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Cathedral Church of St AndrewCathedral Church of St Andrew · Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
AHistory Grade
History of Wells · Historic England

332 listed buildings, 23 of them Grade I

Historic England counts them inside Wells’s built-up area, 274 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 3 scheduled monuments. We have photos of 60 of its listed buildings and 3 old views of the town. 18% of its homes were built before 1919. Wells grades A for history: #5 of 49 in Somerset.

23Grade I36Grade II*3scheduled monuments50on High Street
Listed buildings
332
274 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
23
exceptional interest
Grade II*
36
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
3
3 registered parks & gardens
Homes built before 1919
18%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures

Wells in 64 photos and old views

Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.

The Bishop's Palace and Bishop's HouseThe Bishop's Palace and Bishop's HouseGrade I listedThe Bishop's BarnThe Bishop's BarnGrade I listedCity Arms InnCity Arms InnGrade II listedPost OfficePost OfficeGrade II listedMortuary chapelMortuary chapelGrade II listed+59See all photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.

Through time

Wells from 1890 to 1893

3 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.

Wells Bishop's Palace from Moat1890
VictorianWells Bishop's Palace from MoatPhoto: Museum of Photographic Arts Collections · No restrictions
The Crown Yard, Wells, 18931893
VictorianThe Crown Yard, Wells, 1893Photo: CRB Barrett · Public domain
The Palace, Wells, 18931893
VictorianThe Palace, Wells, 1893Photo: CRB Barrett · Public domain

Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.

The map

Where Wells’s history is

Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.

Bishops Palace, Wells, registered park or gardenMendip Hospital Cemetery, registered park or gardenMilton Lodge and The Combe, registered park or gardenBishop's Palace ruined portions, walls and well house, scheduled monumentBishop's tithe barn, scheduled monumentBrowne's Gate, scheduled monumentBarclays Bank, Grade II*Cathedral Green House, Grade II*Church of St Thomas, Grade II*Claver Morris House, Grade II*Conservative Club, Grade II*De Salis House and de Salis Cottage, Grade II*Kings Head Hotel, Grade II*Polydor House, Grade II*Ritchie Hall, Grade II*St Cuthbert's Lodge and Attached Walls and Gate Piers, Grade II*The Ancient Gate House Hotel, Grade II*The Cedars, Grade II*The Crown Hotel, Grade II*The Dean's Lodging, Grade II*The Market Cross, Grade II*The Music School and Attached Walls, Grade II*The Old Almshouse, Grade II*The Rib, Grade II*Tower House, Grade II*12, Sadler Street, Grade II*13, Market Place, Grade II*15, Market Place, Grade II*17, Market Place, Grade II*19, Market Place, Grade II*21, Market Place, Grade II*22 Chamberlain Street, Grade II*23, Market Place, Grade II*23, The Liberty, Grade II*25, Market Place, Grade II*3 and 5, St Thomas Street, Grade II*3, Market Place, Grade II*5, Market Place, Grade II*6, High Street, Grade II*7, Market Place, Grade II*7, Sadler Street, Grade II*8, High Street, Grade II*Boundary Walls to Numbers 1-13, Grade IBoundary Walls to Numbers 14-27, Grade IBrown's Gatehouse, Grade ICathedral Church of St Andrew, Grade IChapter House to Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Grade IChurch of St Cuthbert, Grade ICloisters to Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Grade IGatehouse and Boundary Wall with Bridge over Moat, Grade IGatehouse and South Boundary Wall to the Old Deanery, Grade IOld Deanery Court with Link Wall Along East Side, Grade IPenniless Porch, Grade ISt John's Priory with Front Boundary Wall and Railings, Grade IThe Bishop's Barn, Grade IThe Bishop's Chapel and the Bishop's Palace, Grade IThe Bishop's Eye, Grade IThe Bishop's Palace and Bishop's House, Grade IThe Chain Gate with Approach Staircase, Grade IThe Old Deanery, Grade IThe Vicars' Chapel, Grade IThe Vicars' Hall Including Number 28, Grade I1, St Andrew Street, Grade I1-13, Vicars' Close, Grade I14-27, Vicars' Close, Grade I
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monumentPark or garden400 m from Wells Cathedral
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
21 of 23Grade I buildings stand within 400 m of Wells Cathedral, a five-minute walk. So do 228 of the 332 listed buildings.
0 of 9neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 31% were built before 1919.

Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.

332 listed buildings by grade
23 Grade I36 Grade II*273 Grade II

Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.

Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).

Grade I

The 23 Grade I listed buildings in Wells

Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings; 21 of these stand within 400 m of Wells Cathedral. 22 are photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.

Cathedral · listed 1953Wells CathedralOn the list as Cathedral Church of St AndrewPhoto: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
House · listed 1953Bishop's BarnOn the list as The Bishop's BarnPhoto: Derek Andrews · CC BY-SA 3.0
Walls & gates · listed 1953St John's PrioryOn the list as St John's Priory with Front Boundary Wall and RailingsPhoto: Rodw · Public domain
Public · listed 1953Bishop's Palace ChapelOn the list as The Bishop's Chapel and the Bishop's PalacePhoto: Michael D Beckwith · CC0
Walls & gates · listed 1953Chain GateOn the list as The Chain Gate with Approach StaircasePhoto: Derek Andrews · CC BY-SA 3.0
Public · listed 1953Vicar's HallOn the list as The Vicars' Hall Including Number 28Photo: Rodw · CC BY-SA 3.0
Grade II*

The 36 Grade II* listed buildings in Wells

Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. 35 are photographed.

House · listed 1953The CedarsPhoto: Mike Searle · CC BY-SA 2.0
Show the other 24
Public · listed 1953Market CrossOn the list as The Market CrossPhoto: Sharon Loxton · CC BY-SA 2.0
House · listed 1953The RibPhoto: Rodw · CC BY-SA 3.0
Historic streets

High Street has the most listed buildings

Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.

High Street50 listed · 2 II*
6, High Street8, High Street
Sadler Street19 listed · 2 II*
12, Sadler Street7, Sadler Street
Chamberlain Street18 listed · 1 II*
Market Place13 listed · 10 II*
13, Market Place15, Market Place17, Market Place
St Thomas Street12 listed · 1 II*
3 and 5, St Thomas Street
Broad Street11 listed
St John Street9 listed
New Street8 listed
Priest Row6 listed
Tucker Street5 listed
Cathedral Green4 listed
Union Street4 listed

Of the 332 entries, 173 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.

What’s protected

Most of Wells’s listed buildings are homes

Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.

Houses, terraces & villas228
Walls, gates & bridges56
Public & civic buildings17
Inns, shops & warehouses14
Churches, chapels & priories10
Street furniture6
Memorials, crosses & tombs1

228 entries (69%) are houses, terraces and villas. 10 are churches, chapels and priories, including 5 of the 23 Grade I buildings.

Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.

Grade II

273 Grade II listed buildings

Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.

