Do you know about books?

Today we took the bus to Wells to see the cathedral. Wells Cathedral is special for a few reasons. This cathedral has one of the largest collections of medieval statues in Europe; it was the first church to be built in Gothic style; and it is the smallest cathedral city in England.

Before we went into the Cathedral we decided to visit the Bishop's Palace. This is where the bishop of Wells and Bath lives. This place has a moat! Here are a few photos of the ruins of the Great Hall.

 

 

Libby's hair demonstrating the effects of the weather. Pity.

West wall of the ruins of the Great Hall

Cathedral tower from view within ruins

From the Great Hall we walked around to the gardens.

the moat

The well from which Wells gets its name.

After the Bishop's Palace we headed to the cathedral.

Jesus on top, and the twelve apostles below. Making a more prominent appearance is St. Andrew who is in the center holding an X cross, the type of cross he was apocryphally martyred upon.

The Nave and western scissor arches.

North and South scissor arches.

The clock was built in 1392, tells not only the time but the phase of the moon, and was only repainted in the 17th century.

The quire and organ. The organ was built in 1857, and the quire was the first part of the current building built and in use before the 13th century.

Steps to the Chapter house (right) and bridge spanning the street to the Vicar's Close.

 In Wells Cathedral there is a library and reading room. Some of the really old books are actually on chains so they can't be removed.

Books on chains. But do we know about books?

Apparently people weren't able to just pay a fine, or for just the book outright if they lost it in the 16th and 18th centuries. The lady that was working up there struck up a conversation with Tommy and I, during which she literally asked us "Do you know about books?" The first response that popped into my head was,  "Well, I know how to read them." I said something to the effect of, "Sorry?" and she explained that they get some very learned people in that library. I wonder what she was trying to imply...

The East end of the cathedral and flying buttresses.

Cathedral from the north and the northern transept.

The Vicar's Close. Europe's oldest continually inhabited street.

The pictures really don't do this place justice. To me there is something far more impressive about these buildings when comparing them to even our far more larger modern buildings. That people could build at such scale without any of our current technology and to do so with such skill (as represented in all the details throughout the cathedral) is awe inspiring.  

Tomorrow we are off to Oxford and the next day we will spend at Blenheim Palace; the home of the Duke of Marlborough. We hope you are all doing well and still enjoying the posts.