Elizabeth Goudge 1900 - 1984

Wells - Goudge's first home

Wells is England's smallest city. Visitors from the United States might think of it as a small town, rather than a city....but a city it is.  When you vist Well, you can come by auto or by bus.  (England has an excellent bus service.)  The city used to be serviced by train,but that no longer exisits.

The city, with its cathedral is in Somerset and lies among the Mendip Hills.  The first time arrived, there had been a traffic jam just outside Oxford and so the bus was running late.  It was clear I would miss my connection. To my surprise and delight the bus driver called ahead, found a connection from Bath and detoured to leave me at that city's bus depot. (One reason I praise National Express Bus service.)  It was late afternoon when we left Bath for Wells and the bus made numerous local stops. But I got a wonderful view of the City...and its Cathedral was we wound our way down the Mendip Hills.  The Cathedral was of course, the first building visible over the tops of trees.  A lovely way to arrive at this former home of Elizabeth goudge.

The city gets its name from its  three wells. There is  one in the market place and two in the Bishop's Palace grounds. Since the building of the  A39/A37  bypass , the city has little auto or truck traffic and so it is pleasant to walk from Cathedral to shops to the Bishop's Palace.  

Readers of Elizabeth Goudge's works will be particularly interested in the Cathedral since it figures so prominently in City of Bells.

 Views of Wells Cathedral

Wells, under the name of Torminster, is the setting for several of  Elizabeth Goudge's stories.
City of Bells and Henrietta's House/The Blue Hills are the most popular of these but Sister of the Angels is also set there.

Readers will enjoy these stories more fully by  having some sense of the Cathedral and Close.

One of the most impressive sites are the stairs to the Chapter House. These stairs are worn. They have  deep indentations from the footsteps of monks and canons over the years. See: Wells Stairs to Chapter House

The Wells Cathedral has two very special clocks:

• One is on the outside of the building. It has knights that  strike the bell to mark the passing of the hours. Tourists are often sitting in the benches or standing on the path in front of the clock waiting for the Knights to being their hourly chore.  See:  Wells Cathedral Clock
• The other is inside of the Cathedral is another clock. . It was designed by Peter Lightfoot, a monk of Glastonbury. This clock  has been dated to the 14th century and it is one of the oldest clocks in the world. The actual clock  now in the Cathedral is an  updated version; the original still functioning works are in the London Science Museum.

  The Lightfoot clock is quite intricate. It has a number of figures: Jack Blandifers, who hit the bells, and  jousting knights chase each other every 15 minutes. Below this is a dial. The sun on the outer dial shows the hours, in roman numerals, from I to XII, then from I to XII again. This Double-XII system was common in Northern Europe at the time. The minutes are indicated by a star on the inside ring.

  The clock also gives phases of the moon. The inner ring in the above image gives the moon's age - over 29 days. The black disk above the centre shows the moon's phase. The inscription around the moon phase is "sphericus archetypum globus hic monstrat microcosmum" [Trans. "This rounded ball displays a model of the universe in miniature"]. One can only imagine the joy of a sensitive child growing up in a world with such clocks. See: Lightfoots Clock

The Lady Chapel at Wells is extraordinary.  It has plain glass and this  plain glass allows the full light to enter. All along the walls are insets with stone carved figures. But what  is arresting, almost shocking, is that the heads of all the statues along these walls are knocked off - victims of Cromwell's men.

 When I saw this, I understood for the first time Goudge's attitude toward these early reformers. Beauty destroyed. On the outside of the Cathedral all the statues as high as a man could reach with a lance when seated on a horse are also destroyed. Those above that height - including the Blessing Christ over the main door - are preserved. Fro someone so attuned to the beautiful I imagin the destruction was painful to see.

Here are additional parts of the cathedral.

This nave with strainer arches gives some sense the grace and beauty that permeates Wells Cathedral.

It soars and even the chatting of tourists walking down the aisle can not prevent this architecture  from raising one's spirits.

Another delight are the carvings found at the tops of pillars and hidden in other places throughout  the cathedral. One is suddenly surprised dogs, cats and birds that are extraordinary rendered. These cathedral builders not only soared; they observed ordinary life very carefully and seem to have delighted in it.

If you want to view some of these carvings , scroll down the page at the Misericords. And enjoy!

 When I visited Wells  I noted that the Cathedral Music School  was a point of great pride among the residents.  If you want to learn more about this music school, and see some additional images, go to: Choristers of Wells .