Wells Cathedral, Wells

A one-day route of 12 miles through the Somerset Levels starts or ends here, linking Glastonbury Abbey to Wells Cathedral, which is also visited by the Whiting Way.

Highlights

• Holy wells dedicated to St Andrew
• Spectacular west front and tower arches

No prizes for guessing which natural phenomenon made this city holy. The biggest surprise here is the lack of direct access to the original well. It was used in ritual from Roman times onwards, but now you can only catch a glimpse of it from afar – even though it is on land still owned by the church.

The holy spring is called St Andrew’s Well. It is in the gardens of the Bishop’s Palace, which is just east of the cathedral, home to the bishop for 800 years. The palace and grounds are open to the public.

There are several springs in this area, including the main source which arises in a large pool. St Andrew’s Well is one of the smaller pools behind this, visible in a fenced-off area with a noticeboard alongside. The palace garden is also a pleasant area from which to view the soaring cathedral tower, and the wells are next to the arboretum.

As and when these holy wells are integrated back into the devotional life of the cathedral, this will be one of the most perfect places of pilgrimage in the country. If pushed for time or money, you can avoid the palace and see the well from the cathedral grounds. There is a squint window in the Camery Garden’s eastern boundary wall, accessible through the cloisters, which looks over the pool.

Excavations in this area have found much evidence of industrial activity and also burials dating from Roman times onwards. Another source of flowing water is found in the middle of town, fed from the same powerful springs. It emerges in an elaborate fountain in the middle of the Market Place, 150m south-west of the cathedral entrance. A sign unambiguously declares that it is the Rotary Wishing Well, even thought it is sometimes referred to mistakenly as St Andrew’s Well.

King Ine of Wessex built the first minster church in the town around 705, and it remained an important Saxon foundation. The minster and holy well are first mentioned in a document of 766, one of the first references to any holy well in Britain. It is curious that the only item to survive from the Saxon minster is a huge font – a surprising artefact because the wells are such an obvious place to administer baptism. Some doubt that this large basin was in fact used as a font, although it certainly looks like one. It is displayed in the middle of the south transept. Its plinth was added around 1200. John Blair in The Church in Anglo-Saxon Society says its function is open to speculation.

Work on the current cathedral started in the 12th century, and continued in sections for hundreds of years. The famous scissor arches, the huge curved pillars in the middle of the cathedral, were built in 1338. The west front is the most famous feature, with more than 300 medieval figures facing the cathedral green. Dazzling though the multitude of figures now seems, they would have been painted and gilded, an extraordinary display of saints, kings, churchmen and Biblical figures.

Wells became a full cathedral in 909, when the large diocese of Sherborne was split. It subsequently lost its cathedral status again in 1088 when the bishop decided to move to Bath – much to the annoyance of the local community. A compromise was eventually reached in the 12th century whereby the two cities jointly shared cathedral status. This arrangement became permanent in 1245 when the Pope formally named it as the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

The tombs of several early bishops, including Saxon ones, can be seen in the choir, with effigies carved in the early 13th century. They still contain bones, which were examined in recent decades and are said to be preserved like relics, some wrapped in silk. The cathedral has a surprising lack of actual saintly shrines. The first bishop of the Saxon era, when it became a cathedral in 909, is St Athelhelm, who went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury. His nephew is St Dunstan, one of England’s most famous reforming archbishops. Both were buried at Canterbury.

Directions

Wells Cathedral, Cathedral Green, Wells BA5 2UE

‍www.wellscathedral.org.uk and www.bishopspalace.org.uk

W3W: wardrobe.gloom.news
GPS: 51.2100N 2.6443W cathedral

W3W: scale.scratches.torn
GPS: 51.2101N 2.6425W well

The cathedral is open all year 7am– 6pm (7pm from April to September). Admission is free at the time of research.

The Bishop’s Palace is open daily 10am–4pm winter, 10am–6pm summer (last admission 30 minutes before). Tickets are £9.10 adults, £4.55 children. The entrance is south of the cathedral (leave the cathedral and turn left through the medieval gateway into the Market Place, then left again through a second gateway). When in the Market Place, you can see the other St Andrew’s Well, or Rotary well, by walking along the road for 75m.