England's 'hidden' medieval street | BBC Global

[@TheLearningLounge]

Hats off to those who have done their best to preserve it, and continue to do so.

[@count69]

Migrants incoming.

[@Weelonmusk]

@@count69quickly! We have to fill it up with migrants. Can’t have culture preserved. Don’t be racist.

[@brianholihan5497]

I was there back in 1987. It was my first trip overseas, from California, so I found it profoundly moving to be immersed in the Middle Ages.

[@anonUK]

"Still no luck finding that swan..."

[@RoseOfMadina]

What?

[@danielpeti3885]

absolutely amazing. I hope they will get the funds to preserve every inch of this magnificent place.

[@christopher_schwab]

I used to sing in Wells Cathedral as a schoolboy end of term. Certainly didn't appreciate it at the time, but now find the history so cool.

[@spaceskipster4412]

I’ve sung there too. Travelled all the way from Norfolk. 👼🏼

[@ForgotMyParachute]

We are really lucky in this country to have such places to visit.

[@brakecompo2005]

Brilliant thank you. Only the BBC does stuff this good.

[@davidlong1459]

Even as a youngster born and brought up in Somerset I’d always want to walk across the road each visit to Wells to take this in. A most transfixing street view.

[@maily8388]

You meant Wales?

[@CricketsBay]

@maily8388 No, Wells. As in Wells Cathedral where Vicar's Close is located. It was clearly stated in the video.

[@pauljakeman]

Truly amazing. Wish I had known about this place when I was on holiday in Somerset years ago

[@Pippie807]

I keep finding new places that I want to go back to see.

[@MegaAltonator]

Used to live 5 mins from here and wrote an article for a local magazine called 'Somerset Life' all about the street. Lovely spot. Nice to hear it'll be getting some investment and also opened up to the public. I now live near Birmingham but will head back down again to visit Vicars' Close again soon. Bishop's Palace which is pretty much opposite is a nice place to visit too, if you haven't heard of it and are in the area.

[@patreekotime4578]

It is funny to me when modern city planners decide that something actually old doesn't look "historical" enough so they force changes that remove the original look to fit the asthetic people think it should be. One city I lived in the US had a local law that stated that if work is done on any old brick buildings, they had to be stuccoed. Even though stucco destroys old brick and mortar, and many of those buildings were really obvioiusly never stuccoed when they were first built. The result is that it made it impossible for anyone who isn't a bazillionaire to own and restore buildings in that historic district, the structural integrity of many old buildings have been compromised, and the true historic nature of the buildings including remants of old painted advertisements over 100 years old were lost in a rush to keep up with ridiculously bad legislation.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

What in the world are blabbering about. If the street is unadopted road then the church choose cobbles, if it is adopted that was highway engineers not city planners. Your tall tale of Stucco doesn't even make sense as Stucco is actually mildly protective for brick. Lastly the reason I presume they requested Stucco is because that is what is seen as an important element of the street, the point isn't make everything look like when it was built, it is to preserve it in a way that enhances the features that made it a place of interest in the first place.

[@davidmurphy9151]

@@Alex-cw3rz The point is to preserve the investments of current property owners at the expense of future property oweners.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@davidmurphy9151 there point was they didn't know how Stucco works and don't know that roads are dealt with by highways not planners making his comment pointless. What you have said is the opposite of what happens. The ability to make as many changes as possible including demolition and building something new gives the greatest investment to the current owners. Historical Preservation limits all of this. Their comment about Stucco isn't even true it actually protects brick.

[@patreekotime4578]

@@Alex-cw3rz What are YOU blabbering about? I found it a funny coincidence. And no, stucco is NOT "protective" of 150 year old brick. It can trap moisture in the wall, causing never-ending cracking, and can never be removed to actually restore the look of the buildings without significant damange to the walls. It is a "quick fix" to "update" the style of a building for the purpose of raising real estates prices, that has absolutely nothing to do with PERSERVING the look of the building as it was built, which is supposedly the entire point of a Historical Preservation Society. For reference, this particular bad idea came to them after a movie production came in and clad a few buildings in styrofoam and stucco to completely change their "look" and the "Preservations" folks thought it looked good so they demanded that everyone else do it. Literally trying to make the city look like a movie set instead of restore the appearance of the buildings. And this is what I saw in this story... people chose a "look" that they thought looked "old" that really had nothing to do with the historic state of the road. I've seen it happen all over where I live. Fake old street lights appearing in places that had once been farmland, etc.

