Editing Wells, Somerset (section)

==Geography==
Wells lies at the foot of the southern escarpment of the [[Mendip Hills]] where they meet the [[Somerset Levels]]. The hills are largely made of [[carboniferous limestone]], which is quarried at several nearby sites. In the 1960s, the tallest mast in the region, the [[Mendip transmitting station|Mendip UHF television transmitter]], was installed on [[Pen Hill]] above Wells,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aerialsandtv.com/mendiptx.html |title=Mendip Transmitter |publisher=A.T.V. (Aerials and Television) |access-date=14 March 2010 |archive-date=3 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103054313/http://aerialsandtv.com/mendiptx.html |url-status=live}}</ref> approximately {{convert|2|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} from the centre of the city.
[[File:Keward brook - geograph.org.uk - 188426.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Keward Brook]]
Streams passing through [[Caves of the Mendip Hills|caves]] on the Mendip Hills, including [[Thrupe Lane Swallet]] and [[Viaduct Sink]] (approximately {{cvt|5|km|mi|0|disp=or}} east of the city), emerge at Saint Andrew's Well in the garden of the Bishop's Palace,<ref>{{cite book |title=Mendip Underground: A Caver's Guide |publisher=Mendip Cave Registry and Archive |last1=Gray |first1=Alan |last2=Taviner |first2=Rob |last3=Witcombe |first3=Richard |year=2013 |edition=5th |location=Wells |pages=397, 434 |isbn=9780953131051}}</ref><ref>{{cite mcra |id=1367 |name=Thrupe Lane Swallet |year=2009 |access-date=8 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite mcra |id=1420 |name=Viaduct Sink |access-date=14 January 2014}}</ref> from where the water fills the moat around the Palace and then flows into Keward Brook, which carries it for approximately a mile west to the point where the brook joins the [[River Sheppey]] in the village of [[Coxley]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Keward Brook |url=http://somersetrivers.org/index.php?module=Content&func=view&pid=121 |publisher=Somerset Rivers |access-date=16 December 2017 |archive-date=17 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217031205/http://somersetrivers.org/index.php?module=Content&func=view&pid=121 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Along with the rest of [[Climate of south-west England|South West England]], the Mendip Hills have a [[temperate|temperate climate]] which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about {{convert|10|°C|°F|abbr=on}} with seasonal and [[Diurnal motion|diurnal]] variations, but due to the modifying effect of the sea, the range is less than in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between {{convert|1|and|2|°C|°F|abbr=on}}. July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around {{convert|21|°C|°F|abbr=on}}. In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The south west of England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the [[Azores High]] extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK.<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>

[[Cumulus cloud|Cloud]] often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduces exposure to sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1600 hours. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Rainfall]] tends to be associated with Atlantic [[Low pressure area|depressions]] or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower clouds and a large proportion of the annual precipitation falls from showers and [[thunderstorms]] at this time of year. Average rainfall is around {{convert|800|–|900|mm|in|abbr=on}}. About 8–15 days of [[snowfall]] is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest. The predominant wind direction is from the south west.<ref name="weather"/>

The civil parish of Wells is entirely surrounded by the parish of [[St Cuthbert Out]].

[[File:Wells from cathedral tower.jpg|thumb|Looking west from the tower of the cathedral]]