The first 150 of 273 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Avenue House with Boundary WallsBeaumont House and Attached WallsBell CottageBlack DogBlue School and Portway AnnexeBoundary Railings and Gates to Portway HouseBoundary Wall to the South of Number 3 (Polydor House)Boundary Walls Between Cedars Cottage and de Salis House and CottageBoundary Walls and Gateways to Number 19Boundary Walls to Number 3 and to Lantern House (Lantern House Not Included)Boundary Walls to South and West of the Blue SchoolBoundary Walls to Tower HouseBox Bush CottageBridge HouseBuilding Immediately West of Number 17Burwood House and Attached OutbuildingCedars Cottage and Former Stables and Coach House and Allied Buildings AroundChurchyard Boundary Wall to Church of St ThomasCity Arms InnCrown HotelDiocesan RegistryEast House and Carmelite House and Attached Wall and RailingsElim Pentecostal ChurchFire HydrantFlagstonesFormer Railway Goods ShedFountain InnFront Boundary Wall Approximately 10 Metres West of Number 19Front Boundary Wall Approximately 13 Metres West of Number 23Front Boundary Wall West of Number 25 (The Dean's Lodging)Front Boundary Wall and Gateway with Piers to Number 36Front Boundary Wall to Ritchie HallFurlong House (Lorne Place) and Attached BalustradeGoat Cottage (Number 8A)Harpers AlmshousesHarwood CottageHaversham HouseHenstridge HouseLadbrook HouseLamb HouseLamp Standard on South East Corner of Churchyard of St CuthbertLlewellyns Almshouses with Gate and WallsLloyds BankMelbourne HouseMethodist Church with Attached Rooms and Front Boundary Walls and RailingsMidland BankMilepost Approximately 160 Metres East of Churchill Road CornerMortuary chapelMountroy and Attached Forecourt RailingsMullins and Attached Boundary WallNational Westminster BankNewlyn and the Little HouseNortham House with Boundary WallNumber 1 with Front Boundary RailingsNumber 16 with Front Boundary WallNumber 2 and Front Boundary RailingsNumber 28 and Attached Buildings to RearNumber 43 with Front Boundary Walls and RailingsNumber 6 and Associated Boundary WallingNumber 6 and Attached RailingsNumber 61 and Front Boundary WallNumber 67 and Front Boundary WallNumber 69 and Front Boundary WallNumber 71 and Front Boundary WallNumber 92 and Attached Piers and GatesNumbers 60, 60A and 62 with Rear Boundary WallNumbers 63 and 65 and Front Boundary WallsOld Deanery Boundary Wall on South Side at Return to New StreetPalace Stream Bridge Immediately South of Number 21 (21 Not Included)Patch House and Boundary Wall with GatePethericksPlumptre with Front Boundary WallPortway HousePost OfficePost Office StoreRear Boundary Wall to Town HallRegal CinemaRichmond HouseRitchie House with Boundary Walls and OutbuildingRock HouseSaltyre HouseSomerset CottagesSouth Lodge to Mendip HospitalSt Andrew's Lodge with Front Boundary WallSt Cuthbert's Vicarage with Front Boundary WallSt Thomas's Terrace and Front Boundary WallsSwan Hotel and Attached OutbuildingsSycamore HouseThe Coach House and Gateway AdjoiningThe End HouseThe Four TubsThe Gatehouse with Front Boundary WallingThe Georgian HouseThe Globe InnThe Hollies and Hollies Cottage and Attached Boundary Wall and GatewayThe Old Vicarage and East VicarageThe Red Lion HotelThe Sherston InnThe Star HotelThe White Hart with Attached Gate PiersTor Guest HouseTown HallTrewetha CottageTrinity CottageTriple Lamp Standard Adjacent to Boundary Wall Opposite Wells MuseumTriple Lamp Standard Approximately 25 Metres to West of South West TowerTriple Lamp Standard Approximately 35 Metres to North of Town HallWalls Enclosing Churchyard of St CuthbertWalls Linking the West Cloister Porch of the CathedralWar Memorial in Churchyard of St Cuthbert Approximately 10 Metres South of South West Corner of ChurchWater Hydrant 10 Metres West of Number 39 (The Sherston Inn)Water Hydrant Approximately 25 Metres North East of Number 2Water Hydrant Approximately 5 Metres South East of Number 71Wells Cathedral Junior SchoolWells Infirmary Main Block (Also Known As Priory Hospital)Wells MuseumWells United ChurchWest Street HouseYork House1, High Street1, Queen Street10, Broad Street10, Chamberlain Street10, High Street10, Market Place10, Priest Row10, Sadler Street10, St John Street11, Broad Street11, High Street11, New Street11, Priest Row11, The Liberty11A, 11B and 11C, St Thomas Street12 and 13, Tucker Street12 and 14, Priest Row12, Broad Street12, Chamberlain Street12, High Street12, Market Place12, St John Street13, High Street13, Sadler Street14, Broad Street14, Chamberlain Street14, Sadler Street14, St John Street14, Tucker Street15, High Street15, Sadler Street

Search the rest on Historic England’s list →

Conservation areas

2 conservation areas cover 15% of Wells

Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.

Wells 197055 ha
Mendip Hospital 19911 ha
57 hain conservation areas, of 390 ha inside the built-up area.

The first, Wells, was designated in 1970; the newest, Mendip Hospital, in 1991. 322 of the 332 listed buildings stand in one.

Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.

How the list grew

154 of Wells’s 332 listed buildings were added in 1953

The year each building now on the list was first listed.

1953 · 1541972 · 952000 · 57
19501960197019801990200020102020

The first 1 entry was listed in 1952, 1 of the 23 Grade I buildings among them. 154 came in 1953. Only 2 have been added in the last 15 years.

Monuments & landscapes

Monuments, parks and gardens

Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.

