Vicars' Close, Wells

Last updated

Vicars' Close
Wells. Vicar's Close 6.jpg
Vicars' Close looking towards the cathedral
Type Dead end street
Owner Wells Cathedral
Length140 m (460 ft)
Location Wells, Somerset
Coordinates 51°12′41″N2°38′37″W / 51.2115°N 2.6437°W / 51.2115; -2.6437
Construction
Construction start1348 [1]
Completion1430 [2]
Other
Known forOldest purely residential street with its original buildings all surviving intact in Europe. [3]
StatusGrade I listed buildings [1] [2] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Vicars' Close is a dead end street in Wells, Somerset. It is reportedly Europe's oldest residential street with the original buildings still intact. [3] John Julius Norwich called it "that rarest of survivals, a planned street of the mid-14th century". [8] It comprises numerous Grade I listed buildings, comprising 27 residences (originally 44), built for Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury, a chapel and library at the north end, and a hall at the south end, over an arched gate. It is connected at its southern end to Wells Cathedral by a walkway over Chain Gate.

Contents

The close is about 140 metres (460 ft) long, and paved with setts. Its width is tapered by 3 metres (9.8 ft) to make it look longer when viewed from the main entrance nearest the cathedral. When viewed from the other end, it looks shorter. By the nineteenth century, the buildings were reported to be in a poor state of repair, and part of the hall was being used as a malt house. Repairs have since been carried out, including the construction of Shrewsbury House to replace buildings damaged in a fire.

The Vicars' Hall was completed in 1348 and included a communal dining room, administrative offices and treasury of the Vicars Choral. The houses on either side of the close were built in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Since then, alterations have been made, including a unified roof, front gardens and raised chimneys. The final part of the construction of the close was during the 1420s, when the Vicars' Chapel and Library was constructed on the wall of the Liberty of St Andrew. The southern face includes shields commemorating the bishops of the time. The interior is decorated with 19th-century gesso work by Heywood Sumner and the building now used by Wells Cathedral School.

Origins

Numbers 1 to 13 1 to 13 Vicars Close, Wells including boundary walls.JPG
Numbers 1 to 13

The Close owes its origins to a grant of land and buildings by Walter de Hulle, a canon of Wells Cathedral, for the purpose of accommodating chantry priests; [9] however, the land is likely to have been used for a long period before the construction of the close, as prehistoric flint flakes and Romano-British pottery shards were recovered from the garden of number four during work to construct an extension. [10]

At the time church singers were referred to as "vicars choral". [11] Bishop Jocelin of Wells styled the priests serving the cathedral as the Vicars Choral, in the 12th century, their duty being to chant divine service eight times a day. [12] [13] [14] Previously they had lived throughout the town, and Bishop Ralph resolved to incorporate them and provide subsistence for the future. The Vicars Choral were assigned annuities from his lands and tenements in Congresbury and Wookey and an annual fee from the vicarage of Chew, and he endowed them with lands obtained from the Feoffees of Walter de Hulle. [15] The residences he built became known as the College, or Close of the Vicars. [13]

Vicars' Hall and gateway

Vicars' hall over gateway leading from Vicars' Close to St Andrew Street Vicarshall vicarsclose.jpg
Vicars' hall over gateway leading from Vicars' Close to St Andrew Street

The entrance arch into the close comprises a pedestrian gate adjacent to a waggon gate, and has a lierne vault ceiling. [16] The four-centered rere-arches may have been by William Joy or Thomas Witney his predecessor as master mason of the cathedral. [17]

The first parts of the Close to be constructed were this first floor barrel-roofed common hall above a store room, kitchen and bakehouse which were completed in 1348. [1] [18] The fireplace, with a lectern, and the east window with stained glass, were added in the 15th century. [19] A room known as The Chequer above the staircase was added in the early 15th century. It has a large fireplace which may have been enlarged following a fire. One of the vicars known as The Receiver sat in the room to receive rents and other funds due to the vicars, which were kept in a large chest dating from 1633. [17] Next to The Chequer is the Muniment Room which has a filing cabinet dating from around 1420 used to hold documents such as leases of land. Beneath these rooms is The Treasury which has ten cupboards where the vicars vestments were stored. [17]

In the 19th-century parts of the hall found use as a malt house, [15] and as a library for the Theological College. [20] The western half of the building was added around 1862 by John Henry Parker. [17]

