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78-459: It is named after the five prebendary canons of Canterbury Cathedral (including William Hadleigh, a monk at Christchurch Canterbury prior to the monastery's dissolution ) who formed its core. Others involved were two holders of the new cathedral office of "six preacher" (created in 1541), along with various local non-cathedral priests and Kentish gentlemen (such as Thomas Moyle , Edward Thwaites and Cyriac Pettit ). Simultaneous agitation at

156-518: A pulpit was placed in the nave for the first time. Between 1551 and 1568, in two periods as dean, William Turner established a herb garden , which was recreated between 2003 and 2010. Elizabeth I gave the chapter and the Vicars Choral a new charter in 1591, creating a new governing body, consisting of a dean and eight residentiary canons with control over the church estates and authority over its affairs, but no longer entitled to elect

234-483: A choir of boys was established to sing the liturgy . Wells Cathedral School , which was established to educate these choirboys, dates its foundation to this point. There is, however, some controversy over this. Following the Norman Conquest , John de Villula moved the seat of the bishop from Wells to Bath in 1090. The church at Wells, no longer a cathedral, had a college of secular clergy . The cathedral

312-402: 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. At the lowest level of the façade is a plain base, contrasting with and stabilising the ornate arcades that rise above it. The base

390-455: A late- Roman mausoleum , identified during excavations in 1980. 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 . 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

468-407: A moat and a drawbridge. 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 . At Wells, he designed the western towers of which north-west was not built until the following century. In

546-585: 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. Jocelin died at Wells on 19 November 1242 and was buried in the choir of the cathedral; the memorial brass on his tomb is one of the earliest brasses in England. Following his death the monks of Bath unsuccessfully attempted to regain authority over Wells. In 1245

624-702: A series of narratives from the Bible, with the Old Testament stories to the south, above the prophets and patriarchs, and those from the New Testament to the north. A horizontal course runs around the west front dividing the architectural storeys at this point. Above the course, zones four and five, as identified by Cockerell, contain figures which represent the Christian Church in Britain, with

702-496: A series of small niches containing dynamic sculptures of the dead coming forth from their tombs on the Day of Judgement . Although naked, some of the dead are defined as royalty by their crowns and others as bishops by their mitres . Some emerge from their graves with joy and hope, and others with despair. The niches in the lowest zone of the gable contain nine angels, of which Cockerell identifies Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. In

780-402: A thousand services are held every year. There are daily services of Matins , Holy Communion and Choral Evensong, as well as major celebrations of Christian festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and saints' days . The cathedral is also used for the baptisms, weddings and funerals of those with close connections to it. In July 2009 the cathedral undertook the funeral of Harry Patch ,

858-418: Is Michael Beesley , who was installed in a service in the cathedral on 19 November 2022. The current dean of Wells is Toby Wright, who was installed on 16 June 2024. Staff include the organist and master of choristers, head Verger archivist, librarian and the staff of the shop, café and restaurant. The chapter is advised by specialists such as architects, archaeologists and financial analysts. More than

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936-544: Is 100 feet (30 m) high and 147 feet (45 m) wide, 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. According to the architectural historian Alec Clifton-Taylor , it is "one of the great sights of England". West fronts in general take three distinct forms: those that follow the elevation of

1014-468: Is 67 feet (20 m) in height, very low compared to the Gothic cathedrals of France. It has a markedly horizontal emphasis, caused by the triforium having a unique form, a series of identical narrow openings, lacking the usual definition of the bays. The triforium is separated from the arcade by a single horizontal string course that runs unbroken the length of the nave. There are no vertical lines linking

1092-413: Is from this church and is the oldest part of the present building. In 766 Cynewulf , King of Wessex , signed a charter endowing the church with eleven hides of land. In 909 the seat of the diocese was moved from Sherborne to Wells. The first bishop of Wells was Athelm (909), who crowned King Æthelstan . Athelm and his nephew Dunstan both became Archbishops of Canterbury . During this period

1170-427: Is known as Early English Gothic . 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. The Early English west front was commenced around 1230 by Thomas Norreys, with building and sculpture continuing for thirty years. Its south-west tower

1248-426: 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. Above the basement rise two storeys, ornamented with quatrefoils and niches originally holding about four hundred statues, with three hundred surviving until

1326-399: Is thought to have been conceived and commenced in about 1175 by Reginald Fitz Jocelin , who died in 1191. Although it is clear from its size that from the outset, the church was planned to be the cathedral of the diocese, 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

1404-541: The Cathedral Church of St Andrew , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset , England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells . There are daily Church of England services in the building, and in 2023 it was reported to receive over 300,000 visitors per year. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building . The cathedral precincts contain

