Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral | |
---|---|
Cathedral Church of St Andrew | |
Decorated, and Perpendicular) | |
Years built | 1176 – c. 1490,[1][2] |
Specifications | |
Length | 126.5 m (415 ft)[3] |
Width | 20 m (66 ft)[3] |
Width across transepts | 47 m (154 ft)[3] |
Nave height | 20.5 m (67 ft)[3] |
Number of towers | 3 |
Tower height | |
Bells | 10 |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Bath and Wells (since c. 909) |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | Michael Beasley |
Dean | Anne Gell (Acting) |
Precentor | Mary Bide (Acting) |
Chancellor | Megan Daffern |
Archdeacon | Anne Gell (Wells) |
Laity | |
Organist(s) | Alexander Hamilton (Acting)[4] |
Wells Cathedral is an
Its
History
Early years
The earliest remains of a building on the site are of a late-Roman mausoleum, identified during excavations in 1980.[11][12] An abbey church was built in Wells in 705 by Aldhelm, first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Sherborne during the reign of King Ine of Wessex.[13][14] It was dedicated to St Andrew and stood at the site of the cathedral's cloisters, where some excavated remains can be seen. The font in the cathedral's south transept is from this church and is the oldest part of the present building.[15][16] In 766 Cynewulf, King of Wessex, signed a charter endowing the church with eleven hides of land.[a][18][19] In 909 the seat of the diocese was moved from Sherborne to Wells.[11]
The first bishop of Wells was
Seat of the bishop
The cathedral is thought to have been conceived and commenced in about 1175 by Reginald Fitz Jocelin, who died in 1191.[22][23][24] Although it is clear from its size that from the outset, the church was planned to be the cathedral of the diocese,[21] the seat of the bishop moved between Wells and the abbeys of Glastonbury and Bath, before settling at Wells. In 1197 Reginald's successor, Savaric FitzGeldewin, with the approval of Pope Celestine III, officially moved his seat to Glastonbury Abbey. The title of Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury was used until the Glastonbury claim was abandoned in 1219.[25]
Savaric's successor, Jocelin of Wells, again moved the bishop's seat to Bath Abbey, with the title Bishop of Bath. Jocelin was a brother of Hugh (II) of Lincoln[26] and was present at the signing of Magna Carta. Jocelin continued the building campaign begun by Reginald and was responsible for the Bishop's Palace, the choristers' school, a grammar school, a hospital for travellers and a chapel. He also had a manor house built at Wookey, near Wells.[27] Jocelin saw the church dedicated in 1239 but, despite much lobbying of the Pope by Jocelin's representatives in Rome, did not live to see cathedral status granted. The delay may have been a result of inaction by Pandulf Verraccio, a Roman ecclesiastical politician, papal legate to England and Bishop of Norwich, who was asked by the Pope to investigate the situation but did not respond.[28] Jocelin died at Wells on 19 November 1242 and was buried in the choir of the cathedral;[26][27][29] the memorial brass on his tomb is one of the earliest brasses in England.[27] Following his death the monks of Bath unsuccessfully attempted to regain authority over Wells.[30]
In 1245 the ongoing dispute over the title of the bishop was resolved by a ruling of Pope Innocent IV, who established the title as the "Bishop of Bath and Wells", which it has remained until this day, with Wells as the principal seat of the bishop.[31] Since the 11th century the church has had a chapter of secular clergy, like the cathedrals of Chichester, Hereford, Lincoln and York. The chapter was endowed with 22 prebends (lands from which finance was drawn) and a provost to manage them. On acquiring cathedral status, in common with other such cathedrals, it had four chief clergy, the dean, precentor, chancellor and sacristan, who were responsible for the spiritual and material care of the cathedral.[32]
Building the cathedral
The building programme, begun by Reginald Fitz Jocelin, Bishop in the 12th century, continued under Jocelin of Wells, who was a canon from 1200, then bishop from 1206. Adam Locke was master mason from about 1192 until 1230.[33] It was designed in the new style with pointed arches, later known as Gothic, which was introduced at about the same time at Canterbury Cathedral.[34] Work was halted between 1209 and 1213 when King John was excommunicated and Jocelin was in exile,[35] but the main parts of the church were complete by the time of the dedication by Jocelin in 1239.[21]
By the time the cathedral, including the
John Harewell raised money for the completion of the west front by William Wynford, who was appointed as master mason in 1365. One of the foremost master masons of his time, Wynford worked for the king at Windsor, Winchester Cathedral and New College, Oxford.[41] At Wells, he designed the western towers of which north-west was not built until the following century.[42] In the 14th century, the central piers of the crossing were found to be sinking under the weight of the crossing tower which had been damaged by an earthquake in the previous century.[43] Strainer arches, sometimes described as scissor arches, were inserted by master mason William Joy to brace and stabilise the piers as a unit.[43][44]
