Cheddar is a big town as well as civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of the English region of Somerset. It is positioned on the southerly side of the Mendip Hills, 9 miles (14 kilometres) north-west of Wells. The civil parish includes the districts of Nyland and also Bradley Cross. The church had a population of 5,755 in 2011 and a property of 8,592 acres (3,477 ha) as of 1961. Cheddar Gorge, on the northern side of the village, is the biggest gorge in the United Kingdom and also includes a number of program caves, including Gough's Cave. The gorge has been a centre of human settlement since Neolithic times consisting of a Saxon royal residence. It has a temperate climate and also gives a special geological as well as organic setting that has been identified by the designation of a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. It is additionally the site of numerous limestone quarries. The village provided its name to Cheddar cheese and also has actually been a centre for strawberry expanding. The plant was previously transferred on the Cheddar Valley railway, which closed in the late 1960s however is now a cycle course. The town is now a significant traveler location with numerous social as well as community facilities, including the Cheddar Show Caves Museum. The town supports a variety of area groups including spiritual, sporting as well as social organisations. Several of these are based upon the site of The Kings of Wessex Academy, which is the largest educational establishment.