The Wessex Grand tour

 The Wessex Tour – sort of! Day Two

Cathedrals, inflatable moons and Bishop’s palaces and all that kind of stuff

We love Wells. We have family who live in the area and we know the city well. We are away from Bramble Hill by 09.00 and park up in the long stay car park out on Tucker Street. Spaces are very small but there are a few which run parallel to a fence and some trees and you can buy two tickets to cover the two spaces. Alternatively, you can park at the very far end where there are three spaces with no spaces opposite them (so if you stick outside the bays, it shouldn’t be a problem. We pay around £4 for four hours – two spaces.).

We head for the Cathedral and its week long ‘Festival of the Moon’. I have a soft spot for this cathedral. On the morning of our wedding, I wandered the cloisters of the cathedral to try and calm my nerves and internally rehearse my wedding speech (it worked by the way). That was a long time ago!

As we expected the Moon was spectacular in the empty Cathedral.

 We wander the various chapels and up the well-worn steps to the Chapter House; then back down into the cathedral to see and hear the clock chime and its figures move about. Built between 1175 and 1490 Wells Cathedral has been described as “the most poetic of the English Cathedrals” and I can’t disagree with that!

An iconic front, extraordinary internal scissor arches (that support the central tower; added in 1338 after the weight of a new spire on top of the tower threatened to collapse the whole part of that building area) and one of the largest collections of medieval stain glass in the country. Then there is the famous Well’s clock (with what is thought to be the second oldest clock mechanism in the country), the fascinating octagonal Chapter House and one of only four chained libraries in the UK. 

Outside we head for the oldest complete medieval streets in Britain, Vicars Close. The houses of the close were built in the 14th century under direction from Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury and the iconic chimneys were added in the 15th century. Originally 42 houses were built (one per vicar) to provide communal accommodation for the Vicars Choral, who sang daily worship within the Cathedral. Some were combined following the Reformation when vicars were allowed to marry. Today, the Close comprises of 27 residences, a chapel, library, treasury and muniment room.  There is also a dining hall connected to the Cathedral by a covered walkway, the Chain Gate Bridge.

The centuries old tradition of Vicars Choral still continues today. The current occupants still include all twelve men of the Vicars Choral, plus the organists and vergers. Vicars Choral have remained at the heart of life at Wells Cathedral since the 1100s and are now recognised as a world-class choir.

Reflecting the Close’s significance, all its buildings are Grade I listed. They are an amazing set of terraced houses with exquisite architecture and I always have to remind myself of when they were built.

We wander the grounds, call in for coffee at the Bishop’s Palace café, walk along the moat admiring the building techniques on show and stop to examine the patterns on the pavement caused by falling leaves. Autumn has finally arrived. The trees up the A38 yesterday were a stunning palette of gold, russet red, brown and green hues. Here around the moat, the large leaves of the London Maples have turned deep red and gold and lie face down stuck in random patterns on the wet pavement surfaces.

Whenever we wonder the main street of Wells past the shops, we always laugh. If you have ever seen the film ‘Hot Fuzz’ you will know why. If you are visiting Wells and haven’t seen this film yet, watch it before you go!

Back at Bramble Hill, our worst fears are met. The rain we experienced earlier has left the field squelchy. Puddles are forming and there is more heavy rain forecast for tonight!

Did we pack arm bands?

Postscript:

I love being in bed at night in the motorhome when it is raining outside. Maggie sleeps through it all. We have two big skylight windows through which we can see the stars and moon quite easily. Tonight, the clouds are scudding across the narrow square window views. The rain hammers down on the roof and I can hear torrents of water flowing down the sides and front of the habitation unit. It is a disconcerting sound to say the least, like little waterfalls. The staccato incessant tapping of raindrops on the skylight takes on a rhythm of its own.

 At 2am I crawl visit the bathroom to check whether the cupboard is wet. Ever since we had a cascade leak through the aerial socket into the bathroom cupboard, I have always been slightly unsettled by intense rainfall. I know our dealer fixed it very well and we have never had any problems since but tonight’s torrential rain leaves me uneasy.  Of course, there is no leak. Everything is watertight as it should be.

I check again at 04.15am and then again at 06.25am. Paranoia. I always suffer from unnecessary paranoia!

Useful websites: Tourist information for Wells - https://www.wellssomerset.com/cat1007/attractions.html?sid=79d393718c17c1c6bc57bc1f272f0b42