Tudors and Civil War
By the reign of
1660–1800
In 1661, after Charles II was restored to the throne, Robert Creighton, the king's chaplain in exile, was appointed dean and was bishop for two years before his death in 1672.[55] His brass lectern, given in thanksgiving, can be seen in the cathedral. He donated the nave's great west window at a cost of £140. Following Creighton's appointment as bishop, the post of dean went to Ralph Bathurst, who had been chaplain to the king, president of Trinity College, Oxford and fellow of the Royal Society.[56] During Bathurst's long tenure the cathedral was restored, but in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, Puritan soldiers damaged the west front, tore lead from the roof to make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the nave.[57]
Restoration began again under
Victorian era to present
By the middle of the 19th century, a major restoration programme was needed. Under Dean Goodenough, the monuments were moved to the cloisters and the remaining medieval paint and whitewash removed in an operation known as "the great scrape".[61] Anthony Salvin took charge of the extensive restoration of the choir. Wooden galleries installed in the 16th century were removed and the stalls were given stone canopies and placed further back within the line of the arcade. The medieval stone pulpitum screen was extended in the centre to support a new organ.[62]
In 1933 the Friends of Wells Cathedral were formed to support the cathedral's chapter in the maintenance of the fabric, life and work of the cathedral.[63] The late 20th century saw an extensive restoration programme, particularly of the west front.[64][65] The stained glass is currently under restoration, with a programme underway to conserve the large 14th-century Jesse Tree window at the eastern terminal of the choir.[66][67]
In January 2014, as part of the
In 2021, a contemporary sculpture by
Ministry
Since the 13th century, Wells Cathedral has been the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Its governing body, the chapter, is made up of five clerical canons (the dean, the precentor, the canon chancellor, the canon treasurer, and the archdeacon of Wells) and four lay members: the administrator (chief executive), Keeper of the Fabric, Overseer of the Estate and the chairman of the cathedral shop and catering boards.[71] The current bishop of Bath and Wells is Peter Hancock, who was installed in a service in the cathedral on 7 June 2014.[72] John Davies has been Dean of Wells since 2016.[73]
Employed staff include the organist and master of choristers, head Verger archivist, librarian and the staff of the shop, café and restaurant.[74] The chapter is advised by specialists such as architects, archaeologists and financial analysts.[71]
More than a thousand services are held every year. There are daily services of
Three Sunday services are led by the resident choir in school terms and choral services are sung on weekdays. The cathedral hosts visiting choirs and does outreach work with local schools as part of its Chorister Outreach Project.[79] It is also a venue for musical events such as an annual concert by the Somerset Chamber Choir.[80]
Each year about 150,000 people attend services and another 300,000 visit as tourists.[81] Entry is free, but visitors are encouraged to make a donation towards the annual running costs of around £1.5 million in 2015.[82]
Dean and chapter
As of 1 January 2021:[83]
- Dean – John Davies (since 20 November 2016 installation)
- Precentor – Nicholas Jepson-Biddle (since 7 May 2013 installation)[84]
- Diocesan Canon – Anne Gell(since 20 May 2017 collation and installation)
- Canon Pastor – Rosalind Paul (since 3 December 2018 installation)[85]
- Canon Chancellor – Rob James (since 25 November 2019 installation)[86]
- Diocesan Canon – vacant since 13 February 2018[87] (most recently Treasurer & Director of Learning Communities)
Architecture
Dates, styles and architects
Construction of the cathedral began in about 1175, to the design of an unknown master-mason. Wells is the first cathedral in England to be built, from its foundation, in Gothic style. According to art historian
From about 1192 to 1230, Adam Lock, the earliest master-mason at Wells for whom a name is known, continued the transept and nave in the same manner as his predecessor. Lock was also the builder of the north porch, to his own design.[33]
The Early English west front was commenced around 1230 by Thomas Norreys, with building and sculpture continuing for thirty years.[33] Its south-west tower was begun 100 years later and constructed between 1365 and 1395, and the north-west tower between 1425 and 1435,[89] both in the Perpendicular Gothic style to the design of William Wynford,[33] who also filled many of the cathedral's early English lancet windows with delicate tracery.[42]
