Sights in Wells
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Wells Cathedral
Set in a marvellous medieval close, the Cathedral Church of St Andrew was built in stages between 1180 and 1508. The building incorporates several Gothic styles, but its most famous asset is the wonderful west front, an immense sculpture gallery decorated with more than 300 figures, built in the 13th century and restored to its original splendour in 1986. The facade would once have been painted in vivid colours, but has long since reverted to its original sandy hue. Apart from the figure of Christ, installed in 1985 in the uppermost niche, all the figures are original.
Inside, the most striking feature is the pair of scissor arches that separate the nave from the choir, de…
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Bishop's Palace
Beyond the cathedral, the moated 13th- century Bishop's Palace is a real delight. Purportedly the oldest inhabited building in England, ringed by water and surrounded by a huge fortified wall, the palace complex contains several fine Italian Gothic state rooms, an imposing Great Hall and beautiful tree-shaded gardens. The natural wells that gave the city its name bubble up in the palace's grounds, feeding the moat and the fountain in the market square. The swans in the moat have been trained to ring a bell outside one of the windows when they want to be fed.
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Wells Museum
Surrounding Wells Cathedral is a cluster of ecclesiastical buildings that form the medieval Cathedral Close. The Vicars' Close is a cobbled alley of 14th-century houses, thought to be the oldest medieval street in Europe; nearby is the 15th-century Old Deanery and the Wells Museum, with exhibits on local life, cathedral architecture and the archaeological finds of Wookey Hole.
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Vicars' Close
Surrounding Wells Cathedral is a cluster of ecclesiastical buildings that form the medieval Cathedral Close. The Vicars' Close is a cobbled alley of 14th-century houses, thought to be the oldest medieval street in Europe.
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Wells & Mendip Museum
Surrounding Wells Cathedral is a cluster of ecclesiastical buildings that form the medieval Cathedral Close. The Vicars' Close is a cobbled alley of 14th-century houses, thought to be the oldest medieval street in Europe; nearby is the 15th-century Old Deanery and the Wells Museum, with exhibits on local life, cathedral architecture and the archaeological finds of Wookey Hole.
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Wookey Hole
On the southern edge of the Mendips, the River Axe has carved out a series of deep limestone caverns collectively known as Wookey Hole. The caves are littered with dramatic natural features, including a subterranean lake and some fascinating stalagmites and stalactites: one of which is supposedly the legendary Witch of Wookey Hole, who was turned to stone by a local priest.
The caves were inhabited by prehistoric people for some 50,000 years, but these days the deep pools and underground rivers are more often frequented by cave divers – the deepest subterranean dive ever recorded in Britain was made here in September 2004, when divers reached a depth of more than 45m.
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Cheddar Gorge
If Wookey Hole is a little too touristy for your tastes, then you'd better brace yourself for Cheddar Gorge, a spectacular series of limestone caverns that's always jam-packed with coach-parties and day-trippers.
Despite the tourist throng, the natural wonders on display are genuinely impressive. The gorge itself is England's deepest, in places towering 138m above the twisting, turning road, and a network of caves extends deep into the surrounding rock on every side. Only a few are open to the public, including Cox's Cave and Gough's Cave, both decorated by an amazing gallery of stalactites and stalagmites, and subtly lit to bring out the spectrum of colours in the limesto…
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Cathedral Close
Wells Cathedral forms the centrepiece of a cluster of ecclesiastical buildings dating back to (and even earlier than) the Middle Ages. Facing the west front, on the left are the 15th-century Old Deanery and the Wells & Mendip Museum, with exhibits on local life, cathedral architecture and the infamous Witch of Wookey Hole.
Further along, Vicars' Close is a stunning cobbled street of uniform houses dating back to the 14th century, with a chapel at the end; members of the cathedral choir still live here. It is thought to be the oldest complete medieval street in Europe.
Penniless Porch, a corner gate leading onto Market Sq and built by Bishop Bekynton around 1450, is so-calle…
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