Wells
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robot Modifying: [[nl:Wells (Somerset)]]
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{{infobox UK place|
|country = England
|latitude= 51.2073
|longitude= -2.6519
|official_name= Wells
|population = 10,406 (2001 census)<ref>{{cite web | title=Somerset County Council, Census 2001| url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/media//6A18C/Wells.pdf| format=PDF | accessdate=2007-09-21}}</ref>
|shire_district= [[Mendip]]
| shire_county = [[Somerset]]
|region= South West England
|constituency_westminster= [[Wells (UK Parliament constituency)|Wells]]
|post_town= WELLS
|postcode_area=BA
|postcode_district=BA5
|dial_code= 01749
|os_grid_reference= ST545455
}}
'''Wells''' is a small [[cathedral city]] and [[civil parish]] in the [[Mendip]] district of [[Somerset]], [[England]], on the southern edge of the [[Mendip Hills]].
The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to [[Saint Andrew]], one in the market place and two within the grounds of the [[Bishop's Palace, Wells|Bishop's Palace]] and [[Wells Cathedral|cathedral]].<ref>{{cite web | title=The Well House | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483263 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> During the Middle Ages these wells were thought to have curative powers.<ref>{{cite web | title=Wells Council Tourism | url=http://www.wells.gov.uk/ | accessdate=2006-09-11}}</ref>
Although the population, recorded in the 2001 census, is only 10,406,<ref>{{cite web | title=Somerset County Council, Census 2001| url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/media//6A18C/Wells.pdf| format=PDF | accessdate=2007-09-21}}</ref> it has had city status since 1205. This was confirmed and formalised by Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] by [[Letters patent]] issued under the [[Great Seal of the Realm|Great Seal]] dated [[April 1]], [[1974]].<ref name="lg0474">London Gazette, issue no. 46255, [[April 4]], [[1974]]</ref><ref name="curio">{{cite book |title=Curiosities of Somerset |last=Leete-Hodge |first=Lornie |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1985 |publisher=Bossiney Books |location=Bodmin |isbn=0906456983 |pages=29 }}</ref>
==History==
[[Image:Vicars%27_Close_and_Cathedral.jpg|thumb|right|Vicar's Close facing the Cathedral]]
The City was a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] settlement but only became an important centre under the [[Saxons]] when [[Ine of Wessex|King Ine of Wessex]] founded a [[minster]] church in 704. Two hundred years later, this became the seat of the local Bishop; but by 1091, this had been removed to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]. This caused severe arguments between the canons of Wells and the monks of Bath until the bishopric was renamed as the 'Diocese of Bath & Wells', to be elected by both religious houses. Wells became a borough some time before 1160 when Bishop Robert granted its first charter. Fairs were granted to the City before 1160.
Wells was listed in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Welle'', from the [[Old English]] ''wiells'',<ref>{{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Stephen |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Somerset Place Names |year=1992 |publisher=The Dovecote Press Ltd |location=Wimbourne |isbn=1874336032}}</ref> however earlier names for the settlement have been identified. These include ''Fontanetum'' in a charter of 725 granted by King Ina to Glastonbury, and ''Fontuculi''. ''Tydeston'' has also been recorded although this may relate to a hill settlement to the south east of Wells. ''Tidesput'' or ''Tithesput furlang'' relates to the area east of the Bishops garden in 1245.<ref>{{cite book |title=Wells Cathedral |last=Reid |first=R.D. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1963 |publisher=Friends of Wells Cathedral |location= |isbn=0902321110 |pages=10 }}</ref>
===English Civil War===
During the [[English Civil War]], Parliamentarian troops used the Cathedral to stable their horses and damaged much of the ornate sculpture by using it for firing practice. [[William Penn]] stayed in Wells shortly before leaving for [[United States|America]], spending a night at The Crown Inn. Here he was briefly arrested for addressing a large crowd in the market place, but released on the intervention of the Bishop of Bath & Wells.<ref>{{cite book | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=02elBDTaOA8C&pg=RA1-PA51&lpg=RA1-PA51&dq=william+penn+wells&source=web&ots=pDiDdMklkP&sig=HpvrpZEL449uu6eg5TQ-5bFNlFM#PRA1-PA57,M1 | title= Memoirs of the Private and Public Life of William Penn | pages= pp. 57 | year= 1827 | last= Clarkson | first= Thomas | publisher= S.C. Stevens}}</ref>
[[Image:wells main street arp.jpg|thumb|right|The main street. The cathedral is seen.]]