The
Later changes include the Perpendicular vault of the tower and construction of Sugar's Chapel, 1475–1490 by William Smyth. Also, Gothic Revival renovations were made to the choir and pulpitum by Benjamin Ferrey and Anthony Salvin, 1842–1857.[33]
Plan
Wells has a total length of 415 feet (126 m). Like Canterbury, Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals, it has the distinctly English arrangement of two transepts, with the body of the church divided into distinct parts: nave, choir, and retro-choir, beyond which extends the Lady Chapel.[90] The façade is wide, with its towers extending beyond the transepts on either side.[5] There is a large projecting porch on the north side of the nave forming an entry into the cathedral.[91] To the north-east is the large octagonal chapter house, entered from the north choir aisle by a passage and staircase. To the south of the nave is a large cloister, unusual in that the northern range, that adjacent the cathedral, was never built.[92]
Elevation
In section, the cathedral has the usual arrangement of a large church: a central nave with an aisle on each side, separated by two arcades. The elevation is in three stages,
Exterior
The exterior of Wells Cathedral presents a relatively tidy and harmonious appearance since the greater part of the building was executed in a single style,
West front
The west front is 100 feet (30 m) high and 147 feet (45 m) wide,[96] and built of Inferior Oolite of the Middle Jurassic period, which came from the Doulting Stone Quarry, about 8 miles (13 km) to the east.[97] According to the architectural historian Alec Clifton-Taylor, it is "one of the great sights of England".[98]
West fronts in general take three distinct forms: those that follow the elevation of the nave and aisles, those that have paired towers at the end of each aisle, framing the nave, and those that screen the form of the building. The west front at Wells has the paired-tower form, unusual in that the towers do not indicate the location of the aisles, but extend well beyond them, screening the dimensions and profile of the building.[5]
The west front rises in three distinct stages, each clearly defined by a horizontal course. This horizontal emphasis is counteracted by six strongly projecting buttresses defining the cross-sectional divisions of nave, aisles and towers, and are highly decorated, each having canopied niches containing the largest statues on the façade.[98]
At the lowest level of the façade is a plain base, contrasting with and stabilising the ornate arcades that rise above it.[98] The base is penetrated by three doors, which are in stark contrast to the often imposing portals of French Gothic cathedrals. The outer two are of domestic proportion and the central door is ornamented only by a central post, quatrefoil and the fine mouldings of the arch.[5]
Above the basement rise two storeys, ornamented with quatrefoils and niches originally holding about four hundred statues, with three hundred surviving until the mid-20th century.[5] Since then, some have been restored or replaced, including the ruined figure of Christ in the gable.[99]
The third stages of the flanking towers were both built in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th century, to the design of William Wynford; that on the north-west was not begun until about 1425.[33] The design maintains the general proportions, and continues the strong projection of the buttresses.
The finished product has been criticised for its lack of pinnacles, and it is probable that the towers were intended to carry spires which were never built.[91] Despite its lack of spires or pinnacles, the architectural historian Banister Fletcher describes it as "the highest development in English Gothic of this type of façade."[100]
Iconography of the west front
The sculptures on the west front at Wells include standing figures, seated figures, half-length angels and narratives in high relief. Many of the figures are life-sized or larger. Together they constitute the finest display of medieval carving in England.
In 1851 the archaeologist Charles Robert Cockerell published his analysis of the iconography, numbering the nine sculptural divisions from the lowest to the highest. He defined the theme as "a calendar for unlearned men" illustrating the doctrines and history of the Christian faith, its introduction to Britain and its protection by princes and bishops.[101] He likens the arrangement and iconography to the Te Deum.[102]
According to Cockerell, the side of the façade that is to the south of the central door is the more sacred and the scheme is divided accordingly.
Above the course, zones four and five, as identified by Cockerell, contain figures which represent the Christian Church in Britain, with the spiritual lords such as bishops, abbots, abbesses and saintly founders of monasteries on the south, while kings, queens and princes occupy the north.
