Wells Cathedral facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Wells Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Andrew
The beautiful West Front of Wells Cathedral.
51°12′37″N 2°38′37″W / 51.2104°N 2.6437°W / 51.2104; -2.6437
Location	Wells, Somerset
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Dedication	Saint Andrew
Consecrated	23 October 1239
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed building
Designated	12 November 1953
Style	Gothic (Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular)
Years built	1176 – c. 1490
Specifications
Length	126.5 m (415 ft)
Width	20 m (66 ft)
Width across transepts	47 m (154 ft)
Nave height	20.5 m (67 ft)
Number of towers	3
Tower height	38 m (125 ft) (western) 55 m (180 ft) (crossing)
Bells	10
Administration
Diocese	Bath and Wells (since c. 909)
Province	Canterbury

Wells Cathedral is a famous Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is dedicated to St Andrew. The cathedral is the main church for the Diocese of Bath and Wells and the official seat of the bishop. It holds daily services and welcomes over 300,000 visitors each year. Because of its historical importance, it is a Grade I listed building.

The cathedral is known for its stunning Gothic architecture. It was one of the first buildings in England to be built entirely in this new style, breaking away from the older, heavier Romanesque style. Its west front, or main entrance, is covered in over 300 beautiful statues.

The area around the cathedral, called the precincts, includes the historic Bishop's Palace and Vicars' Close, a medieval street where the choir singers have lived for centuries.

History of the Cathedral
Architecture: A Gothic Masterpiece
- The Famous West Front
- Scissor Arches and Chapter House
Art and Treasures Inside
Music at the Cathedral
Images for kids
See also

History of the Cathedral

The First Churches on the Site

The story of Wells Cathedral begins a long time ago. The oldest discovery on the site is a tomb from the time of the Romans. Later, in the year 705, a church was built by King Ine of Wessex. This church was dedicated to St Andrew. Parts of this very old church, like the font used for baptisms, can still be seen inside the cathedral today.

In 909, Wells became the center of a new church district, or diocese. The first bishop was named Athelm. During this time, a choir of boys was started to sing at services. This was the beginning of the Wells Cathedral School, which still educates the cathedral's choristers.

Building the Gothic Cathedral

The cathedral we see today was started around 1175 by Bishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin. It was designed in the new Gothic style, with pointed arches and tall, elegant shapes. This was a very modern style at the time. The main parts of the church were finished by 1239.

Over the next few centuries, more parts were added. A beautiful eight-sided room called the chapter house was built. The central tower was made taller, and a special chapel, the Lady chapel, was added to the east end.

A bishop named Ralph of Shrewsbury built Vicars' Close to give the choir singers a safe place to live. He also built a wall and a moat around his palace to protect it.

In the 14th century, people noticed that the central tower was so heavy it was causing the pillars below it to sink. To fix this, a clever builder named William Joy inserted unique arches that look like giant scissors. These "strainer arches" have become one of the most famous features of the cathedral.

Wells Cathedral and its surroundings

Wells Cathedral in the Somerset countryside.

The Bishop's Palace, protected by a wall and moat.

An aerial view shows the cathedral and the historic Vicars' Close.

Later History and Restoration

The cathedral was mostly complete by the time of King Henry VII. However, it faced difficult times. During the English Civil War in the 1640s, soldiers damaged the building, breaking windows and furniture. The cathedral fell into disrepair for a while.

After the war, repairs began. In 1661, a new dean named Robert Creighton donated the large west window. But in 1685, during the Monmouth Rebellion, more damage was done by soldiers who stabled their horses inside the nave.

By the 19th century, the cathedral needed a major restoration. Old paint was removed, and the choir area was rearranged. In recent years, another large restoration project began on the west front to clean and protect its amazing statues. This work started in April 2025.

Architecture: A Gothic Masterpiece

Plan of Wells Cathedral:

West front
Nave (the main body of the church)
Central tower
Choir (where the choir sings)
Retrochoir (the area behind the choir)
Lady Chapel
Aisle (the walkways on either side)
Transept (the parts that form the cross shape)
East transept
North porch
Chapter house
Cloister (a covered walkway)

Wells is famous for being one of England's first truly Gothic cathedrals. The builders used pointed arches, clustered columns, and large windows to create a feeling of height and light.

The inside of the cathedral is divided into three levels: a main arcade of arches, a gallery called the triforium, and an upper level of windows called the clerestory. The nave, or main hall, is known for its strong horizontal lines, which make it feel very long and graceful.

The Famous West Front

The west front is the main entrance of the cathedral and is like a giant outdoor art gallery. It is 100 feet (30 m) high and 147 feet (45 m) wide. It was originally decorated with around 400 statues, and about 300 of them still survive.

The statues are arranged in rows and show many different figures. There are kings, queens, bishops, and angels. There are also scenes from the Bible, such as stories from the Old and New Testaments. At the very top, in the gable, there was once a statue of Christ as Judge, with the twelve apostles below. Many of these statues were once painted in bright colors.

The 13th-century west front is a masterpiece of sculpture and architecture.

Christ the Judge sits at the top, with apostles and archangels below.

The large buttresses have niches for many statues.

Scissor Arches and Chapter House

Inside, the most eye-catching features are the "scissor arches" at the center of the cathedral. These were added around 1338 to support the weight of the central tower. They form a bold 'X' shape and are a brilliant piece of medieval engineering.

