Wells Cathedral

Archaeological excavation, architectural survey andhistorical research carried out between 1978 and 1993 have elucidated theorigins and early development of Wells Cathedral. Study concentrated primarilyon the cloister and its adjuncts, and excavation took place in the adjoining`Camery’ garden. Here lay an ancient cemetery and the foundations of asuccession of demolished buildings, ranging in date from Roman topost-medieval. Collectively, these enshrined a continuous development ofreligious and sepulchral activity, probably from the fourth to themid-sixteenth century; secular uses followed. Adjacent to the Camery are thesprings from which Wells takes its name. The first mention of the `holy well’and minster church of St Andrew is in A.D. 766.

Excavation yielded a complex stratigraphic sequence, demonstrating how ananonymous late Roman mausoleum burial probably provided the raison d’être forthe development of a Middle Saxon cemetery and chapel, and hence for theorigins of Wells Cathedral itself in 909. The establishment of this sequence isuniquely important in the history of English cathedral archaeology and setsWells alongside developments in continental Europe.