===Bloody Assizes===
Wells was the final location of the [[Bloody Assizes]] on [[September 23]] [[1685]]. In a makeshift court lasting only one day, over 500 men were tried and the majority sentenced to death.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Bloody Assize | work=Somerset Archive & Record Service | url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Bloodyassize.htm | accessdate=2007-10-09}}</ref>
===PoW camps===
During [[World War II]], Stoberry Park in Wells was the location of a [[Prisoner of War camp]], housing [[Italy|Italian]] prisoners from the [[Western Desert Campaign]], and later German prisoners after the [[Battle of Normandy]]. Penleigh Camp on the Wookey Hole Road was a German working camp.
===Railways===
Wells has had three railway stations. The first station, [[Wells (Priory Road) railway station|Priory Road]], opened in 1859 and was on the Somerset Central Railway (later the [[Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway]]) as the terminus of a short branch from [[Glastonbury]]. A second railway, the East Somerset, opened a branch line from [[Witham (Somerset) railway station|Witham]] in 1862 and built [[Wells East Somerset railway station|a station]] to the east of Priory Road. In 1870, a third railway, the [[Cheddar Valley line]] branch of the [[Bristol and Exeter Railway]] from [[Yatton]], reached Wells and built yet another station, later called [[Wells (Tucker Street) railway station|Tucker Street]]. Matters were somewhat simplified when the [[Great Western Railway]] acquired both the Cheddar Valley and the East Somerset lines and built a link between the two that ran through the S&DJR's Priory Road station. In 1878, when through trains began running between Yatton and Witham, the East Somerset station closed, but through trains did not stop at Priory Road until 1934.
Priory Road closed to passenger traffic in 1951 when the S&DJR branch line from Glastonbury was shut, though it remained the city's main goods depot. Tucker Street closed in 1963 under the Beeching Axe, which closed the Yatton to Witham line to passengers. Goods traffic to Wells ceased in 1964.
===Today===
[[Image:Wells Cathedral 2.jpg|thumb|right|The Cathedral rising behind the market place]]
Following construction of the [[A39 road|A39]]/[[A371 road|A371]] bypass, Wells has returned to being a pleasant market city situated at the foot of the Mendip Hills. It has all the modern conveniences plus charm, interesting shops, hotels and restaurants. The local football side is [[Wells City F.C.]], past winners of the [[Western League]].
==Governance==
Wells is part of the UK Parliament constituency of [[Wells (UK Parliament constituency)|Wells]]. Its [[Member of Parliament]] is [[David Heathcoat-Amory]] of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Members by area: Shire Counties| url=http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/clnonmetro.cfm| work= House of Commons Information office | accessdate=2007-09-23}}</ref>
Wells is within the [[South West England (European Parliament constituency)|South West England]] European Parliament constituency.
Wells City Council has sixteen councillors, elected from three wards: Central, St.Thomas and St.Cuthbert.<ref>{{cite web | work=Wells City Council | title= City of Wells | url=http://www.wells.gov.uk/| accessdate=2007-09-21}}</ref> Wells elects five councillors to [[Mendip|Mendip District Council]] from the same three wards.<ref>{{cite web | title=Your Councillors| work= Mendip District Council | url=http://www.mendip.gov.uk/council/councillors.asp?cat=-1| accessdate=2007-09-21}}</ref> Wells has one councillor on the Somerset County Council.<ref>{{cite web | title=Somerset County Councillors| url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/council/councillors.asp| accessdate=2007-09-21}}</ref>
==Education==
[[The Blue School, Wells|The Blue School]], founded in 1654, is a state [[comprehensive school]] and has been awarded [[Specialist science college]] status. [[Wells Cathedral School]], founded in 909, is an [[Independent school (UK)|independent school]] that has a Christian emphasis and specialises in high-level musical tuition.
