West Shepton, the south-west corner of the town, is marked by the former Shepton Mallet Union Workhouse, a Grade II listed building built in 1848. It later became the Norah Fry mental hospital and is now a housing development. Nearby, on the western edge of the town, is the modern community hospital. Further down the river valley are two hamlets: Darshill, once the site of a number of mills, and Bowlish, which contains several grand clothiers' houses. The steeply sloping fields adjoining the river between Bowlish and the rest of the Shepton Mallet are known locally as The Meadows. To their east is Hillmead, a council-housing estate built in the 1960s. Along with the rest of South West England, Shepton Mallet has a temperate climate generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is about 10°C (50°F) with seasonal and diurnal variations, but due to the modifying effect of the sea, the range is less than in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month, with mean minimum temperatures between 1°C (34°F) and 2°C (36°F). July and August are the warmest months, with mean daily maxima around 21°C (70°F). In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. South-west England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the Azores High extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK. Cloud often forms inland, especially near hills, and reduces exposure to sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1600 hours. Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. In summer, convection caused by solar surface heating sometimes forms shower clouds and much of the annual precipitation falls as showers and thunderstorms at that time of year. Average rainfall is 800–900 mm (31–35 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest. The dominant wind is from the south-west. In the 2001 census, the population was 8,981, comprising 4,482 (49.9%) males and 4,499 (50.1%) females; 1,976 (22%) residents were aged 16 or below, 5,781 (64.4%) between 16 and 65, and 1,224 (13.6%) aged 65 or over.