Wells Town Hall opens up city history for Heritage Open Days
By Laura Linham 19th Aug 2026
Wells residents will get the chance to delve into everything from Victorian sewers to 17th-century Sunday restrictions when the Town Hall takes part in this year's Heritage Open Days.
The national festival of history and culture runs from Friday, 11 September to Sunday, 20 September 2026, with thousands of venues and events across England opening up for free. Wells City Council has confirmed that displays will be available inside the Town Hall in Market Place during the festival.
Among the material going on show will be mapping of Wells' sewerage system from 1860, giving visitors a rather less glamorous but no less revealing look beneath the city's historic streets.
The archives will also explore Sunday restrictions introduced by the Mayor of Wells in 1623, alongside petty sessions summonses issued to William Catcott for mis-selling what was described as "fancy bread".
It is the sort of local history that rarely makes the postcards, but often says rather more about everyday life in Wells than grand buildings and famous names.
Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture and is designed to give people free access to historic places, collections and experiences which may not normally be available to the public. The 2026 festival runs for ten days from 11 to 20 September.
Wells is also represented elsewhere in the programme. The City of Wells Almshouses in Priest Row will open on Saturday, 19 September, offering visitors the chance to see its medieval buildings, gardens, renovated chapel and original Guild Hall, with live music planned during the afternoon.
The Town Hall display, meanwhile, promises something a little more eccentric: civic rules, city infrastructure and the apparent perils of getting creative with bread.
Wells City Council said the event offered the chance to enjoy "a little slice of local history" surrounded by the grandeur and tradition of the Town Hall.
Further Heritage Open Days events can be found through the official Heritage Open Days programme.
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