Wells Cathedral, Somerset, England

Above: Wells Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of St. Andrew, Wells, Somerset, England. Diocese of Bath and Wells, District of Canterbury. See a Wikimap of the Cathedral Grounds here. The Wells Cathedral is located in southwestern England, south of Bristol and Bath.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons, Seier & Seier's Photostream, 25 July 2010

 Cloister, Wells Cathedral in City of Wells
Photographer: Noel Jenkins

The Official Wells Cathedral website, here, includes slide shows and videos.

According to Wikipedia, "Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace.

"Built between 1175 and 1490, Wells Cathedral has been described as 'the most poetic of the English Cathedrals.' Much of the structure is in the Early English style, much enriched by its sculptural aspects and the vitality of the carved capitals in a foliate style known as “stiff leaf”. The eastern end has retained much original glass, rare in England. The exterior has a fine Early English façade and a large central tower.

"The first church was established on the site in 705. Construction of the present building began in the 10th century and was largely complete at the time of its dedication in 1239. It has undergone several expansions and renovations since then and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and Scheduled Ancient Monument.

 Above: Wells Cathedral's Astronomical Clock.  Below:  The steps of the Chapter House and elaborate metal work on the undercroft door.

A Virtual Tour of the Cathedral of Wells may be found at the Re:Quest website, here.  It requires a plug-in to be downloaded for viewing, but supplies both the floorplan and a dozen different views.

Columbia University's Medieval Architecture Virtual Tour page provides an excellent 360-degree Virtual Tour of Wells Cathedral, and also requires a QuickTime7 plug-in.  Navigation on their page is a bit weird. Use the position slider on your computer's bottom toolbar to go all the way to the right-hand end of the Columbia University page, and way over there you will find links to an Exterior View of the West Facade, an Exterior View of the Cloister, an Interior View of the Chapter House, a second Interior View of the Chapter House, an Interior View of the Choir, an Interior View of the Lady Chapel, an Interior View of the Nave, an Interior View of the Main North Transept, an Interior View of the South Main Transept, an Interior View of the Stairs in the Chapter Hall, and, last but not least, an Interior View of the West Rose Window at the Tribune Level.


The Nave, Wells Cathedral in City of Wells

Above: The Wells Cathedral's Floor Plan, from Wikipedia.