Church of St Cuthbert, Wells

The Church of St Cuthbert stands in the small city of Wells in Somerset, built mainly of Doulting ashlar stone. It dates from the 13th century but was much altered in the 15th century, when a clerestory and an angel roof were added. The tower, the third highest in Somerset, rises 151 feet above the west door. Inside, the nave has a coloured ceiling repainted in 1963 after a 15th-century ceiling was uncovered. The church is a Grade I listed building and is often mistaken for the cathedral. The building’s history includes a central tower removed in the 16th century during the Protestant Reformation. A lightning strike in 1975 brought down a pinnacle, which was later replaced. The north transept contains remains of a 13th-century reredos rediscovered in 1848, while the Lady Chapel has a 1470 stone reredos carved with the Tree of Jesse theme. A carved wood pulpit from 1636 shows the coats of arms of Charles I and Charles II. Visitors find an aisle nave with seven bays, a side chapel with a hidden 15th-century ceiling, and a fine pipe organ rebuilt several times since 1820. The tower contains bells cast by Roger Purdy. The church also served as a filming location for *Hot Fuzz*, where a scene recreated a real lightning strike from the early 1970s.