The Chain Gate, built with Doulting stone, was abutted to the hall in 1459 by Thomas Beckington. This included a gallery over the gate into the cathedral for the vicars' convenience. [21]

Vicars' Chapel and Library

Vicars' Chapel and Library Vicar's Chapel, Wells.jpg
Vicars' Chapel and Library

The chapel was built between 1424 and 1430 at the north end of the close. [2] It is eight degrees out of alignment with the rest of the close. This is because the northern wall of the chapel was built on top of the old wall enclosing the Liberty of St Andrew. The Liberty encompassed 52 acres (21 ha) [22] broadly situated to the east of the city centre of Wells. The main part of the Liberty formed a walled precinct within the city (which was otherwise not walled) [23] and this included Wells Cathedral, the Cathedral Green, the Bishop's Palace, the Old Deanery, and the Vicars' Close. To compensate for the misalignment of the chapel the roof slopes to the west so that it appears level from the close. [17]

Most of the Vicars' Chapel is rubble masonry; however, the south face which can be seen from the close is of white Conglomerate quarried locally. The shields on the wall are those of Nicholas Bubwith, suggesting that construction was started during his reign as bishop between 1407 and 1424, and John Stafford who was bishop from 1424 until 1443 suggesting that construction was completed under his episcopate. [19] The lower floor was a chapel, and a spiral stair led up to the library. [24] The chapel was dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Katherine. [19] It is now used by the chaplain of Wells Cathedral School. [18] The interior is decorated with 19th-century gesso work by Heywood Sumner. [17]

Residences

The close seen from the tower of the cathedral. Vicars Close - geograph.org.uk - 526289.jpg
The close seen from the tower of the cathedral.

The residences are built of stone from the Mercia Mudstone Group. [10] There were originally 22 houses on the east side and 20 on the west. They line each side of an elongated quadrangle which appears longer than it is because of false perspective achieved by building the houses at the upper northern end nearest the chapel 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) closer together than those at the lower southern end closest to the Vicars' Hall. [17] Each house originally comprised a ground floor hall of approximately 6.1 by 4 metres (20 by 13 ft) and an upper floor of the same size. [6] [7] [19] Both had a fireplace in the front wall. Washing facilities and a latrine were outside the back door. [19] The date of some of the buildings is unclear but it is known that some had been built by 1363 and the rest were completed by 1412. [18] There were originally 42 houses, each for one vicar; however, a charter of c.1582 Queen Elizabeth restricted the number of vicars to twenty, [15] and the Vicars Choral currently number twelve men. [25] No. 1 Vicars' Close was once a larger property, but has since been divided and part of the building is now called No. 1 St. Andrew Street. [26]

Following the 16th-century Reformation when clerical marriage was permitted, larger households would have been required and as a result some of the houses were altered and combined, by knocking through walls, into larger dwellings. Others had extensions built to the rear. [17] [26] [27] Water supply was originally from two wells, one at each end of the close. By 1468 lead pipes had been installed to bring water into the houses, although the wells continued to function until the 19th century. [28] Number 22 is the house which still has most of its original medieval structure as it was originally built. [29]

Shrewsbury House ShrewsburyHouseVicarsClose.JPG
Shrewsbury House

In the fifteenth century, Bishop Thomas Beckington left much of his estate to the Vicars' Choral, enabling repairs to be carried out. The gardens in front of the houses were not part of the original scheme, with the garden walls being added as part of this development. [30] The walls are on average 4 metres (13 ft) from the front of the houses. [4] [5] [16] [24] [26] [30] [31] [32] He unified the appearance of the terraces, including the installation of a single arch-braced and wind-braced trussed sloping roof around 1466. [33] The chimney shafts were renewed and raised, possibly because of the introduction of coal as the fuel rather than wood. [18] [19] Each stack incorporates two heraldic shields and the upper sections of the stacks are octagonal. [26] The shields are those of the Bishop, a beacon above tun, and the arms of his three executors: sugar loaves for Hugh Sugar, three swans for Richard Swan, and a talbot for John Pope. [13] [18] Many of the original windows were replaced in the 18th century. [34] Shrewsbury House is architecturally different from all the other buildings; it was rebuilt in the 19th century after a fire that burnt down the original structure.