The niches in the lowest zone of the gable contain nine angels, of which Cockerell identifies Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel.[110] In the next zone are the taller figures of the twelve apostles, some, such as John, Andrew and Bartholomew, clearly identifiable by the attributes that they carry.[111] The uppermost niches of the gable contained the figure of Christ the Judge at the centre, with the Virgin Mary on his right and John the Baptist on his left. The figures all suffered from iconoclasm.[111] A new statue of Jesus was carved for the central niche, but the two side niches now contain cherubim. Christ and the Virgin Mary are also represented by now headless figures in a Coronation of the Virgin in a niche above the central portal. A damaged figure of the Virgin and Christ Child occupies a quatrefoil in the spandrel of the door.[112]
Crossing tower
The central tower appears to date from the early 13th century. It was substantially reconstructed in the early 14th century during the remodelling of the east end, necessitating the internal bracing of the piers a decade or so later. In the 14th century the tower was given a timber and lead spire which burnt down in 1439. The exterior was then reworked in the Perpendicular style and given the present parapet and pinnacles.[21] Alec Clifton-Taylor describes it as "outstanding even in Somerset, a county famed for the splendour of its church towers".[7]
North porch
The north porch is described by art historian Nikolaus Pevsner as "sumptuously decorated", and intended as the main entrance.[91] Externally it is simple and rectangular with plain side walls. The entrance is a steeply arched portal framed by rich mouldings of eight shafts with stiff-leaf capitals each encircled by an annular moulding at middle height. Those on the left are figurative, containing images representing the martyrdom of St Edmund the Martyr.[91] The walls are lined with deep niches framed by narrow shafts with capitals and annulets like those of the portal. The path to the north porch is lined by four sculptures in Purbeck stone, each by Mary Spencer Watson, representing the symbols of the Evangelists.[113]
Cloisters
The cloisters were built in the late 13th century and largely rebuilt from 1430 to 1508
Because Wells Cathedral was secular rather than monastic, cloisters were not a practical necessity. They were omitted from several other secular cathedrals but were built here and at Chichester. Explanations for their construction at these two secular cathedrals range from the processional to the aesthetic.[92] As at Chichester, there is no northern range to the cloisters. In monastic cloisters it was the north range, benefiting most from winter sunlight, that was often used as a scriptorium.[115]
Restoration
In 1969, when a large chunk of stone fell from a statue near the main door, it became apparent that there was an urgent need for restoration of the west front.[65] Detailed studies of the stonework and of conservation practices were undertaken under the cathedral architect, Alban D. R. Caroe and a restoration committee formed.[99] The methods selected were those devised by Eve and Robert Baker. W. A. (Bert) Wheeler, clerk of works to the cathedral 1935–1978, had previously experimented with washing and surface treatment of architectural carvings on the building and his techniques were among those tried on the statues.[99]
The conservation was carried out between 1974 and 1986, wherever possible using non-invasive procedures such as washing with water and a solution of lime, filling gaps and damaged surfaces with soft mortar to prevent the ingress of water and stabilising statues that were fracturing through corrosion of metal dowels. The surfaces were finished by painting with a thin coat of mortar and silane to resist further erosion and attack by pollutants.[65][99] The restoration of the façade revealed much paint adhering to the statues and their niches, indicating that it had once been brightly coloured.[65]
Interior
The particular character of this Early English interior is dependent on the proportions of the simple lancet arches. It is also dependent on the refinement of the architectural details, in particular the mouldings.
The arcade, which takes the same form in the nave, choir and transepts, is distinguished by the richness of both mouldings and carvings. Each pier of the arcade has a surface enrichment of 24 slender shafts in eight groups of three, rising beyond the capitals to form the deeply undulating mouldings of the arches.[93] The capitals themselves are remarkable for the vitality of the stylised foliage, in a style known as "stiff-leaf". The liveliness contrasts with the formality of the moulded shafts and the smooth unbroken areas of ashlar masonry in the spandrels. Each capital is different, and some contain small figures illustrating narratives.[93]
The vault of the nave rises steeply in a simple quadripartite form, in harmony with the nave arcade.
