Welcome to Yeovil

Yeovil is located on the River Yeo, in the county of Somerset, approximately 119 miles west-south-west of London and 39 miles south of Bristol.

The town has a population of around 35,000. Administratively it is the seat of the local government district of Yeovil which covers an area of approximately 959 sq kms and which has a population of around 153,000.

Set amidst fertile agricultural land, it is a busy market town and the main commercial, retail, leisure and entertainment centre for the south of the county. It has an ancient history and many historic sites and buildings remain, including an Iron Age fort on nearby Hamdon Hill, and the 14th-century church of St.John the Baptist.

Yeovil, despite its antiquity and Saxon roots, remained a small market town until the late 18th century, when industry produced expansion, first through cloth making and then glove making. By the 19th century the ancient borough became incorporated and then developed further with the manufacture of oil engines, followed by aircraft production, with helicopters finally becoming the staple industry.

Historically the town's economy was based upon glove-making and agriculture. Today the service industry is the largest sector of the local economy, employing around 61% of all workers. Westland Helicopters is the main employer.

The town was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Givele.