Cheddar

Cheddar, town, Somerset, south-western England. Cheddar is a market town situated on the edge of the Mendip Hills and at the mouth of a spectacular gorge with cliffs 130 m (427 ft) high. Acknowledged as a “wonder of England” by Henry of Huntingdon in the 12th century, Cheddar Gorge is a great tourist attraction. The scenery of the gorge is a result of water erosion of the limestone bedrock of the Mendips by the underground Cheddar Yeo, one of Great Britain's largest subterranean rivers. Other limestone phenomena include caves rich in stalactites and stalagmites. “Cheddar Man” is a Mesolithic skeleton (c. 9,000 years old) found locally. Cheddar is also famous as a cheesemaking centre; one of Great Britain's oldest and best-known cheeses bears its name. Population (1984) 3,950.