by Isabelle Esteves

Created on: January 24, 2010   Last Updated: July 20, 2010

Wells is the smallest city in England with the exception of the City of London. It really is more of a village but was given the designation of city by King John in 1205. Like most English cities or villages it is quite exciting to drive through. From the A39 you can make a little circle around some of the tighter spaces. It is very helpful for your visit to know where the parking lots are located  since on street parking is next to impossible.

There is parking almost in front of the cathedral, not on the property rather right outside the gate quite near the visitor information center. There is also one on South Rd which is only a five minute walk. The prices are quite steep. 3.2 GBP for up to 4 hours. It jumped to over 5 GBP to go over 4 hours. It is pay and display. Most parking machines accept coins and some will accept credit cards with the chips which means American cards don’t work.

There is no entrance fee to the cathedral but they accept and appreciate donations. If you want to take pictures you must have a photo pass which is for sale in the gift shop for 3GBP. You will be given the rules and also a sticker to attach to your lapel.

There are tours offered several times a day. On the day we were there it was 11am and 2pm. There are volunteers around who will be happy to answer any questions you might have, look for people with a blue sash. If you are lucky, as we were you may get a private tour to help point out all the really special features of this magnificent cathedral.

Wells Cathedral was the first English Cathedral built wholly in the Gothic style. It has the soaring ceiling and the magnificent pointed aches that give it a light and airy feeling. The stone was quarried nearby and is of the finest quality.

In the fourteenth century an addition was added to the tower . This caused a near disaster as the tower began to lean. A spectacular solution was arrived at, scissor arches. They are magnificent and unlike anything you have ever seen. They saved the tower by redistributing the weight. In addition they have added a beauty and uniqueness to the cathedral that is unmatched anywhere in the world.

Unlike many other cathedrals, Wells is not filled with the graves of the famous. One of the early Saxon kings Ine is buried there but that is about as exciting as it gets. The Chapter House however is a phenomenal site as are the very worn steps to get to it.

Don’t leave Wells Cathedral without having seen the 14th century clock. It chimes every fifteen minutes and it is still working just as well today as it was over 600 years ago.

The Cathedral has a nice gift shop and also a restaurant. They served lunch and tea and it is a good place to sit down for a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

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