Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 22-May-22 (DeNoise AI).

 

Air New Zealand Link, operated by Air Nelson.

 

For some reason, the negative was a mess. Don't enlarge it, it's covered in tiny white spots...

Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a Roman Catholic cathedral from around 1175 to replace an earlier church on the site since 705, it became an Anglican cathedral when King Henry VIII split from Rome. It is moderately sized for an English cathedral. Its broad west front and large central tower are dominant features. It has been called "unquestionably one of the most beautiful" and "most poetic" of English cathedrals.

 

Its Gothic architecture is mostly inspired from Early English style of the late 12th to early 13th centuries, lacking the Romanesque work that survives in many other cathedrals. Building began about 1175 at the east end with the choir. Historian John Harvey sees it as Europe's first truly Gothic structure, breaking the last constraints of Romanesque. The stonework of its pointed arcades and fluted piers bears pronounced mouldings and carved capitals in a foliate, "stiff-leaf" style. Its Early English front with 300 sculpted figures is seen as a "supreme triumph of the combined plastic arts in England". The east end retains much ancient stained glass. Unlike many cathedrals of monastic foundation, Wells has many surviving secular buildings linked to its chapter of secular canons, including the Bishop's Palace and the 15th-century residential Vicars' Close It is a Grade I listed building.

 

The earliest remains of a building on the site are of a late-Roman mausoleum, identified during excavations in 1980. An abbey church was built in Wells in 705 by Aldhelm, first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Sherborne during the reign of King Ine of Wessex. It was dedicated to St Andrew and stood at the site of the cathedral's cloisters, where some excavated remains can be seen. The font in the cathedral's south transept is from this church and is the oldest part of the present building. In 766 Cynewulf, King of Wessex, signed a charter endowing the church with eleven hides of land. In 909 the seat of the diocese was moved from Sherborne to Wells.

 

The first bishop of Wells was Athelm (909), who crowned King Æthelstan. Athelm and his nephew Dunstan both became Archbishops of Canterbury. During this period a choir of boys was established to sing the liturgy. Wells Cathedral School, which was established to educate these choirboys, dates its foundation to this point. There is, however, some controversy over this. Following the Norman Conquest, John de Villula moved the seat of the bishop from Wells to Bath in 1090. The church at Wells, no longer a cathedral, had a college of secular clergy.

 

The cathedral is thought to have been conceived and commenced in about 1175 by Reginald Fitz Jocelin, who died in 1191. Although it is clear from its size that from the outset, the church was planned to be the cathedral of the diocese, the seat of the bishop moved between Wells and the abbeys of Glastonbury and Bath, before settling at Wells. In 1197 Reginald's successor, Savaric FitzGeldewin, with the approval of Pope Celestine III, officially moved his seat to Glastonbury Abbey. The title of Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury was used until the Glastonbury claim was abandoned in 1219.

 

Savaric's successor, Jocelin of Wells, again moved the bishop's seat to Bath Abbey, with the title Bishop of Bath. Jocelin was a brother of Hugh (II) of Lincoln and was present at the signing of the Magna Carta. Jocelin continued the building campaign begun by Reginald and was responsible for the Bishop's Palace, the choristers' school, a grammar school, a hospital for travellers and a chapel. He also had a manor house built at Wookey, near Wells. Jocelin saw the church dedicated in 1239 but, despite much lobbying of the Pope by Jocelin's representatives in Rome, did not live to see cathedral status granted. The delay may have been a result of inaction by Pandulf Verraccio, a Roman ecclesiastical politician, papal legate to England and Bishop of Norwich, who was asked by the Pope to investigate the situation but did not respond. Jocelin died at Wells on 19 November 1242 and was buried in the choir of the cathedral; the memorial brass on his tomb is one of the earliest brasses in England. Following his death the monks of Bath unsuccessfully attempted to regain authority over Wells.

 

In 1245 the ongoing dispute over the title of the bishop was resolved by a ruling of Pope Innocent IV, who established the title as the "Bishop of Bath and Wells", which it has remained until this day, with Wells as the principal seat of the bishop. Since the 11th century the church has had a chapter of secular clergy, like the cathedrals of Chichester, Hereford, Lincoln and York. The chapter was endowed with 22 prebends (lands from which finance was drawn) and a provost to manage them. On acquiring cathedral status, in common with other such cathedrals, it had four chief clergy, the dean, precentor, chancellor and sacristan, who were responsible for the spiritual and material care of the cathedral.

 

The building programme, begun by Reginald Fitz Jocelin, Bishop in the 12th century, continued under Jocelin of Wells, who was a canon from 1200, then bishop from 1206. Adam Locke was master mason from about 1192 until 1230. It was designed in the new style with pointed arches, later known as Gothic, which was introduced at about the same time at Canterbury Cathedral. Work was halted between 1209 and 1213 when King John was excommunicated and Jocelin was in exile, but the main parts of the church were complete by the time of the dedication by Jocelin in 1239.

 

By the time the cathedral, including the chapter house, was finished in 1306, it was already too small for the developing liturgy, and unable to accommodate increasingly grand processions of clergy. John Droxford initiated another phase of building under master mason Thomas of Whitney, during which the central tower was heightened and an eight-sided Lady chapel was added at the east end by 1326. Ralph of Shrewsbury followed, continuing the eastward extension of the choir and retrochoir beyond. He oversaw the building of Vicars' Close and the Vicars' Hall, to give the men who were employed to sing in the choir a secure place to live and dine, away from the town and its temptations. He had an uneasy relationship with the citizens of Wells, partly because of his imposition of taxes, and he surrounded his palace with crenellated walls, a moat and a drawbridge.

 

John Harewell raised money for the completion of the west front by William Wynford, who was appointed as master mason in 1365. One of the foremost master masons of his time, Wynford worked for the king at Windsor, Winchester Cathedral and New College, Oxford. At Wells, he designed the western towers of which north-west was not built until the following century. In the 14th century, the central piers of the crossing were found to be sinking under the weight of the crossing tower which had been damaged by an earthquake in the previous century. Strainer arches, sometimes described as scissor arches, were inserted by master mason William Joy to brace and stabilise the piers as a unit.

 

By the reign of Henry VII the cathedral was complete, appearing much as it does today (though the fittings have changed). From 1508 to 1546, the eminent Italian humanist scholar Polydore Vergil was active as the chapter's representative in London. He donated a set of hangings for the choir of the cathedral. While Wells survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries better than the cathedrals of monastic foundation, the abolition of chantries in 1547 resulted in a reduction in its income. Medieval brasses were sold, and a pulpit was placed in the nave for the first time. Between 1551 and 1568, in two periods as dean, William Turner established a herb garden, which was recreated between 2003 and 2010.

 

Elizabeth I gave the chapter and the Vicars Choral a new charter in 1591, creating a new governing body, consisting of a dean and eight residentiary canons with control over the church estates and authority over its affairs, but no longer entitled to elect the dean (that entitlement thenceforward belonged ultimately to the Crown). The stability brought by the new charter ended with the onset of the Civil War and the execution of Charles I. Local fighting damaged the cathedral's stonework, furniture and windows. The dean, Walter Raleigh, a nephew of the explorer Walter Raleigh, was placed under house arrest after the fall of Bridgwater to the Parliamentarians in 1645, first in the rectory at Chedzoy and then in the deanery at Wells. His jailor, the shoe maker and city constable, David Barrett, caught him writing a letter to his wife. When he refused to surrender it, Barrett ran him through with a sword and he died six weeks later, on 10 October 1646. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the choir before the dean's stall. During the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell no dean was appointed and the cathedral fell into disrepair. The bishop went into retirement and some of the clerics were reduced to performing menial tasks.

 

In 1661, after Charles II was restored to the throne, Robert Creighton, the king's chaplain in exile, was appointed dean and was bishop for two years before his death in 1672. His brass lectern, given in thanksgiving, can be seen in the cathedral. He donated the nave's great west window at a cost of £140. Following Creighton's appointment as bishop, the post of dean went to Ralph Bathurst, who had been chaplain to the king, president of Trinity College, Oxford and fellow of the Royal Society. During Bathurst's long tenure the cathedral was restored, but in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, Puritan soldiers damaged the west front, tore lead from the roof to make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the nave.

 

Restoration began again under Thomas Ken who was appointed by the Crown in 1685 and served until 1691. He was one of seven bishops imprisoned for refusing to sign King James II's "Declaration of Indulgence", which would have enabled Catholics to resume positions of political power, but popular support led to their acquittal. Ken refused to take the oath of allegiance to William III and Mary II because James II had not abdicated and with others, known as the Nonjurors, was put out of office. His successor, Richard Kidder, was killed in the Great Storm of 1703 when two chimney stacks on the palace fell on him and his wife, while they were asleep in bed.

 

By the middle of the 19th century, a major restoration programme was needed. Under Dean Goodenough, the monuments were moved to the cloisters and the remaining medieval paint and whitewash removed in an operation known as "the great scrape". Anthony Salvin took charge of the extensive restoration of the choir. Wooden galleries installed in the 16th century were removed and the stalls were given stone canopies and placed further back within the line of the arcade. The medieval stone pulpitum screen was extended in the centre to support a new organ.

