Wells Cathedral

Wells, United Kingdom

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Wells Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Andrew, stands in Wells, Somerset, as the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and mother church of the diocese. Built largely between c. 1180–1260 and c. 1285–1345, the cathedral represents two distinct Gothic campaigns: the western half, including the nave and western transepts, displays the Early English style, while the eastern end—featuring the lady chapel, eastern transepts, chapter house, and central tower—employs the later Decorated Gothic style and retains substantial medieval stained glass. Two western towers were added in Perpendicular Gothic between 1385 and 1410, with the cloisters remodeled in the same style between 1420 and 1508. The cruciform building's famous west front contains 300 sculpted figures and has been called a "supreme triumph of the combined plastic arts." Now receiving over 300,000 visitors annually, Wells has been recognized as one of England's most beautiful cathedrals and as Europe's first truly Gothic structure, breaking decisively from Romanesque constraints.