1482-673: The Act for the Dissolution of Collegiate Churches and Chantries of that year, as part of the Reformation . The church of St Endellion , Cornwall, is one of the few still extant . The office of prebendary is retained by certain Church of England dioceses (those of Lichfield , Lincoln , and London being significant examples) as an honorary title for senior parish priests, usually awarded in recognition of long and dedicated service to

1560-457: The Bishop's Palace and several buildings linked to its medieval chapter of secular canons , including the fifteenth-century Vicars' Close . The earliest record of a church on the present site is a charter of 766. A bishopric was established in 909, however in 1090 the cathedral of the diocese was moved to Bath Abbey and remained there until Wells became co-cathedral in 1218. The remains of

1638-516: The Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell no dean was appointed and the cathedral fell into disrepair. The bishop went into retirement and some of the clerics were reduced to performing menial tasks. 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. His brass lectern , given in thanksgiving, can be seen in

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1716-469: The Old Testament while those to the north represented early missionaries to Britain, of which Augustine of Canterbury , St Birinus , and Benedict Biscop are identifiable by their attributes . In the second zone, above each pair of standing figures, is a quatrefoil containing a half-length angel in relief, some of which have survived. Between the gables of the niches are quatrefoils that contain

1794-470: The Parliamentarians in 1645, first in the rectory at Chedzoy and then in the deanery at Wells. His jailor, the shoe maker and city constable, David Barrett, caught him writing a letter to his wife. When he refused to surrender it, Barrett ran him through with a sword and he died six weeks later, on 10 October 1646. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the choir before the dean's stall. During

1872-562: 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. The current bishop of Bath and Wells

1950-431: 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. Strainer arches , sometimes described as scissor arches, were inserted by master mason William Joy to brace and stabilise the piers as a unit. By the reign of Henry VII the cathedral was complete, appearing much as it does today (though

2028-472: The Church of England, when a diocesan bishop retires, moves to another diocese or dies, the monarch will summon the greater chapter to elect a successor. This election is ceremonial, as the monarch (following the advice of the prime minister) tells the members of the greater chapter whom they are to elect. Wells Cathedral and Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin still call their canons "prebendaries". They form

2106-530: The Early English lancet windows with simple tracery, the construction of a parapet that encircles the roof, and the addition of pinnacles framing each gable , similar to those around the chapter house and on the west front. At the eastern end there is a proliferation of tracery with repeated motifs in the Reticulated style, a stage between Geometric and Flowing Decorated tracery. The west front

2184-687: The Lady Chapel with the retrochoir, the latter in the Flowing Decorated style. 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. Wells has a total length of 415 feet (126 m). Like Canterbury, Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals, it has

2262-612: The Perpendicular Gothic style. The vault has lierne ribs that form octagons at the centre of each compartment, the joints of each rib having decorative bosses . The eastern range is of two storeys, of which the upper is the library built in the 15th century. 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

2340-518: The Welcome Desk. There is no charge for people who wish to come into the Cathedral to pray, attend a service, or light a candle. 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 John Harvey , it is the first truly Gothic cathedral in

2418-485: 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. 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 and was present at the signing of Magna Carta . Jocelin continued

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2496-480: The back of the choir stalls, known as prebendal stalls . At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the canons and dignitaries of the cathedrals of England were supported by the produce and other profits from the cathedral estates. In the early 12th century, the endowed prebend was developed as an institution, in possession of which a cathedral official had a fixed and independent income. This made

2574-472: 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. Jocelin saw the church dedicated in 1239 but, despite much lobbying of the Pope by Jocelin's representatives in Rome, he did not live to see cathedral status granted. The delay may have been

2652-557: 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. 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." The sculptures on the west front at Wells include standing figures, seated figures, half-length angels and narratives in high relief. Many of

2730-534: The cathedral canons independent of the bishop, and created posts that attracted the younger sons of the nobility. Part of the endowment was retained in a common fund, known in Latin as communia , which was used to provide bread and money to a canon in residence in addition to the income from his prebend. Most prebends disappeared in 1547, when nearly all collegiate churches in England and Wales were dissolved by

2808-544: The cathedral, including the nave and western transepts , belongs primarily to the first building phase and is constructed in the Early English style of Gothic architecture . The east end, including the lady chapel , eastern transepts, chapter house, and central tower, belongs to the second phase and uses the Decorated Gothic style; it also retains much medieval stained glass . Two towers were added to

2886-556: 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 . 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

2964-525: 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. The central tower appears to date from the early 13th century. It was substantially reconstructed in

3042-535: The chapter house in the Geometric style of Decorated Gothic architecture. In about 1310 work commenced on the Lady Chapel, to the design of Thomas Witney , who also built the central tower from 1315 to 1322 in the Decorated Gothic style. The tower was later braced internally with arches by William Joy. Concurrent with this work, in 1329–45 Joy made alterations and extensions to the choir, joining it to