 

In 1933 the Friends of Wells Cathedral were formed to support the cathedral's chapter in the maintenance of the fabric, life and work of the cathedral. The late 20th century saw an extensive restoration programme, particularly of the west front. The stained glass is currently under restoration, with a programme underway to conserve the large 14th-century Jesse Tree window at the eastern terminal of the choir.

 

In January 2014, as part of the Bath film festival, the cathedral hosted a special screening of Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ. This provoked some controversy, but the church defended its decision to allow the screening.

 

In 2021, a contemporary sculpture by Anthony Gormley was unveiled on a temporary plinth outside the cathedral.

 

Since the 13th century, Wells Cathedral has been the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Its governing body, the chapter, is made up of five clerical canons (the dean, the precentor, the canon chancellor, the canon treasurer, and the archdeacon of Wells) and four lay members: the administrator (chief executive), Keeper of the Fabric, Overseer of the Estate and the chairman of the cathedral shop and catering boards. The current bishop of Bath and Wells is Peter Hancock, who was installed in a service in the cathedral on 7 June 2014. John Davies has been Dean of Wells since 2016.

 

Employed staff include the organist and master of choristers, head Verger archivist, librarian and the staff of the shop, café and restaurant. The chapter is advised by specialists such as architects, archaeologists and financial analysts.

 

More than a thousand services are held every year. There are daily services of Matins, Holy Communion and Choral Evensong, as well as major celebrations of Christian festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and saints' days. The cathedral is also used for the baptisms, weddings and funerals of those with close connections to it. In July 2009 the cathedral undertook the funeral of Harry Patch, the last British Army veteran of World War I, who died at the age of 111.

 

Three Sunday services are led by the resident choir in school terms and choral services are sung on weekdays. The cathedral hosts visiting choirs and does outreach work with local schools as part of its Chorister Outreach Project. It is also a venue for musical events such as an annual concert by the Somerset Chamber Choir.

 

Each year about 150,000 people attend services and another 300,000 visit as tourists. Entry is free, but visitors are encouraged to make a donation towards the annual running costs of around £1.5 million in 2015.

 

Construction of the cathedral began in about 1175, to the design of an unknown master-mason. Wells is the first cathedral in England to be built, from its foundation, in Gothic style. According to art historian John Harvey, it is the first truly Gothic cathedral in the world, its architects having entirely dispensed with all features that bound the contemporary east end of Canterbury Cathedral and the earlier buildings of France, such as the east end of the Abbey of Saint Denis, to the Romanesque. Unlike these churches, Wells has clustered piers rather than columns and has a gallery of identical pointed arches rather than the typically Romanesque form of paired openings. The style, with its simple lancet arches without tracery and convoluted mouldings, is known as Early English Gothic.

 

From about 1192 to 1230, Adam Lock, the earliest master-mason at Wells for whom a name is known, continued the transept and nave in the same manner as his predecessor. Lock was also the builder of the north porch, to his own design.

 

The Early English west front was commenced around 1230 by Thomas Norreys, with building and sculpture continuing for thirty years. Its south-west tower was begun 100 years later and constructed between 1365 and 1395, and the north-west tower between 1425 and 1435, both in the Perpendicular Gothic style to the design of William Wynford, who also filled many of the cathedral's early English lancet windows with delicate tracery.

 

The undercroft and chapter house were built by unknown architects between 1275 and 1310, the undercroft in the Early English and the chapter house in the Geometric style of Decorated Gothic architecture. In about 1310 work commenced on the Lady Chapel, to the design of Thomas Witney, who also built the central tower from 1315 to 1322 in the Decorated Gothic style. The tower was later braced internally with arches by William Joy. Concurrent with this work, in 1329–45 Joy made alterations and extensions to the choir, joining it to the Lady Chapel with the retrochoir, the latter in the Flowing Decorated style.

 

Later changes include the Perpendicular vault of the tower and construction of Sugar's Chapel, 1475–1490 by William Smyth. Also, Gothic Revival renovations were made to the choir and pulpitum by Benjamin Ferrey and Anthony Salvin, 1842–1857.

 

Wells has a total length of 415 feet (126 m). Like Canterbury, Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals, it has the distinctly English arrangement of two transepts, with the body of the church divided into distinct parts: nave, choir, and retro-choir, beyond which extends the Lady Chapel. The façade is wide, with its towers extending beyond the transepts on either side. There is a large projecting porch on the north side of the nave forming an entry into the cathedral. To the north-east is the large octagonal chapter house, entered from the north choir aisle by a passage and staircase. To the south of the nave is a large cloister, unusual in that the northern range, that adjacent the cathedral, was never built.

 

In section, the cathedral has the usual arrangement of a large church: a central nave with an aisle on each side, separated by two arcades. The elevation is in three stages, arcade, triforium gallery and clerestory. The nave is 67 feet (20 m) in height, very low compared to the Gothic cathedrals of France. It has a markedly horizontal emphasis, caused by the triforium having a unique form, a series of identical narrow openings, lacking the usual definition of the bays. The triforium is separated from the arcade by a single horizontal string course that runs unbroken the length of the nave. There are no vertical lines linking the three stages, as the shafts supporting the vault rise above the triforium.

 

The exterior of Wells Cathedral presents a relatively tidy and harmonious appearance since the greater part of the building was executed in a single style, Early English Gothic. This is uncommon among English cathedrals where the exterior usually exhibits a plethora of styles. At Wells, later changes in the Perpendicular style were universally applied, such as filling the Early English lancet windows with simple tracery, the construction of a parapet that encircles the roof, and the addition of pinnacles framing each gable, similar to those around the chapter house and on the west front. At the eastern end there is a proliferation of tracery with repeated motifs in the Reticulated style, a stage between Geometric and Flowing Decorated tracery.

 

The west front is 100 feet (30 m) high and 147 feet (45 m) wide, and built of Inferior Oolite of the Middle Jurassic period, which came from the Doulting Stone Quarry, about 8 miles (13 km) to the east. According to the architectural historian Alec Clifton-Taylor, it is "one of the great sights of England".

 

West fronts in general take three distinct forms: those that follow the elevation of the nave and aisles, those that have paired towers at the end of each aisle, framing the nave, and those that screen the form of the building. The west front at Wells has the paired-tower form, unusual in that the towers do not indicate the location of the aisles, but extend well beyond them, screening the dimensions and profile of the building.

 

The west front rises in three distinct stages, each clearly defined by a horizontal course. This horizontal emphasis is counteracted by six strongly projecting buttresses defining the cross-sectional divisions of nave, aisles and towers, and are highly decorated, each having canopied niches containing the largest statues on the façade.

 

At the lowest level of the façade is a plain base, contrasting with and stabilising the ornate arcades that rise above it. The base is penetrated by three doors, which are in stark contrast to the often imposing portals of French Gothic cathedrals. The outer two are of domestic proportion and the central door is ornamented only by a central post, quatrefoil and the fine mouldings of the arch.

 

Above the basement rise two storeys, ornamented with quatrefoils and niches originally holding about four hundred statues, with three hundred surviving until the mid-20th century. Since then, some have been restored or replaced, including the ruined figure of Christ in the gable.

 

The third stages of the flanking towers were both built in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th century, to the design of William Wynford; that on the north-west was not begun until about 1425. The design maintains the general proportions, and continues the strong projection of the buttresses.

 

The finished product has been criticised for its lack of pinnacles, and it is probable that the towers were intended to carry spires which were never built. Despite its lack of spires or pinnacles, the architectural historian Banister Fletcher describes it as "the highest development in English Gothic of this type of façade."

 

The sculptures on the west front at Wells include standing figures, seated figures, half-length angels and narratives in high relief. Many of the figures are life-sized or larger. Together they constitute the finest display of medieval carving in England. The figures and many of the architectural details were painted in bright colours, and the colouring scheme has been deduced from flakes of paint still adhering to some surfaces. The sculptures occupy nine architectural zones stretching horizontally across the entire west front and around the sides and the eastern returns of the towers which extend beyond the aisles. The strongly projecting buttresses have tiers of niches which contain many of the largest figures. Other large figures, including that of Christ, occupy the gable. A single figure stands in one of two later niches high on the northern tower.

 

In 1851 the archaeologist Charles Robert Cockerell published his analysis of the iconography, numbering the nine sculptural divisions from the lowest to the highest. He defined the theme as "a calendar for unlearned men" illustrating the doctrines and history of the Christian faith, its introduction to Britain and its protection by princes and bishops. He likens the arrangement and iconography to the Te Deum.

