Somerset Part 17

_Twerton_, a populous working-cla.s.s suburb on the W. side of Bath, with a station on the G.W.R. main line to Bristol. The name of the place (the town at the weir) betrays its Saxon origin, but the only thing known of its early history is that the Bath monks had a cloth mill here. A large clothing factory, which is one of the chief industries of the place, after a fashion perpetuates the tradition. The old village and church lie on the S. side of the railway embankment, and may be found by pa.s.sing under the station archway. The church has more than once been entirely rebuilt, but still retains a commonplace Perp.

tower. A photograph in the vestry shows a curious inscription on one of the battlements. A good Norm. doorway, now built into the N. porch, and a Norm. font, are relics of the original church. Henry Fielding lodged in one of the houses in the village and penned a portion of "Tom Jones"

here.

_Ubley_, a village 2 m. S.E. of Blagdon. The church tower has rather an odd appearance, as in addition to a low spire, it has a prominent stair turret with pyramidal cap. Within, the N. arcade has been pushed out of the perpendicular by the weight of the roof. At the entrance of the S.

chapel is a chained copy of Erasmus' Paraphrase of the Gospels, 1522 (cp. Bruton). The pulpit is Jacobean, and the altar bears date 1637.

The churchyard is beautifully kept, and a very handsome restored cross stands on a little "green" fronting at the churchyard gate.

_Uphill_, a village at the mouth of the Axe, 2 m. S. of Weston-super-Mare. It is an unattractive collection of cottages without any present-day interest. Somewhere, however, in the neighbourhood once existed the old Roman seaport of Axium, where the lead dug from the Mendips was shipped for export. The church is early Victorian Gothic, with a new chancel. The old ruined church on the hill is a conspicuous landmark from Weston. It is a Norm. building, altered in Perp. times, with a low central tower. Note (1) the restored Norm. N. doorway; (2) three-faced gargoyle on S. side of tower. Near the church is the sh.e.l.l of a watch-tower. The old Roman road which ran across the Mendips from Old Sarum had its terminus here. Uphill was once notable for a bone cavern, but this has now been destroyed by the encroachments of a quarry. The contents, which included many valuable remains of extinct animals, have been scattered amongst neighbouring museums.

_Upton_, a village on the Haddeo, 6 m. E.N.E. of Dulverton. The neighbourhood is very picturesque. The church has been removed to a more convenient position at Rainsbury, but the tower of the old fabric, which has been allowed to remain, marks the original site.

_Upton n.o.ble_, a parish 2-1/2 m. S.W. of Witham Friary. The church has a small gable-roofed tower, and preserves in the E. wall of a S. chapel a defaced crucifix within a nimbus. The font is early.

_Vallis_, 1 m. N.W. from Frome--a prettily-wooded bottom, through which flows a stream pleasantly margined by a strip of pasture. The vale is sufficiently romantic to make it a favourite trysting-place with the neighbouring townsfolk, but it is being rapidly ruined by extensive quarrying operations. The rocks, however, are geologically of much interest, as upon the edge of the upturned strata of mountain limestone will be noticed horizontal layers of oolite. On the side of the defile is the old manor-house of the Leversedges, now applied to farm purposes. The ruins of the original banqueting-hall (_temp._ Henry VII.) will repay investigation. The pedestrian should approach the vale from Frome across the Lees, and may either return to the town by following the course of a tributary brook to Egford, or may prolong his walk along the banks of the main stream to Elm and Mells.

_Venn Cross_, a rural station on the G.W.R. line to Barnstaple. It stands on the very border of the county, and serves a number of neighbouring villages.

_Vobster_, a small village 2 m. S. of Mells Road Station. Its uncouth name is said to be derived from some Dutch weavers who once worked a mill on the banks of the neighbouring stream. The church is a neat little modern building.

_Walton_, a village 3 m. S.W. of Glas...o...b..ry. The church is modern. At the W. end of it is a thatched 15th cent. parsonage with some ecclesiastical windows, now a farm. From the hill behind the village (marked by a windmill) an excellent view of the full extent of Sedgemoor may be obtained.

_Walton-in-Gordano_, a village 1 m. N. of Clevedon, very prettily situated near the Channel. Of the church, the only ancient part is the base of the tower (15th cent.), under which a few fragments of carved stones are preserved. The present building is said to be modelled on the style of the old.

_Wanstrow_, a village 6 m. S.W. of Frome, with a station on the G.W.R.

branch to Wells. The church is ancient, but without interest.

_Washford_, a large hamlet in the parish of Old Cleeve, with a station (on the G.W.R. branch to Minehead) which affords easy access to Cleeve Abbey.