The [[primary schools]] in Wells are Stoberry Park School, St Cuthbert's Church of England Infants School, St Joseph and St Teresa Catholic Primary School, and Wells Central CofE Junior School.
==Cathedral==
{{main|Wells Cathedral}}
[[Image:Wells.cathedral.front.arp.jpg|thumb|right|The west front of [[Wells Cathedral]] ]]
[[Wells Cathedral]] is the cathedral of the [[Church of England]] [[Diocese of Bath and Wells]]. Parts date back to the 10th century. It is known for its fine fan vaulted ceilings, Lady Chapel and windows, and the scissor arches which support the central tower. Together with the [[Bishop's Palace, Wells|Bishop's Palace]] (still used by the [[Bishop of Bath and Wells]]) Wells has been an ecclesiastical City of importance for hundreds of years. The cathedral is a grade I [[listed building]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Chapter House and Cloisters | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483287 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>
The cathedral is notable for:
* the west front – said to be the finest collection of statuary in Europe, containing 356 individual figures carved from the cathedral's warm, yellow Doulting stone.
*the east end of the nave – an unusual scissored arch design of striking beauty, which saved the cathedral's central tower from collapse. In 1338, the original construction was found to be weakening underneath the tower (the West side had sunk 100 mm (4 inches). About 1340, the Master Mason, William Joy, implemented his ingenious solution of the inverted arch to redistribute the weight on the foundations by 10% from west to east.
*the Chapter House – at the top of a flight of stone stairs, leading out from the north transept. It is an octagonal building with a fan-vaulted ceiling.<ref>{{cite web | title=Chapter House to Cathedral Church of St Andrew | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483286 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> It is here that the business of running the cathedral is still conducted by the members of the Chapter, the cathedral's ruling body.
*[[Wells Cathedral clock]] is famous for its 24 hour astronomical dial and set of jousting knights that perform every quarter hour.
*the heaviest ring of 10 bells in the world. The tenor bell weighs just over 56 CWT (6,272 lb, 2,844 kg) and is the 5th heaviest ringable bell in the world.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
==Tourism and architecture==
Wells is a popular tourist destination, due to its historical sites, its proximity to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Stonehenge]] and [[Glastonbury]] and its closeness to the Somerset coast. Also nearby are [[Wookey Hole Caves]], the [[Mendip Hills]] and the [[Somerset Levels]]. Wells is part of the [[West Country Carnival]] circuit. Somerset cheese, including [[Cheddar cheese|Cheddar]], is made locally.
A walled precinct, the Liberty of St Andrew, encloses the twelfth century [[Wells Cathedral|Cathedral]], the [[Bishop's Palace, Wells|Bishop's Palace]], Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral.
