aerial photograph of Wells Cathedral & Bishops' Palace Somerset England UK. Wells Cathedral was constructed between 1175 and 1490 to replace an earlier Saxon Church. It is a fine example of medieval gothic architecture and has survived the dissolution of the monasteries and the English Civil war when it sustained some damage. During the interregnum the building fell into disrepair after the Dean was killed in 1646, however it was restored at the end of the 17th century.The Bishops Palace is almost as old , having been started in 1210 with the Gatehouse and Moat being added in 14th Century.Troops wer garisoned here during the English Civil War and also during the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685. In the bottom left corner is Vicars' Close, Wells which is Europe's oldest residential street with its original buildings still extant.