Abbey, Cathedral, and Manor: A Tour of Glastonbury, Wells, and Mells

Monday, 13 August.

Today, our group traveled to various sites between Bath and Oxford.

Glastonbury Tor

Our first stop was Glastonbury Abbey, the site of the ruins of a Briton abbey founded in the 7th century. The abbey underwent periods of expansion and destruction, until it was finally dissolved during the reign of King Henry VIII. Glastonbury Abbey was one of the most prominent monasteries in England during the medieval period, and if it were intact today, it would be the largest church in England. Glastonbury has legendary connections with Joseph of Arimathea and King Arthur; in fact, the purported burial site of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere is marked among the ruins.

Virgin and Child left intact amidst destruction of the abbey.

Burial site of Arthur and Guinevere

Crypt Chapel - Catholic and Anglican services are still held here.

View down what would be the main aisle.

Ruins of the Lady Chapel.

Intricate decoration of the doorway.

We ended up with a particularly rainy day for our visit to Glastonbury. Nonetheless, we still climbed up the sheep path to the Glastonbury Tor, the hill topped with St. Michael's Tower that is believed by some to be the Isle of Avalon. The precipitation caused a ring of mist to form around the top of the hill, which added a particularly eerie and mystical element.

Mist-enshrouded Tor.

By the time we descended from the Tor, we were all completely soaked and shivering; but experiencing a little piece of the Arthurian legend was worth it.

The group - soaked through - in front of Wells Cathedral.

Next, we toured Wells Cathedral, another of the important monasteries of the medieval period. Wells, thankfully, was left intact - even the astounding West Front, with its numerous statues of holy men and women.

The magnificent West Front.

Close-up of Christ (top) in Judgment Seat and statues.

Wells is the smallest city in England, and is only called a city because of the cathedral. Wells Cathedral is an architectural treasure: elaborate fan vaulting in the chapter house and Lady Chapel, the chapter house staircase, grotesque capitals, and more. [During this visit to Wells Cathedral, I didn't take very many pictures inside; check out my blog post on my CMRS field trip to Wells if you'd like to see pictures of the cathedral!]

The cloisters.

The medieval chapel house staircase - check out the incredibly worn steps!

Our final stop for our Monday journey was the enchanting village of Mells. We took a tour of the village and had afternoon tea at Mells Manor as guests of Lady Clare Asquith, Countess of Oxford.

Welcome to Mells Manor!

Our tour began at the St. Andrew's parish church graveyard, where Siegfried Sassoon, poet and author, and Ronald Knox, theologian and author, are buried. Lady Asquith shard with us a part of the intriguing history of the family of Asquith. Next, we went inside the church to see the moving war memorial and beautiful stained glass window. Then we strolled around the village of Mells as Lady Asquith told us historical anecdotes, amidst saying hello to every person that passed by. I truly enjoyed everything about Mells. It has such a familial air - everyone knows each other here! There are public footpaths, lovingly designed bus stops, thatched roof houses...such a microcosm of English-ness.

The tower of St. Andrew's.

St. Andrew's parish and cemetery.

Gravestone of Ronald Knox.

Gravestone of Siegfried Sassoon. 

War Memorial statue.

Pre-Raphaelite stained glass window

Lady Asquith leading us around the village of Mells.

Cute little house - named Victoria Cottage :)

Thatched roof!

Following our tour of the village, Lady Clare Asquith invited us into her home, Mells Manor, and showed us around. We saw an impressive book collection, an array of portraits, the original deed of the manor, the veil worn by Mary Tudor to her execution, and the windowsill at which Ronald Knox wrote whilst standing. (Turns out that Ronald Knox wrote his translation of the Bible at Mells Manor.) We then joined Lady Clare and her daughter in their newly-redesigned kitchen for tea, homemade sponge cake, and shortbread. Tea and cake in an English manor - it was quite the fairy-tale experience for me. Before departing from lovely Mells, we stopped in the small Catholic chapel of St. Catherine of Siena for a short time of Adoration.

~ Mells Manor ~