[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._
NEWARK CASTLE.
King John died here, and in the Parliamentary War the castle underwent
several sieges.]
WELLS AND ITS CATHEDRAL
=How to get there.=--Train from Paddington. Great Western Railway.
=Nearest Station.=--Wells.
=Distance from London.=--120-3/4 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 3-3/4 to 5-3/4 hours.
=Fares.=--_Via_ Chippenham and Westbury.
1st 2nd 3rd
Single 20s. 0d. 12s. 6d. 10s. 0-1/2d.
Return 35s. 2d. 22s. 0d. 20s. 0d.
_Via_ Yatton--
Single 24s. 8d. 15s. 6d. 12s. 4d.
Return 41s. 0d. 27s. 0d. 24s. 8d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Swan Hotel," "Mitre Hotel,"
"Star Hotel," etc.
=Alternative Route.=--Train from Waterloo. L. and S.W. Railway.
Wells is essentially an ecclesiastical town. It has no history of its
own, no great family has ever lived there, and it has no
manufactures,--it has simply grown up round the cathedral. For these
reasons the quiet little Somersetshire town has preserved much of its
antiquity and fascination. The presence of the natural wells, which
still are to be found in the gardens of the Bishop's Palace, probably
induced King Ina in 704 to found a college of secular canons. Here a
monastery grew, and subsequently became a bishop's see. John de Villula
transferred his seat to Bath in (_circa_) 1092, and in 1139 the title
was altered to Bishop of Bath and Wells. Wells is one of the smallest of
the English cathedrals, and is in many ways the most beautiful.
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