WATCHET, a small port of some 2000 inhabitants, situated on the Bristol Channel. It has always been of some trading importance, as giving access to the valley between the Brendons and Quantocks, and has seen some history. In Saxon times it was more than once raided by the Danes, and on the road to Williton is a spot called "Battle Gore," which may preserve the memory of a fight with the invaders. Its church, _St Dec.u.man's_, on the way to Williton, is interesting. It has a good tower, with a figure of the saint on the S. face. There is a stoup outside the W. door, and remains of another in the S. porch. It will be seen that the chancel roof is a continuation of that of the nave. In the interior note (1) the group of four bishops, and St George (or St Michael) with the Dragon on some of the arcade piers; (2) the oak roof, pulpit and cornice; (3) the screen (which, however, is mostly modern).

There are two chapels, Holy Cross on the S. and St Peter's on the N.

The latter is filled with tombs and bra.s.ses of the Wyndham family, chiefly 16th and 17th cent. In the churchyard is a restored cross. The farm-house of Kentisford, near the church, was once a manor-house, and preserves the name of St Keyne.

_Wayford_ is a village 3 m. S.W. of Crewkerne Station. Its church occupies an elevated position, and displays several ancient features.

Its windows are E.E. or Dec., some having the interior arch foliated.

There is a good double piscina under a foliated canopy, and an old octagonal font.

_Weare_, a large village near the Axe, 3 m. S.W. of Axbridge. It is said to have been a borough in the early part of the 14th cent., sending two members to Parliament. The church has a good tower, rather deficient in height, with triple belfry windows. The treatment of the belfry staircase is unusual, and deserves notice. The interior of the church contains comparatively little of antiquarian interest. In one of the N. windows are some fragments of ancient gla.s.s, bearing seemingly the initials of Thomas Beckington. Note (1) piscina and small bra.s.s (late 15th cent.) in the sanctuary, (2) square Norm. font, (3) Jacobean pulpit (1617). There is a cross in the churchyard.

_Wedmore_, a large village 4 m. S. of Cheddar, situated on rising ground, which affords a good view of part of the Mendips and of the hamlets resting upon their slopes. The place is famous as the scene of Guthrum's "chrisom-loosing" after his baptism at Aller, and of his treaty with Alfred (see p. 13). Its church (Perp.) is an interesting building. The tower is central (as at Axbridge, Yatton, etc.), with triple windows in the belfry; and as it has no pinnacles, it presents a very plain outline (cp. Yeovil). The original cruciform plan of the church is disguised by the N. and S. aisles and chapels. The oldest parts are the tower arches and the S. doorway, which are late Trans.; the S. chapel has a Dec. window; the rest of the structure is Perp.

Note (1) gallery or parvise over the porch; (2) groined vaulting under tower; (3) wooden roof of N. chapel; (4) sedile, piscina, and squint; (5) fine Jacobean pulpit; (6) mural bra.s.ses to Thomas and George Hodges (1583 and 1630). There appear to be traces of a double rood-loft (as at Axbridge and Crewkerne). There is a cross in the churchyard, and a second (with defaced sculptures) in a garden on the L. hand of the Glas...o...b..ry road.

At _Mudgeley_, a hamlet 1-1/2 m. away, King Alfred is believed to have had a palace, and the foundation of walls have been discovered in the course of recent excavations.

WELLINGTON, a market town 7 m. S.W. from Taunton, with a station on the main G.W. line to Exeter. Population, 7283. No one seems to know why the hero of Waterloo chose to immortalise this quiet little west-country town: he does not appear to have had any original connection with it. The reputation of Wellington, made by war, is now maintained by woollens. The town is girdled by large cloth and serge mills. In general appearance the place is not unprepossessing. The streets are wide and airy, and their arrangement compact, but the shops are poor, and create an impression of dullness. The only object of more than pa.s.sing interest is the Parish Church, inconveniently situated at the E. extremity of the town. It is chiefly remarkable for a good Perp.

W. tower, distinguished by the local peculiarity of a stair turret carried up the centre of its S. face. The interior--Perp. throughout, with the exception of an E.E. east window--is lofty, but not particularly impressive, and has an unusually high chancel. The fragments of an elaborately carved reredos which the building once possessed are now in Taunton Museum. There are two monuments of note: (1) fine Jacobean tomb with canopy and effigies of Lord Chief-Justice Popham and wife (1607); (2) defaced effigy of ecclesiastic in recess at E. end of N. chapel. The other features to be observed are (1) old carved reading-desk and pulpit; (2) very fine piscina in chancel; (3) crucifix on mullion of E. window of S. chapel, now obscured by the organ.

