Coordinates: 51°′″N 2°′″W / 51.2073, -2.6519
Wells is a small cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, nestling in the Mendip
Hills. The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in
the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral.[2] During the Middle Ages these wells were thought to have curative powers[3]
History
The City was a Roman settlement but only became an important centre under the
Saxons when King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church in
704. Two hundred years later, this became the seat of the local Bishop; but by 1091, this had been removed to Bath. This caused severe arguments between
the canons of Wells and the monks of Bath until the bishopric was renamed as the 'Diocese of Bath & Wells', to be elected by
both religious houses. Wells became a borough some time before 1160 when Bishop Robert granted its first charter. Fairs were
granted to the City before 1160.
Wells was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Welle, from the
Old English wiells.[4]
English Civil War
During the English Civil War, Parliamentarian troops used the Cathedral to stable
their horses and damaged much of the ornate sculpture by using it for firing practice. William
Penn is said to have passed through Wells shortly before leaving for America,
spending a night at The Crown Inn.
Bloody Assizes
Wells was the final location of the Bloody Assizes on September 23 1685. In a makeshift court lasting only one day, over 500 men
were tried and the majority sentenced to death.[5]
PoW Camps
During World War II, Stoberry Park in Wells was the location of a Prisoner of War camp,
housing Italian prisoners from the Western Desert
Campaign, and later German prisoners post the Battle of Normandy. Stoneleigh
Camp on the Wookey Hole Road was a German working camp.
Railways
Wells has had three railway stations. The first station, Priory Road, opened in 1859 and was on
the Somerset Central Railway (later the Somerset and Dorset Joint
Railway) as the terminus of a short branch from Glastonbury. A second railway, the
East Somerset, opened a branch line from Witham in 1862 and built a
station to the east of Priory Road. In 1870, a third railway, the Cheddar Valley line branch of the Bristol and Exeter
Railway from Yatton, reached Wells and built yet another station, later called Tucker
Street. Matters were somewhat simplified when the Great Western Railway acquired
both the Cheddar Valley and the East Somerset lines and built a link between the two that ran through the S&DJR's Priory Road
station. In 1878, when through trains began running between Yatton and Witham, the East Somerset
station closed, but through trains did not stop at Priory Road until 1934.
Priory Road closed to passenger traffic in 1951 when the S&DJR branch line from Glastonbury
was shut, though it remained the city's main goods depot. Tucker Street closed in 1963 under the
Beeching Axe, which closed the Yatton to Witham line to passengers. Goods traffic to Wells ceased in 1964.
Today
Following construction of the A39/A371 bypass, Wells has
returned to being a pleasant market city situated at the foot of the Mendip Hills. It has all the modern conveniences plus charm,
interesting shops, hotels and restaurants. The local football side is Wells City F.C.,
past winners of the Western League. The film Hot
Fuzz was mainly filmed in Wells, as director Edgar Wright is a native.
Cathedral
-
Wells Cathedral is the cathedral of the Church of
England Diocese of Bath and Wells. Parts date back to the
10th century. It is known for its fine fan vaulted ceilings, Lady Chapel and windows, and
the scissor arches which support the central tower. Together with the Bishop's Palace
(still used by the Bishop of Bath and Wells) Wells has been an ecclesiastical
City of importance for hundreds of years. The cathedral is a grade I listed
building.[6]
The cathedral is notable for:
- the West front - said to be the finest collection of statuary in Europe, containing 356 individual figures carved from
the cathedral's warm, yellow Doulting stone.
- the east end of the nave - an unusual scissored arch design of striking beauty, which saved the cathedral's central
tower from collapse. In 1338, the original construction was found to be weakening underneath the
tower (the West side had sunk 100 mm (4 inches). About 1340, the Master Mason, William Joy,
implemented his ingenious solution of the inverted arch to redistribute the weight on the foundations by 10% from West to
East.
- the Chapter House - at the top of a flight of stone stairs, leading out from the north transept. It is an octagonal
building with a fan-vaulted ceiling.[7] It is here that the
business of running the cathedral is still conducted by the members of the Chapter, the cathedral's ruling body.
- the Medieval Clock - Wells Cathedral clock is famous for its 24 hour
astronomical dial and set of jousting knights that perform every quarter hour.
- the heaviest ring of 10 bells in the world. The tenor bell weighs just over 56 CWT (2,858 kg) and is the 5th
heaviest ringable bell in the world.
Tourism and Architecture
The Cathedral rising behind the market place
Wells is a popular tourist destination, due to its historical sites, its proximity to Bath and Stonehenge and its closeness to the Somerset coast. Also
nearby are Wookey Hole Caves, the Mendip Hills
and the Somerset Levels. Wells is part of the West Country Carnival circuit. Somerset cheese is made locally.
A walled precinct encloses the twelfth century Wells Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace,
Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral:
The Bishop's Palace gatehouse and drawbridge
- the Bishops Palace - the medieval Palace has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for 800
years. The hall and chapel are particularly noteworthy, dating from the 14th century.[8] There are 14 acres of gardens including the springs from which the city takes its
name. Visitors can also see the Bishop's private Chapel, ruined Great Hall and the Gatehouse with portcullis and drawbridge
beside which the famous mute swans ring a bell for food
Vicar's Close facing the Cathedral
- Vicars' Close - the oldest existing street in the world, which still has the original cobblestoned surface. The Close
is tapered by feet ( m) to make it look longer when viewed from the bottom. When viewed from the top, however, it
looks shorter.[9][10]
- the Church of St. Cuthbert - often mistaken for the cathedral, the church has a fine Somerset stone tower and a superb
carved roof. Originally an Early English building (13th century), it was much altered in the Perpendicular period (15th century).
The Nave's coloured ceiling was repainted in 1963 at the instigation of the then Vicar's wife, Mrs Barnett.[11][12]
Wells in Fiction
In literature
Elizabeth Goudge used Wells as a basis for the fictional Cathedral city of
Torminster, in her book City of Bells
In film and Television
Wells has been used as the setting for several films:
The cathedral's interior stood in for that of Southwark Cathedral during filming
for the Doctor Who episode "The Lazarus
Experiment".
Governance
Wells is part of the UK Parliament constituency of Wells.
Wells is within the South West England European
Parliament constituency.
Wells City Council has sixteen councillors, elected from three wards: Central, St.Thomas and St.Cuthbert.[13] Wells elects five councillors to Mendip District
Council from the same three wards.[14] Wells has one
councillor on the Somerset County Council.[15]
Politics
The current Member of Parliament is David Heathcoat-Amory of the Conservative
Party.[16]
Education
The Blue School, founded in 1654, is a state comprehensive school and has been awarded Specialist
science college status. Wells Cathedral School, founded in 909, is an
independent school that has a Christian emphasis and specialises in high-level
musical tuition.
The primary schools in Wells are Stoberry Park School, St Cuthbert's Church of England
Infants School, St Joseph and St Teresa Catholic Primary School, and Wells Central CofE Junior School.
Notable people
References
- Somerset Railway Stations, by Mike Oakley, (Dovecote Press, 2002)
See also
Gallery
Saint Cuthbert’s Church, Wells, 13th century with major changes (mainly external) in the 15th century
|
The roof of Saint Cuthbert’s church, Wells
|
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
