Wells Cathedral: Everything you need to know

Denomination: Anglican

Building began: 1175

About the cathedral:

Situated in the heart of Somerset, the pint-sized city of Wells may be England’s smallest, but it has many charms, chief among them its beautiful gothic cathedral, built of honey-coloured local stone. Inside, visitors are often impressed and astonished by the ‘scissor arches’ across the nave – though strikingly modern-looking, they actually date from the 14th century. Wells Cathedral is known for its statues, which include, aside from the usual saints and angels, a lifelike depiction of a man trying to remove a splinter from his foot.

Did you know?

The layclerks in Wells Cathedral Choir – who are known as ‘Vicars Choral’ – are accommodated in Vicars Close, a row of medieval houses next to the cathedral. The street was built especially for the singers over 650 years ago and is often said to be the oldest continuously inhabited street in Europe.

Helen Cocks