See also

Residences of other Vicars’ Choral:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells, Somerset</span> Cathedral city in Somerset, England

Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in Somerset, located on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, 21 miles (34 km) south-east of Weston-super-Mare, 22 mi (35 km) south-west of Bath and 23 mi (37 km) south of Bristol. Although the population recorded in the 2011 census was only 10,536, and with a built-up area of just 3.244 km2 (1.253 sq mi), Wells has had city status since medieval times, because of the presence of Wells Cathedral. Often described as England's smallest city, it is actually the second smallest to the City of London in area and population, but unlike London it is not part of a larger urban agglomeration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury Cathedral</span> Church in Wiltshire, England

Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is considered the beau idéal of Early English Gothic design. Built over a relatively short period, some 38 years between 1220 and 1258, it has a unity and coherence that is unusual in medieval English cathedrals. The tower and spire were completed by 1330 and at 404 feet (123 m) is the tallest church spire in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canterbury Cathedral</span> Church in Kent, England

Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ, Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucester Cathedral</span> Church in Gloucester, England

Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster, Gloucester Abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter and founded by Osric, King of the Hwicce, in around 679.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells Cathedral</span> Anglican cathedral in Somerset, England

Wells Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Andrew, is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in the building, and in 2023 it was reported to receive over 300,000 visitors per year. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building. The cathedral precincts contain the Bishop's Palace and several buildings linked to its medieval chapter of secular canons, including the fifteenth-century Vicars' Close.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham Castle</span> Norman castle in Durham, England

Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heritage Site in England, along with Durham Cathedral, the castle is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working building and is home to over 100 students. The castle stands on top of a hill above the River Wear on Durham's peninsula, opposite Durham Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlisle Cathedral</span> Church in Cumbria, England

Carlisle Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in Carlisle, is a Grade I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodspring Priory</span> Grade I listed priory in North Somerset, United Kingdom

Woodspring Priory is a former Augustinian priory. It is near the scenic limestone promontory of Sand Point and Middle Hope, owned by the National Trust, beside the Severn Estuary about 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Weston-super-Mare, within the English unitary authority of North Somerset. Many of the buildings are Grade I listed, and the whole site is scheduled as an ancient monument.

Wells Cathedral School is an independent co-educational boarding and day school for 2–18 year olds located in Wells, Somerset, England, which provides an all-round education alongside world-class Specialist Music and Chorister training. The whole School comprises Pre-Prep, Prep School, and Senior School, which includes a Sixth Form. The School is one of the five specialist musical schools for school-age children in the United Kingdom, along with Chetham's School of Music, the Yehudi Menuhin School, the Purcell School and St. Mary's Music School, Edinburgh. The Head Master, Alastair Tighe, is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

There are 212 Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop's Palace, Wells</span> Historic house museum in UK

The Bishop's Palace is the residence of the bishop of Bath and Wells in Wells, Somerset, England. The palace is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the residence of the bishops since the early thirteenth century. It has been designated a grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade I listed buildings in Somerset</span> Buildings of exceptional interest in Somerset

The Grade I listed buildings in Somerset, England, demonstrate the history and diversity of its architecture. The ceremonial county of Somerset consists of a non-metropolitan county, administered by Somerset County Council, which is divided into five districts, and two unitary authorities. The districts of Somerset are West Somerset, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, Mendip and Sedgemoor. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on 1 April 1996 following the breakup of the county of Avon, are North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.

Mendip is a former local government district in the English county of Somerset. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of 285 square miles (738 km2) ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 11,000. The administrative centre of the district is Shepton Mallet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bishop's Eye, Wells</span>

The Bishop's Eye in Wells, Somerset, England, is an entrance gateway into a walled precinct, the Liberty of St Andrew, which encloses the twelfth century Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown's Gatehouse, Wells</span>

Brown's Gatehouse in Wells, Somerset, England, is an entrance gateway into a walled precinct, the Liberty of St Andrew, which encloses the twelfth century Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral. Brown's Gatehouse has been designated as a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells Theological College</span>

Wells Theological College began operation in 1840 within the Cathedral Close of Wells Cathedral. It was one of several new colleges created in the nineteenth century to cater not just for non-graduates, but for graduates from the old universities who wished to receive specialist clerical training in preparation for ordination into the Church of England. It was founded by Bishop Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hospital of St John Baptist without the Barrs</span> Building with adjacent chapel in Staffordshire, England

