wells cathedral, wells, england, 12th-15th century. vicars' close. this is where we leave wells, the vicars' close on the cathedral grounds. there is a lot more to see and I have fifty photos to prove it, but you should go and see the place for yourself. the appeal of vicars' close is obvious: the human scale, the cobbled street, front gardens, and the creature comforts hinted at by the line-up of tall chimney stacks...and it was built in the fourteenth century; an argument set in stone for the timelessness of good architecture. but even good architecture does not exist in a vacuum and the heavy piers in the left hand side of the photo are part of the medieval defenses set up to protect the privileged clergy against the tiny surrounding village. walls, gates, towers - the bishop's palace even has a moat - make something of a jewish settlement in the occupied territories out of the cathedral close and remind us that the wealth and power of the church came at a price, a price paid by those on the outside. more words, yada, yada, yada.