Until the early 14th century, the interior of the cathedral was in a unified style, but it was to undergo two significant changes, to the tower and to the eastern end. Between 1315 and 1322 the central tower was heightened and topped by a spire, which caused the piers that supported it to show signs of stress. In 1338 the mason William Joy employed an unorthodox solution by inserting low arches topped by inverted arches of similar dimensions, forming scissors-like structures.[117] These arches brace the piers of the crossing on three sides, while the easternmost side is braced by a choir screen.[118] The bracing arches are known as "St Andrew's Cross arches", in a reference to the patron saint of the cathedral. They have been described by Wim Swaan – rightly or wrongly – as "brutally massive" and intrusive in an otherwise restrained interior.[5]
Lady Chapel and retrochoir
Wells Cathedral has a square east end to the choir, as is usual, and like several other cathedrals including Salisbury and
The Lady Chapel has a vault of complex and somewhat irregular pattern, as the chapel is not symmetrical about both axes. The main ribs are intersected by additional non-supporting, lierne ribs, which in this case form a star-shaped pattern at the apex of the vault. It is one of the earliest lierne vaults in England.[119] There are five large windows, of which four are filled with fragments of medieval glass.[119] The tracery of the windows is in the style known as Reticulated Gothic, having a pattern of a single repeated shape, in this case a trefoil, giving a "reticulate" or net-like appearance.[119]
The retrochoir extends across the east end of the choir and into the east transepts. At its centre the vault is supported by a remarkable structure of angled piers. Two of these are placed as to complete the octagonal shape of the Lady Chapel, a solution described by Francis Bond as "an intuition of Genius".
Chapter house
External videos | |
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Wells Cathedral, 7:54, 15 July 2017, Smarthistory[121] |
The
Art works and treasures
Stained glass
Wells Cathedral contains one of the most substantial collections of medieval stained glass in England,[122] despite damage by Parliamentary troops in 1642 and 1643.[123] The oldest surviving glass dates from the late 13th century and is in two windows on the west side of the chapter-house staircase. Two windows in the south choir aisle are from 1310 to 1320.[1]
The Lady Chapel has five windows, of which four date from 1325 to 1330 and include images of a local saint, Dunstan.[1][122] The east window was restored to a semblance of its original appearance by Thomas Willement in 1845. The other windows have complete canopies, but the pictorial sections are fragmented.[1]
The east window of the choir is a broad, seven-light window dating from 1340 to 1345. It depicts the Tree of Jesse (the genealogy of Christ) and demonstrates the use of silver staining, a new technique that allowed the artist to paint details on the glass in yellow, as well as black.[124] The combination of yellow and green glass and the application of the bright yellow stain gives the window its popular name, the "Golden Window".[116] It is flanked by two windows each side in the clerestory, with large figures of saints, also dated to 1340–45.[125] In 2010 a major conservation programme was undertaken on the Jesse Tree window.[67]
The panels in the chapel of St Katherine are attributed to Arnold of Nijmegen and date from about 1520.[1] They were acquired from the destroyed church of Saint-Jean, Rouen,[122] with the last panel having been purchased in 1953.[1]
The large triple lancet to the nave west end was glazed at the expense of Dean Creighton at a cost of £140 in 1664. It was repaired in 1813, and the central light was largely replaced to a design by Archibald Keightley Nicholson between 1925 and 1931. The main north and south transept end windows by James Powell and Sons were erected in the early 20th century.[1]
Carvings
The greater part of the stone carving of Wells Cathedral comprises foliate capitals in the stiff-leaf style. They are found ornamenting the piers of the nave, choir and transepts. Stiff-leaf foliage is highly abstract. Though possibly influenced by carvings of
Carvings in the Decorated Gothic style may be found in the eastern end of the buildings, where there are many carved bosses. In the chapter house, the carvings of the 51 stalls include numerous small heads of great variety, many of them smiling or laughing. A well-known figure is the corbel of the dragon-slaying monk in the chapter house stair. The large continuous capital that encircles the central pillar of the chapter house is markedly different in style to the stiff-leaf of the Early English period. In contrast to the bold projections and undercutting of the earlier work, it has a rippling form and is clearly identifiable as grapevine.[127]
The 15th-century cloisters have many small bosses ornamenting the vault. Two in the west cloister, near the gift shop and café, have been called sheela na gigs, i. e. female figures displaying their genitals and variously judged to depict the sin of lust or stem from ancient fertility cults.[128][129][130]
Misericords
Wells Cathedral has one of the finest sets of
The misericords date from 1330 to 1340.
The subject matter of the carvings of the central brackets as misericords varies, but many themes recur in different churches. Typically the themes are less unified or directly related to the Bible and Christian theology than small sculptures seen elsewhere within churches, such as bosses. This applies at Wells, where none of the misericord carvings is directly based on a Bible story.
