Archaeological excavation, architectural survey and
historical research carried out between 1978 and 1993 have elucidated the
origins and early development of Wells Cathedral. Study concentrated primarily
on the cloister and its adjuncts, and excavation took place in the adjoining
`Camery’ garden. Here lay an ancient cemetery and the foundations of a
succession of demolished buildings, ranging in date from Roman to
post-medieval. Collectively, these enshrined a continuous development of
religious and sepulchral activity, probably from the fourth to the
mid-sixteenth century; secular uses followed. Adjacent to the Camery are the
springs from which Wells takes its name. The first mention of the `holy well’
and minster church of St Andrew is in A.D. 766.


Excavation yielded a complex stratigraphic sequence, demonstrating how an
anonymous late Roman mausoleum burial probably provided the raison d’être for
the development of a Middle Saxon cemetery and chapel, and hence for the
origins of Wells Cathedral itself in 909. The establishment of this sequence is
uniquely important in the history of English cathedral archaeology and sets
Wells alongside developments in continental Europe.