[@patreekotime4578]

@@Alex-cw3rz If the stucco is not original to the building, it is not original to the building. Period. The choice of stucco in this case was because a movie studio came in and clad the buildings in a section of one street in styrofoam and stucco in order to change their appearance for a movie. This push is literally about making the city look like a movie set. And stucco directly over brick traps moisture in the old brick causing endless future repair problems. It also means that the buildings can never be restored to their original state because removing modern stucco from old brick is nearly impossible without severely damaging the brick and mortar. Again, the this was not done to preserve the buildings, but to fluff real-estate prices by making this section of town look like a movie set. That was my whole point, that people often pursue changes that they think "look old" that have nothing to do with the historic state of buildings or streets. Like the fake old fashioned street lights I keep seeing appearing in modern commercial districts that were historically just farmland until the 1980s. Or fake cobbles set into a street that never had them.

[@lateblossom]

This is absolutely gorgeous. Love, love, love it!

[@ajadrew]

Visited Wells cathedral years ago when I lived in Bath - stunning!

[@kellyshomemadekitchen]

How fortunate you were to live in such a lovely place and to visit this amazing area. ♥️

[@ajadrew]

@@kellyshomemadekitchen Yes, a beautiful area!

[@FredScuttle456]

I've visited lots of cathedrals in the UK. Wells is far and away the most beautiful. Magical,

[@c0gimyun]

nice video. what a beautiful place i'll add to my bucket list. i love meat pies and cathedrals

[@MrsBrit1]

My favorite place I've been to in England. Need to go back, as it was quite a few years ago now.

[@sammyb1651]

The most beautiful parts of England are more beautiful than anywhere else on earth.

[@stephfoxwell4620]

The finest collection of medieval ecclesiastical buildings in Northern Europe. Wells.

[@phylliscraine]

Wonderful video! I learned on a Facebook page about historic London that stone paving materials such as this are actually called "setts" in the UK. In the US we call these same stone pavements blocks "pavers". "Cobblestones" on the other hand are not cut and dressed stones such as in this video, instead genuine cobblestones are natural round rocks set as pavement. 🙂

[@deealex1402]

so beautiful

[@dalfin9286]

Fun fact: this is where most of Hot Fuzz was filmed and also happens to be where Edgar Wright grew up

[@axelx4770]

Moderately interesting fact. But hardly fun.

[@rambledogs2012]

@@axelx4770 Oh, congratulations! You've just managed to make even fun facts yawn

[@NZKiwi87]

Lovely narration

[@timeflysintheshop]

That was a great video! Thank You! 😊

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thanks👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@lduncombe3]

Best town in England I love it and it's well preserved

[@ChrisSpriggs-rj2ys]

Waitrose and a Bishop’s Palace Wells has it all 😊

[@nathanpgraf]

This needs to be protected and preserved at all costs. It’s a national treasure.

[@leejames3148]

Went here again yesterday 😊😊

[@CatsOfMarrakech]

Shoulder pads and donkey Kong 😂❤

[@jasonking6892]

Nice one 👍🇬🇧

[@Bethistrue]

Well that's really cool

[@callicordova4066]

The door @ 1:48 !

[@senguptasayn]

Wow.this is so interesting. Many thanks.

[@JamesDumas-b1x]

Trying to update a place like that with effective plumbing and sewage system must have been a nightmare.

[@majordendrocopos]

In the 1970’s, there used to be a door in the Vicar’s Hall to a small room used by a Masonic lodge. I wonder if they still use it?

[@richardglady3009]

Neat video. Thanks.

[@OliverKitkat]

So beautiful ❤❤❤

[@morudesouza5533]

Awesome!!!!

[@blackrose7596]

beauty.

[@StudentDad-mc3pu]

Fascinating

[@hanzzarkov7690]

I'm always sort of struck by stone constructions worn down solely by the passage of human tread and time.

[@HonaMalta]

❤❤❤

[@clintparker3610]

So the church built some stylish dormitories so the Bishop could keep an eye on his unruly vicars. That is funny. 😆 😆 😆

[@chrisballUKtoNZ]

greatest country in the world

[@YoutubeVagabond]

Next to New Zealand

[@lfin386]

Greatest county too

[@timbrown1217]

Aw, I used to live on that street a long time ago.