Twenty-seven of the carvings depict animals: rabbits, dogs, a puppy biting a cat, a ewe feeding a lamb, monkeys, lions, bats, and the Early Christian motif of two doves drinking from a
Fittings and monuments
Some of the cathedral's fittings and monuments are hundreds of years old. The
The monuments and tombs include Gisa, bishop; † 1088; William of Bitton, bishop; † 1274; William of March, bishop; † 1302; John Droxford; † 1329; John Godelee; † 1333; John Middleton, died †1350; Ralph of Shrewsbury, died †; John Harewell, bishop; † 1386; William Bykonyll; † c. 1448; John Bernard; † 1459; Thomas Beckington; † died 1464; John Gunthorpe; † 1498; John Still; † 1607; Robert Creighton; † 1672; Richard Kidder, bishop; † 1703; George Hooper, bishop; † 1727 and Arthur Harvey, bishop; † 1894.[136]
Clock
In the north transept is Wells Cathedral clock, an astronomical clock from about 1325 believed to be by Peter Lightfoot, a monk of Glastonbury.[137] Its mechanism, dated between 1386 and 1392, was replaced in the 19th century and the original moved to the Science Museum in London, where it still operates. It is the second oldest surviving clock in England after the Salisbury Cathedral clock.[138]
The clock has its original medieval face. Apart from the time on a 24-hour dial, it shows the motion of the Sun and Moon, the phases of the Moon, and the time since the last new Moon. The astronomical dial presents a geocentric or pre-Copernican view, with the Sun and Moon revolving round a central fixed Earth, like that of the clock at Ottery St Mary.[37] The quarters are chimed by a quarter jack: a small automaton known as Jack Blandifers, who hits two bells with hammers and two with his heels.[139] At the striking of the clock, jousting knights appear above the clock face.[140]
On the outer wall of the transept, opposite Vicars' Hall, is a second clock face of the same clock, placed there just over seventy years after the interior clock and driven by the same mechanism. The second clock face has two quarter jacks (which strike on the quarter-hour) in the form of knights in armour.[141]
In 2010 the official clock-winder retired and was replaced by an electric mechanism.[142]
Music
Organ and organists
The first record of an organ at this church dates from 1310. A smaller organ, probably for the Lady Chapel, was installed in 1415. In 1620 an organ built by Thomas Dallam was installed at a cost of £398 1s 5d.
The 1620 organ was destroyed by parliamentary soldiers in 1643. An organ built in 1662 was enlarged in 1786 and again in 1855.[143] In 1909–1910 an organ was built by Harrison & Harrison of Durham, with the best parts of the old organ retained. It has been serviced by the same company ever since.[143]
Since November 1996 the cathedral has also had a portable
The first recorded
Cathedral choir
There has been a choir of boy choristers at Wells since 909. Currently there are 18 boy choristers and a similar number of girl choristers, aged from eight to fourteen.[151] The Vicars Choral was formed in the 12th century and the sung liturgy provided by a traditional cathedral choir of men and boys until the formation of an additional choir of girls in 1994. The boys and girls sing alternately with the Vicars Choral and are educated at Wells Cathedral School.[152]
The Vicars Choral currently number twelve men, of whom three are choral scholars. Since 1348 the College of Vicars had its own accommodation in a quadrangle converted in the early 15th century to form Vicar's Close. The Vicars Choral generally perform with the choristers, except on Wednesdays, when they sing alone, allowing them to present a different repertoire, in particular plainsong.[153]
In December 2010 Wells Cathedral Choir was rated by Gramophone magazine as "the highest ranking choir with children in the world".[151] It continues to provide music for the liturgy at Sunday and weekday services. The choir has made many recordings and toured frequently, including performances in Beijing and Hong Kong in 2012. Its repertoire ranges from the choral music of the Renaissance to recently commissioned works.[151]
Chamber Choir
The Wells Cathedral Chamber Choir is a mixed adult choir of 25 members, formed in 1986 to sing at the midnight service on Christmas Eve, and invited to sing at several other special services.[154] It now sings for about 30 services a year, when the Cathedral Choir is in recess or on tour, and spends one week a year singing as the "choir in residence" at another cathedral. Although primarily liturgical, the choir's repertoire includes other forms of music, as well as performances at engagements such as weddings and funerals.[155]
Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society
The cathedral is home to Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society (WCOS), founded in 1896.[156][157] With around 160 voices, the society gives three concerts a year under the direction of Matthew Owens, Organist and Master of the Choristers at the cathedral. Concerts are normally in early November, December (an annual performance of Handel's Messiah) and late March. It performs with a number of specialist orchestras including: Music for Awhile, Chameleon Arts and La Folia.[158][159]
