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Wells is a small cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, nestling in the Mendip Hills. The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to St. Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral.• During the Middle Ages these Wells were thought to have curative powers •
Cathedral
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. Two hundred years later, this became the seat of the local Bishop; but by 1091, this had been removed to Bath. Causing severe arguments between the canons of Wells and the monks of Bath until finally the joint title of 'Bishop of Bath & Wells' to be elected by both houses was decided. Wells became a borough some time before 1160 when Bishop Robert granted its first charter. Fairs were granted to the City before 1160. 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. William Penn is said to have passed through Wells shortly before leaving for America, spending a night at The Crown Inn. PoW Camp 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 post the Battle of Normandy Railways Wells has had three railway stations. The first station, Priory Street, 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. A second railway, the East Somerset, opened a branch line from Witham in 1862 and built a station to the east of Priory Street. In 1870, a third railway, the Cheddar Valley line from Yatton, reached Wells and built yet another station, later called Tucker Street. 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 Street station. In 1878, when through trains began running between Yatton and Witham, the East Somerset station closed, but through trains did not stop at Priory Street until 1934. Priory Street 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. It has all the modern conveniences plus charm, interesting shops, hotels and restaurants. 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. Also nearby is the Wookey Hole cave system and the Somerset Levels. Wells is part of the West Country Carnival circuit. Somerset cheese is made locally. A walled precinct encloses the twelfth century Wells Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral: In literature Elizabeth Goudge used Wells as a basis for the fictional Cathedral city of Torminster, in her book City of Bells Politics Wells is part of the UK Parliament constituency of Wells, the current Member of Parliament is David Heathcoat-Amory of the Conservative Party. The area is part of the South West England European Parliament constituency. See also | ||||||||||
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