Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral

6th October 2012

Mark had heard from work colleagues that Wells Cathedral was also worth a visit, so as part of the trip it was off to Wells. For once we scored on the car parking – a free car park right near the ca-thedral woo hoo! Sometimes you win.

Wells is called “Wells” because of the natural springs that are there. Archaeologists have found Stone Age flints and Roman pottery near the springs that are in the Bishop’s Palace garden. The cathedral is built on the site that goes back to a Romano-British burial chamber, a Saxon mortuary chapel and a minster church that was built in about 705 AD with permission of King Ine of Wessex.

The cathedral was begun about 1175, and did not contain any Normal architecture; rather it was the first English cathedral to be built entirely in the Gothic style. The initial building took about eighty years to build and culminated in the impressive Western Front end.

And about 300 of its original medieval statues remain – some of them in this west end wall.

About 1306 the cathedral was extended and the height of the tower was increased – possibly a case of “mine’s bigger than yours”?? Unfortunately the increased weight of the lead covered wooden spire was too much for the foundations and large cracks began to appear in the tower structure. The solution was the beautiful scissor arches, which were constructed from 1338-48. Cal particularly likes the lines the arches make when viewed from oblique angles. The arches lead up to a beautifully painted ceiling, and we wonder if this is an original paint scheme that pre-dates the reformation when most of the colourful paintings in the cathedral were whitewashed.

The cathedral also has unique clock - considered to be the second oldest clock mechanism in Britain, and probably in the world, to survive in original condition and still in use. The original clock works were made about 1390 and the clock face is the oldest surviving original of its kind anywhere. When the clock strikes every quarter, jousting knights rush round above the clock, knock each other over (as they have done for over 600 years) and the Quarter Jack bangs the quarter hours with his heels.

Wells also has a rather unique Chantry chapel. It looks like Bishop Thomas Bekynton (d1464) wanted to have the best of both worlds and has a normal burial effigy in full bishop regalia that lies above one portraying his decaying and cadaverous corpse, which is meant to remind us of the transient nature of life.

Below are some of the other pics in and around the cathedral.