Wells Cathedral is a Church of England place of worship in Wells, Somerset, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle, and is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The present building dates from 1175 to 1490, an earlier church having been built on the site in 705. With its broad west front and large central tower, it is the city's dominant feature and a landmark in the Somerset countryside. Its architecture is entirely Gothic, mostly of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, differing from most other English medieval cathedrals, which have parts in the earlier Romanesque style. The historian John Harvey considers it to be the first truly Gothic structure in Europe. The Early English Gothic façade displays more than three hundred sculpted figures, and is described by Harvey as "the supreme triumph of the combined plastic arts in England". The eastern end retains much ancient stained glass, which is rare in England. Wells has an exceptional number of surviving secular buildings associated with its chapter of secular canons, such as the Bishop's Palace and the Vicars' Close, a residential street which has remained intact from the 15th century. The cathedral is a scheduled monument and is designated as a Grade I listed building. (Full article...)
The sanderling(Calidris alba) is a small wading bird, a circumpolar Arctic breeder which migrates south during the winter. Sanderlings feed mostly on small invertebrates, particularly crustaceans and insects, although they may eat plant material. This individual was found in Laem Phak Bia, Phetchaburi, Thailand.
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