3120-458: The chapter of the cathedral and sit in their prebendal stalls when in residence in the cathedral. The prebend is the form of benefice held by a prebendary; historically, the stipend attached to it was usually drawn from specific sources in the income of a cathedral's estates. In the 21st century, many remaining prebendaries hold an honorary position which does not carry an income with it. Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral , formally

3198-607: The court in Windsor and the conspiracy in general were led covertly by Stephen Gardiner , bishop of Winchester . Henry VIII's chaplain Richard Cox was charged with investigating and suppressing it, and his success (240 priests and 60 laypeople of both sexes were accused of involvement) led to his being made Cranmer's chancellor (and later, under Elizabeth , bishop of Ely ). Gardiner survived, but his nephew German Gardiner , who had acted as his secretary and intermediary to

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3276-509: The dean (that entitlement thenceforward belonged ultimately to the Crown ). The stability brought by the new charter ended with the onset of the Civil War and the execution of Charles I . Local fighting damaged the cathedral's stonework, furniture and windows. The dean, Walter Raleigh , a nephew of the explorer Walter Raleigh , was placed under house arrest after the fall of Bridgwater to

3354-531: The diocese. These priests are entitled to be called "Prebendary" (usually shortened to Preb.) and have a role in the administration of the relevant cathedral. Prebendaries have a prebendal stall in certain cathedrals and collegiate churches. The greater chapter of a cathedral includes both the residentiary canons (full-time senior cathedral clergy) and the prebendaries (and, in London, the Minor Canons). In

3432-432: The distinctly English arrangement of two transepts, with the body of the church divided into distinct parts: nave, choir, and retrochoir, beyond which extends the Lady Chapel. The façade is wide, with its towers extending beyond the transepts on either side. There is a large projecting porch on the north side of the nave forming an entry into the cathedral. To the north-east is the large octagonal chapter house, entered from

3510-468: 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. Alec Clifton-Taylor describes it as "outstanding even in Somerset, a county famed for

3588-514: The eastern terminal of the choir. In January 2014, as part of the Bath film festival , the cathedral hosted a special screening of Martin Scorsese 's The Last Temptation of Christ . This provoked some controversy, but the church defended its decision to allow the screening. In 2021, a contemporary sculpture by Anthony Gormley was unveiled on a temporary plinth outside the cathedral. Since

3666-404: The figures are life-sized or larger. Together they constitute the finest display of medieval carving in England. The figures and many of the architectural details were painted in bright colours, and the colouring scheme has been deduced from flakes of paint still adhering to some surfaces. The sculptures occupy nine architectural zones stretching horizontally across the entire west front and around

3744-558: The fittings have changed). From 1508 to 1546, the eminent Italian humanist scholar Polydore Vergil was active as the chapter's representative in London. He donated a set of hangings for the choir of the cathedral. While Wells survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries better than the cathedrals of monastic foundation, the abolition of chantries in 1547 resulted in a reduction in its income. Medieval brasses were sold, and

3822-510: 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. He likens the arrangement and iconography to the Te Deum . According to Cockerell, the side of the façade that is to

3900-621: The last British Army veteran of World War I , who died at the age of 111. 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. It is also a venue for musical events such as an annual concert by the Somerset Chamber Choir . Each year about 150,000 people attend services and another 300,000 visit as tourists. General admission tickets can be purchased via

3978-461: The last constraints of the Romanesque style. The west front, which contains 300 sculpted figures, has been described by Harvey as the "supreme triumph of the combined plastic arts in England", however the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described it as "spare", with "harsh uprights and horizontals [...] like steel scaffolding". The earliest remains of a building on the site are of

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4056-699: The left are figurative, containing images representing the martyrdom of St Edmund the Martyr . 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 . The cloisters were built in the late 13th century and largely rebuilt from 1430 to 1508 and have wide openings divided by mullions and transoms , and tracery in

4134-410: The mid-20th century. Since then, some have been restored or replaced, including the ruined figure of Christ in the gable. 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. The design maintains the general proportions, and continues the strong projection of

4212-409: The monuments were moved to the cloisters and the remaining medieval paint and whitewash removed in an operation known as "the great scrape". 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

4290-421: 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. The west front rises in three distinct stages, each clearly defined by

4368-508: 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. 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 . A new statue of Jesus was carved for

4446-412: 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. 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, arcade , triforium gallery and clerestory . The nave

4524-546: The oath of allegiance to William III and Mary II because James II had not abdicated and with others, known as the Nonjurors , was put out of office. His successor, Richard Kidder , was killed in the Great Storm of 1703 when two chimney stacks on the palace fell on him and his wife, while they were asleep in bed. By the middle of the 19th century, a major restoration programme was needed. Under Dean Goodenough ,

4602-400: 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. Since the 11th century the church has had a chapter of secular clergy, like the cathedrals of Chichester , Hereford , Lincoln and York . The chapter

