Cloisters, Cathedrals, and Cheese: Walk Wells, England’s Second Smallest City

Wells might be equally famous for its beautiful cathedrals and its links to cheddar cheese. On this walking tour through its compact historic centre, you’ll explore England’s second-smallest city (after the City of London, if you can believe it!) and drink in its rich heritage.

The tour starts in front of the Town Hall and Georgian Assembly Rooms where, in the 1800s, the great and the good of high society came to party. From there, you’ll hear how cheddar cheese came to conquer the world, and how Cheddar, a nearby town, still uses their caves to mature cheese today.

I’ll tell you about the heroic dragon-slaying bishop, Bishop Jocelin, and how the town commemorates this dramatic event every 50 years to prevent the mythical creatures’ return. At Wells Cathedral, you’ll hear about spectacular Palm Sunday processions to the cathedral where the religious community dresses up in their cassocks, surplices, and copes. The tour ends at the Wells Market Cross & Fountain, where I’ll tell you how William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, once addressed 3,000 people at a nearby pub.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• Observe fortified medieval gatehouses and hear why they have strange names, including Bishop’s Eye and Penniless Porch (hint: one of them has to do with vagrancy)
• Visit the Old Cheese Market, formerly the largest cheese market in West England
• Be amazed by the Bishop’s Palace, its ruined Great Hall, and its beautifully laid-out 14-acre gardens
• Pass the West Front of Wells Cathedral, whose 127 surviving statues make it the largest collection of medieval statuary in Europe
• Find out where markets have been held for the last 900 years at the Old Market Place
• Hear the Cathedral’s medieval clock chime, where armoured knights announce every quarter-hour with their halberds
• Walk through Vicars’ Close, the oldest continuously occupied residential street in Europe, with its original buildings still intact

At the end of this hour-long tour, you’ll have discovered Wells’ charming streets and the delightful folklore hidden around every corner. I’ll also tell you how Wells is a favourite filming destination for British studios and let you in on some famous productions filmed here.