My good friend Nick Udy and I had a wonderful day on Exmoor on my last visit to the south-west. Coming back across the moor in the early evening we came across this patchwork of fields on the southern side, just over the Somerset border.
Tags: Exmoor countryside landscapes fields farms south Exmoor Somerset
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The Tarr Steps is a prehistoric clapper bridge across the River Barle in the Exmoor National Park, Somerset. It is located in a National Nature Reserve about 2.5 miles (4 km) south east of Withypool and 4 miles (6 km) north west of Dulverton.
A typical clapper bridge construction, the bridge possibly dates to around 1000 BC. The stone slabs weigh up to 1-2 tons apiece. According to local legend, they were placed by the devil to win a bet. The bridge is 180 feet (55 m) long and has 17 spans. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I-listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Half of the bridge was washed away by the river whilst heavily swollen by rain in December 2012. The bridge has now been re-assembled.
Tags: Somerset Exmoor Tarr Steps prehistoric monuments clapper bridges scheduled ancient monuments Grade I-listed buildings rivers River Barle
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The spectacular Bishop's Palace at Wells in Somerset could easily be mistaken for a medieval castle. In fact, it virtually became that. The palace is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for 800 years.
The Bishop’s Palace dates from the early-thirteenth century when Bishop Jocelin Trotman, the first Bishop to hold the title Bishop of Bath and Wells, received a crown licence to build a residence and deer park on land to the south of the Cathedral of St Andrew. But in the 14th century a successor, Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury, had an uneasy relationship with the citizens of Wells partly because of his imposition of taxes, and obviously felt at risk. He decided to surround his palace with crenellated walls, a moat filled by local springs, and a drawbridge. Parts of the buildings are still used by the current bishop, although the palace is mainly used for public functions and as a tourist attraction.
Tags: Somerset Wells Bishop's Palace, Wells palaces moats castles 13th century architecture medieval buildings
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Reached via a medieval gateway on the south side of Wells Cathedral, these buildings in two opposite and virtually identical rows were the residences of the "Vicars Choral", who have sung in the cathedral since about 1140. In 1348 they were incorporated as a College of Vicars and the houses themselves were completed by 1363. The chimneys were raised and crowned in about 1470. The original windows were replaced in the Georgian era. The buildings are Grade I-listed. According to English Heritage, this is an outstanding early planned street, in which the overall form of the buildings remains substantially unchanged.
Tags: Somerset Wells Vicars Close Grade I-listed buildings medieval residences 14th century architecture Wells Cathedral
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Wells Cathedral in Somerset is dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle, and is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The present building dates from 1175 to 1490, an earlier church having been built on the site in 705. It is moderately sized among the medieval cathedrals of England, falling between those of massive proportions, such as Lincoln and York, and the much smaller cathedrals of Oxford and Carlisle. With its broad west front and large central tower, it is the dominant feature of its small cathedral city and a landmark in the Somerset countryside. Wells has been variously described as "unquestionably one of the most beautiful" and as "the most poetic" of English cathedrals.
Wells is the smallest of England's cathedral cities and attracts numerous visitors, some of whom are enjoying refreshments on the Swan Terrace which overlooks the cathedral green.
Tags: Somerset Wells Wells Cathedral cathedrals
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