3 scheduled monuments

Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.

Bishop's Palace ruined portions, walls and well house
Bishop's tithe barn
Browne's Gate

3 registered parks and gardens

Bishops Palace, Wells
History Grade

Wells grades A for history

Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.

Protected heritage, for its size and in all (424 points, 351 per 10,000 residents)More than 96% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (18%)More than 55% of UK towns

Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.

Born here

15 notable people born in Wells before 1900

Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.

Jocelin of Wells
Thomas Chaundler
John Bodey
John Hoskins
George Bull
George Stephen
Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior
Charles Maurice Davies
Charles George Orlando Bridgeman
Herbert E. Balch
Harry George Crandon
Albion Earnest Andrews
Heathcote William Garrod
Michael George Henry Barker
Harold Hippisley
120013501500165018001950
George Bull
George Bull1634–1710 · English Bishop of St David's
JB
John Bodey1549–1583 · English theologian
Michael George Henry Barker
Michael George Henry Barker1884–1960 · British Army general
JH
John Hoskins1589–1664 · English miniature painter (ca. 1590-1665)
Heathcote William Garrod
Heathcote William Garrod1878–1960 · (1878-1960) British academic
JW
Jocelin of Wells1150–1242 · Bishop of Bath; Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury
HH
Harold Hippisley1890–1914 · English cricketer (1890-1914)
CB
Charles George Orlando Bridgeman1852–1933 · English barrister and historian (1852-1933)

Everyone born in Wells → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.

Towns its size

Wells has the 3rd most Grade I buildings of 614 towns its size

Places of 7,000–19,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.

Armagh25
Ely25
Wells23
Berwick-upon-Tweed14
Sherborne12
Lewes9
Ludlow9
Whitby8
Bradford-on-Avon8
Blandford Forum8
Tewkesbury7
Caernarfon7
#19 of 614for listed buildings per resident (274 per 10,000). Brecon, Ludlow and Richmond lead.

Only Armagh and Ely have more. The typical town its size has 0.

Neighbours

Listed buildings in the places around Wells

TownPeopleListedGrade IHistory
Wells12,09733223A
Pilton1,104412A+
Shepton Mallet9,6452111A
Glastonbury8,3041537A
Draycott1,06950B
Wedmore1,424701A+
Street12,707301B−
Chilcompton1,857180B+
In brief

Wells in brief

For its size, Wells has more listed heritage than 96% of UK towns. In all there are 332 listed buildings, 23 of them Grade I. Wells Cathedral sits at the heart of it all, with 21 of the town’s Grade I buildings within 400 m. Only 2 of the 614 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings.

On High Street alone there are 50 listed buildings. Its older streets lie in 2 conservation areas, the first designated in 1970. Of the whole list, 69% are houses, terraces and villas. The rest is about typical: it also has 3 scheduled monuments; and 18% of its homes were built before 1919, close to the 15% in the typical UK town.

Questions about Wells’s history

How many listed buildings are there in Wells?

Historic England lists 332 buildings inside Wells’s built-up area: 23 Grade I, 36 Grade II* and 273 Grade II.

What are the Grade I listed buildings in Wells?

23, including Boundary Walls to Numbers 1-13, Boundary Walls to Numbers 14-27, Brown's Gatehouse, Cathedral Church of St Andrew, Chapter House to Cathedral Church of St Andrew and Church of St Cuthbert.

Which street in Wells has the most listed buildings?

High Street (50), Sadler Street (19) and Chamberlain Street (18) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.

Are there scheduled monuments in Wells?

Yes, 3 scheduled monuments, including Bishop's Palace ruined portions, walls and well house, Bishop's tithe barn and Browne's Gate.

How many conservation areas are there in Wells?

2, covering about 57 hectares of the town. The largest are Wells and Mendip Hospital.

When were Wells’s buildings listed?

The first in 1952; the most, 154, in 1953.

Are there old photos of Wells?

Yes: 3 public-domain photos and postcards from 1890 to 1893, all on this page.

Who was born in Wells?

Among people born before 1900: George Bull (1634), John Bodey (1549), Michael George Henry Barker (1884), John Hoskins (1589) and Heathcote William Garrod (1878).

How old are the homes in Wells?

18% of homes were built before 1919 and 25% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.

Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.