[[Image:227710139 2464fad6e2.jpg|thumb|left|The Bishop's Palace gatehouse and drawbridge]]
'''The Bishops Palace''' has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for 800 years. The hall and chapel are particularly noteworthy, dating from the 14th century.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Bishop's Palace and Bishop's House | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483259 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> There are {{convert|14|acre|ha|1}} of gardens including the springs from which the city takes its name. Visitors can also see the Bishop's private Chapel, ruined Great Hall and the Gatehouse with portcullis and drawbridge beside which the famous [[Mute Swan|mute swans]] ring a bell for food
'''Vicars' Close''' – the oldest existing street in the world,<ref name="curio"/> which still has the original cobblestoned surface. The Close is tapered by {{convert|10|ft|m|1}} to make it look longer when viewed from the bottom. When viewed from the top, however, it looks shorter.<ref>{{cite web | title=No.1 St Andrew Street (Formerly Listed as: VICAR'S CLOSE (East side) | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483520 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Nos.14-27 Vicars' Close | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483617 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>
[[Image:Stcuthbertwells.jpg|thumb|St.Cuthbert Parish Church, Wells]]
'''The Church of St. Cuthbert''' – often mistaken for the cathedral, the church has a fine Somerset stone tower and a superb carved roof. Originally an Early English building (13th century), it was much altered in the Perpendicular period (15th century).<ref name="curio"/> The nave's coloured ceiling was repainted in 1963 at the instigation of the then Vicar's wife, Mrs Barnett.<ref>{{cite web | title=Church of St Cuthbert | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483529 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Nos.14-27 Vicars Close | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=483617 | accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> Until 1561 the church had a central tower which either collapsed or was removed, and has been replaced with the current tower over the west door.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stcuthbertswells.co.uk/our_church.html |title=Our Church |accessdate=2008-03-05 |format= |work=St Cuthbert, Wells }}</ref> Bells were cast for the tower by [[Roger Purdy]].<ref>{{cite journal |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1857 |month= |title=Bells in St Cuthberts Tower, Wells, Somerset |journal=Notes & Queries |volume=s2-IV(93) |issue= |pages=284–285 |doi=10.1093/nq/s2-IV.93.284-b |url= |accessdate= 2008-03-05 |quote=|doi_brokendate=2008-06-25 }}</ref>
==Wells in popular culture==
===Literature===
[[Elizabeth Goudge]] used Wells as a basis for the fictional Cathedral city of Torminster, in her book ''City of Bells''
===Film and television===
Wells has been used as the setting for several films:
* ''[[The Canterbury Tales (film)|The Canterbury Tales]]'' (1973)
* ''[[A Fistful of Fingers]]'' (1994)
* ''[[The Libertine (2005 film)|The Libertine]]'' (2005)
* ''[[The Golden Age (film)|The Golden Age]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' (2007)
The cathedral interior stood in for [[Southwark Cathedral]] during filming for the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode ''[[The Lazarus Experiment]]''.
==Notable residents==
* [[John Keate]] – born in Wells 1773, went on to become headmaster at [[Eton College|Eton]] where he restored discipline with the [[Birching|birch]], and once flogged 80 boys in one day.
* [[Jocelin of Wells]] – native of Wells, Bishop, aided in creation of [[Magna Carta]] and largely responsible for the construction of the cathedral.
* [[Herbert. E. Balch]] – cave explorer and founder of Wells Museum.
* [[Mary Rand|Mary Bignall-Rand]] – Gold medalist and world record breaker in the long jump at the [[1964 Summer Olympics]].
* [[Edgar Wright]] – film and television director. Directed ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'', which was filmed in the city. Its star [[Simon Pegg]] also lived in the city for a while.
* [[James Keene]] – professional footballer formerly of [[Portsmouth FC]], playing for [[IF Elfsborg]] in Sweden
* [[Harry Patch]] – [[World War I]] veteran, and at 110, the 11th oldest man in the world.
==References==
<div class="references-small"><references />
* Somerset Railway Stations, by Mike Oakley, (Dovecote Press, 2002)
</div>
==See also==
*[[West Country Carnival]]
*[[:Category:Visitor attractions in Somerset|Visitor attractions in Somerset]]
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:saint.cuthberts.church.interior.at.wells.arp.jpg|Saint Cuthbert’s Church, Wells, 13th century with major changes (mainly external) in the 15th century
Image:saint.cuthberts.church.roof.at.wells.arp.jpg|The roof of Saint Cuthbert’s church, Wells
</gallery>
== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
*[http://www.wells.gov.uk/ Wells City Council]
*[http://www.wellstapestry.co.uk/ Wells Millennium Tapestry]
* The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: [http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/cultureheritage/heritage/projects/eus/wells Wells ], by Clare Gathercole
*{{dmoz|/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Somerset/Wells/|Wells}}
*[http://www.littletheatrewells.org/ Wells Little Theatre: ]
{{UK cities}}
{{Mendip Hills}}
{{Somerset}}
[[Category:Cities in England]]
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[[Category:Mendip Hills]]
[[Category:Prisoner of war camps in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Towns in Somerset]]
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