A Day in Wells

Rehearsing for Evensong. Photos by Jeff Brown.

Wells is a beautiful quaint town about three hours south of Ludlow. The Cathedral is very grand and the adjoining Bishop's Castle has a moat inhabited with swans. The interiors of Wells Cathedral are stunning and the people are very friendly and charming. It is very clean and bright and seems to be a very vibrant community. The choir sang beautifully once again. Then, we enjoyed a nice private meal in the Cathedral's refectory [more like a cafe] and celebrated Adah's birthday [14 on the 14th!] with a huge scrumptious strawberry shortcake. Oh, and Wells Cathedral has a house cat named Louis. He even has his own Facebook page.

The famous Well Cathedral ClockThe dial proposes a model of the universe. Against a background of stars, the sun (the large gilded star on the outer ring) moves in a circle, and indicates the time using the 24 hour analog dial, which is marked in Roman numerals from I to XII, then from I to XII again. Noon is at the top of the dial reflecting the position of the sun in the sky at this time. Until recently, the clock was wound by hand 3 times a day.

At the request of the guide, the choir performed another spontaneous hymn in a room with incredible acoustics.

Outside the Bishop's Castle.