Qualla: Wells, Somerset

Wells, Somerset: Introduction

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Eddie Johnston, CC BY-SA 4.0. Three springs rise inside the walled gardens of the Bishop's Palace at Wells, fill the moat that surrounds the palace, then flow on through the streets of the city as a literal water supply. They are called St Andrew's Wells. They have been running, as far as anyone can tell, for the entirety of the city's recorded history - they are why the Romans put a settlement here, why King Ine of Wessex founded a minster at this spot in 704, and why Wells is called what it is called. The city's Latin motto, taken from one of its older coats of arms, reads Hoc fonte derivata copia: 'the fullness that springs from this well.'

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Image: Eddie Johnston | CC BY-SA 4.0

Wells, Somerset: England's Second-Smallest City

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0. Wells has city status, granted in medieval times because of its cathedral and most recently reconfirmed by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth II on 1 April 1974. By population (11,145 at the 2021 census) and area (3.244 square kilometres of built-up land), it is often called Eng...

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Image: Olaf Tausch | CC BY 3.0

Wells, Somerset: A Cathedral and a Stable

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Rodw, CC BY-SA 3.0. The current Wells Cathedral was begun in the early 13th century under Bishop Reginald and finished under Bishop Jocelin, a native of the city. Its west front carries one of medieval Europe's largest surviving collections of sculpted figures - around 300 pieces representing kings,...

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Image: Rodw | CC BY-SA 3.0

Wells, Somerset: Music Since 909

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wells Cathedral School claims a founding date of 909, when Wells became the seat of its own bishopric, which would make it one of the oldest schools in continuous operation in the world. It is one of just five established musical schools for school-age children in the United King...

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Image: DeFacto | CC BY-SA 4.0

Wells, Somerset: Anne of Denmark's Cow Tails

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit ArticCynda, CC BY-SA 4.0. On 20 August 1613, Anne of Denmark, queen consort of King James I, made a state visit to Wells. The city laid on a pageant, with the local trades and crafts performing tableaux: the blacksmiths presented Vulcan's forge; the butchers staged what they called 'old virgins' wearing a...

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Image: ArticCynda | CC BY-SA 4.0

Wells, Somerset: The Beeching Axe and What Remained

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kmtextor, CC BY 4.0. Wells once had three railway lines and three stations. The first opened in 1859 as a branch from Glastonbury; the second arrived in 1862 from Witham; the third was a Great Western Railway link tying the two together. The 1964 Beeching Report killed all of them. By 1964 the city h...

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Image: Kmtextor | CC BY 4.0