 

According to Cockerell, the side of the façade that is to the south of the central door is the more sacred and the scheme is divided accordingly. The lowest range of niches each contained a standing figure, of which all but four figures on the west front, two on each side, have been destroyed. More have survived on the northern and eastern sides of the north tower. Cockerell speculates that those to the south of the portal represented prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament while those to the north represented early missionaries to Britain, of which Augustine of Canterbury, St Birinus, and Benedict Biscop are identifiable by their attributes. In the second zone, above each pair of standing figures, is a quatrefoil containing a half-length angel in relief, some of which have survived. Between the gables of the niches are quatrefoils that contain a series of narratives from the Bible, with the Old Testament stories to the south, above the prophets and patriarchs, and those from the New Testament to the north. A horizontal course runs around the west front dividing the architectural storeys at this point.

 

Above the course, zones four and five, as identified by Cockerell, contain figures which represent the Christian Church in Britain, with the spiritual lords such as bishops, abbots, abbesses and saintly founders of monasteries on the south, while kings, queens and princes occupy the north. Many of the figures survive and many have been identified in the light of their various attributes. There is a hierarchy of size, with the more significant figures larger and enthroned in their niches rather than standing. Immediately beneath the upper course are a series of small niches containing dynamic sculptures of the dead coming forth from their tombs on the Day of Judgement. Although naked, some of the dead are defined as royalty by their crowns and others as bishops by their mitres. Some emerge from their graves with joy and hope, and others with despair.

 

The niches in the lowest zone of the gable contain nine angels, of which Cockerell identifies Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. In the next zone are the taller figures of the twelve apostles, some, such as John, Andrew and Bartholomew, clearly identifiable by the attributes that they carry. The uppermost niches of the gable contained the figure of Christ the Judge at the centre, with the Virgin Mary on his right and John the Baptist on his left. The figures all suffered from iconoclasm. A new statue of Jesus was carved for the central niche, but the two side niches now contain cherubim. Christ and the Virgin Mary are also represented by now headless figures in a Coronation of the Virgin in a niche above the central portal. A damaged figure of the Virgin and Christ Child occupies a quatrefoil in the spandrel of the door.

 

The central tower appears to date from the early 13th century. It was substantially reconstructed in the early 14th century during the remodelling of the east end, necessitating the internal bracing of the piers a decade or so later. In the 14th century the tower was given a timber and lead spire which burnt down in 1439. The exterior was then reworked in the Perpendicular style and given the present parapet and pinnacles. Alec Clifton-Taylor describes it as "outstanding even in Somerset, a county famed for the splendour of its church towers".

 

The north porch is described by art historian Nikolaus Pevsner as "sumptuously decorated", and intended as the main entrance. Externally it is simple and rectangular with plain side walls. The entrance is a steeply arched portal framed by rich mouldings of eight shafts with stiff-leaf capitals each encircled by an annular moulding at middle height. Those on the left are figurative, containing images representing the martyrdom of St Edmund the Martyr. The walls are lined with deep niches framed by narrow shafts with capitals and annulets like those of the portal. The path to the north porch is lined by four sculptures in Purbeck stone, each by Mary Spencer Watson, representing the symbols of the Evangelists.

 

The cloisters were built in the late 13th century and largely rebuilt from 1430 to 1508 and have wide openings divided by mullions and transoms, and tracery in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The vault has lierne ribs that form octagons at the centre of each compartment, the joints of each rib having decorative bosses. The eastern range is of two storeys, of which the upper is the library built in the 15th century.

 

Because Wells Cathedral was secular rather than monastic, cloisters were not a practical necessity. They were omitted from several other secular cathedrals but were built here and at Chichester. Explanations for their construction at these two secular cathedrals range from the processional to the aesthetic. As at Chichester, there is no northern range to the cloisters. In monastic cloisters it was the north range, benefiting most from winter sunlight, that was often used as a scriptorium.

 

In 1969, when a large chunk of stone fell from a statue near the main door, it became apparent that there was an urgent need for restoration of the west front. Detailed studies of the stonework and of conservation practices were undertaken under the cathedral architect, Alban D. R. Caroe and a restoration committee formed. The methods selected were those devised by Eve and Robert Baker. W. A. (Bert) Wheeler, clerk of works to the cathedral 1935–1978, had previously experimented with washing and surface treatment of architectural carvings on the building and his techniques were among those tried on the statues.

 

The conservation was carried out between 1974 and 1986, wherever possible using non-invasive procedures such as washing with water and a solution of lime, filling gaps and damaged surfaces with soft mortar to prevent the ingress of water and stabilising statues that were fracturing through corrosion of metal dowels. The surfaces were finished by painting with a thin coat of mortar and silane to resist further erosion and attack by pollutants. The restoration of the façade revealed much paint adhering to the statues and their niches, indicating that it had once been brightly coloured.

 

The particular character of this Early English interior is dependent on the proportions of the simple lancet arches. It is also dependent on the refinement of the architectural details, in particular the mouldings.

 

The arcade, which takes the same form in the nave, choir and transepts, is distinguished by the richness of both mouldings and carvings. Each pier of the arcade has a surface enrichment of 24 slender shafts in eight groups of three, rising beyond the capitals to form the deeply undulating mouldings of the arches. The capitals themselves are remarkable for the vitality of the stylised foliage, in a style known as "stiff-leaf". The liveliness contrasts with the formality of the moulded shafts and the smooth unbroken areas of ashlar masonry in the spandrels. Each capital is different, and some contain small figures illustrating narratives.

 

The vault of the nave rises steeply in a simple quadripartite form, in harmony with the nave arcade. The eastern end of the choir was extended and the whole upper part elaborated in the second quarter of the 14th century by William Joy. The vault has a multiplicity of ribs in a net-like form, which is very different from that of the nave, and is perhaps a recreation in stone of a local type of compartmented wooden roof of which examples remain from the 15th century, including those at St Cuthbert's Church, Wells. The vaults of the aisles of the choir also have a unique pattern.

 

Until the early 14th century, the interior of the cathedral was in a unified style, but it was to undergo two significant changes, to the tower and to the eastern end. Between 1315 and 1322 the central tower was heightened and topped by a spire, which caused the piers that supported it to show signs of stress. In 1338 the mason William Joy employed an unorthodox solution by inserting low arches topped by inverted arches of similar dimensions, forming scissors-like structures. These arches brace the piers of the crossing on three sides, while the easternmost side is braced by a choir screen. The bracing arches are known as "St Andrew's Cross arches", in a reference to the patron saint of the cathedral. They have been described by Wim Swaan – rightly or wrongly – as "brutally massive" and intrusive in an otherwise restrained interior.

 

Wells Cathedral has a square east end to the choir, as is usual, and like several other cathedrals including Salisbury and Lichfield, has a lower Lady Chapel projecting at the eastern end, begun by Thomas Witney in about 1310, possibly before the chapter house was completed. The Lady Chapel seems to have begun as a free-standing structure in the form of an elongated octagon, but the plan changed and it was linked to the eastern end by extension of the choir and construction of a second transept or retrochoir east of the choir, probably by William Joy.

 

The Lady Chapel has a vault of complex and somewhat irregular pattern, as the chapel is not symmetrical about both axes. The main ribs are intersected by additional non-supporting, lierne ribs, which in this case form a star-shaped pattern at the apex of the vault. It is one of the earliest lierne vaults in England. There are five large windows, of which four are filled with fragments of medieval glass. The tracery of the windows is in the style known as Reticulated Gothic, having a pattern of a single repeated shape, in this case a trefoil, giving a "reticulate" or net-like appearance.

 

The retrochoir extends across the east end of the choir and into the east transepts. At its centre the vault is supported by a remarkable structure of angled piers. Two of these are placed as to complete the octagonal shape of the Lady Chapel, a solution described by Francis Bond as "an intuition of Genius". The piers have attached shafts of marble, and, with the vaults that they support, create a vista of great complexity from every angle. The windows of the retrochoir are in the Reticulated style like those of the Lady Chapel, but are fully Flowing Decorated in that the tracery mouldings form ogival curves.

 

The chapter house was begun in the late 13th century and built in two stages, completed about 1310. It is a two-storeyed structure with the main chamber raised on an undercroft. It is entered from a staircase which divides and turns, one branch leading through the upper storey of Chain Gate to Vicars' Close. The Decorated interior is described by Alec Clifton-Taylor as "architecturally the most beautiful in England". It is octagonal, with its ribbed vault supported on a central column. The column is surrounded by shafts of Purbeck Marble, rising to a single continuous rippling foliate capital of stylised oak leaves and acorns, quite different in character from the Early English stiff-leaf foliage. Above the moulding spring 32 ribs of strong profile, giving an effect generally likened to "a great palm tree". The windows are large with Geometric Decorated tracery that is beginning to show an elongation of form, and ogees in the lesser lights that are characteristic of Flowing Decorated tracery. The tracery lights still contain ancient glass. Beneath the windows are 51 stalls, the canopies of which are enlivened by carvings including many heads carved in a light-hearted manner.

 

Wells Cathedral contains one of the most substantial collections of medieval stained glass in England, despite damage by Parliamentary troops in 1642 and 1643. The oldest surviving glass dates from the late 13th century and is in two windows on the west side of the chapter-house staircase. Two windows in the south choir aisle are from 1310 to 1320.

