Secrets Of English History
The Secrets Of Wells Cathedral | The First Gothic Cathedral In England
26m
Join Alice Loxton as she unveils the secrets of Wells Cathedral, getting up close and personal with all aspects of the building's history. Among other things, that means abseiling down the cathedral's facade - not for the faint hearted!
Also in this video, we’ll be getting inside the mind of a medieval mason, we’ll be uncovering the mysteries of the magnificent chained library and we’ll be traversing stones which are so weathered by time that they have been compared to a rolling ocean.
The cathedral we see today was begun in 1176, and completed over the next couple of centuries. The endeavour paid off, because the result is quite magnificent. The west front of Wells is one of the most glorious examples of medieval architecture in the world.
Because cathedrals took so long to build, the fashions often changed whilst they were being built. So, Durham Cathedral, for example, has rounded Romanesque arches at one end and pointed Gothic at another. But at Wells, the fashions stayed the same throughout the building process, so it was built in the Gothic style all the way through, and so this building is the first truly Gothic cathedral in the world. The nave here is quite plain, in Early English Gothic style.
Up Next in Season 1
-
Secrets of Temple Church: Home of the...
It's one of Britain's most fascinating buildings, boasting nearly nine centuries of history. Temple Church was built by the holy order of the Knights Templar in the 12th century. The iconic round tower was consecrated by Heraclius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1185. The design of the round tower...
-
The Secrets of Salisbury Cathedral | ...
Join Alice Loxton as she explores the secrets of Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire. In this video Alice travels up the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom, visits the world's oldest working mechanical clock and sees one of the only four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta.
Drone f...
-
The Secrets of Ham House
About 10 miles from the centre of London is one of the most magnificent houses of Stuart England, Ham House. This lavish mansion is a treasure trove of 17th century art and architecture, a dazzling red-brick jewel on the muddy banks of the River Thames.
But Ham House also has a remarkable histor...
7 Comments