England 2023- The Cathedral City of Wells

Often when I write about England I mention that the places we visit are places “I’ve always wanted to see”. It’s a bit like a broken record but if you know me well then you know that I’ve been an Anglophile since I was a small child. I have been obsessed with this small island for as long as I can remember. I used to collect newspaper articles about England and thumb through my parents 2 complete encyclopedia collections to find out everything I could. I’ve had a long time to amass quite a large list of bucket list places and locations. These trips usually fulfill at least a few of those items, which means I’m usually talking about something “I’ve always wanted to see”. 

So without further ado let’s talk about another one of the places on my checklist that I got to finally put a check mark next to…Wells Cathedral.

The drive to the City of Wells was beautiful but uneventful, broken up by a parade of vintage mini coopers, signs advertising Lionel Richie “Live at Somerset County Cricket Club” and a short drive by of Glastonbury and it’s mystical Tor in the background. 

Leaving Cornwall behind

Entering the county of Somerset, one of 4 counties we would be in that day

Entering Glastonbury 

Entering the City of Wells

Per usual parking was an issue once we arrived at the City of Wells- I can only imagine how impossible it would be in the summer. I think if we were to travel through England during the summer months we would have to do it by train, the car can be such an inconvenience in this country. We tried to use the spires of the cathedral as our guide to find a car park as close to our destination as possible. After circling several times we finally found a parking space close to the cathedral and bonus points- right next to a very nice public toilet. I’ve mentioned before but public toilets are very hard to come by in England so when you find one it’s like finding gold in them there hills! It gives you license to drink beverages to your hearts content!

My first view of Wells was like out of a storybook. It was pure magic. The car pack was tucked behind some buildings so we had to walk down an alley and once we stepped out onto the walkway to a view of honey colored limestone buildings, Union Jack bunting and the cathedral peeking out in the background I stood motionless. Of course I whipped out my phone to document this special view.  One thing to note about this trip in case you haven’t read previous posts is that we were in England during King Charles III’s coronation. The whole country was in celebration mode, bunting and flags aplenty, which gives the appearance of things being even more charming than they already are. I love a good bunting and on our previous trip in 2018 we happened to be there for Harry and Meghan’s wedding which meant the bunting and flags were out for that trip as well. I need to reign in my expectations for our trip this year (2025), as there are no official celebrations happening this year and I do believe the bunting will be tucked away in a cupboard. 

My favorite view of Wells and that delightful bunting

We happened to be in Wells on a Saturday morning which meant the market in the town square was in full swing. It’s a mix of a farmers market and craft stalls- it stole my heart. We sampled honey, and wine, and  looked over the gorgeous vegetables on offer. I could not leave without making a purchase to commemorate our time at this lovely market. I found a stall selling the most adorable hand carved ducks wearing little rain boots. I simply had to have one. I got one for my mom as well and let me tell you it never once crossed my mind how I was going to get these ducks back to California. That was a very expensive problem for future me to figure out. 

The market and the 18th century fountain peeking above the green and white tent 

My sweet little duck with rain boots. My favorite souvenir 

One of my absolute favorite features of Wells are the channels of running water that babble along parallel to the sidewalk. This water flows from the fountain in the Market Square that was put in place by Bishop Beckynton in the late 18th century. The fountain was used for drinking while the channels that run along the high street were used to clean the streets. Now they are just a charming reminder of a bygone era. 

Wells as I’m sure you can imagine is a place of water. The name itself comes from the 3 wells dedicated to St. Andrew in the city center. Once upon a time those wells  were surrounded by the original Roman settlement but now you will find them in the market square, bishops palace and cathedral close with the Roman’s long gone. The first church on the site dates to 766, the remains of which can be found beneath the cloister of the present cathedral. The building we see now was constructed in the 12th century in two phases. This means the cathedral has 3 different styles of gothic architecture which to the untrained eye like mine doesn’t stand out. To me I just see a fine example of medieval architecture that inspires the imagination. 

I was on a mission to see 2 things that day. The Chapter House inside the cathedral and the Wells Cathedral Clock. One of the things I learned about after our trip was how very unique the arches in the central tower area are. They are called scissor arches, unique to Wells Cathedral alone. I was drawn to them without knowing their history because even to a lay person like me, the sheer genius of them is evident. They are a beautiful sight to behold. Constructed between 1338 and 1348, they were conceived by master mason William Joy as a solution to the weight of a now long gone lead covered wooden spire bearing down on the stone tower below. Cracks began to show in the foundation and a solution was necessary lest the entire tower and spire collapse. The scissor arches were born.

The scissor arches and the gorgeous ceiling

Detail of the scissor arches

Finding the Chapter House wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be but thankfully with a smart phone in hand I was able to find the spectacular 13th century stairs (construction started in 1265) that lead to the breathtaking octagonal room. The stairs themselves are a thing of beauty. Worn from centuries of the faithful ascending and descending, they are called a “sea of stairs” because they flow and resemble a gentle ocean wave. I took so many photos of these steps, hoping to capture the magic I felt looking at them in person. I’m not sure I quite captured it, but I did my best to try. 

The stairs as seen from the doorway of the Chapter house- you can see how steep and worn the steps have become

Once up the stairs and to the right you will find the Chapter House itself. This gorgeous room was used for meetings to discuss cathedral affairs. The most striking thing about this room is the ceiling. It is not to be ignored. The vault bosses (as they are called, I imagine because they are holding the weight of the roof) are a beautiful leaf pattern. It makes me think of overlapping lily pads, but I’ve seen them described as palms. The stained glass windows in this room are the oldest in the cathedral, dating back to 1290. Sometimes I have a hard time wrapping my head around the age of things outside of the US. Walking on 760 year old stairs, staring at a 739 year old ceiling all the while almost forgetting about the 735 year old stained glass windows. My mind is just blown. 

Interior of the chapter house. The stunning ceiling and 13th century stained glass

I was reluctant to leave the chapter house but it was time to find the Wells Cathedral clock. The clock is one of 10 astronomical clocks in England, the mechanism of which dates back to 1386 and was removed in the 19th century to be housed at the Science Museum in London where 639 years later it still operates to this day. The mechanism that currently powers the clock was installed in the late 19th century and had been hand wound until 2010 when the very last Keeper of the Great Clock of Wells retired. The clock is now wound by an electric motor. Such a shame to end almost 640 years of a tradition.

The clock displays a model of the universe, with stars, the Moon and the Sun featuring prominently. Of course my favorite part are the animatronic figures of a man who hits a bell and the jousting knights who chase each other every 15 minutes. Did I almost miss the jousting knights? Yes, yes I did! I was admiring a stained glass window oblivious to the time, when I heard the little bell ring. I ran over just in time to watch them chase each other! Having seen the two things I came there for I had just enough time to catch the exterior portion of the clock before it was time for a quick lunch and back on the road to Tewkesbury, home to the final resting place of some of my distant ancestors.