Shepton Mallet Heritage Trails

The Shepton Mallet audio guide app will let you choose from eight heritage walks reflecting some of the major themes of our town's history: Family, Town Centre, Cloth & Grain, Brewing, Education, Trade & Industry, Religion, and People of note.

Use the GPS-assisted map to follow each trail across the town and explore well-known landmarks and off-the-beaten-track gems. The audio narration provides you with a wealth of historic facts, first-hand testimonies and commentary which paint a rich picture of our town's social, economic and cultural past. While on the app you will find historic images of both everyday life and key moments of our town's history.

Highlights to look out for on the trails include: 'the most glorious of all the waggon roofs in England'; the drink which revolutionised social attitudes to women; the story of 'the finest of all draperies'; fire, child labour and destitution; stories from the oldest prison in the country; John Lewis, the founder of a retail institution; 'the snowdrop king'; a human-powered flour mill; wife-selling; a 'spite' wall; and a dancing bear.

This app was created as the result of a partnership between Shepton Mallet Town Council, the Darshill and Bowlish Conservation Society and the Shepton Mallet Local History Society. The aim of this project is to make Shepton Mallet's history freely accessible to a wide audience, including visitors and local residents.