---
title: "St Cuthbert, Wells"
description: "Located in Wells, Somerset. Built C13 nave arcades; C15 Perpendicular exterior, clerestory and west tower; crossing tower lost 1561. Diocese of Bath and Wells. Grade I. Early English and Perpendicular style."
category: "Church"
tags: ["Church","Church of England","Somerset","Wells","Grade I","Perpendicular","Somerset tower"]
canonical: "https://thebritishgazette.com/post/st-cuthbert-wells"
pubDate: "2026-09-06T03:03:58.963Z"
dateModified: "2026-09-07T16:06:53.170Z"
location: "Wells, Somerset"
country: "England"
county: "Somerset"
town: "Wells"
address: "St Cuthbert Street, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2AW"
postcode: "BA5 2AW"
built: "C13 nave arcades; C15 Perpendicular exterior, clerestory and west tower; crossing tower lost 1561"
denomination: "Church of England"
dedications: ["Cuthbert"]
diocese: "Bath and Wells"
grade: "I"
style: "Early English and Perpendicular"
materials: "Doulting ashlar (south); rubble with ashlar dressings (north)"
website: "http://www.stcuthbertswells.co.uk/"
openingHours: "Sorry, there are no regular opening times for this church."
parish: "St Cuthbert, Wells"
listEntryUrl: "https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1383111"
accessNotes: "Level access to the main areas. Accessible toilets nearby"
---

# St Cuthbert, Wells

The Church of St Cuthbert on St Cuthbert Street is the Grade I parish church of Wells, Somerset, a large thirteenth- and fifteenth-century church often mistaken for Wells Cathedral, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

## Overview

The Cuthbert dedication suggests a Saxon origin. Historic England and the listing description record a thirteenth-century Early English fabric, of which the nave arcade pillars survive, recast in the fifteenth century with a Perpendicular exterior, clerestory and angel roof over a seven-bay aisled nave. The south side is largely Doulting ashlar; the north is rubble with ashlar dressings. A central crossing tower collapsed or was taken down in 1561 during Reformation alterations; the present three-stage west tower, the third highest in Somerset, rises 123 feet to the battlements and 151 feet to the pinnacles. The north transept (St Catherine’s Chapel) retains a thirteenth-century reredos rediscovered in 1848; the south transept (Lady Chapel) has a Jesse reredos of 1470. A 1636 carved pulpit bears the arms of Charles I and Charles II. The coloured nave ceiling was restored in 1963. The church is the parish church of Wells St Cuthbert, not the cathedral.

## Further Information

- [St Cuthbert’s, Wells](http://www.stcuthbertswells.co.uk/)
- [Historic England list entry 1383111](https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1383111)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Cuthbert%27s_Church,_Wells)