[@GamerplayerWT]

Damp and water ingress in England?! Who would’ve thought?! 😎

[@harryvanrijn6366]

It's best preserved if it's lived in.

[@xdasdaasdasd4787]

Went here a few months back was very cool. But part of a school so felt weird

[@michelecampanelli5419]

👍👏❤ from 🇮🇹

[@dogwithwigwamz.7320]

Ah, Wells !

[@NickRobinson-ri4hu]

It needs to be protected from becoming a tourist attraction. Will be rife with students taking selfies now.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

The Greater Good

[@grsdv]

The Greater Good

[@deidreanngarciamartin2916]

I was born and raised in no 17 vicars closed with my family

[@TinTin01234]

Beautiful buildings. Shame now building's and houses are so souless in comparison to years ago.

[@MichaelLoda]

I need to move there

[@KsK-p7o]

💖❤️💖

[@Gunnercv]

Good

[@you2angel1]

That's awesome I love that °~•.☆.•~°

[@gigiatlas2364]

The original windows could hardly be called windows!

[@backupAndrew]

before the world cup ⚽🏆

[@jacquesmertens3369]

All this talk about 'sustainability', 'eco-friendliness' bla bla bla . Most houses built after WW II don't last more than half a century. Look at those medieval houses. Built to last forever, stylish, cosy, peaceful. Who dares to call the Middle Ages the "Dark Ages" ? Their architects were certainly more enlightened than the ones we have today.

[@ulsterscot]

Oh England…what have you done!

[@RegebroRepairs]

It's funny that it's medieval and looks like late 1800's terraced housing. Brits don't like change, do they? 😀

[@random22026]

0:29 Sign/Labelling tote board, commence: 1 1:08 2 1:18 3 1:21 4 1:27 5 1:52 6 2:07 7 0:42 😁😆😅🤣😂 0:49 TB TB --talk about etched in stone... 1:37 cc the...'Reformation' 🙄 2:43 cc 😉 3:48 There now: that's about right. 😁 No mention of BLACKADDER, then? 🤔💭 Someone had the presence of mind to tag 'Hot Fuzz'--a VERY telling location choice, indeed.

[@lewiscarr7952]

I feel like they should take the cobbles back up

[@viktorblondeen4925]

Luckily Henry viii didnt get his hands on it, just take the statues and stained glass out and change the service but all those poor historical cathedrals.

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

😊😊😊😊

[@yuliavorobyeva3946]

7 church services a day - this is why the Kingdom prospered.

[@tellyboy17]

A BBC product that isn't utterly revolting. Great that it still exists.

[@LeoKators]

Massive shoulder pads and donkey kong

[@rickrennyoneill]

One of the few last bits of classic England left

[@lizardlenny]

Define "classic England". If you mean 14th century (and before) architecture and infrastucture, there's loads just in my local area alone.

[@kiwi_kirsch]

shoulder pads and donkey kong!!!

[@robnewman6101]

Kings & Queens of England since 1066. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧 Our Longest Reigning Monarch.

[@verystrongchild]

?

[@willemhaifetz-chen1588]

Sure, you build all that, and then have a dirt street (1910). Yeah right? No, something happened.

[@Brookspirit]

It was normal, most of the country was like back then.

[@backupAndrew]

a mine will not have the crowd 🥲

[@kureki147]

Just remember to follow the rule, or the local cult will make you disappear unless the cop from London and son of police captain can rescue you on time.

[@romikim4548]

웰스 서머셋 잉글랜드 중세 도시.

[@HuggyBob62]

I've been down this very street on my one visit to Wells. Glad I was correct in my identification when I saw the picture - but then most places in England don't look anything like this.

[@ClaireWellington676]

I love medieval architecture and scenery. I think a lot of England looks like this but I have to be looking for them to find them. It's such a beautiful nation. Maybe I'll come to Wells on my first visit.

[@flamencoprof]

Nice, but luxury to the common folk of the "flock". And vicars were only delegates from the real power and wealth of a religion which tried to make kings subject.

[@sammyb1651]

No politics, please.

[@flamencoprof]

@@sammyb1651 Nor religion.

[@MrTonyHeath]

there is nothing 'hidden' about it.

[@deborahwhit118]

"hidden" 😂

[@Wessexshire]

There’s a reason God chose England as his country.

[@therankingworld7627]

I think you mean Isreal, people who are actually the children of God via Joseph, Reuben and Judah etc

[@TonyWhitley]

Perfect illustrations of how stupid you have to be to believe in gods.