 

The Lady Chapel has five windows, of which four date from 1325 to 1330 and include images of a local saint, Dunstan. The east window was restored to a semblance of its original appearance by Thomas Willement in 1845. The other windows have complete canopies, but the pictorial sections are fragmented.

 

The east window of the choir is a broad, seven-light window dating from 1340 to 1345. It depicts the Tree of Jesse (the genealogy of Christ) and demonstrates the use of silver staining, a new technique that allowed the artist to paint details on the glass in yellow, as well as black. The combination of yellow and green glass and the application of the bright yellow stain gives the window its popular name, the "Golden Window". It is flanked by two windows each side in the clerestory, with large figures of saints, also dated to 1340–45. In 2010 a major conservation programme was undertaken on the Jesse Tree window.

 

The panels in the chapel of St Katherine are attributed to Arnold of Nijmegen and date from about 1520. They were acquired from the destroyed church of Saint-Jean, Rouen, with the last panel having been purchased in 1953.

 

The large triple lancet to the nave west end was glazed at the expense of Dean Creighton at a cost of £140 in 1664. It was repaired in 1813, and the central light was largely replaced to a design by Archibald Keightley Nicholson between 1925 and 1931. The main north and south transept end windows by James Powell and Sons were erected in the early 20th century.

 

The greater part of the stone carving of Wells Cathedral comprises foliate capitals in the stiff-leaf style. They are found ornamenting the piers of the nave, choir and transepts. Stiff-leaf foliage is highly abstract. Though possibly influenced by carvings of acanthus leaves or vine leaves, it cannot be easily identified with any particular plant. Here the carving of the foliage is varied and vigorous, the springing leaves and deep undercuts casting shadows that contrast with the surface of the piers. In the transepts and towards the crossing in the nave the capitals have many small figurative carvings among the leaves. These include a man with toothache and a series of four scenes depicting the "Wages of Sin" in a narrative of fruit stealers who creep into an orchard and are then beaten by the farmer. Another well-known carving is in the north transept aisle: a foliate corbel, on which climbs a lizard, sometimes identified as a salamander, a symbol of eternal life.

 

Carvings in the Decorated Gothic style may be found in the eastern end of the buildings, where there are many carved bosses. In the chapter house, the carvings of the 51 stalls include numerous small heads of great variety, many of them smiling or laughing. A well-known figure is the corbel of the dragon-slaying monk in the chapter house stair. The large continuous capital that encircles the central pillar of the chapter house is markedly different in style to the stiff-leaf of the Early English period. In contrast to the bold projections and undercutting of the earlier work, it has a rippling form and is clearly identifiable as grapevine.

 

The 15th-century cloisters have many small bosses ornamenting the vault. Two in the west cloister, near the gift shop and café, have been called sheela na gigs, i. e. female figures displaying their genitals and variously judged to depict the sin of lust or stem from ancient fertility cults.

 

Wells Cathedral has one of the finest sets of misericords in Britain. Its clergy has a long tradition of singing or reciting from the Book of Psalms each day, along with the customary daily reading of the Holy Office. In medieval times the clergy assembled in the church eight times daily for the canonical hours. As the greater part of the services was recited while standing, many monastic or collegiate churches fitted stalls whose seats tipped up to provide a ledge for the monk or cleric to lean against. These were "misericords" because their installation was an act of mercy. Misericords typically have a carved figurative bracket beneath the ledge framed by two floral motifs known, in heraldic manner, as "supporters".

 

The misericords date from 1330 to 1340. They may have been carved under the direction of Master Carpenter John Strode, although his name is not recorded before 1341. He was assisted by Bartholomew Quarter, who is documented from 1343. They originally numbered 90, of which 65 have survived. Sixty-one are installed in the choir, three are displayed in the cathedral, and one is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum. New stalls were ordered when the eastern end of the choir was extended in the early 14th century. The canons complained that they had borne the cost of the rebuilding and ordered the prebendary clerics to pay for their own stalls. When the newly refurbished choir opened in 1339 many misericords were left unfinished, including one-fifth of the surviving 65. Many of the clerics had not paid, having been called to contribute a total sum of £200. The misericords survived better than the other sections of the stalls, which during the Protestant Reformation had their canopies chopped off and galleries inserted above them. One misericord, showing a boy pulling a thorn from his foot, dates from the 17th century. In 1848 came a complete rearrangement of the choir furniture, and 61 of the misericords were reused in the restructured stalls.

 

The subject matter of the carvings of the central brackets as misericords varies, but many themes recur in different churches. Typically the themes are less unified or directly related to the Bible and Christian theology than small sculptures seen elsewhere within churches, such as bosses. This applies at Wells, where none of the misericord carvings is directly based on a Bible story. The subjects, chosen either by the woodcarver, or perhaps by the one paying for the stall, have no overriding theme. The sole unifying elements are the roundels on each side of the pictorial subject, which all show elaborately carved foliage, in most cases formal and stylised in the later Decorated manner, but with several examples of naturalistic foliage, including roses and bindweed. Many of the subjects carry traditional interpretations. The image of the "Pelican in her Piety" (believed to feed her young on her own blood) is a recognised symbol for Christ's love for the Church. A cat playing with a mouse may represent the Devil snaring a human soul. Other subjects illustrate popular fables or sayings such as "When the fox preaches, look to your geese". Many depict animals, some of which may symbolise a human vice or virtue, or an aspect of faith.

 

Twenty-seven of the carvings depict animals: rabbits, dogs, a puppy biting a cat, a ewe feeding a lamb, monkeys, lions, bats, and the Early Christian motif of two doves drinking from a ewer. Eighteen have mythological subjects, including mermaids, dragons and wyverns. Five are clearly narrative, such as the Fox and the Geese, and the story of Alexander the Great being raised to Heaven by griffins. There are three heads: a bishop in a mitre, an angel, and a woman wearing a veil over hair arranged in coils over each ear. Eleven carvings show human figures, among which are several of remarkable design, conceived by the artist specifically for their purpose of supporting a shelf. One figure lies beneath the seat, supporting the shelf with a cheek, a hand and a foot. Another sits in a contorted manner supporting the weight on his elbow, while a further figure squats with his knees wide apart and a strained look on his face.

 

Some of the cathedral's fittings and monuments are hundreds of years old. The brass lectern in the Lady Chapel dates from 1661 and has a moulded stand and foliate crest. In the north transept chapel is a 17th-century oak screen with columns, formerly used in cow stalls, with artisan Ionic capitals and cornice, set forward over the chest tomb of John Godelee. There is a bound oak chest from the 14th century, which was used to store the chapter seal and key documents. The bishop's throne dates from 1340, and has a panelled, canted front and stone doorway, and a deep nodding cusped ogee canopy above it, with three-stepped statue niches and pinnacles. The throne was restored by Anthony Salvin around 1850. Opposite the throne is a 19th-century octagonal pulpit on a coved base with panelled sides, and steps up from the north aisle. The round font in the south transept is from the former Saxon cathedral and has an arcade of round-headed arches, on a round plinth. The font cover was made in 1635 and is decorated with the heads of putti. The Chapel of St Martin is a memorial to every Somerset man who fell in World War I.

 

The monuments and tombs include Gisa, bishop; † 1088; William of Bitton, bishop; † 1274; William of March, bishop; † 1302; John Droxford; † 1329; John Godelee; † 1333; John Middleton, died †1350; Ralph of Shrewsbury, died †; John Harewell, bishop; † 1386; William Bykonyll; † c. 1448; John Bernard; † 1459; Thomas Beckington; † died 1464; John Gunthorpe; † 1498; John Still; † 1607; Robert Creighton; † 1672; Richard Kidder, bishop; † 1703; George Hooper, bishop; † 1727 and Arthur Harvey, bishop; † 1894.

 

In the north transept is Wells Cathedral clock, an astronomical clock from about 1325 believed to be by Peter Lightfoot, a monk of Glastonbury. Its mechanism, dated between 1386 and 1392, was replaced in the 19th century and the original moved to the Science Museum in London, where it still operates. It is the second oldest surviving clock in England after the Salisbury Cathedral clock.

 

The clock has its original medieval face. Apart from the time on a 24-hour dial, it shows the motion of the Sun and Moon, the phases of the Moon, and the time since the last new Moon. The astronomical dial presents a geocentric or pre-Copernican view, with the Sun and Moon revolving round a central fixed Earth, like that of the clock at Ottery St Mary. The quarters are chimed by a quarter jack: a small automaton known as Jack Blandifers, who hits two bells with hammers and two with his heels. At the striking of the clock, jousting knights appear above the clock face.

 

On the outer wall of the transept, opposite Vicars' Hall, is a second clock face of the same clock, placed there just over seventy years after the interior clock and driven by the same mechanism. The second clock face has two quarter jacks (which strike on the quarter-hour) in the form of knights in armour.

 

In 2010 the official clock-winder retired and was replaced by an electric mechanism.

