10 'Must Sees' in Wells

by Caroline Sherwood

I always think the best way to get to know the place you live is to pretend to be a tourist. At the end of last year I moved to Wells from the, equally famous, Glastonbury, where I had lived for 12 years. As a new resident in 'England's smallest city,' I sampled the guided walking tour, dived into some of its revelations, and discovered my personal Top Ten 'must sees':

1. St. Andrew's Cathedral

Built on the foundations of a 5th century mausoleum beside a holy well, the Saxon bishop, St Aldhelm, founded a church here. In 1108 the building of the Cathedral began and it took 400 years to complete. Famed for its soaring vaulting and the 'scissor-arches' which support the crossing at the East end of the Nave, other treasures of the Cathedral include the famous carved capital of the 'toothache' and the wonderful wooden misericord carvings underneath the seats in the Choir. In the North Transept you can see the oldest cathedral clock-face in Britain, whose figures pop out when the clock chimes the hour. The Chapter House approached via an ancient wide, worn stone stairway, is itself an eloquent symphony in stone

2. Bishop's Palace

Set in 14 acres of gardens, which contain the springs (which channel 100 litres of water per second and from which Wells gets its name), the Bishop's Palace has been home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for 800 years and was opened to the public in 1968. Not having a garden, it has become my new and exquisite back garden (you can visit every day with a season ticket). The entrance is via a drawbridge (last raised in 1831 when news of rioting in   Bristol reached Wells) over the moat. The daughter of a 19th century bishop taught the moat's swans to ring a bell to ask for food - and they still repeat this ritual to this day. After a hard bout of sight-seeing you might like to spend an afternoon (or even a whole day) wandering gently in the Chapel, Palace, Gallery and extensive gardens with their tranquil pools. There's a café/restaurant - or you could bring a picnic to eat in the arboretum. Even at the busiest of times, the Palace grounds always feel remarkably spacious. There are daily guided tours and special events (like open air Shakespeare take place during the summer season.

3. Almshouses

Wells boast two sets of beautiful old almshouses. These unfurnished dwellings each have a lounge, kitchen, bedroom, shower or bathroom and are usually, but not always, designed or adapted with the needs of older people in mind. The intention is to provide convenient, comfortable accommodation and independence in a pleasing setting. Managed by a Trust, applications are considered from 'persons in need, hardship or distress' (which can include lack of financial support, as well as lacking the support of a family or social network), or for some other reason are 'living in circumstances which do not allow an independent life in security and dignity.'

4. Vicars' Close and Chapel

The Vicars Choral were non-monastic deputies to the Cathedral Canons who were chosen for the quality of their singing voices. In the 14th century the Bishop of Shrewsbury amalgamated them into a college and built the houses in Vicars Close to serve as their dwellings. Right beside Wells Cathedral School, renowned for turning out high calibre professional musicians, the Close terminates in a lovely quiet Chapel which (if you’re lucky) you may find unlocked. Four of the houses in the Close are used by the Cathedral School. In his Ordinances and Statutes for the Choristers of Wells Cathedral, Bishop Beckington (1443-1465) wrote: 'At meals boys should come to the hall without noise or roughness, say grace distinctly and audibly and sit down quietly. They should not lean on the table or injure the tablecloth or utensils. They should not lift their knives to their mouths or pick their teeth with their They should drink with their mouths empty and not full.'

5. Old City Jail

In the 16th century Queen Elizabeth I granted the city the right to operate a gaol. Though the building was damaged by fire in 1746, some of the cells still exist on the site of The Old City Arms pub on the corner of Queen Street and the High Street. You can still see some of the barred doors as you pass through the entrance courtyard.

6. St Cuthbert's church

The largest parish church in Somerset, St. Cuthbert's dates from the 13th century when it was built on the site of earlier Saxon and Norman chapels.  The exquisitely painted wooden ceiling is a fine example of 16th century carving and is decorated with angels, rosettes and shields. It was fully restored in 1963. The novelist, Elizabeth Goudge, grew up in Wells and celebrated England's smallest city in her book, 'City of Bells.' Shoppers going out about   their business can hear the counterpoint between the bells of St. Cuthbert's at one end of the High Street chiming out the hour, and those of the Cathedral at the other end of town. On Sundays the pealing bells sing out clearly, reminding visitors of the mediaeval origins of the narrow lanes and streets.

7. Market Days

On Wednesday and Saturday, stalls selling fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, locally produced dairy products and baked goods, clothes, gifts, bric-a-brac, cards, books and plants fill up the market place outside the Town Hall. In Mediaeval England the town crier was the chief news distributor for a town, most of whose citizens were illiterate. Many towns in Britain still have an   official Crier and Len Sweales is the Town Crier for Wells. On busy market days, you can see him standing in front of the archway entrance to the Bishop's Palace, unfurling his scroll and readying himself to hold forth with the traditional cry of Oyez! Oyez! ('Hear ye! Hear ye!') Before delivering one of his self-written proclamations in rhyming verse, guaranteed to crease you up or make you groan.

8. Embroidery Samplers

Wells and Mendip Museum, just over the green from the Cathedral, houses a collection of exquisite and intricate embroidery samplers dating from 1742.  A sampler (from Latin exemplum, meaning example) was embroidered as a demonstration of skill in needlework and they included pictures, verses, letters the alphabet and, sometimes, the embroiderer's name. A verse embroidered on one sampler in 1828 asks:

            "Whence did the wondrous mystic Art arise
            Of painting speech and speaking to the eyes
            That we by tracing magic lines are taught
            How both to colour and embody thought."

9. Literature festival

The Annual Festival of Literature takes place from 14-21 October. You can take part in workshops, attend lectures and enter several writing competitions. Last year I attended a poetry workshop and was amazed how much I learned about poetry in a couple of hours. We were introduced to various ways of stimulating our poetic imaginations and all of us produced at least one piece of poetry by the end of the session. This year presenters will include Shirley         Williams, Melvyn Bragg, Peter and Dan Snow, and the hugely popular entertainer, Pam Ayres from the nearby Cotswolds in Gloucestershire. Closing date for Short Story and Poetry competitions is 31 July Tickets will on sale from August.

10. Milton Lodge Gardens

High on the Mendip Hills, to the north of Wells, these beautiful gardens offer panoramic views over the Cathedral and the Vale of Avalon. The brainchild of Mr Charles Tudway, the present owner's great grandfather, the gardens date from 1900. There is a sundial terrace, a lily pond and a seven acre arboretum. They run an annual Specialist Plant Sale in May at Stoberry Park, which is a quarter of a mile from the gardens.

Photo credits:

West Front, Wells Cathedral: The Dean and Chapter of Wells
Toothache: The Dean and Chapter of Wells
Misericord: The Dean and Chapter of Wells
Bishop's Palace: The Palace Trust
Gardens & springs around Bishop's Palace: The Palace TrustAlmshouses: Wells Cathedral Archives
Vicars' Close Chapel: Wells Cathedral Archives
City Arms: City Arms, Wells
St Cuthbert's Ceiling: Terry Morris
Wells Town Crier: Len Sweales
Emma Bee sampler: Eveleen Perkins Collection at the Wells & Mendip Museum
Peter and Dan Snow: courtesy of Wells Literature Festival organisers
View towards Cathedral: Milton Lodge Gardens
Lily Pond: Milton Lodge Gardens