The _Wellington Monument_, a conspicuous landmark on the summit of one of the Blackdowns, is nearly 3 m. S. of the town. It is a triangular column, erected by public subscription to commemorate the Iron Duke, and was originally intended to be surmounted by his statue. The site commands an extensive prospect in the direction of the Quantocks, Brendons, and Exmoor.

_Wellow_, a largish but somewhat declining village, lying in a valley 6 m. S. from Bath, with a station on the S. & D. line. St Julian's Church is a fine specimen of early Perp. architecture (1372). It is interesting within and imposing without. The tower is severe but dignified, and a good effect is obtained by a small octagonal turret over the rood-loft staircase. The chancel is new (1890). Within note (1) the good bossed and panelled roof, (2) dark oak screen, (3) old benches, (4) the E.E. font attached to one of the pillars and furnished with a book rest, (5) effigy of a priest with an incised chalice on breast (cp. Minehead), (6) piscina on splay of S. sanctuary window. The Hungerford chapel--now filled by an organ--is an interesting little chamber, with a gaily coloured roof and an effigy of some Lady Hungerford under an Elizabethan canopy. At the bottom of a ditch in a cottage garden to the E. of the church is the site of St Julian's well, said to have been the trysting-place of the Hungerford family ghost. A flat stone is now the only indication of this once uncanny fountain.

Opposite the school is a grim-looking gabled farmhouse, once a manorial residence of the Hungerfords. It is said to contain an oak room and some fine carving, but the occupants do not encourage visitors. Half a mile to the W. of the village, in a field nearly opposite the cemetery, the foundations of a Roman villa were unearthed in 1685. Four upright stones at the top of the field mark the site, and portions of the tessellated pavement are still said to lie beneath the sod. Another antiquity of great interest will be found in the centre of a sloping field nearly a mile S.S.W. of the village. This is _Stoney Littleton_, a large Celtic tumulus composed of masonry, but now entirely overgrown with brushwood. The mound is easily observable (call for key at neighbouring farm-house). An inscription at the entrance claims that at a restoration in 1858 everything was replaced as found. A low pa.s.sage gives access to a number of small chambers constructed of flagstones.

Skeletons are said to have been found within when these were first opened.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WELLS CATHEDRAL]

WELLS, a cathedral city of some 5000 people, 20 m. S.W. from Bath, 20 m. S. from Bristol, 20 m. E. from Bridgewater, 32 m. N.E. from Taunton.

Geographically the situation of Wells is fairly central, but it is neither easy of approach by road nor particularly accessible by rail.

To reach the city from the N.E. the pedestrian or cyclist has to clamber over the Mendips; and though two railways (S. & D. and G.W.R.) have stations here, the connection is indirect and the service leisurely. Wells has been enthusiastically described as "one of the most beautiful things on earth," and though a cold-blooded visitor may be disposed to cavil at the extravagance of the praise, yet it will be universally admitted that this "city of waters," picturesquely planted at the foot of the hills, with its antiquities mellowed but unimpaired by age, is possessed of peculiar charm. There are other cities with cathedrals, but the ecclesiastical atmosphere of Wells is almost unique. It is a cathedral city pure and simple. It has come down to us from the Middle Ages practically unchanged. Here may be seen the machinery of a great mediaeval ecclesiastical foundation in actual working order. Wells probably owes its immunity from change to the secular character of its church, in consequence of which it escaped the upheaval that overthrew religious houses like its neighbour Glas...o...b..ry. Apart from its cathedral life, Wells has had few interests. It is an unenterprising little town. Bishop Goodwin once described it as a place of "little antiquity." It has less history. Its civil annals are short and simple. It gave a loyal welcome to Henry VII. on his return from stamping out Perkin Warbeck's fatuous rebellion; and Monmouth's troops, as an interlude in their inglorious campaign, found uproarious diversion by stabling their horses in the canons' stalls, and holding a wild carousal in the sanctuary. The peculiar interest of Wells lies not only in the cathedral itself, but in its _entourage_. Secular chapters were communities for the purposes of worship only. They had no "common life." Their only common room was the chapter-house, where they met for the transaction of business. The canons had their own separate establishments, and their residences remain for the most part intact to-day. This secular character was stamped upon the cathedral from the first. King Ina founded it as a secular church, and though Bishop Giso, the last of the Saxon bishops, made an attempt to reconst.i.tute the chapter on "regular" lines, and is said to have actually built a refectory and dormitory, the foundation soon reverted to its original ideals, and the monastic offices were removed as unnecessary. Like most cathedrals, Wells has been the composition of many hands, and is carried out in many different styles.