 

The first record of an organ at this church dates from 1310. A smaller organ, probably for the Lady Chapel, was installed in 1415. In 1620 an organ built by Thomas Dallam was installed at a cost of £398 1s 5d.

 

The 1620 organ was destroyed by parliamentary soldiers in 1643. An organ built in 1662 was enlarged in 1786 and again in 1855. In 1909–1910 an organ was built by Harrison & Harrison of Durham, with the best parts of the old organ retained. It has been serviced by the same company ever since.

 

Since November 1996 the cathedral has also had a portable chamber organ, by the Scottish makers, Lammermuir. It is used regularly to accompany performances of Tudor and baroque music.

 

The first recorded organist of Wells was Walter Bagele (or Vageler) in 1416. The post of organist or assistant organist has been held by more than 60 people since. Peter Stanley Lyons was Master of Choristers at Wells Cathedral, and Director of Music at Wells Cathedral School in 1954–1960. The choral conductor James William Webb-Jones, father of Lyons's wife Bridget (whom he married in the cathedral), was Headmaster of Wells Cathedral School in 1955–1960. Malcolm Archer was the appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers from 1996 to 2004. Matthew Owens was the appointed organist from 2005 to 2019.

 

There has been a choir of boy choristers at Wells since 909. Currently there are 18 boy choristers and a similar number of girl choristers, aged from eight to fourteen. The Vicars Choral was formed in the 12th century and the sung liturgy provided by a traditional cathedral choir of men and boys until the formation of an additional choir of girls in 1994. The boys and girls sing alternately with the Vicars Choral and are educated at Wells Cathedral School.

 

The Vicars Choral currently number twelve men, of whom three are choral scholars. Since 1348 the College of Vicars had its own accommodation in a quadrangle converted in the early 15th century to form Vicar's Close. The Vicars Choral generally perform with the choristers, except on Wednesdays, when they sing alone, allowing them to present a different repertoire, in particular plainsong.

 

In December 2010 Wells Cathedral Choir was rated by Gramophone magazine as "the highest ranking choir with children in the world". It continues to provide music for the liturgy at Sunday and weekday services. The choir has made many recordings and toured frequently, including performances in Beijing and Hong Kong in 2012. Its repertoire ranges from the choral music of the Renaissance to recently commissioned works.

 

The Wells Cathedral Chamber Choir is a mixed adult choir of 25 members, formed in 1986 to sing at the midnight service on Christmas Eve, and invited to sing at several other special services. It now sings for about 30 services a year, when the Cathedral Choir is in recess or on tour, and spends one week a year singing as the "choir in residence" at another cathedral. Although primarily liturgical, the choir's repertoire includes other forms of music, as well as performances at engagements such as weddings and funerals.

 

The cathedral is home to Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society (WCOS), founded in 1896. With around 160 voices, the society gives three concerts a year under the direction of Matthew Owens, Organist and Master of the Choristers at the cathedral. Concerts are normally in early November, December (an annual performance of Handel's Messiah) and late March. It performs with a number of specialist orchestras including: Music for Awhile, Chameleon Arts and La Folia.

 

The bells at Wells Cathedral are the heaviest ring of ten bells in the world, the tenor bell (the 10th and largest), known as Harewell, weighing 56.25 long hundredweight (2,858 kg). They are hung for full-circle ringing in the English style of change ringing. These bells are now hung in the south-west tower, although some were originally hung in the central tower.

 

The library above the eastern cloister was built between 1430 and 1508. Its collection is in three parts: early documents housed in the Muniment Room; the collection predating 1800 housed in the Chained Library; and the post-1800 collection housed in the Reading Room. The chapter's earlier collection was destroyed during the Reformation, so that the present library consists chiefly of early printed books, rather than medieval manuscripts. The earlier books in the Chained Library number 2,800 volumes and give an indication of the variety of interests of the members of the cathedral chapter from the Reformation until 1800. The focus of the collection is predominantly theology, but there are volumes on science, medicine, exploration, and languages. Books of particular interest include Pliny's Natural History printed in 1472, an Atlas of the World by Abraham Ortelius, printed in 1606, and a set of the works by Aristotle that once belonged to Erasmus. The library is open to the public at appointed times in the summer and presents a small exhibition of documents and books.

 

Three early registers of the Dean and Chapter edited by W. H. B. Bird for the Historical Manuscripts Commissioners – Liber Albus I (White Book; R I), Liber Albus II (R III) and Liber Ruber (Red Book; R II, section i) – were published in 1907. They contain with some repetition, a cartulary of possessions of the cathedral, with grants of land back to the 8th century, well before hereditary surnames developed in England, and acts of the Dean and Chapter and surveys of their estates, mostly in Somerset.

 

Adjacent to the cathedral is a large lawned area, Cathedral Green, with three ancient gateways: Brown's Gatehouse, Penniless Porch and Chain Gate. On the green is the 12th-century Old Deanery, largely rebuilt in the late 15th century by Dean Gunthorpe and remodelled by Dean Bathurst in the late 17th century. No longer the dean's residence, it is used as diocesan offices.

 

To the south of the cathedral is the moated Bishop's Palace, begun about 1210 by Jocelin of Wells but dating mostly from the 1230s. In the 15th century Thomas Beckington added a north wing, now the bishop's residence. It was restored and extended by Benjamin Ferrey between 1846 and 1854.

 

To the north of the cathedral and connected to it by the Chain Gate is Vicars' Close, a street planned in the 14th century and claimed to be the oldest purely residential street in Europe, with all but one of its original buildings intact. Buildings in the close include the Vicars Hall and gateway at the south end, and the Vicars Chapel and Library at the north end.

 

The Liberty of St Andrew was the historic liberty and parish that encompassed the cathedral and surrounding lands closely associated with it.

 

The English painter J. M. W. Turner visited Wells in 1795, making sketches of the precinct and a water colour of the west front, now in the Tate gallery. Other artists whose paintings of the cathedral are in national collections are Albert Goodwin, John Syer and Ken Howard.

 

The cathedral served to inspire Ken Follett's 1989 novel The Pillars of the Earth and with a modified central tower, featured as the fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral at the end of the 2010 television adaptation of that novel. The interior of the cathedral was used for a 2007 Doctor Who episode, "The Lazarus Experiment", while the exterior shots were filmed at Southwark Cathedral.

 

An account of the damage to the cathedral during the Monmouth Rebellion is included in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1889 historical novel Micah Clarke.

 

The cathedral provided scenes for the 2019–2020 television series The Spanish Princess.

Replacing a digital photo with a better version 14-Aug-19, plus DeNoise AI 21-Feb-23.

 

With additional GTI Travel titles on the engines.

 

Named: "Sun", right side livery.

 

This aircraft was delivered to the GPA Group Ltd and leased to Leisure International Airways (trading as Air UK Leisure) as G-UKLA in Oct-88. Between Oct-89/Apr-90 it was wet-leased to Malaysia Airlines.

 

It was leased to Malaysia Airlines again for the winter season 1990/91, this time as 9M-MLC, returning as G-UKLA in Jun-91. For the winter of 1995/96 it was leased to Modiluft India as VT-MGE and was stored on it’s return in Aug-96. It became G-ULKA again in Apr-97, but only briefly.

 

Air UK and Air UK Leisure were owned by KLM and in Jun-97 they were merged into KLM. G-UKLA was re-registered PH-BPA and continued in service with KLM until, after a brief wet lease to Air Mediterranee, it was returned to the lessor in Mar-01.

 

It was leased to Turkish charter company Sky Airlines the following month as TC-SKA and operated with them for seven years. In Feb-08 it was returned to the lessor and sold to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest (Trustee) as N865FC.

 

It was converted to freight configuration at Tel Aviv, Israel in Dec-08 and leased to BlueBird Cargo Iceland in Mar-09 as TF-BBH. Bluebird Cargo became Bluebird Nordic in Jan-18 although the aircraft titles still show Bluebird Cargo. Now 34.5 years old, it continues in service. Current, updated 13-Feb-23.

Replacing an earlier photo from Apr-17 with a better version 15-Sep-18.

 

This aircraft was incorrectly stickered as 5Y-KFA when in primer at Boeing Everett and was first flown as such! It was delivered to GECAS and leased to Kenya Airways as 5Y-KZZ in Oct-13. The aircraft was returned to GECAS in Jan-16 and was initially stored at Amsterdam (Netherlands). It was leased to Turkish Airlines as TC-LKA in Apr-16. Current (Sep-18).

Replaced Feb 3, 2009 with Low-Resolution Image

Off peaks 2 or 3 are parked at this northern terminus ôrkelljunga outstation

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 17-Jan-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 27-May-25.

 

On summer lease from Air Florida in basic Air Florida c/scheme with tail logo.

 

Originally to have been registered N45AF, the registration wasn't taken up and it was delivered to Air Florida in Dec-79 as N53AF. In Apr-82 the aircraft was leased to Air Europe as G-BJXL for the summer season, returning to Air Florida in Oct-82 as N53AF.