4680-623: The plotters in Kent, was executed in 1544 for questioning the Royal Supremacy . This article related to the history of England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy , a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church . When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at

4758-406: The processional to the aesthetic. 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 . 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. Detailed studies of

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4836-484: The roof to make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the nave. Restoration began again under Thomas Ken who was appointed by the Crown in 1685 and served until 1691. He was one of seven bishops imprisoned for refusing to sign King James II's " Declaration of Indulgence ", which would have enabled Catholics to resume positions of political power, but popular support led to their acquittal. Ken refused to take

4914-404: The sides and the eastern returns of the towers which extend beyond the aisles. The strongly projecting buttresses have tiers of niches which contain many of the largest figures. Other large figures, including that of Christ, occupy the gable. A single figure stands in one of two later niches high on the northern tower. In 1851 the archaeologist Charles Robert Cockerell published his analysis of

4992-408: The south of the central door is the more sacred and the scheme is divided accordingly. The lowest range of niches each contained a standing figure, of which all but four figures on the west front, two on each side, have been destroyed. More have survived on the northern and eastern sides of the north tower. Cockerell speculates that those to the south of the portal represented prophets and patriarchs of

5070-419: The spiritual lords such as bishops, abbots, abbesses and saintly founders of monasteries on the south, while kings, queens and princes occupy the north. Many of the figures survive and many have been identified in the light of their various attributes. There is a hierarchy of size, with the more significant figures larger and enthroned in their niches rather than standing. Immediately beneath the upper course are

5148-404: The splendour of its church towers". The north porch is described by art historian Nikolaus Pevsner as "sumptuously decorated", and intended as the main entrance. 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

5226-487: The statues. 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. The restoration of

5304-427: The stonework and of conservation practices were undertaken under the cathedral architect, Alban D. R. Caroe and a restoration committee formed. 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

5382-400: The tenth-century cathedral lie to the south of the present building, beneath the cloister. The present cathedral has a cruciform plan with a chapter house attached to the north and a cloister to the south, and is largely the result of two building campaigns which took place between c.  1180 to c.  1260 and c.  1285 to c.  1345 . The western half of

5460-455: The three stages, as the shafts supporting the vault rise above the triforium. 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, Early English Gothic . This is uncommon among English cathedrals where the exterior usually exhibits a plethora of styles. At Wells, later changes in the Perpendicular style were universally applied, such as filling

5538-420: The time of the dedication by Jocelin in 1239. By the time the cathedral, including the chapter house , was finished in 1306, it was already too small for the developing liturgy, and unable to accommodate increasingly grand processions of clergy. John Droxford initiated another phase of building under master mason Thomas of Whitney, during which the central tower was heightened and an eight-sided Lady chapel

5616-530: The west front between 1385 and 1410 in the Perpendicular Gothic style, and the cloisters were remodelled in the same style between 1420 and 1508. The cathedral was restored over the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Wells has been called "unquestionably one of the most beautiful" and "most poetic" of English cathedrals. The architectural historian John Harvey sees it as Europe's first truly Gothic structure, breaking from

5694-611: The world, its architects having entirely dispensed with all features that bound the contemporary east end of Canterbury Cathedral and the earlier buildings of France, such as the east end of the Abbey of Saint Denis , to the Romanesque. Unlike these churches, Wells has clustered piers rather than columns and has a gallery of identical pointed arches rather than the typically Romanesque form of paired openings. The style, with its simple lancet arches without tracery and convoluted mouldings,

5772-406: Was a canon from 1200, then bishop from 1206. Adam Locke was master mason from about 1192 until 1230. 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 . Work was halted between 1209 and 1213 when King John was excommunicated and Jocelin was in exile, but the main parts of the church were complete by

5850-543: Was added at the east end by 1326. Ralph of Shrewsbury followed, continuing the eastward extension of the choir and retrochoir beyond. He oversaw the building of Vicars' Close and the Vicars' Hall, to give the men who were employed to sing in the choir a secure place to live and dine, away from the town and its temptations. He had an uneasy relationship with the citizens of Wells, partly because of his imposition of taxes, and he surrounded his palace with crenellated walls,

5928-419: Was begun 100 years later and constructed between 1365 and 1395, and the north-west tower between 1425 and 1435, both in the Perpendicular Gothic style to the design of William Wynford, who also filled many of the cathedral's early English lancet windows with delicate tracery . The undercroft and chapter house were built by unknown architects between 1275 and 1310, the undercroft in the Early English and

6006-447: 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. The building programme, begun by Reginald Fitz Jocelin, bishop in the 12th century, continued under Jocelin of Wells, who

6084-491: Was extended in the centre to support a new organ. 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. The late 20th century saw an extensive restoration programme, particularly of the west front. The stained glass is currently under restoration, with a programme underway to conserve the large 14th-century Jesse Tree window at

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