Monty Approves – Wells Cathedral gets Funding Boost

Vicars’ Close smallest resident, Monty, gives the funding news a paws up!

Wells Cathedral in £4.4m grant boost to save unique Vicars’ Close

Wells Cathedral has just announced it has received a £4.4m funding boost from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards its campaign to save Vicars’ Close, an extraordinary series of 30 medieval houses and buildings that is world-renowned for being the most complete and continuously occupied medieval street in Europe.

The project will cost a total of £7m and includes critical conservation works and a new visitor experience which will open up four of the unique buildings to the public for the very first time.

With the NHLF grant and £1m already raised in donations, Wells cathedral needs to raise £1.6m to complete this transformational project.

 

The proposed plans for the Grade I listed street include No 27 becoming a visitor centre, and Nos 12, 22 and Vicars’ Hall having public access all year round. The gardens of No 12 and No 22 will be redesigned with medieval inspiration and use the latest research to investigate the horticulture of the high and late Middle Ages.

No 22 is particularly noteworthy as one of the houses that is most authentic to its original layout.

Although some of the houses have been open for temporary exhibitions and events, this will be the first time that permanent access will be established, so that visitors can always enjoy these remarkable buildings.

Vicars’ Close was built in 600 years ago and has housed generations of singers as part of the world-famous Vicars’ Choral and it still retains that function today with the altos, tenors and basses still living there, providing a remarkable example of continuity from when the Cathedral first appeared in an English landscape ruled by Henry II (1133-1189) to the present-day.

The houses are arranged in two terraces and face each other, with distinctive octagonal ashlar chimneys set on the front eaves of the wall. Uniquely for a street of this period, an ocular trick is built into the design, where the width of the terraces narrows from south to north, as well as the height of the buildings. Although subtle, this gives the impression the street is much longer when entering from the cathedral side.

The walls of the houses mostly consist of rubble stone that has been sourced from the local area, such as Doulting, Draycott and Chilcote and over the centuries, temporary or small works have been undertaken which can be seen in some of the houses.

Urgent repairs are now needed so the Grade I listed buildings can continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. The repairs are specific to each property, and consist of re-roofing, new insulation, drainage improvements to prevent water damage, wall conservation, and exterior joinery repairs.

The Dean of Wells, the Very Reverend Toby Wright, said,

“Vicars’ Close is a truly remarkable place, possibly without parallel anywhere in the world. 

“We have a responsibility not only to protect the architectural site but also to share its extraordinary heritage and enable more people to engage with it. 

“We are absolutely thrilled that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has made such a generous and significant contribution to help us achieve that ambition. We are now asking for public support to raise the last £1.6m and ensure that one of the most historic places in the UK will be protected for future generations – even a small donation will make a big difference.”

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

“Places of worship, and the buildings associated with them, are some of our oldest and most cherished historic buildings and many play a key role as a gateway to our heritage and communities. 

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this project will enable vital steps towards securing a brighter and more sustainable future for Vicars’ Close and enable new audiences to enjoy this remarkable survival and explore the heritage it holds.

“We are delighted to invest in the restoration and reimagining of the buildings of Vicars’ Close, ensuring that this heritage will be valued, cared for, and sustained, for everyone, now and in the future.”

You can donate here.

Photos: Members of Wells Cathedral’s Vicars’ Choral outside their homes on  Vicars’ Close,  (L-R: Stephen Harvey, Simon Clulow, Natalie Manning, Matthew Minter) © Mark Pickthall