 

It was leased again by Air Europe as G-BJXL between May/Oct-83. It was returned to Air Florida and immediately returned to the lessor, still as G-BJXL. It was sold to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Dan-Air Services the same month.

 

In Nov-84 it was wet leased to Nordair Canada for the winter 84/85 season. In Apr-85 it was re-registered C-GNDG with Nordair for just one day before being returned to Dan-Air as G-BJXL. It was leased to Nordair Canada again from Nov-85/Apr-86, this time as C-GNDG.

 

It returned to Dan-Air as G-BJXL in Apr-86. In Nov-86 it was returned to ILFC and was immediately leased to Midway Airlines as N702ML.

 

Midway bought it in Nov-87. It was sold to Southwest Airlines in May-91 and operated with them until it was retired and stored at Mojave, CA, USA, in Sep-04. It was noted still at Mojave in Nov-07 and subsequently broken up.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version.

George R.R. Martin

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 03-Oct-21 (DeNoise AI).

 

This aircraft was delivered to Australian Airlines as VH-TJA in Dec-88. Australian Airlines was merged into QANTAS Airways in Oct-93.

 

It continued in service and was briefly leased to Polynesian Airlines between late Jan/Mar-99. The aircraft was leased to Jet Connect (New Zealand) as ZK-JNN In Oct-04.

 

It returned to QANTAS in Sep-09 and was sold to an aircraft part-out company in the USA as N295AG. It was ferried to Tucson, AZ, USA in Sep-09 and permanently retired. The registration was cancelled in Nov-09.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 24-Apr-22 (DeNoise AI).

 

This aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Air New Zealand as ZK-NCH in Oct-94. It was returned to ILFC in Oct-06 and immediately leased to flyGlobespan.com as G-CEFG.

 

The aircraft was sub-leased to Air India for 2 weeks in Apr-07. It was sub-leased to Air India again between May-07/Sep-08. flyGlobespan ceased operations in Dec-09 while the aircraft was operating a series of charter flights for the UK Royal Air Force.

 

It was returned to ILFC and was initially stored at RAF Brize Norton, UK. In Jan-10 it was ferried to Miami for further storage and was re-registered N411LF in Mar-10.

 

The aircraft was due to be leased to Luzair (Portugal) as CS-TQQ but the lease was cancelled just before delivery. Instead it was leased to Omni Air International (USA) in Sep-10 and was re-registered N396AX in Jan-11.

 

In Oct-16 the aircraft was returned to the lessor and sold to Cargo Aircraft Management Inc. It was converted to full freighter configuration with a main-deck cargo door at Tel Aviv, Israel in Mar-17. Blended winglets were also added at this time.

 

It was leased to ATI Air Transport International in mid-Apr-17. The aircraft was re-registered N347AZ at the end of the month and is operated by ATI on behalf of Amazon Prime Air. Current, updated 06-Nov-21.

 

I also have a photo of this with flyGlobespan.com at...

www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/6727923283

The original Custom House was destroyed by fire in 1813 and replaced in replica; this original structure was itself a rebuilding of the late C18 Red Lion Coffee House. The Custom House forms a strong group with the Town Cellar (Grade I-listed) and Harbour Office (Grade II-listed) on the old quay, illustrative of the old quayside, and forming the entrance to Thames Street.

Details

Custom house, built in 1781 and rebuilt in replica in 1814; now a commercial premises.

 

MATERIALS: Flemish bond brickwork with dressings of stone and rubbed brick, under a hipped slate roof with brick ridge and rear, lateral stacks.

 

PLAN: double-depth plan with a principal rear first-floor room.

 

EXTERIOR: the Custom House has two upper storeys and a semi-basement. Its front, to the west, is three bays wide, with four-bay side returns to the north and south. The principal façade has a basement impost band, moulded timber eaves, and the central pedimented bay set forward. The central porch has Tuscan columns and an entablature which carries a cast-iron Royal Coat of Arms, restored in around 1990. The double entrance doors are panelled. The porch is approached by symmetrical segmental curved stairs with wrought-iron railings, which copy those of Poole’s mid-C18 Guildhall (Grade II*-listed). Six-over-six-pane sash windows flank the entrance porch, while the central top-floor window is blank, with three-over-three-pane sash windows to either side. Below the entrance, the semi-basement floor has a keyed, segmental-arched doorway with a half-glazed door. The window openings to the semi-basement are round-arched, whilst those to the upper two storeys are flat-arched.

 

On the side returns the semi-basement forms a lower ground floor, and the fenestration matches that to the front elevation. There is an impost band, doorway and three windows; four sash windows to the floor above and four shorter sashes to the upper floor; and two blocked openings on the return facing Paradise Street.

 

INTERIOR: the ground floor is understood to be altered, but is reported to contain a rear axial stair, and a roof with four paired king-post trusses, two on each tie beam.

A collage to replace the individual pictures.

 

Original titles and bios, where applicable, from left to right:

 

Top row

Warrior

 

Dragon Drow

 

Uorenn Kerbunnt

 

Siralia of Ilyasvir

  

Middle row

Agéra

 

Reptarian

 

Vampire ronin

 

Dragon Rider

  

Bottom row

Enzan Armafur - A medium-class mage in the Order of Zotharith, just like Exetrius. Determined to climb the ranks and become a well-respected wizard in Nocturnus.

 

Exetrius Centario (custom army uniform)

 

Pumpkin mage - Am I in time for Halloween? ;D

 

Aethereal guard

I don't know. I might replace this later, but probably not.

 

So, I think I might be taking a break. I've been feeling pretty discouraged about everything, and it's ruining everything I enjoyed about photography, when it shouldn't. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being a big baby. But yeah. I'm going to slow down on the picture taking, and focus more on saving up for a house. ::crossing my fingers my camera doesn't break in the process:: I'll still be taking pictures and such, and probably posting to Facebook, but I'll be posting to Flickr a lot less for awhile. I need to feel the inspiration/love I first had. Now, I just feel frustrated with everything I do. I won't bore you with all the details. I'll still be checking out streams, when I can, and stuff like that. :) Hopefully when I come back, I'll have something amazing to show you guys.

 

::sigh:: Worst part is, I just renewed my Pro. Oy. >_<

 

Facebook

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Formspring <---Ask/tell me anything. I love getting questions.

Prints for only 50 cents!

 

The long standing 118 is being axed this weekend, replaced on the Streatham-Morden section by a lengthy southern extension of the TUK operated 45.

I thought I’d have a farewell ride on the route on its penultimate day, and this is E141 on Rowan Road.

E138-E150 have been allocated to the 118 all their lives, firstly at Merton and later moving to Stockwell with the route. 30.1.25.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 02-Jan-22 (DeNoise AI).

 

HISTORY UPDATED - Permanently retired (COVID-19)...

 

Fleet No: "273".

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWKZ, this aircraft was delivered to US Airways as N673UW in May-00. It was re-registered N273AY in Aug-06.

 

US Airways was merged into American Airlines in Apr-15. The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and stored at Roswell, NM, USA.

 

In late summer 2020 American made the decision to permanently retire the whole A330 fleet and it continued to be stored at Roswell. Updated 02-Jan-21.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 11-Feb-25, some slight 'yellowing' along the top edge.

 

First flown with the Boeing test registration N1787B, this aircraft was delivered to GATX B737-800 Partners BV and leased to Novair Sweden as SE-DVR in Apr-99.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Apr-04 and immediately leased to SunExpress Airlines as TC-SUM. The aircraft was fitted with blended winglets in May-05.

 

It returned to the lessor in May-16 and was leased to Blue Air (Romania) as YR-BMD later the same month. The aircraft was sub-leased to TUI Airlines Netherlands in Jun-16 and returned to Blue Air at the end of Oct-16.

 

It was ferried to Tucson, AZ, USA at the end of Dec-19 and stored. It was sold to the Boeing Capital Corporation as N748BC in Jan-20 and remained stored at Tucson.

 

It was sold to GA Telesis in Sep-20 and re-registered N288LR in Nov-20. It continued in storage at Tucson until it was ferried to Miami, FL, USA in Jan-21 to await freighter conversion.

 

The aircraft was converted to full freighter configuration in Jul-21 and ferried to Dothan, AL, USA for painting. It was due to be leased to Mesa Airlines and operated on behalf of DHL Aviation but the lease and sub-lease was cancelled.

 

In Aug-21 it was leased to Compass Cargo Airlines, Bulgaria as LZ-CXA and continues in service. Updated 10-Feb-25.

 

Note: Novair Sweden ceased operations on 09-Sep-23.

Replaced this because I rededited it. :)

 

Please like my Facebook Fanpage. :)

 

52/365

 

The world is alive now, in and outside our home

You run through the forest, settle before the sun

Darling, I can barely remember you beside me

You should come back home, back on your own now

- "Ragged Wood" by Fleet Foxes

 

Just a note, but I choose any lyrics after I take, edit, and post the photo.

 

View on black!