The chapter house is another architectural treasure. It is an octagonal (eight-sided) room where the cathedral's leaders used to meet. In the center, a single column fans out into 32 ribs that support the roof, looking like a giant stone palm tree. The room is lined with 51 seats, each with a canopy decorated with funny and interesting carved heads.

A staircase leads from the cathedral to the chapter house and the Chain Gate.

The worn stone steps leading up to the chapter house.

The chapter house's central column looks like a palm tree.

Art and Treasures Inside

Stained Glass Windows

Wells Cathedral has a wonderful collection of medieval stained glass. Some of the oldest glass dates back to the 13th century.

The most famous window is the "Golden Window" at the east end of the choir. It dates from around 1340 and shows the Tree of Jesse, which is the family tree of Jesus. It gets its name from the beautiful golden colors created by a special technique called silver staining.

The Lady Chapel contains beautiful medieval stained glass.

This early 14th-century window was carefully restored in the 19th century.

The Golden Window shows the family tree of Jesus in bright colors.

Stone Carvings and Misericords

The cathedral is filled with amazing stone carvings. The tops of the pillars, called capitals, are decorated with lively carvings of leaves in a style known as "stiff-leaf." Some capitals even tell stories, like one showing a farmer chasing boys who were stealing his fruit.

The choir stalls have special hinged seats called misericords. When the seat is tipped up, it reveals a small ledge that clergy could lean on during long services. Underneath these ledges are fantastic carvings. They show all sorts of scenes, including animals, mythical creatures like dragons, and funny pictures of everyday life.

The Astronomical Clock

In the north transept is the Wells Cathedral clock, one of the oldest working clocks in the world. It was made around 1390. The clock face shows the time on a 24-hour dial, as well as the positions of the sun and moon.

Every 15 minutes, a small figure called Jack Blandifers strikes the bells. When the hour strikes, a set of jousting knights rushes out and circles around above the clock. There is another clock face on the outside wall that is run by the same mechanism.

The grand organ was built in 1909–10.

The main altar in the nave.

The inside face of the amazing astronomical clock.

The outside clock face with its jousting knights.

Music at the Cathedral

The choir and organ in 2013

Music has been a huge part of life at Wells Cathedral for over 1,100 years. The world-famous Wells Cathedral Choir is made up of boys and girls who are educated at the Wells Cathedral School. They sing at daily services along with the Vicars Choral, a group of professional adult singers.

The cathedral is also home to a magnificent organ, built by Harrison & Harrison in 1910. It has a powerful sound that fills the huge space. The cathedral also hosts concerts and has its own oratorio society, a large choir that performs major musical works.

Images for kids

The baptismal font from the Saxon church of Aldhelm (c. 705) is over 400 years older than the cathedral itself.
The 13th-century west front was damaged during the Monmouth Rebellion, leaving some statues headless.
The choir stalls have 19th-century stone canopies. The building and its fittings were restored in the 19th century.
A 1999 sculpture, The Weight of our Sins, by Josefina de Vasconcellos in the grounds of the Bishop's Palace.
From the reflecting pool in the grounds of the Bishop's Palace.
The cathedral from the south east. To the right of the central tower is the choir with the Lady Chapel projecting beyond it, and the chapter house, extreme right.
The central tower, nave and south transept seen from the cloister garth.
The internal elevation of the nave is in three levels: arcade, triforium gallery and clerestory.
In the lowest range, many statues are lost but this group of saints remains at the back of the north tower.
There is a sculpture of the Virgin and Christ Child above the west door.
A gallery of royalty fills the niches of the north west buttresses, with clerics on the south west.
The north transept with its Medieval clock face, the north porch and north-west tower.
The portal of the north porch has complex mouldings with sprouting foliage in the rebates.
View along the cloister showing the lierne vault.
The cloisters, built in several stages, have Perpendicular tracery.
The horizontal line of the nave is emphasised by the unbroken galleries.
The quadripartite vault of the nave was decorated in the 19th century.
The St Andrew's Cross arches seen from the transept.
The vault of the choir has a unique form perhaps patterned on wooden roofs.
The Lady Chapel was probably designed by Thomas Witney, (1310–19). The windows have tracery of a regular net-like pattern and contain ancient stained glass.
The stellar vault of the Lady Chapel has lierne ribs making a star within a star.
The view through William Joy's retrochoir into the Lady Chapel has been described as "one of the most subtle and entrancing architectural prospects in Europe".
The eastern bays of the choir (1329–45) showing the reticular vault and the gallery of saints beneath the east window.
A chantry in the nave (photo Francis Bedford, 19th century).
A capital in the narrative of the Fruit Stealers shows a farmer hitting a thief with a garden fork. (Albumen print, c. 1876–95).
The salamander represents Eternal Life.
The stiff leaf foliage of the capitals is renowned.
One of several misericords showing heads.
A pair of parakeets in a pine tree.
A couple sharing a jug of wine.
One of several misericords showing contorted figures.
From the Market Place, Penniless Porch (left) leads to Cathedral Green, and The Bishop's Eye (right) to the Bishop's Palace.
The cathedral seen beyond the wall and moat of the Bishop's Palace.
To the south and east of the cathedral is the Bishop's Garden and reflecting pool.
Vicars' Close extends to the north of the cathedral.