The Cathedral Church of St Andrew at Wells, or Wells Cathedral, as it’s more commonly known, is a jewel of ecclesiastical architecture and history in the south-west of England. It is the cathedra, throne or seat of the bishop of the Church of England diocese of Bath and Wells, being one of thirty such dioceses in the Province of Canterbury. The historian John Harvey described it as the first truly Gothic (rather than Romanesque) structure in Europe.
The West front, 30 metres high and 45 metres wide, featuring hundreds of sculpted figures, is one of the most iconic aspects of the cathedral and is undoubtedly the finest example of mediaeval stone carving in England. The archaeologist Charles Robert Cockerell described the tableau of the West front as having served the purpose of “a calendar for unlearned men”, an illustration in stone of the doctrines and history of the Christian faith and of the function of its church.
Surprisingly, to modern notions of ecclesiastical buildings as quiet places, many of the figures and architectural details were originally painted in bright, vivid colours, and would have appeared as nothing short of spectacular to the ordinary lay people. Colour was not the only part of the spectacle: on important religious occasions (such a Palm Sunday) choristers and trumpeters sang and played loudly from behind hidden holes high up in the west front. The total audio-visual effect would have been almost overwhelming to the mediaeval mind.
Up until the early fourteenth century, the cathedral’s central tower was higher and surmounted by a spire. This structure however proved unstable, and cracks began to appear, betokening imminent collapse. In 1338 an ingenious and quite novel solution was put in place by master mason William Joy, who built the now-famous ‘scissor arches’ on three sides which, though unconventional in aspect, spread the weight evenly. These have successfully given stability to the central tower for nearly seven hundred years.
Liked by some and disliked by others, these unusual arches have nevertheless become a hallmark of the church’s architecture. Personally I think they are quite imposing and geometrically splendid, especially when viewed up close.