Bells
The bells at Wells Cathedral are the heaviest ring of ten bells in the world,[160] the tenor bell (the 10th and largest), known as Harewell, weighing 56.25 long hundredweight (2,858 kg).[161] They are hung for full-circle ringing in the English style of change ringing. These bells are now hung in the south-west tower, although some were originally hung in the central tower.[162]
Number | Name | Date | Maker | Mass | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
long measure | lb | kg | ||||
1st | 1891 | Mears & Stainbank | 7 long cwt 3 qr 12 lb | 880 | 399 | |
2nd | 1891 | Mears & Stainbank | 9 long cwt 0 qr 2 lb | 1,010 | 458 | |
3rd | 1757 | Abel Rudhall | 10 long cwt 0 qr 0 lb | 1,120 | 508 | |
4th | 1757 | Abel Rudhall | 10 long cwt 3 qr 0 lb | 1,204 | 546 | |
5th | 1757 | Abel Rudhall | 12 long cwt 2 qr 0 lb | 1,400 | 635 | |
6th | 1964 | Mears & Stainbank | 15 long cwt 1 qr 14 lb | 1,722 | 781 | |
7th | 1757 | Abel Rudhall | 20 long cwt 0 qr 0 lb | 2,240 | 1,016 | |
8th | 1757 | Abel Rudhall | 23 long cwt 0 qr 0 lb | 2,576 | 1,168 | |
9th | 1877 | John Taylor & Co | 32 long cwt 0 qr 0 lb | 3,584 | 1,626 | |
10th | Harewell | 1877 | John Taylor & Co | 56 long cwt 1 qr 14 lb[163] | 6,314 | 2,864 |
Library
The library above the eastern cloister was built between 1430 and 1508.
Original records
Three early registers of the Dean and Chapter edited by W. H. B. Bird for the Historical Manuscripts Commissioners – Liber Albus I (White Book; R I), Liber Albus II (R III) and Liber Ruber (Red Book; R II, section i) – were published in 1907.[165] They contain with some repetition, a cartulary of possessions of the cathedral, with grants of land back to the 8th century, well before hereditary surnames developed in England, and acts of the Dean and Chapter and surveys of their estates, mostly in Somerset.[166]
Precincts
Adjacent to the cathedral is a large lawned area, Cathedral Green, with three ancient gateways: Brown's Gatehouse, Penniless Porch and Chain Gate. On the green is the 12th-century Old Deanery, largely rebuilt in the late 15th century by Dean Gunthorpe and remodelled by Dean Bathurst in the late 17th century. No longer the dean's residence, it is used as diocesan offices.[167]
To the south of the cathedral is the moated Bishop's Palace, begun about 1210 by Jocelin of Wells but dating mostly from the 1230s. In the 15th century Thomas Beckington added a north wing, now the bishop's residence.[168][169] It was restored and extended by Benjamin Ferrey between 1846 and 1854.[168]
To the north of the cathedral and connected to it by the Chain Gate is Vicars' Close, a street planned in the 14th century and claimed to be the oldest purely residential street in Europe, with all but one of its original buildings intact.[135][170] Buildings in the close include the Vicars Hall and gateway at the south end, and the Vicars Chapel and Library at the north end.[171][172]
The Liberty of St Andrew was the historic liberty and parish[173] that encompassed the cathedral and surrounding lands closely associated with it.
In the arts and popular culture
The English painter J. M. W. Turner visited Wells in 1795, making sketches of the precinct and a water colour of the west front, now in the Tate gallery.[174] Other artists whose paintings of the cathedral are in national collections are Albert Goodwin,[175] John Syer[176] and Ken Howard.[177]
The cathedral served to inspire Ken Follett's 1989 novel The Pillars of the Earth and with a modified central tower, featured as the fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral at the end of the 2010 television adaptation of that novel.[178] The interior of the cathedral was used for a 2007 Doctor Who episode, "The Lazarus Experiment", while the exterior shots were filmed at Southwark Cathedral.[179][180]
An account of the damage to the cathedral during the Monmouth Rebellion is included in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1889 historical novel Micah Clarke.[181]
The cathedral provided scenes for the 2019–2020 television series The Spanish Princess.[182]
See also
- List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe
- Early Gothic architecture
- English Gothic architecture
- Gothic cathedrals and churches
- English Gothic stained glass windows
- History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes
References
Explanatory notes
- ^ A hide of land was a unit of land sufficient to support a family. Considered as a fiscal unit, the use of the hide in the Domesday Book shows that it was variable from county to county, but generally about 120 "acres" (not 120 acres each of 4840 square yards, but 120 times what a team of eight oxen could plough in a single day).[17]
- ^ Adapted from a plan by Georg Dehio
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General bibliography
- Adkins, Lesley; Adkins, Roy (1992). A Field Guide to Somerset Archaeology. Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-0-946159-94-9.
