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 Wells Cathedral - postcard by aliante1981
A single ticket to Wells costs £1.75. Leave a Comment Theme: Bus
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Visiting Wells?
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If you are not going to Wells from Bristol, chances are you’re taking a trip from another local tourist hotspot – Glastonbury. In addition to boarding bus 376, you can also hop on a 163. They both have their departure point right next to the entrance to the Glastonbury Abbey.
The buses are relatively frequent, and the trip takes as little as 15 minutes. The cost for a single trip is £1.75, which seems to be the norm in Somerset regardless of the distance…. Leave a Comment Theme: Bus
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 by KittyLouLeave a Comment Theme: Bus
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 by SjalenLeave a Comment
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 Some of Wells Cathedral's
vast interior by iandsmith
The western bays of the choir, the two transepts and the nave that we see today were completed under successive Bishops and a vast new church in the latest Gothic style - quite an innovation in those days - was largely constructed by the time of its dedication in 1239. Bishop Jocelin of Wells had his masons continue with detailed work, however, particularly the decoration of the glorious West front, which continued until about 1260. Bishop Jocelin, a brother of Bishop Hugh II of Lincoln, was one of the bishops who were at the side of Stephen Langton at the signing of Magna Carta. He was exceptionally active in other ways too. His building work not only included the West front of the Cathedral, but also the bishop's palace, a choristers' school, grammar school, hospital for travellers and a chapel and manor house at Wookey, two miles from Wells. This work stands as that of one of the three "master builders of our holy and beautiful house of St. Andrew in Wells." Associated with Jocelin was Elias of Dereham, a famous designer who died in 1246. Leave a Comment
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 The devil (and other things)
is in the detail by iandsmith, 1 more photos
A close examination, that I undertook when I first wandered through in the early morning before the guided tour, had me shaking my head at this stained glass window. Try as I may, I couldn't make out what it was all about.
Our oh-so-knowledgable guide was less daunted however and she explained that the glass had been smashed during various episodes of history, notably the civil war, but all the pieces had been gathered up and stored away until, lights-flashing, bells-a-ringing, a bishop had an idea - lets put it all back up and to hell (whoops, sorry about that) with the consequences and any idea of getting the jigsaw right.
The legend has it that when the place was being systematically destroyed during the civil war one of the destroyers fell and died whilst taking a swing at the glass so the commander halted the destruction, seeing the death as an omen.
For those of you unfamiliar with stained glass in churches, you read it from the bottom up, but, in this case, you might as well stand on your head, you still won't get it right!
This then, is how this kaleidoscope of colour came into being - but it's only one of the wonders of this cathedral. Leave a Comment
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You can have Oxford v. Cambridge, give me a boatrace around here any time. The defensive walls and moat are a reflection of a bygone era that has remained remarkably well preserved.
You can walk all the way around the moat (as I did) and come back in through one of the great entry gates.
On the Bank Holiday weekend in August a veritable melting pot of craft assemble for the annual raft races, a contest with limited rules.
The last picture shows the view from inside the walls and there are guided tours of the Bishops Palace. Dating back to the early 13th century, it's where the first Bishop of Bath and Wells were housed and you enter through the central porch into a vaulted entrance hall. In the rooms to view, upstairs is one item of particular interest, the elaborate robe worn for coronations.
All of this comes at a price of course, 4 pounds at time of writing. Leave a Comment
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 Everything's showing its age
here by iandsmith
1451 Bishop Bekynton commissioned his new works; at a cost of 200 marks; which included the Dean's Eye, (or Browne's Gate as it is now known). Finally built in 1453, it connected the Cathedral precinct with the city. The Dean's Eye forms part of nos 20 and 22 Sadler Street once called tha Mitre Inn, now known as the Ancient Gatehouse Hotel.
Today, you can stay here but it doesn't come highly recommended unless position is all you seek. Leave a Comment Address: Sadler Road
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 The amazing clock (not
the top turning on the
hour by iandsmith
There is much more to see for the informed. In fact, the whole front is the history of the world and the figure of Jesus can be seen at the very top. You might also notice many naked figures arising bearing coffin lids - these represent the general resurrection.
Keen observers will see 8 holes, through which trumpeters once played. There are also portals inside where choir boys sing and their voices resound across the fields.
The astronomical clock, made around 1392, is in the north transept. Its face is 6ft 4in across and it's the oldest clock in all England with face on it, the second oldest of all.
On the outside are the hours, the middle minutes while the lunar and sun, in the belief of the times, rotate around the central earth.
If you look closely you will note the blurred spinning knights at the top, a trick they do on the hour. Leave a Comment
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 An eye-catching set of
scissors by iandsmith
In a tit-for-tat with Salisbury they tried to become even grander but were ultimately defeated by the name of the town, Wells. Built on a watery base, it was naturally unstable so a planned taller steeple couldn't be sustained and the large edifice you see here needed special solutions.
It is amazing that Salisbury Cathedral still stands as well because the marble columns have actually buckled and levels are out of alignment because the whole thing is only built on a four foot base over a water table.
This most amazing sight at Wells is under the the central tower. They were designed in 1338 by the master mason William Joy to help take the weight of the tower that was starting to crack due to extra building work in 1313, notably a steeple to better the one at Salisbury. Ultimately it doesn't exist today because the land couldn't sustain the weight. Leave a Comment
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Get cheap flights to Wells. Airports in the area include Bristol (BRS). Check flights to Wells when you want to visit these nearby places: Wookey, Cheddar, Glastonbury, Street, Axbridge, Midsomer Norton, Redhill, Somerton and Bruton.
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