Roughly, the work may be cla.s.sified as follows: _Norm._ perhaps even _Pre-Norm._ font; _Trans. Norm._ N. porch, nave and transepts: _E.E._ W. front; _Dec._ lady chapel and chapter-house, central tower and choir; _Perp._ W. towers, cloisters, gate-houses, chain gateway, and remains of destroyed cloister chapel. A casual glance will show that the cathedral occupies the centre of a gated close, with deanery and canons' houses to N., and bishop's palace to S. The attention is first arrested, as was no doubt intended, by the view from the s.p.a.cious green. Here the spectator not only has before him the finest W. front in England, but finds spread out for his study a mediaeval historical picture-book. The statuary is not only designed to enhance the general architectural effect of the building, but is a genuine attempt to teach the unlearned the rudiments of ecclesiastical and secular history. The idea, however, is so artistically carried out that the didactic purpose of the sculpture is completely disguised. Quite in keeping with the usual mediaeval notion, Church and State are regarded as two separate kingdoms, and the events of sacred and profane history are kept distinct. The S. half is a.s.signed to the ecclesiastics, and the N.

occupied by the royalties. The figures and medallions have suffered considerably from time and fanaticism, and are too distant to be now easily deciphered. If, however, they are studied from photographs (some of which are exhibited in a photographer's show-case in the Square), their rare grace and workmanship, which caught the eye of Flaxman and secured the admiration of Ruskin, will be at once discerned. This unrivalled _facade_ was the work of Bishop Joceline, brother of Hugh of Lincoln, in 1232, and is in the purest style of E.E. Joceline's design ended on the N. and S. with the string courses above the top groups of statuary. The towers, which add immensely to the general impressiveness of the whole, were an afterthought. They are Perp. work. The S. tower was built by Bishop Harewell in 1366-86, and its fellow did not follow till 1407-24, when it was constructed by the executors of Bishop Bubwith. The latter differs from its companion only in the possession of two canopied niches let into the b.u.t.tresses. To study the church historically the visitor should enter the N. porch, the oldest part of the present building. It is E.E., but was executed before the style had divested itself of its Norm. traditions (observe the zig-zag ornament).

This exceedingly beautiful porch is considered by some to be the gem of the cathedral. Note (1) foliaged weather-moulding, (2) the square _bas-reliefs_ on either side of entrance, (3) deeply-recessed double arcading, (4) sculptured capitals, (5) parvise. If on entering the church the visitor will at once take his stand beneath the central tower, and looking N. and S. down the transepts, E. as far as the throne, and W. to the porch by which he entered, can picture the E. end closed by an apse and the church lighted by narrow lancets, and can further imagine the absence of the organ-screen and the unsightly inverted arches, he will have a very fair idea of what the church looked like when it left the hands of its first builder, Bishop Robert, in 1166. The nave was carried westwards to its present limits in 1174-91 by his successor, Bishop Reginald, and to this Bishop Joceline added the W. front, built the E. cloister, and consecrated the whole edifice in October 1239. The architecture of the nave has been aptly described as "improved Norman." Its peculiarities are a.s.signed to the idiosyncrasies of local builders. The general effect is a certain monotonous severity, and the absence of vaulting shafts gives the building a tunnel-like appearance. The inverted arches are disguised struts inserted in 1338 to prevent the collapse of the central tower.

They give, it is true, character to the interior, but their effect is ungainly. Bishop Robert's work can be distinguished from his successor's by the larger stones employed, the transverse tooling (as if done by an adze), and the existence of grotesques in the tympanum of the arches of the triforium. Note in nave (1) humorous figures on capitals of arcade, (2) _cinque cento_ gla.s.s in central light of W.

window (an importation), (3) the Perp. arches on each side of tower archway, (4) the beautiful chantries, on N. of Bishop Bubwith, on S. of Hugh Sugar (the details will repay study), (5) chapels under W. towers, (6) ugly pulpit, given by Bishop Knight in 1540, (7) above S. arcade, Perp. minstrels' gallery and projecting heads of a king with a falling lad and a bishop with children. They may have been the support of a small organ, but the local wiseacres were accustomed to declare that they were intended as prophecies of the evil days which should befall the church when a king should have a weakling for his heir and Wells should receive as its bishop a married man. These predictions were held to be fulfilled when Henry VIII., whose heir was Edward VI., nominated to the see Bishop Barlow. In N. transept note curious astronomical clock, which strikes the hours by a clumsy representation of a tournament. It was originally constructed for Glas...o...b..ry Abbey by P.

Lightfoot, one of the monks. In S. transept note (1) vigorous grotesques on capitals, (2) font, perhaps pre-Norm. The visitor should now pay the customary 6d. and seek admission to the choir.

