Old towns in Somerset - Wells & Somerton

At home with Bob and Frances, in Keinton Mandeville.....

Dinner with Helen and Jeff

Bob's blooming garden.....

The village of Keinton Mandeville where Bob and Frances now live is a pretty little village in the middle of Somerset with not much more than a main street and a a couple of tributaries, surrounded by meadows and fields with wheat and corn and cows and black faced sheep. But it has a corner shop, a bakery and an ivy-covered pub a mere hop, step and jump from their front door. Idyllic. This was to be our holiday distination for my first trip to the UK since 1973, and we were wined and dined and spoiled and pampered and entertained and driven everywhere.

Of course to visit the UK means to steep onself in "history". As someone said to me, "In England we have dust that is older than your history of white settlement."

So true!!

History was everywhere we went in Somerset. Even tiny towns like SOMERTON had their 13th and 14th Century buildings and their castelated Butter cross (or market square) where local foods were sheltered from the inclement weather or where hopeful labourers stood around waiting to be chosen for a job. There is a 13th century church, the old cow square where cattle were paraded around before sale, and the Old Hall in "New Street"!! Apparently a film was made here some time ago and all the director had to do was lay a false carpet of cobble stones on the road to instantaneously create a medieval set.

Butter Cross at Somerton

WELLS

On another day we visited the township of Wells which boasts an imposing medieval Cathedral, a 13th century Bishop's Palace and the 'oldest street' in the country. It presents a plethora of fabulous photo opportunities as well as a stunning backdrop for a picnic out.

Palace Drawbridge View of Cathedral through gothic windows

Particularly impressive were the grounds and the remains of the Great Hall of the Bishop's Palace. Previously used to hosting lavish banquets, all that remains of the Great Hall are the walls and a manicured grassy centre, but the gothic windows provide a stunning photo framework for the Wells Cathedral some distance away. Interesting sculptures and clever landscaping add to the photographic effect.

To visit the gardens of the palace is to wander in an idyllic Gothic ruin, with croquet quality lawns, imposing gatehouse and drawbridge, a landscaped moat complete with its resident white swan, arboretum, picnic areas and natural springs. These springs bubble up in the outer gardens at a rate of 40 gallons per second.

the Palace moat with its bubbling springs

Full of history, the palace itself houses exhibitions of local art as well as portraits and stories of the bishops who called the palace home over the centuries. Lovingly restored by local volunteers, the pews of the chapel have been sanded and polished; the staircases varnished and the gardens landscaped. A photo album attests to the years of effort that culminated in a recent visit by Princess Margaret. And the community reaped the benefits in the form of a moat race that appears to have started a tradition.

Not far away is the oldest street in England - a cobbled pathway rather than a street really, entered via a lovely arch and fringed by a perimetre of tiny, terraced homes, all uniform in style, architecture, colour and materials. Previously owned by, and attached to the church, the facades

are protected by the national trust.

The oldest street in England

Wells

Wells Cathedral withits huge fascade of medieval sculpture

Wells was a really sweet township with its weekend market and flower-bedecked shops;

with its Cathedral and its expanse of perfect lawns for reading, chatting and relaxing; and its medieval Bishop's Palace for history buffs and families alike. We had a special afternoon there.

National Trust Gift Shop, Wells