[@funkmachine9094]

"Athens boasts the oldest street in Europe-Tripodon Street-recorded in the Guinness Book of Records at over 2,500 years old. Found in the Plaka neighborhood, Tripodon Street was also one of the broadest in ancient times, about 18 feet wide."

[@davidcope5736]

it's the oldest street of buildings continually used for its original purpose, housing those needed for the daily office of prayer at the cathedral. Tripodon has an incredibly ancient name, but much of the buildings above ground are hardly ancient and have changed use several times.

[@joe5922]

​@@Validifyed Yeah, it's this, and also the fact that the buildings are intact. There are plenty of extant Roman streets across the UK. Womanby Street is the oldest street where I'm from and that's older than Vicar's Close & may even date back to the Viking era.

[@linedwell]

The people that live in these beautiful places, are the people in favour of immigrants living in with the poorer people.

[@Nemedian46]

When will they be housing immigrants in those houses?

[@TinTin01234]

Dw, Rainer will be on it soon unfortunately

[@smith9808]

Soon to be an African market 😂

[@FarhanAmin1994]

"Adult male choir"

[@banzand]

WHY on earth does the Prince's Trust or is it the King's Trust now...granting them the funding to do the proper renovations, for heaven's sake?!!

[@aleksandarm4489]

They are streets in Europe that are over 2000 years old. Im not sure what all the fuss in the UK is about.

[@marypiper8161]

Not lived in continuously though

[@aleksandarm4489]

@@marypiper8161 Plovdiv is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe (8000 years). And it has plenty of "continuously inhabited streets". They are many such cities in Europe much older than this street. What is this video even on about?

[@tamaracarter1836]

⁠ There are many much older streets in England than this (going back to 2,000 years), but that isn’t what he is saying. This street is the oldest residential street in Europe with *all* its original buildings preserved and still used for its original purpose. What other street in Europe has every single house along it built in the mid-1300s (there are 36 on this street), and either end contain a medieval library and chapel? Everything on this street has been preserved and contains nothing built after 1420 (when the chapel and tall chimneys were added). The only change was when the windows were altered in the 1700s (although some medieval windows remain). That is why the street is so special.

[@aleksandarm4489]

​@@tamaracarter1836 Thanks for the explanation. The fact that the explanations isn’t "Europes Oldest Street" but "This street is the oldest residential street in Europe with all its original buildings preserved and still used for its original purpose." reminds me of an old British custom. To make a big deal out of nothing and and market it as something special. Apart from having some of the ugliest buildings i have ever seen this street is about as special as its description. I think the Wikipedia description is the most accurate though. “is claimed to be Europe's oldest purely residential street with original buildings intact.” Is claimed indeed ...

[@tamaracarter1836]

@@aleksandarm4489 It certainly is extremely special for its historic architecture, that’s the point. Like I said, there’s no other residential street in Europe with every single house along it all preserved older than this (mid-1300s). The fact an entire medieval streetscape has been preserved from this period is extremely rare and special, as normally buildings would have been removed over the centuries in favor of different architectural styles. Not to mention the beautiful medieval library and chapel either end (filled with medieval woodwork and carvings - even original medieval furniture from when it was constructed - e.g. the piece featured in this video from the early 1300s). If you do not appreciate architecture or history then perhaps that doesn’t mean much to you, but to most of us that is incredible. Also, it is a stunningly beautiful street. If you do not appreciate this architecture then that seriously surprises me. Not only the street but the city too (I’ve been lucky enough to visit on my first trip to England as a teenager), and of course the incredible Wells cathedral connected to this street. A truly gorgeous medieval cathedral; famed for having over 300 medieval statues on its picturesque west front and of course its revolutionary mid-1300s scissor arches.

[@alarichobbs9136]

Grew up here. Beautiful, but boring AF. Horrible also to grow up gay here too.

[@notmyname4261]

Nonce close

[@johnp515]

You seem like a nice person.

[@notmyname4261]

@@johnp515 I'm not a head in the sand hypocrite

[@harry.flashman]

doesnt look diverse enough. i hope the bbc is doing something about that problem.

[@stopbeingsoweirdstill]

Dearh to religion

[@Brookspirit]

What is Dearh?😅

[@ryan-jonnoble6793]

Give it time when Keir forces his mates on you in the local hotel