected to stone parapet above grass area.|left|thumb|Charlton Viaduct seen from Kilver Court Gardens]]
The [[A37 road|A37]] runs north–south through Shepton Mallet along the line of the [[Fosse Way]] between the south of the town and [[Ilchester]]. The [[A361 road|A361]] from [[Frome]] and [[Trowbridge]] skirts the eastern edge of Shepton on its way to [[Glastonbury]] and [[Taunton]]. The [[A371 road|A371]] from [[Castle Cary]] passes through on its way west to [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]]; for some distance, both routes follow the line of the A37. The nearest motorway connections are at junction 23 of the [[M5 motorway]] via the A361 and [[A39 road|A39]] and at junction 1 of the [[M32 motorway|M32]] via the A37.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/?msclkid=575aa0f6afca1d3cc7fcc3a63e8208cc | title=Official Ordnance Survey Shop &#124; GB Maps & Outdoor Gear }}</ref>

Shepton Mallet had railway stations on two lines, both now closed. The first, called [[Shepton Mallet (High Street) railway station|Shepton Mallet (High Street)]] in [[British Rail|British railways]] days, was on the [[East Somerset Railway]] branch line from [[Witham (Somerset) railway station|Witham]] and opened in 1859.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Oakley |first=Mike |title=Somerset Railway Stations |publisher=Dovecote Press |location=Wimborne |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-904349-09-9}}</ref> It was extended to [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] in 1862 and later connected to the [[Cheddar Valley line]] branch of the [[Bristol & Exeter Railway]] from [[Yatton]] to Wells via [[Cheddar, Somerset|Cheddar]]. Through services between Yatton and Witham started in 1870. The line was absorbed into the [[Great Western Railway]] in the 1870s.

A second, [[Shepton Mallet (Charlton Road) railway station]], opened in 1874 with the building of a [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] extension to the [[Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Butt |first=RJV |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |publisher=Patrick Stevens Ltd |year=1995 |isbn=978-1-85260-508-7}}</ref> This station was some distance east of the town centre and approached over Charlton Viaduct.
[[File:Shepton Mallet 2 geograph-2189582.jpg|alt=Black and white photograph of a steam engine and carriages in motion|thumb|right|The [[Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway]] Bath – Bournemouth line near Shepton Mallet in 1959]]

Both stations closed in the 1960s under the [[Beeching cuts]]. Shepton Mallet (High Street) lost its passenger services on the Yatton to Witham line in 1963, though part of the old East Somerset line remains open for freight and as a [[heritage railway]]. Shepton Mallet (Charlton Road) was lost in 1966 with the closure of the Somerset & Dorset line. Today the nearest [[Network Rail]] station is at [[Castle Cary railway station|Castle Cary]], {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} south of Shepton Mallet. The nearest station on the [[East Somerset Railway]] is [[Mendip Vale railway station|Mendip Vale]], a mile and a half away. Proposals endorsed by [[Mendip District]] Council<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/shepton-mallet-railway-station-and-services-could-be-restored-under-new-vision |title=Shepton Mallet railway station and services could be restored under new vision |website=Rail Technology Magazine |date=20 February 2019 |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> exist to restore passenger services in Shepton Mallet, endorsed by [[Mendip District]] Council<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/shepton-mallet-railway-station-and-services-could-be-restored-under-new-vision |title=Shepton Mallet railway station and services could be restored under new vision |website=Rail Technology Magazine |date=20 February 2019 |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> and [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] MP [[James Heappey]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/general-election-2019-james-heappey-3640059 |title=General Election 2019: James Heappey hints at new Somerset train station as he wins in Wells |website=Somerset Live |date=13 December 2019 |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref>

A bus service to the town is provided by [[First West of England]]. It is served by [[Berrys Coaches]]' daily Superfast service to and from London.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London Superfast Timetable |url=https://book.berryscoaches.co.uk/superfast-timetables.html |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=book.berryscoaches.co.uk}}</ref>