A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Wells

Just north of Glastonbury lies Wells, England's smallest city. Although Wells only has around 11,500 inhabitants, it is a city because it has a diocesan cathedral and, consequently, is the seat of a bishop (the Latin cathedra means 'seat' or 'throne'). This is the cathedral's magnificently carved west front.

And here is a view of the octagonal chapter house.

We were not allowed to enter the cathedral that day, as a special service for the first aid charity, St John Ambulance, was being held.

There were four medieval stone figures in the cathedral grounds, but I'm not sure who or what this one represents. 

The Bishop's Palace has a wall and moat surrounding it.

Also near the cathedral is a row of almshouses, dating from the 15th century. Almshouses were built to help those who had fallen on hard times through no fault of their own, and many surviving almshouses still provide subsidised residential accommodation for the poor in the community. The almshouses are in Vicars' Close — one the oldest inhabited streets in Europe — and the photo shows part of the gatehouse stairway . . . 

. . . which has these amazing wooden bosses on one of the ceiling vaults.

2 comments:

Ruth said...

Thanks for the lesson about cathedra. This one is just gorgeous. And that almshouse, that old wood is spectacular.

I know you know how fortunate you are to have such things in your environs.

The Solitary Walker said...

Yes, I do feel fortunate.