by Nick Ford

Created on: July 19, 2010

A sightseeing trip around England should include the small cathedral city of Wells in Somerset. The cathedral of St Andrew’s in this town is one of the finest in England. The adjoining medieval Cathedral precinct is the largest and best preserved in the country and the moated Bishop’s Palace is well worth a visit.

The town lies in a most attractive setting at the foot of the Mendip Hills on the edge of the lowlands known as the Somerset Levels. Here, the local springs has long been held to have special powers. These waters still rise from the Bishop’s Palace garden. On this site the Romans built a shrine to the water gods.

According to legend a Minster church was established at Wells in 705 AD. No evidence of this church remains above ground. The current cathedral was built on an adjacent site and superseded the Minster. However, excavations between 1978 and 1980 found evidence the the site was used as a mortuary chapel in late Roman and Anglo Saxon times. The archaeologists also found evidence of a circular apse from the Minster which continued under the line of the present Cathedral cloister.

The cathedral itself is a magnificent Gothic cathedral which was built in stages between 1180 and 1424. This grandeur arose from a complex power play between Wells and Bath for the seat of the diocese of Bath of Wells and from rivalry with the nearby extremely wealthy Abbey at Glastonbury. Wells was determined to state its authority.

The cathedral west front is astonishing. It is the greatest gallery of medieval sculpture in England. Some 146 enormous statues relate the history of man. The imagery depicts the city of God identified by Augustine of Hippo. On the left, north side, the figures depict the Old Testament. On the right the statues depict the New Testament. The higher reaches depict the end of time and the Resurrection.

The Cathedral Green, which is entered through a medieval gateway known as the paupers gate because of the custom of asking for alms there, is rewarding in itself. This is the place to view the magnificent West front. A walk across the Green leads outside the Chapter House to the Vicars Close. This is a little altered street of 14th century houses.

In 2008 the entrance to the Cathedral was much improved. Rather than use the ancient timber doors of the nave, visitors enter through a new reception centre. This building lies very close to the site of the old Anglo Saxon Minster. It houses a rather good restaurant.

The visitors centre

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