Historically, both lady chapel and chapter house preceded the present choir; but the custodian's custom is to show the choir first. As it stands it was the work of Bishop Ralph in 1329-63, who reconstructed Bishop Robert's choir, removed the apse, and extended the building three bays eastwards. Bishop Ralph's contribution to the fabric may be distinguished within by the tall vaulting shafts running up from bas.e.m.e.nt to roof, and without by the flying b.u.t.tresses. It is a stately example of late Dec. work, verging on exuberance. The furniture of the choir with the exception of the throne (15th cent.), and a few misereres in the second row of stalls, is modern. Note fine old gla.s.s in E. window. The lady chapel at the E. is justly considered one of the finest extant examples of the more chaste Dec. style. Its builder was Bishop Drokensford, 1326. The structural design is cunningly contrived.

An octagonal chamber is transformed within into a pentagonal apse by the simple device of resting the three western sides on piers, and thus throwing it into one building with the retrochoir, thereby considerably enhancing the general artistic effect. The gla.s.s in the windows is ancient, but is merely a medley of fragments. Before examining the _Chapter House_ the visitor should dive through the doorway in the N.

choir-aisle, and take a look at the so-called _crypt_. It is really only the bas.e.m.e.nt of the chapter house, and was used as the cathedral _Treasury_. It is an octagonal chamber with a low vault supported on cylindrical columns. It now contains an a.s.sortment of mediaeval odds and ends, from a fine 14th-cent. wooden door to an urn that once contained a human heart. Note, besides other things, (1) stone lantern, (2) piscina with carved dog and bone. The chapter house is reached by a flight of stone steps leading out of the N. transept aisle (turn to the R.). Note, in pa.s.sing, the corbels with conventual figures. The _Chapter House_ is an octagonal chamber of s.p.a.cious dimensions. The walls are indented with a recessed arcade, and carry a bench table. The vaulting springs from single shafts, and is supported in the centre by a ma.s.sive cl.u.s.tered column. The building is a finely-executed example of geometric Dec., and dates from the episcopate of William de Marchia (1293-1319). Note (1) the excellent tracery of the windows, and the fragments of old gla.s.s; (2) carved heads in arcading of wall, (3) double archway of door. Before returning to the nave the visitor should make an examination of the _Monuments_ in the transepts and choir aisles. Their ident.i.ty will best be discovered from a glance at the plan provided by the verger. Here mention will only be made of the most notable. In S. transept, against S. wall (1) William de Marchia (1319), builder of the chapter house; (2) Viscountess Lisle, with coloured canopy (14th cent.). In Chapel of St Calixtus (1) shrine of Bishop Beckington, unhappily detached from its original position over his tomb; (2) Treasurer Husee (1309); observe panel with representation of the Trinity. In S. choir aisle (1) incised slab (said to be one of the earliest in England) of Bishop Bytton, junior (1274), to touch which was once held to be an infallible remedy for toothache (see grotesque on a capital in S. transept); (2) modern rec.u.mbent effigy of Bishop Hervey (d. 1894); (3) Bishop Beckington (1464), with skeleton beneath (cp. Frome); (4) Bishop Harewell (1386), builder of S.W. tower; observe hare at his feet (cp. sugar loaves in Sugar's chantry). In the Chapel of St John the Evangelist--a sort of choir transept--(1) Dean Gunthorpe (1475), builder of the Deanery; observe Dec. piscina in E. wall; (2) Bishop Drokensford (1309-29), builder of the Lady Chapel; (3) shrine of unknown person. In N. choir aisle, Bishop Ralph de Salopia (1363), builder of the choir (possibly removed here from the sanctuary). The effigies of the Saxon bishops in the choir aisles were probably an after-thought of Bishop Joceline, who perhaps thought that this tardy testimonial to the labours of his predecessors would be an effective advertis.e.m.e.nt of the priority of his see. The labelled stone coffins of Dudoc and Giso are said to have been unearthed within recent memory. In S. transept aisle are (1) Bishop Still (1608); (2) Bishop Kidder, Ken's successor, killed by the fall of the palace chimney-stack during a memorable storm in 1703; (3) against N. wall, Bishop T. Cornish (1513)--a tomb supposed to have been used as an Easter sepulchre (cp.

