Wellington became a town under a royal charter of 1215 and during the Middle Ages it grew as a centre for trade on the road from Bristol to Exeter.

Wellington was home of Fox, Fowler and Company, which was the last commercial bank permitted to print their own sterling banknotes in England and Wales.

In the 20th century closer links with Taunton meant that many of the residents of Wellington commuted there for work, and the M5 motorway enabled car journeys to be made more easily.

Local industries, which now include an aerosol factory and the Relyon bed manufacturers, are celebrated at the Wellington Museum in Fore street.

It is also home to a range of cultural, sporting and religious sites including the 15th century Church of St John the Baptist.

[6] By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the name had changed to Walintone[5] and the estate was owned by Gisa (Bishop of Wells).

[6] The parish of Wellington was part of the Kilmersdon Hundred,[7] A site at Longforth Farm near Tonedale has been identified as having Bronze Age occupation and, during excavations prior to the building of new homes, found to have been occupied by a 12th-14th century building with decorated floor tiles covering 0.4 hectares (0.99 acres).

[6] In 1548, the manor was sold to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, but reverted to the control of the bishops after his execution.

By the end of the 16th century it had come under the protection of John Popham (judge) and his descendants who built a manor house which was destroyed during the English Civil War.

The Wellington Monument is a floodlit 175 feet (53 m) high triangular tower designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building.

The foundation stone was laid in 1817 on land belonging to the Duke but, owing to funding problems, the monument was not completed until 1854.

[15] In the 18th century turnpikes arrived in the area and then in the 19th communications improved with the Grand Western Canal reaching the town in 1835.

In the 20th century closer links with Taunton meant that many of the residents of Wellington commuted there for work, and the M5 motorway, which opened in sections in the 1960s and 1970s,[16] enabled car journeys to be made more easily.

[citation needed] Wellington has two tiers of local government: the parish and unitary authority level.

Wellington Park was a gift from the Quaker Fox family to the town in 1903 as a memorial to the coronation of King Edward VII.

[22] It is Grade II listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.

[23] It was restored at a cost of £412,827 which included a grant of £296,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund Public Parks Initiative.

The grassland, hedges and woodland are home to a varied flora and fauna including birds such as the grey wagtail, white-throated dipper and reed bunting.

[30] In the summer the Azores high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine.

In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms.

Wellington's main industry was wool-making and in November 2009, Deborah Meaden, best known from Dragons' Den a BBC television programme, invested in the Fox Brothers' Mill which produces wool cloth for Savile Row, designers and clients around the world.

Wellington was home of Fox, Fowler and Company, which was the last commercial bank permitted to print their own sterling banknotes in England and Wales.

The company diversified and in 1950 produced the first commercial aerosols in the UK which were basically farm products, air fresheners and insecticides.

The company started in 1858 as a wool merchant, Price Brothers and Co., but the business soon moved into manufacturing beds and in 1935 changed its name to Relyon Ltd.

The railway from Penzance to London, and also to Bristol and the North, continue to pass through the town, but no trains stop.

[42] The government approved a new train station being opened in the town in October 2023,[43] but withdrew the funding for this in July 2024.

A solitary day girl was allowed to join the Sixth Form in 1972 and the following year Wellington became co-educational.

In December 2007, the school commissioned its new multi-purpose examination hall and English Department adjacent to its Sports Centre.

[47] Notable alumni of Wellington School include actor David Suchet,[48] chef Keith Floyd[49] and peer Lord Archer.

The Grand National winning horse, Miinnehoma was prepared for his victory in the 1994 race by Martin Pipe at his Pond House Stables in the town.