MEDIEVAL ART AND ARCHITECTURE
ENGLAND: WELLS
Location
Adapted from Shepherd, Plate 97
Yellow- bishopric of which Wells was the seat
Screen Sized Version
CLICK HERE FOR A PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRELIMINARY NOTES (Sampson, Chapter One, pp 12-73)
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Tradition says King Ina founded a college of secular priests at Wells around
705, and built a church os some sort for them.
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Was a cathedral during the Anglo-Saxon period, but the seat of the bishopric
was moved to Bath in 1090.
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Rebuilding begun Bishop Robert of Lewes (1136-1166) who
built a Norman structure on the site. Present church begun by Reginald
de Bohun, Bishop of Bath between 1174-91 on a site north east of the Saxon
Cathedral Major Phases of construction (1) Choir- 1175-84 (2) Transepts
1184-1205 (3) Eastern Nave 1205-10
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There is a great deal of scholarly controversy over when the Western nave
and front were built- the dates range from 1220 to 1260.
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Damaged by earthquake in 1248
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Central tower raised in 1315, roofed by 1321, but began to settle and the
masonry began to split soon after. Inverted arched erected to reinforce
it.
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Chapter house finished in 1319, Lady Chapel in 1326
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Famous for the sculpture on the screen facade of the West Front. There
has been a great deal of controversy by scholars on its iconography and
meaning.
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Dimensions : Length: Total interior-383 feet, Nave-161 feet, Choir-103
feet, Main Transept-135 feet. Breadth of Nave - 38 feet , Nave including
aisles -82 feet. Height: Nave- 67 feet, Choir- 67 feet, towers, 160 feet.
Breadth of West front - 47 feet. Area 29,070 square feet (dimension
from Dearmer, p 157)
CATHEDRAL
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Last updated by JV 02/01