Pilton). The visitor should now inspect the cloisters, and should observe in pa.s.sing the fine external E.E. doorway ruthlessly obscured by the Perp. vaulting. The cloisters form a covered ambulatory leading from the S. transept to the S.W. corner of the nave. Bishop Joceline, Bishop Bubwith's executors, and Bishop Beckington all seem to have had a hand in their construction; Beckington has stamped his rebus on some of the bosses of the roof. The cathedral library forms an upper storey to the E. cloister, and a corresponding chamber runs the length of the cloister opposite, now used as a choir practising room. Note in E.

cloister (1) external lavatories, (2) doorway in E. wall leading to a quiet little burial-ground. This was the site of an additional lady chapel (late Perp.) built by Bishop Stillington (1466-91). It was destroyed at the instigation of Bishop Barlow by Sir John Gates, a fanatical Puritan, the wrecker of the palace hard by. Some fragments of the vaulting are piled up in the cloisters, and a few traces of panelling remain on the exterior face of the doorway. The burial-ground is a good position from which to view the external features of the choir. The high architectural merit of Bishop Ralph's work will be quickly discerned, and due note should be taken of the skilful way in which a structural necessity has been turned to artistic advantage in the erection of the flying b.u.t.tresses. In the earlier work they exist, but are hidden away as unsightly props beneath the roof of the aisles.

Their artistic possibilities having caught the eye of the builder, they are here brought out into the light, and form a very pleasing feature in the general design. The visitor should now return to the cathedral in order to inspect the _Vicars' Close_, one of the unique features of Wells. The flight of stairs which gives entrance to the chapter-house leads also by a covered bridge--known as the _Chain Gate_--across the street into the Close, and thus forms a private pa.s.sage whereby the singers may pa.s.s from the church to their quarters. The public have to find their way by returning to the street. Pa.s.s under the chain-gate, turn sharply to the left under another archway, and the Close is before you. It is a quaint oblong court closed at one end by the entrance gateway, and at the other by a chapel. On either side is a "quiet range of houses" with picturesque gables and high chimneys. Note the "canting" escutcheons of Swan, Sugar, and Talbot, Beckington's executors, on some of the chimneys. The houses, which were intended as the abode of the college of singing clerks, have been much modernised; but one or two still retain some semblance of their original design.

The idea of gathering the singers together into a fraternity was Bishop Ralph's. He provided them with these picturesque dwellings, and gave them the common dining-hall which forms the upper storey of the entrance gateway. This is said to be one of the most beautiful examples of mid-14th-cent. domestic architecture in the country. It was enlarged subsequently by Rich. Pomeroy (_temp._ Hen. VIII.), and Bishop Beckington's executors are said to have built the chapel at the other end of the Close. Regarded now-a-days as a devotional superfluity by the singers, it has been turned over to the Theological College. The chapel and muniment room above should be inspected, but admission cannot now be obtained to the hall. Before leaving the Cathedral precincts note on the same side of the road as the Vicars' Close (in order, westwards): (1) the _Archdeacon's House_, now used as the College library, (2) the _Deanery_--an embattled residence with gatehouse and turrets, built by Dean Gunthorpe, 1472-98 (the imposing character of the building is not discernible from the road, as the real front faces the garden), (3) _Browne's Gate_, through which the Close is entered from Sadler Street. The remainder of the official residences of the chapter lie to the N. of the Deanery, outside the Close, in a street called the E. Liberty--so named because it lay outside parochial jurisdiction. Though much modernised, they are mostly mediaeval buildings. The path which traverses the Cathedral green enters the Market place by the third of the Close gate-ways--_Penniless Porch_, where alms are said to have been periodically distributed. This was the work of Beckington; note the prelate's arms on W. face, and rebus (a beacon and tun) on the E. side. Beckington made the city his debtor by giving it a water supply. He tapped the well in the palace garden, which feeds the fountain in the square. Note the quaint method of distributing the overflow.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VICARS' CLOSE, WELLS]

Next in interest to the Cathedral is _the Palace_. It is approached either from the cloisters or through another of Beckington's porches, called the _Palace Eye_. Both entrances give access to the outer court.

Within is a second court containing the palace. This inclosure is protected by crenellated walls and surrounded by a moat. These semi-fortifications were erected by Bishop Ralph, who perhaps found that a mitre was as uneasy a headgear as a crown. A gate-house, with a drawbridge commands the entrance. If the porter has not been too worried by tourists a peep may sometimes be obtained at the sacred enclosure. The actual palace forms the E. boundary of what was once a stately quadrangle. The kitchens formed the N. wing, and on the S. was the chapel and hall. The latter is now only a picturesque ruin. The oldest part of the structure has oddly enough been the one to survive.

With the exception of the modern upper storey, the existing palace was the work of Bishop Joceline (1206-42). It consists of a groined bas.e.m.e.nt, forming an entrance hall (note chimney piece) and dining hall. Above are the household apartments and a picture gallery, hung with portraits of former occupants of the see. The chapel and the now dismantled great hall on the S. were built by Bishop Burnell (1274-92).

