Wells Cathedral, 2013

Wells is my favorite English cathedral. We visited it at some length in 2009, and were certain to return on this visit. And we might well go see it again if it suits. It is Gothic through and through, if English Gothic and early, and it has so many interesting and fun features--beginning with the massive, unbelieveable, "scissors" arches and their story--it is hard not to love. The west facade has more Medieval sculpture than any other comparable English church. And then there are all those fun features, enumerated in my two posts of 2009: http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/wells-cathedral.html, and http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/wells-cathedral-ii.html.

To them I would add these few thoughts and pix. Do look at the west facade; probably the best on this island. The Wells clock really is the oldest still-working, fully-functional, clock in the world. We were just at Salisbury and carefully examined its putatively older clock, which does not have a face and which does not do minutes, and is not therefore in my opinion a real contender to Wells'. Besides, Salisbury's clock does not have jousting knights and Jack Blandiver kicking the bells (every fifteen minutes for 600+ years now). Do visit the chapter house and its marvelous vaulting and interesting little sculptures. Wells is one of the few free admission cathedrals in England, so do donate generously and freely (unlike at Salisbury) for its considerable upkeep costs. Marvel and marvel again at the scissors arches. And walk and shop Wells' pretty little old town, England's smallest cathedral city.

Wells' west facade is home to a flock of crebain
out of Dunland

The Van Gogh sculpture in the Chapter
House 

Southwest view from the cloister