Wells
Wells shown within Somerset
Population	10,406 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid reference	ST545455
District	Mendip
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WELLS
Postcode district	BA5
Dialling code	01749
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
European Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Wells
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Coordinates: 51°12′26″N 2°39′07″W / 51.2073, -2.6519

Wells is a small cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Mendip is also a shortened name for The Mendip Hills, from which this district takes its name Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Bath postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Bath, Bradford on Avon, Bruton, Castle Cary, The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Avon & Somerset Constabulary is the Home Office Police force in England responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Somerset and The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service or FRS, covering the counties of Devon and Somerset; it Divisions & Stations The trust is split into 2 divisions West - Devon and Cornwall including West Divisional HQ 999 and PTS Control at South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Wells is a County constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns Villages and hamlets in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Mendip is also a shortened name for The Mendip Hills, from which this district takes its name Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Mendip Hills (commonly called The Mendips) are a range of Limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset

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 and cathedral. The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset, England is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells Wells Cathedral is a Church of England Cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. ^[2] During the Middle Ages these wells were thought to have curative powers. ^[3]

Although the population, recorded in the 2001 census, is only 10,406,^[4] it has had city status since 1205. This was confirmed and formalised by Queen Elizabeth II by Letters patent issued under the Great Seal dated April 1, 1974. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II Letters patent are a type of Legal instrument in the form of an Open letter issued by a Monarch or Government, granting an office right The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom (prior to the Union the Great Seal of England, then Great Seal of Great Britain Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ^[5][6]

Contents 1 History 1.1 English Civil War 1.2 Bloody Assizes 1.3 PoW camps 1.4 Railways 1.5 Today 2 Governance 3 Education 4 Cathedral 5 Tourism and architecture 6 Wells in popular culture 6.1 Literature 6.2 Film and television 7 Notable residents 8 References 9 See also 10 Gallery 11 External links

History

The City was a Roman settlement but only became an important centre under the Saxons when King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church in 704. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Ine was King of Wessex from 688 to 726 He was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor Cædwalla, who had brought much of Southern Two hundred years later, this became the seat of the local Bishop; but by 1091, this had been removed to Bath. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. 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,^[7] however earlier names for the settlement have been identified. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey 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. ^[8]

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. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. William Penn stayed in Wells shortly before leaving for America, spending a night at The Crown Inn. William Penn ( October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 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. ^[9]

Bloody Assizes

Wells was the final location of the Bloody Assizes on September 23, 1685. The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25th August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English In a makeshift court lasting only one day, over 500 men were tried and the majority sentenced to death. ^[10]

PoW camps

During World War II, Stoberry Park in Wells was the location of a Prisoner of War camp, housing Italian prisoners from the Western Desert Campaign, and later German prisoners after the Battle of Normandy. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of enemy combatants captured by the enemy in time of war and is similar to an Internment camp which is used for civilian Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War was the initial stage of the North African Campaign of The Second World War. Penleigh Camp on the Wookey Hole Road was a German working camp.

Railways

Wells has had three railway stations. The first 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. Wells (Priory Road was a railway station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Wells in the county of Somerset in England. The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a Dry point on the Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. A second railway, the East Somerset, opened a branch line from Witham in 1862 and built a station to the east of Priory Road. This station in Somerset is closed For the open station in East Anglia see Witham railway station. 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 Tucker Street. History In the middle of the 19th century there were a large number of railway companies operating and this in part led to the line being built in several sections The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. See also Yatton Herefordshire Yatton is a village in North Somerset, England, located south west of Bristol. Wells (Tucker Street railway station was the second terminus station on the Bristol and Exeter Railway 's Cheddar Valley line in Somerset after the 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. The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West 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

Following construction of the A39/A371 bypass, Wells has returned to being a pleasant market city situated at the foot of the Mendip Hills. The A39 is an A road in south west England. It runs south-west from Bath in Somerset through Wells, Glastonbury, Street The A371 is a primary Road in England running from Wincanton in Somerset, to Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset. 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. Wells City FC are a football club based in Wells, Somerset, England.

Governance

Wells is part of the UK Parliament constituency of Wells. Wells is a County constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. Its Member of Parliament is David Heathcoat-Amory of the Conservative Party. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. David Philip Heathcoat-Amory MP (born 21 March 1949 British Politician, Accountant and Farmer. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. ^[11]

Wells is within the South West England European Parliament constituency. South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament.

