With the extra time our cottage rental afforded us, we explored a bit more of old Wells, most notably the Vicar's Close, said to be the oldest surviving planned residential street, still used, in all of Europe. The Close adjoins the Cathedral and originally provided housing for clergy, with administrative offices, a library, and a great hall. The whole complex was completed in 1348, though it has been repaired and renovated numerous times in the centuries since. Its appearance, nonetheless is very much late Medieval. Today it contains 27 private residences and is home to Wells' Cathedral School. But first some other Wells scenes.
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| Not what you think |
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| Entering the Vicar's Close |
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Interestingly, the Close is ten feet narrower at the far end, to enhance
the perception of its length |
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| OK, not entirely late Medieval |
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| Looking back to the Cathedral |
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| South end |
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| Back to the 21st century |
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| Sort of: the Bubwith House for Pensioners...1424 |
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| Still going strong |
3 comments:
Seems like I remember seeing photos of this in previous posts. So interesting.
Probably. This is attributable to a) emphasis on an important point, b) my laziness in not reviewing previous posts, or c) my increasing senility. Let's go with a).
But thanks for noticing!
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