3 miles from Mells Parish

Picturesque moated castle built in the 1370s. Held for the King during the Civil War, falling to Parliamentarian cannon in 1645: the gun-damaged wall finally collapsing on Christmas Day 1910.

5 miles from Mells Parish

One of the finest accessible examples of a Neolithic chambered tomb, with its multiple burial chambers open to view. Bring a torch and experience the burial chambers at first hand.

7 miles from Mells Parish

Impressive 14th century castle with hidden treasures and sinister past. Chapel with rare medieval wall paintings and in the crypt, the best collection of human-shaped lead coffins in Britain.

10 miles from Mells Parish

A spectacular 14th century monastic stone barn, 51 metres (168 feet) long, with an amazing timber cruck roof. Originally a part of the medieval farmstead belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey.

11 miles from Mells Parish

Although this is the third largest complex of prehistoric standing stones in England, the three circles and three-stone ‘cove’ of Stanton Drew in Somerset are surprisingly little known. The Great Circle, 113 metres in diameter, is one of the largest stone circles in the country and has 26 surviving upright stones. Yet recent surveys have revealed that the circles and cove were just part of a much more elaborate and important ritual site than had previously been imagined.

11 miles from Mells Parish

Below an Iron Age hillfort stands the Westbury White Horse. Cut into the hillside in 1778, it replaced an older horse, possibly commemorating King Alfred's nearby victory over the Vikings.