The chapel remains intact. It is a fine Dec. building, with groined roof and some good window tracery. Of the hall only the N. and W. walls and some detached turrets now survive. It was originally a chamber of quite majestic proportions, covered by a wooden roof and lighted on either side by some tall 2-light Dec. windows. At the W. end stood the b.u.t.tery and above it the solar (a "sunny" drawing-room). The palace appears to have been sold by Bishop Barlow to Protector Somerset, and upon the dispersal of Somerset's ill-gotten gains it pa.s.sed into the hands of Sir J. Gates, who unroofed the building for the sake of its lead and timber. The ruin of the fabric was completed by Dean Burgess (_temp._ Cromwell), who used it as a quarry for the repair of the Deanery. A kind of poetic justice eventually overtook both these depredators. Gates lost his head and Burgess his liberty. A particularly picturesque bit of the palace is the N. face overlooking the moat. The dead surface of the wall is prettily broken by some projecting oriel windows, the insertion of Bishop Clarke (1523-40). The gardens are delightful, and are watered by St Andrew's well which gushes from its hidden sources to overflow into the moat. A visitor may occasionally enjoy the mild sensation of seeing a bevy of swans ring a bell for their dinner. To the right of the broad public walk which runs along the W. side of the moat is the city recreation ground in which will be noticed the old episcopal barn. It is a good example of a mediaeval granary, and is said to be of the same age as the N.W. tower of the Cathedral. It has an unusual number of b.u.t.tresses.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE PALACE GATEWAY, WELLS]

It is the misfortune, not the fault, of the subordinate churches of a cathedral city that they arouse but a languid interest in the already surfeited sight-seer. Wells has one other church which merits more than a pa.s.sing attention. St Cuthbert's is a Perp. building of generous dimensions. It possesses an exceedingly fine tower of the best Somerset type--ma.s.sive and graceful--belonging to the same cla.s.s as the towers of Wrington and Evercreech, but spoilt by a want of proportion between the upper and lower stages. The interior of the church is s.p.a.cious and imposing, and contains a good panelled roof. The E.E. capitals of the piers and some old roof marks suggest that it was originally an E.E.

cruciform fabric, altered by Perp. builders, and heightened by the erection of a clerestory. There is doc.u.mentary evidence that a "public collection" was made in 1561 to repair the havoc caused by the collapse of the central tower. The transeptal chapels were once brilliant with statuary and colour, but the axes and hammers of the image breakers have successfully purged them of their original glory. All that is left for the admiration of the modern visitor are a few gaping recesses and a pile of gathered fragments. Note (1) double transepts, (2) oak pulpit, (3) Dec. window with Jesse altar-piece in S. transept, (3) piscinas, in chancel and S. choir aisle, (5) mutilated figure of knight in ruff and armour at E. end of N. aisle, (6) tomb with figure (1614) under tower. The other antiquities of Wells are (1) Bishop Bubwith's alms-houses in Chamberlain Street (near St Cuthbert's Church)--an eccentric building, containing a number of separate cells, a chapel and a small hall under one roof (note old alms chest in hall, now called the Committee room), (2) some ancient timber-work in the courtyard of the Crown Inn.

Amongst the more interesting walks in the neighbourhood are (1) Arthur's Point, offering a good view of the Glas...o...b..ry plain; (2) Tor and Dulcot hills on the Shepton road; (3) Ebbor rocks near Wookey Hole.

_Wembdon_, a parish 1 m. N.W. of Bridgwater, of which it is virtually a suburb. The church has been restored (after a fire in 1868), and its ancient features have been obliterated. On the S. of the building is an old cross.

_Westbury_ (stat. Lodge Hill), a village on the road between Wells and Axbridge, 4 m. N.W. from the former town. It has an interesting church (ded. to St Lawrence), with a W. tower of the prevailing Perp. type, but supported on a Norm. arch (the flanking columns do not reach the ground). There is also a Norm. door on the N. side, now blocked. In the S. porch note the doors which once led to the parvise or gallery above, and the holy-water stoup. The E. window is Dec., with the interior arch foliated. The S. aisle has a small chapel at the E. end, containing a tomb of George Rodney (d. 1586).

_Weston_, a parish forming a suburb of Bath. Of its church the only old portion is the tower, with angular b.u.t.tresses finishing in pinnacles.

The nave was rebuilt in 1832.

_Weston Bampfylde_, a parish 1 m. S. of Sparkford. Its little church has a W. octagonal tower on a square base. Within the building should be noticed (1) the rood staircase, which has been thrown open; (2) the Norm. font with cable mouldings; (3) the two squints.