The Hospital of St John Baptist without the Barrs is a building with an adjacent chapel in the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chain Gate, Wells</span>

The Chain Gate in Wells, Somerset, England, is an entrance gateway adjacent to the north side of Wells Cathedral, controlling access from St Andrew Street to the Cathedral Green within the Liberty of St Andrew. It is a Grade I listed building. It was built around 1460 to link the cathedral to Vicars' Close.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells St Andrew</span> Human settlement in England

Wells St Andrew, or St Andrew Liberty, or derivations thereof, was a liberty, ecclesiastical parish, and later a civil parish, containing Wells Cathedral and surrounding land, now in the civil parish of Wells, in Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedern</span> Street in York, England

Bedern is a street in the city centre of York, in England, which originated as a college for the vicars choral of York Minster.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "The Vicars' Hall including No.28 (1383202)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Historic England. "The Vicars' Chapel (1383201)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books. p. 29. ISBN   0-906456-98-3.
  4. 1 2 Historic England. "Boundary walls to Nos 14-27 (1383200)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 Historic England. "Boundary walls to Nos 1-13 (1383198)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  6. 1 2 Historic England. "1-13, Vicars Close (1383197)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  7. 1 2 Historic England. "14-27, Vicars Close (1383199)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Norwich, John Julius (1985). The Architecture of Southern England. Macmillan. p. 574. ISBN   978-0333220375.
  9. ↑ Winkles, Henry; Winkles, Benjamin; Garland, Robert; Moule, Thomas (1836). Winkles's Architectural and Picturesque Illustrations of the Cathedral Churches of England and Wales. E. Wilson. pp.  103–104.
  10. 1 2 "Archaeological Watching Brief at No.4 Vicars' Close, Wells". C&N Hollinrake. pp. 4–6. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "vicars choral" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/4832407559.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  12. ↑ "Choristers". Wells Cathedral. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 Davis, John; Michael, John; Camp, Francis (1814). "IV". A Concise History of the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, in Wells. W.J. Quartley. pp. 18–23.
  14. ↑ Langley, Martin; Small, Edwina (1990). "5". Wells. An Historical Guide. West Country Towns. Ex Libris Press. ISBN   978-0948578243.
  15. 1 2 3 Pugin, Augustus Welby; Walker, T. L. (1838). "1. The Vicars' Close, Wells, Somersetshire". Examples of Gothic Architecture. Vol. III. London: Henry G.Bohn. pp. 1–28 plus 26 plates.
  16. 1 2 Historic England. "The Vicars' Hall Vicars Close, Wells (1383202)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Colchester, L. S. (1987). Wells Cathedral. Unwin Hyman. pp. 165–180. ISBN   978-0-04-440015-8.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. pp.  221–222. ISBN   978-1874336266.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Vicars' Close". Wells Cathedral. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  20. ↑ G, E (1862). The tourist's guide to Wells, the cathedral, Cheddar cliffs, &c. Oxford University. p. 57. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "The Chain Gate, with approach staircase". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  22. ↑ "A Vision of Britain Through Time: Relationships and Changes". University of Portsmouth. 2009.
  23. ↑ Emery, Anthony (2006). Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500: Volume 3, Southern England. Cambridge University Press. p. 672. ISBN   9781139449199.
  24. 1 2 Historic England. "The Vicars' Chapel Vicars Close, Wells (1383201)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  25. ↑ "The Vicars Choral". Wells Cathedral. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Historic England. "Nos.1-13 Vicars Close, Wells (1383197)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  27. ↑ Scrase, Tony (1992). Wells, a pictorial history. Phillimore. ISBN   978-0850338140.
  28. ↑ "Archaeological Watching Brief at No.4 Vicars' Close, Wells". C&N Hollinrake. p. 40. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  29. ↑ Historic England. "22 Vicars Close (544710)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  30. 1 2 Historic England. "Boundary walls to Nos.1-13 Vicars Close, Wells (1383198)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  31. ↑ Historic England. "Nos.14-27 Vicars Close, Wells (1383199)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  32. ↑ Historic England. "Boundary walls to Nos.14-27 Vicars Close, Wells (1383200)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  33. ↑ Penoyre, Jane (2005). Traditional Houses of Somerset. Somerset Books. p. 119. ISBN   978-0861834075.
  34. ↑ Historic England. "Vicars Close (540137)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  35. ↑
  36. ↑
  37. ↑
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.