 

Sheet series! Today was my first legit shoot with my new camera, and I think this turned out really well. The basic concept was a feral yet elegant forest nymph. This was taken in the woods on our campus. My friend Sarah, once again, modeled. She really knows her angles and how to pose well. She also really knows how to take initiative and risks with her posing. I love that about her.

 

Funny story from when we were shooting. Sarah was just wearing a bra and pants underneath the sheet, and as we were shooting, someone was running on one of the paths near us. It was really awkward, but we still kept shooting. It was also freezing. Sarah's a real trooper. :)

 

Finally, I am really learning to use the manual setting on my camera, and it's so fantastic.

     

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 27-Dec-24.

 

This aircraft was delivered to PIA Pakistan International Airlines as AP-BGJ in Jan-04. It was withdrawn from service and stored at Karachi, Pakistan in Jul-24. Stored, updated 27-Dec-24.

Replacing a photo taken 08-May-11 with a better version 28-Jun-16.

 

Left side with additional '22kg Baggage allowance' and 'Allocated seats' titles

 

First flown with the Boeing test registration N5573K, this aircraft was delivered to China Southern Airlines as B-2803 in Nov-87. It was retired and stored at Guangzhou, China in Sep-06. In Nov-06 it was sold to The Dart Group Plc as G-LSAI and leased to Jet2.com. The aircraft suffered a serious tail-strike on landing at Alicante, Spain on 10-Apr-17. It was temporarily repaired and ferried back to Manchester, UK on 06-May-17. The aircraft was then 30 years old and I thought it may have been too expensive to repair. However I was forgetting that it was Jet2 and it returned to service at the end of May-17. Now 32.25 years old, it continues in service. Current, updated (Feb-20).

English Electric Type 4 crawls through Kings Norton station in April 1966. It is in green livery with small yellow warning panels. D289 was withdrawn in July 1976 as 40089. Kings Norton has changed over the years, this platform is no longer in use, the view through the bridge along the Camp Hill line is blocked by tree growth, overhead masts etc and the little booking office has been replaced by the current style model. The loco and stock have long departed.

PJS photo

replacing my road bicycle bottom bracket

A line up of ten withdrawn Seddon Atkinson 360 bin lorries dating from 2005/6 which were operated by North Lanarkshire Council until replaced by Mercedes-Benz vehicles in late 2012.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 16-Dec-21.

 

'Thar - Colours of the Desert' special tail livery.

 

This aircraft was built as a 'Combi' with a main deck side cargo door (SCD), it was delivered to PIA Pakistan International Airlines as AP-BAK in Jul-79.

 

It was removed from scheduled services in Mar-08 but continued in service on bloodstock (Horses!) charters and Haj Pilgrimage flights.

 

It was permanently retired at Karachi, Pakistan in mid 2011 after 32 years in service and was broken up there in Aug-13.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 16-Dec-15 (DeNoise AI 24-Sep-22)

 

Taken on a very dark, wet & murky November day on what used to be the 'South Bay' at Manchester.

 

This aircraft was originally built for MEA Middle East Airlines but the order was cancelled before completion. It was registered to the deHavilland Aircraft Company as G-AROV in Aug-61 and stored at Hatfield, UK.

 

It was delivered to Aerolineas Argentinas as LV-PTS in Apr-62 and was re-registered LV-AIB the following month. It was sold to Dan-Air Services in Oct-71 becoming G-AROV once again.

 

Dan-Air operated it for 6 years until it was retired at Lasham, UK, in Nov-77. It was broken up there in Nov-78.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 03-Jan-25.

 

Operated for Lufthansa by Lufthansa CityLine.

 

First flown with the British Aerospace test registration G-6-317, this aircraft was delivered to Lufthansa CityLine as D-AVRR in Dec-97 and operated on behalf of Lufthansa.

 

It was transferred to Lufthansa Regional in Feb-07, still operated by Lufthansa CityLine. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Cologne, Germany in Aug-12.

 

In Jul-13 the aircraft was sold to Linea Aerea EcoJet, Bolivia as CP-2814. It continued in service until mid Oct-24 when it was parked at Cochabamba, Bolivia.

 

In early Nov-24 it was ferried via Lima, Peru to an unknown location for storage, using it's registration as callsign. Possibly permanently retired? Updated 03-Jan-25.

Amtrak Capitol Corridor train 745 is westbound on the track 1 bridge at Benicia with P42 186 leading Charger 2103.

 

Pulled 3 ticks off Erie and at least 15 off myself for this one. There could be more I haven't found yet. Ridiculous.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 07-Nov-17.

 

Fleet No: '493'.

 

This aircraft was delivered to Delta Air lines as N493DA in May-75. It served with Delta for 25 years and was permanently retired at Victorville, CA, USA in Jan-00. It was broken up at Victorville around 2003.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 20-Nov-20, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 05-Apr-23.

 

Martinair only kept their A320's for just over 4 years.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWDE, this aircraft was delivered to SALE Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise and leased to Martinair as PH-MPE in Mar-03 and returned to the lessor in Nov-07.

 

It was leased to Etihad Airways as A6-EIB in Dec-07. The aircraft was sub-leased to Air Seychelles as S7-SIL in Jul-15 and returned to Etihad in Aug-19 when it was stored at Abu Dhabi. It was moved to Hyderabad, India in Dec-19 for continued storage and returned to the lessor in Aug-20.

 

It was leased to SmartLynx Airlines - Malta as 9H-SLB two weeks later and, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, it was stored at Malta on delivery. The aircraft was ferried to St. Athan, Wales, UK in Sep-20.

 

It never entered service and was permanently retired at St. Athan, Wales, UK. It was broken up there in Mar-23.

The Crypt,

St. Mary’s Cathedral,

Sydney, Australia.

 

Architects: Hennessy & Co.

Construction: Kell & Rigby

 

St Mary’s Cathedral was built between 1865 and 1882, with additions to the Cathedral as late as 2002.

It was re-built to replace the original Cathedral that was gutted by fire.

William Wardell was the architect who designed the Gothic Cathedral.

The main facade was based on the Notre Dame in Paris and the overall design is similar to Lincoln Cathedral in England.

 

The Crypt

 

Located below St Marys Cathedral is a magnificent sanctuary known as The Crypt.

The Crypt is the resting place of the deceased Archbishops of Sydney.

One of the features of The Crypt is the beautiful terrazzo and mosaic floors.

The quality of the workmanship is superb, and the materials are of the highest quality, producing work that would be difficult to reproduce in the modern era.

 

Symbolism plays an important role in the design of the intricate floor.

The floor is dominated by a huge Celtic Cross amidst a mix of complex swirls and geometric shapes.

The Melocco Bros were responsible for the elegant artwork of The Crypt’s floor.

Peter Melocco drew inspiration from The Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of The Gospels.

The Story of Creation is featured, also the Virgin Mary is depicted symbolically.

The Hardman Bros designed and constructed the fine stained glass windows that adorn the walls.

 

The Kelly Memorial Chapel Altar features a bas relief made of marble, depicting Jesus Christ’s burial.

The ornate ceiling features some paintings of native flora.

The Polding Altar is made of fine marble, and shows scenes of Jesus’s final days.

The stained glass windows highlight the life of the Virgin Mary.

The slabs placed above the graves of former Catholic leaders are works of art with delicate inscriptions.

 

old picture [:

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 12-Jul-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 01-Sep-24.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWIF, this aircraft was leased to ACES Colombia as VP-BVB in Nov-97. ACES ceased operations in Aug-03, the aircraft was repossessed and stored at Nimes, France.

 

It stayed at Nimes for 18 months until It was re-registered with the temporary French registration F-WQUO in Feb-05 and then leased to Valuair (Singapore) as 9V-VLD later the same month.

 

It returned to the lessor in May-06 and was immediately leased to Lotus Airlines (Egypt) as SU-LBG. Lotus Airlines ceased operations in May-11 and the aircraft was repossessed again, re-registered N416AC and stored at Dublin, Ireland.

 

It was leased to Zest Airways (Philippines) as RP-C8994 in Nov-11. Zest was renamed Philippines Air Asia in Jan-16. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Jul-18 and permanently retired at Kemble, UK. It was broken up at Kemble in Nov-18.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 07-Feb-22 (DeNoise AI). Unfortunately, many of my old negatives are suffering from this 'yellow plague'.

 

Named: "Pella".

 

This aircraft was delivered to Olympic Airways as SX-BKG in Jun-93. All Olympic Airways debts disappeared in Dec-03 when the airline was renamed Olympic Airlines.

 

The same thing happened again when Olympic Airlines was closed down at the end of Sep-09. It became Olympic Air the following day. However, this aircraft wasn't transferred to the new company and was stored at Athens in Oct-09.

 

It remained stored until it was sold by the Olympic Airlines liquidator to AerSale Inc (USA) as N148AS in Dec-10. It was ferried to Istanbul-SAW in Jan-11 for post storage maintenance before being stored at Bucharest-Baneasa (Romania) in Feb-11.