- Bedford, Ronald (2007). Early Modern English Lives: Autobiography and Self-representation 1500–1660. Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-5295-3.
- Brooke, C. N. L. (1976). Church and Government in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-21172-7.
- Cave, Charles J. P. (1948). Roof Bosses in Medieval Churches: An Aspect of Gothic Sculpture. Cambridge University Press. OCLC 716449181.
- Clarke, Alfred Alexander (1896). Monograph on the cathedral church of Wells. Wells: Arthur G. Young; London: W. H. Smith & Sons. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-500-18070-9.
- Cockerell, Charles Robert (1851). Iconography of the West Front of Wells Cathedral. J. H. Parker.
- Colchester, L. S. (1987). Wells Cathedral. Unwin Hyman. ISBN 978-0-04-440015-8.
- Cox, J. Charles (2008). English Church Fittings, Furniture and Accessories. Jeremy Mills. ISBN 978-1-905217-93-9.
- Crossley, Frederick Herbert (1962). The English Abbey. Batsford. OCLC 2038195.
- De Blasi, G. (2–4 July 2008). D'Ayala, Dina; Fodde, Enrico (eds.). Wells Cathedral: The crossing and central tower. Structural Analysis of Historic Construction: Preserving Safety and Significance, Proceedings of the VI International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historic Construction, SAHC08. Vol. 1. Bath: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4398-2822-9.
- Dunning, Robert (2001). Somerset Monasteries. Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7524-1941-1.
- OCLC 490562168.
- Fryde, E. B. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-86193-106-4.
- Hatton, Alf (1999). Cultural Resource Management in Contemporary Society: Perspectives on Managing and Presenting the Past. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-11785-2.
- OCLC 2437034.
- ISBN 978-0-86299-452-5.
- OCLC 799050.
- Hopkins, Clare (2005). Trinity: 450 Years of an Oxford College Community. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-951896-8.
- Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bossiney Books. ISBN 978-0-906456-99-6.
- Lehmberg, Stanford E. (1996). Cathedrals Under Siege: Cathedrals in English Society, 1600–1700. Penn State University Press. ISBN 978-0-271-01494-4.
- Malden, Richard H. (1947). The Story of Wells Cathedral. Raphael Tuck & Sons. OCLC 3138221.
- Matthews, Melvyn (2005). "The Meaning of Wells Cathedral". In Dunning, Robert (ed.). Wells Cathedral. Scala Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85759-370-9.
- Pepin, David (2004). Discovering Cathedrals. Shire Publications. ISBN 978-0-7478-0597-7.
- OCLC 868291293.
- Powicke, Maurice (1961). Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901050-17-5.
- Reid, R. D. (1963). Wells Cathedral. Friends of Wells Cathedral. ISBN 978-0-902321-11-3.
- Remnant, George L.; Anderson, Mary Désirée (1969). A Catalogue of Misericords in Great Britain. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-817164-5.
- Robinson, William J. (1916). West Country Churches. Vol. 4. Bristol Times and Mirror. OCLC 7393657.
- Smith, John Colin Dinsdale (1975). Picture Book of Misericords of Wells Cathedral. Friends of Wells Cathedral. ISBN 978-0-902321-15-1.
- Swaan, Wim (1984). The Gothic Cathedral. Omega. ISBN 978-0-907853-48-0.
- Tatton-Brown, Tim; Crook, John (2002). The English Cathedral. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84330-120-2.
- Wade, G. W.; Wade, J. H. (1926). Somerset. Methuen & Co. OCLC 500472869.
- Warren, Derrick (2005). Curious Somerset. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7509-4057-3.
Further reading
- Ayers, Tim (2004). The Medieval Stained Glass of Wells Cathedral. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-726263-4.
- Colchester, L. S.; Quilter, David Tudway; Quilter, Alan (1985). A History of Wells Cathedral School. Wells Cathedral School. OCLC 70336406.
- Malone, Von Carolyn Marino (2004). Façade as Spectacle: Ritual and Ideology at Wells Cathedral. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-13840-7.