Wells City Council has sixteen councillors, elected from three wards: Central, St. Thomas and St. Cuthbert. ^[12] Wells elects five councillors to Mendip District Council from the same three wards. Mendip is also a shortened name for The Mendip Hills, from which this district takes its name ^[13] Wells has one councillor on the Somerset County Council. ^[14]

Education

The Blue School, founded in 1654, is a state comprehensive school and has been awarded Specialist science college status. } The Blue School is a Coeducational, Secondary school located in Wells, Somerset, England A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic Science Colleges were introduced as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. Wells Cathedral School, founded in 909, is an independent school that has a Christian emphasis and specialises in high-level musical tuition. Wells Cathedral School is an independent school located at Wells in Somerset, England. An independent school in the United Kingdom is a school relying upon private sources for all of its funding predominantly in the form of school fees

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. See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory

Cathedral

Main article: Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral is the cathedral of the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells. Wells Cathedral is a Church of England Cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. Wells Cathedral is a Church of England Cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. Wells Cathedral is a Church of England Cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The Diocese of Bath and Wells is a Diocese in the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. 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 (still used by the Bishop of Bath and Wells) Wells has been an ecclesiastical City of importance for hundreds of years. The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset, England is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance ^[15]

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. ^[16] 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 Wells Cathedral clock is an Astronomical clock in the north Transept of Wells Cathedral, England
• 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.

Tourism and architecture

Wells is a popular tourist destination, due to its historical sites, its proximity to Bath and Stonehenge and its closeness to the Somerset coast. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury Also nearby are Wookey Hole Caves, the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels. Wookey Hole Caves is a show cave and tourist attraction in the village of Wookey Hole on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills near Wells in Somerset The Mendip Hills (commonly called The Mendips) are a range of Limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset The Somerset Levels (or Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly called is a sparsely populated Wetland area of central Somerset Wells is part of the West Country Carnival circuit. The West Country Carnival is an annual celebration featuring a Parade of illuminated floats (termed "carts" locally in the English Somerset cheese, including Cheddar, is made locally. Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard pale yellow to off-white and sometimes sharp-tasting Cheese from the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset

A walled precinct, the Liberty of St Andrew, encloses the twelfth century Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral. Wells Cathedral is a Church of England Cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset, England is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells

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. ^[17] There are 14 acres (5. 7 ha) 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 swans ring a bell for food

Vicars' Close – the oldest existing street in the world,^[6] which still has the original cobblestoned surface. The Mute Swan ( Cygnus olor) is a Eurasian member of the Duck, Goose and Swan family Anatidae. The Close is tapered by 10 feet (3. 0 m) to make it look longer when viewed from the bottom. When viewed from the top, however, it looks shorter. ^[18][19]

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). ^[6] The nave's coloured ceiling was repainted in 1963 at the instigation of the then Vicar's wife, Mrs Barnett. ^[20][21] 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. ^[22] Bells were cast for the tower by Roger Purdy. ^[23]

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 (1973)
• A Fistful of Fingers (1994)
• The Libertine (2005)
• 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. Elizabeth Goudge ( 24 April 1900 – 1 April 1984) was an English author of Novels short stories and Children's The Canterbury Tales ( I racconti di Canterbury) is a 1972 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and based on the medieval narrative A Fistful of Fingers is a 1994 British film written by Edgar Wright The Libertine is a movie that was widely released in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2005, and on 10 March 2006 Elizabeth The Golden Age is a 2007 film sequel to the 1998 film Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur and produced by Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action Comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and starring Simon Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. "The Lazarus Experiment" is an episode of the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who.

Notable residents

• John Keate – born in Wells 1773, went on to become headmaster at Eton where he restored discipline with the birch, and once flogged 80 boys in one day. John Keate (1773 &ndash 5 March 1852) was an English schoolmaster Eton College, or just Eton, is a world-famous British Independent school for boys founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. Birching is a Corporal punishment with a Birch rod typically applied to the recipient's bare buttocks although occasionally to the back and/or shoulders
• Jocelin of Wells – native of Wells, Bishop, aided in creation of Magna Carta and largely responsible for the construction of the cathedral. Jocelin of Wells, also known as Jocelinus Thoteman (or Jocelin Troteman) (died 19 November 1242 was a medieval Bishop of Bath and Wells. Magna Carta ( Latin for Great Charter, literally " Great Paper " also called Magna Carta Libertatum ( Great Charter of Freedoms
• Herbert. E. Balch – cave explorer and founder of Wells Museum.
• Mary Bignall-Rand – Gold medalist and world record breaker in the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Mary Denise Rand, MBE, (née Bignal) (born 10 February 1940) is a former English track-and-field athlete. The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan
• Edgar Wright – film and television director. Edgar Wright (born 18 April 1974 in Poole, Dorset) is an English film and Television director. Directed Hot Fuzz, which was filmed in the city. Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action Comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and starring Simon Its star Simon Pegg also lived in the city for a while. Simon Pegg (born Simon John Beckingham; 14 February 1970) is an award-winning English Actor, Comedian, Writer
• James Keene – professional footballer formerly of Portsmouth FC, playing for IF Elfsborg in Sweden

References

See also

• West Country Carnival
• Visitor attractions in Somerset

Gallery

Saint Cuthbert’s Church, Wells, 13th century with major changes (mainly external) in the 15th century

The roof of Saint Cuthbert’s church, Wells

External links

• Wells City Council
• Wells Millennium Tapestry
• The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: Wells , by Clare Gathercole
• Wells at the Open Directory Project
• Wells Little Theatre:

The West Country Carnival is an annual celebration featuring a Parade of illuminated floats (termed "carts" locally in the English The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory

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