 

The aircraft was leased to Moscovia Airlines (Russia) as VQ-BNX in Nov-12 and returned to the lessor in May-14 when it was stored at Roswell, NM, USA. It was re-registered N148AS again in Jul-14.

 

It was briefly leased to SkyKing Inc for a couple of weeks in Sep/Oct-14 before being leased to Xtra Airways (USA) in mid Oct-14. It was re-registered N149XA in Jun-16. It was returned to AerSale Inc in Feb-18 and sold to Swift Air (USA) the following month.

 

Swift Air had reserved the registration N809TJ in Jun-18 but it wasn't taken up and the aircraft remained as N149XA. On 01-Jan-20 Swift Air was renamed iAero Airways. It was withdrawn from service and stored at Dothan, AL, USA in Sep-23. Updated 04-Feb-24.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 07-Jun-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 31-Aug-23.

 

Another misty morning at London-Gatwick. This had been a Southend weather diversion the previous evening.

 

The 'Scottish Flyer' was a short-lived 'bus-stop' scheduled service operation between Mar/Nov-69. It operated up the UK east coast between Southend and Aberdeen via five or six intermediate points including Luton, East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford, Teesside, Newcastle and Edinburgh. They aimed for 5/6 minute turnrounds with engines 3 & 4 kept running. Seat capacity was reduced and a large baggage area was introduced with passengers having to carry their own baggage on and off the aircraft. It wasn't a success!

 

Delivered new to Continental Airlines in Aug-58 as N246V, it was sold to Channel Airways in Dec-66 but was leased back to Continental for a further 2 months until it became G-AVHK in Feb-67.

 

Most of the original Continental livery also became part of the Channel Airways livery. It was retired and stored at Southend UK in May-70. Used for spares it was finally broken up there in Jun-72.

....at Camberwell Green.

Replacing the originally advertised 'Tornado', LNER class A4 no. 4464 'Bittern' approaches the site of the former Copmanthorpe station, 3 1/4 miles south of York, with a Steam Dreams' charter 'The Cathedrals Express' from Kings Cross on 19th December 2013, nearing the end of it's journey.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 13-Dec-15.

 

Named: "City of Perth".

 

The registration VH-EBD was previously used on a QANTAS B707-138B and later used on a QANTAS A330-202 which was also leased to JetStar between 2006/14.

 

This aircraft was delivered to QANTAS Airways in Dec-71 as VH-EBD. In Mar-80 it was due to be sold to Eastern Air Lines as N371EA and was repainted in full Eastern livery at Sydney. However the sale fell through and it was repainted in full QANTAS livery again at the end of Apr-80 and returned to service. It was returned to Boeing in Mar-85 as N747BN and remained stored at Sydney. In Sep-85 it was leased to Peoplexpress as N608PE. Boeing sold it to a leasing company 3 months later while the lease to Peoplexpress continued. In Feb-87 Peoplexpress was taken over by Continental Airlines. The registration N10023 was assigned by Continental but not used and the aircraft continued in service until it was returned to the lessor in Sep-91. It was stored at Mojave, CA, USA until May-92 when it was leased to Garuda Indonesian Airlines. It returned to the lessor and to storage at Norton AFB, CA, USA (later to be renamed Victorville) in Sep-92. It never flew again. It was sold to the AGES Group in Mar-94 and was broken up at Norton AFB in Sep-94.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 25-May-24.

 

Fleet No: "1AA".

 

This aircraft was the 4th MD-11 Prototype, first flown on 05-Jun-90 with the McDonnell Douglas test registration N411MD. After flight testing was complete it was originally for delivery to British Caledonian Airways (B.Cal). The order was transferred to British Airways after they had taken over B.Cal in late 1987. However, it was eventually cancelled.

 

It was delivered to American Airlines as N1750B in May-91. The type didn't really fit in with American's fleet plans, they sold it (and the rest of their MD-11 fleet) six years later to FedEx Federal Express as N581FE in Feb-97. It was converted to freighter configuration with a main deck cargo door in May-97.

 

The aircraft was written off on 17-Oct-99 when it overran the runway on landing at Subic Bay (now Clark Airport), Philippines. Due to an un-noticed air speed indicator error. the aircraft landed too fast and overran the runway, hitting a concrete post and slamming into a wire fence before plunging into the bay. All of the aircraft was submerged, 10 m offshore, except for the flight deck. The two flight crew survived.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 06-Apr-17, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 15-Dec-23.

 

Named: "Jacob Roggeveen", Fleet No: "DP-013"

 

This aircraft was delivered to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as PH-BDP in Mar-89. After 21 years in service it was retired in Nov-10 and stored at Norwich UK where it was later broken up. The registration was cancelled in Feb-11.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 26-Apr-19, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 22-Jul-23.

 

Operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic on behalf of Virgin Atlantic Airlines in partial Saudia livery (dark green tail) with partially painted Air Atlanta Icelandic titles.

 

First flown with the Boeing test registration N6018N, this aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to VARIG Airlines Brasil as PP-VOB in May-88.

 

It was returned to ILFC as N824DS in Jan-00. Two weeks later it was leased to Air Atlanta Icelandic as TF-ATI. The aircraft was wet-leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines for a Haj Pilgrimage operation between Feb/Apr-00.

 

In Jul-00 it was wet-leased to Virgin Atlantic Airways and returned to Air Atlanta in Nov-00. It was immediately placed on a long-term wet-lease with Iberia between Jan-01/Nov-05. On its return the aircraft was due to be stored at Marana, AZ, USA but then operated another Haj Pilgrimage wet-lease for Saudia between Dec-05/Feb-06.

 

It was wet-leased again to Iberia between Apr/May-06 and then at the end of May-06 it was wet-leased, long-term, to Saudi Arabian Airlines.

 

On it's return to Air Atlanta in Mar-10, the aircraft was permanently retired at Roswell, NM, USA. It was last noted still at Roswell in Dec-10, missing engines, nosecone and many other parts.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 22-Nov-24.

 

Named: "Chenggis Khaan".

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWCC in Oct-89, this aircraft was stored at Toulouse, France before being leased to Lufthansa as D-AIDK at the end of Mar-90.

 

It was wet-leased to SABENA Belgian World Airlines, short-term, between 12/22-Feb-93. It was returned to Airbus Financial Services in Oct-97 and stored at Hamburg, Germany.

 

The aircraft was re-registered F-WHPT in May-98 and became F-OHPT (a French Overseas registration) a week later. It had been due for delivery to Mongolian Airlines as JU-1069 but that was used. Because it was leased in France it was delivered to MIAT as F-OHPT in Jun-98.

 

It was sold to MIAT in May-08 and the aircraft was re-registered JU-1010. It was withdrawn from service and put up for sale in 2011 with 56,276hrs / 14,283cycles on the clock.

 

The aircraft was sold to Mahan Air, Iran as EP-MMJ at the end of Nov-14. It was withdrawn from service and stored at Tehran-IKA in early May-22. At almost 33 years old it was thought to have been permanently retired.

 

However, as frequently happens in Iran, it was re-registered EP-DZA in Jun-23 and transferred to Yazd Airways. It operated its last service on 07-Jul-24 from Tehran-IKA to Latakia, Syria and returned to Tehran-IKA the following day using a Mahan Air flight code. The aircraft appears to have been stored at Tehran-IKA since Jul-24. Will it return to service again? Who knows! Updated 22-Nov-24.

Replacing a photo from Apr-15 with a better version.

 

Named: "Princess Salma Bint Abdullah".

 

This aircraft was delivered to the CIT Leasing Corporation and leased to Royal Jordanian Airlines as JY-BAC in Oct-15. Current (Sep-18).

Camera: 24Squared

Lens: .10mm pinhole

Film: Eastman 5220

Developer: Xtol

Scanner: Epson V600

Photoshop: Curves, Healing Brush (spotting)

Cropping: None

Replacing an earlier photo from May-17 with a better version.

 

Named "Jet2 Lanzarote".

 

First flown with the Boeing test registration N1786B, this aircraft was delivered to The Dart Group LLC and leased to Jet2.com as G-JZHZ at the end of Apr-17. Current (May-17).

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 08-Oct-20.

 

Fleet No: "7AA".

 

This aircraft was delivered to American Airlines as N770AN in Jan-99. It was withdrawn from service and stored at Mobile - Downtown (BFM), AL, USA in Mar-20 as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was moved to Roswell, NM, USA in Aug-20 (I'm not sure if that's a permanent retirement as Roswell is normally where American's aircraft go at the end their lives...). Stored, updated (Oct-20).

With Halton Transport having met its demise, various operators have filled the gaps. Arriva have replaced many service runs, including parts of servcies 14A, 61, 62 and 200, Warrington's Own Buses have taken on parts of service 62 and some college work, Stagecoach have taken on some schools work and Ashcroft Travel have taken on services 26/27.

 

Among a dozen Alexander Dennis Enviro 200s drafted in at Warrington's Own Buses are three dual door ex London examples. 229 (YX10BFL) is seen at Green Oaks in Widnes.