England’s smallest cathedral city, with a population of 10,000, lies at the
foot of the Mendip Hills. Many believe the 800-year-old tiny cathedral of this Somerset city to be the most beautiful in England. Its outstanding feature is its west front, a huge screen adorned with some 300 angels, saints and kings. This unparalleled concentration of medieval sculpture would have looked even more spectacular at the time, when it was vividly painted.
In the surrounding moat, by the drawbridge, swans traditionally rang a bell with their beaks at feeding time. Among Wells' handsome streets of old limestone houses, Vicar's Close is the pick of the bunch, cobbled and lined with 14-century cottages in which the clergy used to live. Wells Market Place has been a focal point of the City over the ages and still is today with a twice weekly market on Wednesday and Saturday selling local produce and goods.