_Weston-in-Gordano_, a village 3 m. N.E. of Clevedon, on the Portishead road. Its little church is well worth inspection. The tower (with a pyramidal top) is said to be E.E., and is placed on the S. side of the church (rather an exceptional position in this county). The most interesting features are (1) indications of a gallery over the S. porch (intended to be used by choristers on Palm Sunday); (2) holy water stoup within S. door; (3) curious 13th-cent. stone reading-desk or pulpit in S. wall; (4) "Miserere" seats in the choir, with their quaint carvings (attributed to the 14th cent.); (5) Jacobean oak pulpit; (6) Norm. font; (7) sanctus bell-cot; (8) fine 15th-cent. tomb (with French epitaph) of "Rycharde Persyvale"; (9) piscina in S. wall. There is an altar-tomb in the churchyard, said to belong to a Percival of the time of Richard I.

WESTON-SUPER-MARE, a popular seaside resort on the Bristol Channel, 139 m. from London and 20 m. S.W. from Bristol, with a population of nearly 20,000. A loop thrown from the G.W.R. main line at Worle enables the traveller to reach the place without the inconvenience of changing trains. The town lies in the entrance of a crescent-like indentation which the sea has scooped out of the flats that intervene between the conspicuous promontories of Worle Hill on the N. and Brean Down on the S. The rise of the town has been recent and rapid. A century has transformed it from a mere handful of fishermen's cottages into one of the most popular resorts of the West. The bay faces due W. and commands an uninterrupted view of the Atlantic. Besides this advantageous geographical position, the town possesses all the qualifications of a first-cla.s.s watering-place except the one essential feature of the water. At ebb tide the sea beats a hasty retreat across the bay, and leaves as its subst.i.tute many acres of dimpled mud--a peculiarity which has caused the frivolous to nickname it _Weston-super-Mud_. But enterprising Weston has turned even this gibe to advantage by claiming that the ozone which exhales from the ooze is one of the chief elements in its salubrity. Moreover the estrangement between the sea and the sh.o.r.e is by no means permanent. At high tides the spray breaks over the esplanade in showers, and under the stimulus of a brisk westerly breeze these demonstrations of the "sad sea waves" are quite lively. Weston's advantages have been exploited to the full by its townspeople. A broad and well-paved esplanade, 2-1/2 m. long, encircles the sh.o.r.e. Two piers are thrust out into the sea--the older one, with twin landing-stages, connects the N. end of the town with the islet of Birnbeck; the new one runs out from the centre of the parade for half a mile across the mud, and is furnished with an elaborate pavilion. Sea-bathing of a sort is occasionally obtainable, and some good public baths supply what in this respect is lacking. A strip of sand at the foot of the esplanade furnishes the children with a somewhat restricted playground. The shops are good, the accommodation plentiful, and in amus.e.m.e.nts the town can almost vie with Blackpool and Brighton. There are two public parks--Grove Park in the centre of the town, and Clarence Park (more s.p.a.cious and pleasing) near the Sanatorium. In a mushroom-town like Weston there are naturally not many antiquities. Such "finds" as occasionally come to hand are treasured in a museum attached to the Free Library in the Boulevard. The churches are modern. In the parish church--an ingeniously ugly building--are one or two remnants of an earlier structure. Note (1) font near chancel; (2) representation of Trinity (cp. Binegar, S. Brent, and Yatton) built into interior wall of N. vestry; (3) fantastic gla.s.s in E. window. In the churchyard are the remains of a cross. Weston has, however, one antiquity of quite remarkable interest in _Worlebury Camp_. As viewed from the parade the crest of the hill behind the town will be seen to be crowned with an extensive litter of stones. These are the debris of a primitive fortification. To investigate make for the junction of South Road and Edgehill Street (the old pier), turn down a lane on the L. and ascend a flight of concealed steps at the bottom. The rampart is now largely a confused heap of limestone fragments, but the general plan of it may be easily detected. The camp is confined to the W. extremity of the hill and covers an area of about 10 acres. On the S., or level side, it is defended not only by the main rampart, but by two supplementary walls separated by a fosse. Within the fortification will be found a number of circular pits, some 93 in all. This circ.u.mstance gives the camp its peculiarity. From remains of corn and other produce found at the bottom, they are believed to have been receptacles for storage. The pits vary in size, the average diameter being 6 ft. and the depth 5 ft.

They were, perhaps, originally protected by some kind. of roof, constructed of wicker-work. Amongst their contents have been found some human remains, many of them showing injuries produced by weapons. The construction of the camp has been a.s.signed to the 3rd cent. B.C. It had three entrances, on the S.E. side, the N.E. corner, and the W. end of the hill. Beyond the camp the hill is traversed by paths, any of which will serve for a pleasant ramble. If the central path through the wood be continued, a descent may be made to Kewstoke or Milton, or a more prolonged walk may be taken to Worle. Weston's most charming walk is, however, to skirt the N. base of Worle Hill and proceed through the woods to Kewstoke, whence _Worspring Priory_ (q.v.) may be visited.