Wells Cathedral 
The monumental west front of Wells Cathedral.
Closeup of the west front just left of the central portal.
The beautiful Gothic nave and (in)famous scissor arch of Wells Cathedral.
Carved capital in the nave.
South aisle looking eastt; scissor arches in the transept crossing.
The transept crossing.
Stairway to the Chapter House and its dragon-slaying priest.
Magnificent rib-vaults in the Chapter House.
The colorful choir.
East wall of the presbytery, with arches of the retro-choir below.
Stained glass of the Lady Chapel.
Star-vault of the Lady Chapel.
Wells Cathedral (officially the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Wells) is the glory of the small town of Wells in Somerset. Dating primarily from the early 13th century, Wells Cathedral is spectacular in its uniqueness and richness of decoration.
The cathedral dboasts a magnificent west front covered in medieval sculptures of saints and kings. The pretty Early Gothic interior is dominated by the love-em-or-hate-em "scissor arches," seen nowhere else.
History
Work on Wells Cathedral began in 1180 under Bishop Reginald, but most of the cathedral construction was overseen by Bishop Jocelyn, a local Somerset man with great ambitions for Wells.
The latter oversaw construction of the nave and the monumental west front, which was begun about 1230. At the same time, the busy Bishop Jocelyn was overseeing construction of the Bishop's Palace and a residence at nearby Wookey.
Jocelyn lived to see the church dedicated, but despite much lobbying of Rome, he died before cathedral status was finally granted in 1245. The Chapter House was completed in 1306.
By the time the cathedral was completed, it already seemed too small for the increasing grandness of the liturgy that characterized the period. It was especially important to find more room for the increasingly large ritual processions.
So the early 14th century saw a new spate of construction. Bishop Drokensford started the proceedings by raising the central tower and beginning an eight-sided Lady Chapel at the far east end (finished in 1326). The master mason of this phase was Thomas of Whitney, a man of considerable repute.
The taller tower added considerable weight to the center of the cathedral, a problem which was solved with great ingenuity. Three "scissor arches" were added in 1338 to support the weight. Another famous interior feature, the astronomical clock, was added in 1390.
During cleaning and conservation of the west front in 1974 to 1986, traces of original paint were found on the sculptures.
What to See
The magnificent west front (completed 1250), is 100 feet high and 150 feet wide, exactly twice the width of the nave. There are niches for more than 500 figurative sculptures, most larger than life.
Almost 300 of the original sculptures, which depict a wide variety of saints and kings, still survive intact. The sculptures were originally brightly painted and gilded, with their niche backgrounds painted dark red.
The interior of Wells Cathedral is a beautiful example of Early English Gothic architecture. Its long nave terminates in one of the three scissor arches that were added to support the central tower in 1338.
Opinion is sharply divided on this unique feature: some applaud its ingenuity, while others decry it as a "grotesque intrusion" into the aesthetics of the splendid nave. In this author's opinion, they are marvelous.
There are fine capitals and corbels in the nave and transepts, many of them depicting charming medieval scenes: examples include men with a toothache and an old man caught raiding an orchard.
The north transept is home to an astronomical clock (1390), with jousting knights that charge each other every quarter-hour. The scene is announced by a figure called Jack Blandiver, who kicks a couple of bells from his seat high up on the right.
Across from the clock in the north transept, a doorway leads to a graceful, well-worn stairway. The double-branching flight of stairs seems to undulate like a wave, rising to the Chapter House (1306) on the right and continuing ahead to a bridge leading to the Vicars' Close (c.1450).
Two of the vaulting shafts in the stairway have charming corbels - one (pictured at right) shows a priest holding onto the shaft with one hand while he thrusts a stick down a dragon's throat. Both priest and dragon appear mild and amiable, a characteristic of the Decorated period.
The octagonal Chapter House features elaborate rib vaulting in the Decorated style and is considered among the most beautiful in England. It is a little smaller than its counterparts at Salisbury or Westminster but much better preserved. Its windows have Geometrical tracery decorated with ball-flowers, a popular early 14th-century motif.
It is lined with an arcade of 51 stalls, each with a canopy featuring head of smiling kings, churchmen and others. The beautiful ribbed ceiling is inspired by, but surpasses, that at Exeter. From the central shaft radiate 32 ribs, each meeting-point decorated with a carved foliage boss. The effect has frequently been compared to a great palm tree.
The choir aisles are home to numerous old tombs and some fine rib vaulting.
At the far east end is the Lady Chapel (1326), in the shape of an elongated octagon. It was originally planned to be a separate building, but this was soon changed and a retro-choir was added between the presbytery and Lady Chapel.
The chapel has five large windows, four of which are filled with fragments of early 14th-century glass in golden brown, olive-green, ruby red, blue and white. Above is an intricate star-vault, which is one of the earliest example of a lierne-vault in England (liernes are ribs that serve only a decorative purpose).
The retro-choir that joins the Lady Chapel with the presbytery may have been unplanned, but it turned out to be a very attractive aspect of the cathedral's architecture. The arrangement of the arches and the ribbed vaults is beautifully complex, and slender shafts of dark marble are used for almost the last time in a medieval building to add tonal accents.
| Names: | Wells Cathedral; Cathedral Church of St. Andrew |
| Type of site: | Cathedral |
| Faith: | Anglican (originally Roman Catholic) |
| Status: | Active |
| Dates: | 1180-c.1240 |
| Architecture: | Early Gothic |
| Highlights: | West front with medieval sculptures; scissor arches; medieval clock |
| Location: | Wells, Somerset, England |
| Phone: | 01749 674483 |
| Website: | www.wellscathedral.org.uk |
| E-mail: | office@wellscathedral.uk.net |
| Hours: | Daily: Apr-Sep 7-7; Oct-Mar 7-6 |
| Cost: | Suggested donation £5 |
| Photography: | Permitted with a £2 photography permit; no flash in the Choir |
| Services: | Evensong daily 5:15pm (3pm on Sun) See official website for full list of services |
Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of Wells Cathedral. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Wells Map or get our free Google Earth download.
- Personal visit (April 29, 2006)
- Wells Cathedral - official website
- Alec Clifton-Taylor, The Cathedrals of England.
