Wells Cathedral Wells, England

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WELLS

ST5445 CATHEDRAL GREEN 662-1/7/32 (East side) 12/11/53 Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Chapter House and Cloisters

GV I

Cathedral Bishopric established in 909. Saxon cathedral built, nothing now visible (excavations 1978/79). See transferred to Bath in 1090. Church extended and altered in 1140, in Norman style, under Bishop Robert Lewes; part of this lies under south transept of the present church. Present church begun, at east end, in 1176 and continued to consecration in 1239, but with substantial interruption from 1190-1206. Designer ADAM LOCK, west front probably by THOMAS NORREYS. Nave, west front (but not towers), north porch, transepts, and part of choir date from this phase. Bishopric becomes Bath and Wells in 1218. Central tower begun 1315, completed 1322. Designer THOMAS WITNEY Lady Chapel begun 1323, completed c1326. Probably by THOMAS WITNEY. At this stage the Chapel a free-standing structure to the east of the original (1176) east end. Extension of choir and presbytery in 1330 to connect with the new Lady Chapel. Designer THOMAS WITNEY, but presbytery vaults by WILLIAM JOY. Following signs of dangerous settlement and cracking under the new tower, the great arches and other work inserted to prevent collapse in 1337; designer WILLIAM JOY. (The St Andrew's arches known as strainer arches). South-west tower begun in 1385 to design of WILLIAM WYNFORD, completed c1395. North-west tower built 1410. Tracery added to nave windows in 1410. Central tower damaged by fire in 1439; repair and substantial design modification (designer not known) completed c1450. Stillington's chapel built 1477, (off east cloister) designer WILLIAM SMYTH, who also designed the fan vault to the main crossing. The chapel was demolished in 1552. MATERIALS: Doulting ashlar with blue Lias dressings, partly replaced by Kilkenny marble, some Purbeck marble internal dressings, and pink rubble outer cloister walls. PLAN: Cruciform plan with aisled nave and transepts, N porch, cruciform aisled chancel with transeptal chapels and retrocuire. E Lady Chapel, NE Chapter House (see item 33) NE Chapter House and S cloister (see item 34). EXTERIOR: Early English Gothic style, Decorated Gothic style Chapter House, Retroquire and Lady Chapel, Perpendicular Gothic style W and crossing towers and cloister. Early English windows throughout, mainly filled with 2-light tracery c1415, with a parapet of cusped triangles added c1320 to all but the Chapter House and W front. 5-sided Lady Chapel has angle buttresses, drip and a parapet of cusped triangles, with wide 5-light windows with reticulated tracery of cusped spheroid triangles; a late C14 flying buttress with a square pinnacle to the SE. N chancel aisles: the E bay has a shallow 2-centre arched 5-light window with Decorated tracery, steeper 3-light windows to the W bays, the transept chapel window of 4-lights with reticulated tracery. The early C14 E end of the chancel has flying buttresses to the gable and 3 E bays; the E end has a 5-light window with Decorated tracery, including 2 mullions up to the soffit, and a raised surround beneath a shallow canted parapet, with the coped gable set back and lit by 4 lozenge windows divided by a wide Y-shaped mullion; the N clerestory windows of 3-lights, the 3 to the E have ogee hoods, the 3 late C12 W and 2 N transept windows linked by a continuous hood mould. For Chapter House-see below. N transept and nave aisles have a plinth, sill band, corbel table and parapet, with wide buttresses separating aisle lancet windows with inserted early C15 2-light Perpendicular tracery, and a clerestory with similar moulding and fenestration. Transept gable in 3 stages, with clasping buttress turrets and sill bands: 3 lower-stage windows and one to the end of W aisle, middle stage has a blind arcade of 6 lancets, the middle 4 truncated beneath 3 tall stepped lancets to upper stage, with similar blind panels paired to the turrets, and medallions to