Friday, May 27, 2022

Wells Cathedral, 2022

Even after our fifth visit to Wells, it is still our favorite British cathedral: its great age, Gothic innovation, its great west facade, best in the UK, the miraculous Scissors Arch, the Chapter House and its pre-fan vaulting, its complete mechanical clock, the world's first such, and its many interesting quirks and facets. I've posted about it 5+ times:

but even with this fifth visit, we found new things to admire. So, after a few basic pix of the cathedral, I'll focus on those new things. For pix of the clock, the windows, more of the sculpture, see the posts above.
West facade, best in the UK, maybe best intact north of the Alps

Nave view

The west Scissors Arch; three were required to
buttress the subsiding central tower; work completed
in 1348

View under two of the Scissors, of the organ,
looking past into the tower

Stairs leading to the Chapter House

In the beautiful Chapter House; anticipating fan vaulting...

Quire

Remaining original floor tile

At the tomb of Bishop John Harwell, a sculptural pun on his name

New to us department: Wells' chained library; we've seen them
before in places like Hereford and Florence, but did not know
Wells even had one...and this day it was open and the librarian
was pleased to chat with another librarian...next time we'll try
for the chained library tour


Unchained books too

Just what you'd expect

Even fiction

In the cloister

A view new to us

And a view of St. Andrew's Well, in the Bishop's
Palace garden; Wells' wells are fed from the
nearby Mendip Hills


Through a peep-hole in the Cathedral wall

And, finally, an external clock face, no doubt connected
to the internal clock


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Wells' St. Cuthbert Parish Church

After Stourhead, we made for nearby Wells and our cottage there. All our previous visits to Wells have been relatively rushed: either we were just passing through or our time was limited by lack of parking for an RV. Not this time. We stayed three nights at a pretty cottage in the city, devoting one day to rest and administration, and another entirely to the town and the cathedral, and a new discovery: St. Cuthbert's, a beautiful Grade I parish church, dating to the 13th century and lovingly tended for centuries by the town's residents. It is a bit outside the cathedral precincts though still in the middle of town. 

West facade

Green Man boss on the porch ceiling

Some of the best interpretive signage for a parish
church


Main attraction, the beautifully restored 15th
century ceiling

Many monuments

Charles I's coat of arms, prominently displayed

Charles II, not so prominent

Refurbished Tudor-age organ, built in the mid-1500s

Bellows

Two stops

Keyboard

Pipes

Carving on the pews

Something new to us: a Tree of Jesse in stone;
recently uncovered from layers of plaster

Very old monument: Henry Clark

The font is Victorian; the hood, 15th century

Handy mirror table on wheels for studying the
ceiling without neck injury


Nave elevation

Beautiful parish church

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Thursday, May 26, 2022

Stourhead, 2022

Stourhead is another of the very greatest houses and gardens, going well back into the 18th century and fashioned by generations of knowledgeable designers and gardeners. The grounds have it all, incredible perspectives and views, a major water feature--the lake--numerous follies, caves, grottoes, and thousands of mature trees of every specimen that could be had. As in 2016, we hit it just right for the rhododendrons and such and were treated to unforgettable color. The day was dampened only by a few passing showers, and we even enjoyed the Sunday carvery while there. There is much fuller treatment of Stourhead in my previous posts, especially from 2016,


but I'll add a few more pix anyway. It's a glorious place.

Handkerchief tree leaf





Capturing a British family tree-hug

Classical and other quotes here and there

Tallest monkey puzzle ever so far


Cottontail



Interesting growth

In one of the several grottoes


We could easily settle down into a cottage such as this...



Roast beast, beef and pork








































Oh yes, there was a triathlon going on that day, so we were
occasionally passed by skimpily-clad, sweaty, but very fit bodies


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