@niche_338 teamed up with local florist @lynnseykellyflowers to make sure the niche was ready for its upcoming Antony Gormley installation. If you're in Wells this weekend make sure you stroll past the cathedral to see this Flower Flash on the West
In less than a month, a sculpture by Antony Gormley will be installed in niche 338 of the West Front of Wells Cathedral. While the work is on free loan from the artist, we are looking for support to help fund the transport, installation, and present
Niche 338 is the lowest niche at the north end of the great West Front of Wells Cathedral. 383 niches are arranged across the West Front, wrapping around the North and South Towers each of them housing a thirteenth century masterpiece in carved stone
Beside the empty Niche 338, niche 339 holds one of the few sculptures on the lower tier to survive Monmouth’s 1685 iconoclasts. In the Sculpture Catalogue in Jerry Sampson’s definitive 1998 study of the West Front, its occupant is descri
“Statues now surviving are shown numbered in accordance with the system used in "The West Front" by L.S. Colchester, 6th Edition 1978, published by the Friends of Wells Cathedral.” #Niche338, is not numbered in this schematic a
Antony Gormley has worked in a variety of forms and materials; however, it is his works of the human figure that are perhaps best known, especially those cast from his own body. THREE WAYS: MOULD, HOLE AND PASSAGE (1981-2) is one of the first works w
Detailed notes on the materials of the sculptures and cleaning required during the restoration of the West Front in the 80’s. The sculptures were delicate and difficult to clean, and the solutions for doing so were not always obvious, straight
Forget about not noticing the stained glass, in the 70’s and 80’s it was hard to even notice the sculptures they were so dirty. The only problem was how to clean 500+ year old sculptures without causing any more damage than nature, and th
Among the many photographs in one of the many file boxes from Jerry Sampson's extensive work with Wells Cathedral during the 1980's is this wonderful image of an as-yet-cleaned niche among the stained glass on the West Front. Though with all of the
Frederick Evans’ photographs have shown us that the beauty of Wells and the gothic cathedral remain despite the passage of time. Antony Gormley’s 1986 SOUND II at Winchester Cathedral is such a work which has also stood the test of time,
In 1903, the year that most of his work on Wells Cathedral was made, the great American photographer Alfred Steiglitz said of Evans: “He stands alone in architectural photography, and that he is able to instill into pictures of this kind so muc
Frederick Evans referred to his photographs of cathedrals as “poems in stone” and was adamant that "It is the beautiful rather than the antiquarian aspect that attracts me." And they were the result of many days stalking the nav
Our artist takeover this week is perhaps unusual in that the artist died in 1943. Frederick H. Evans was one of the great photographers at work at the end of the nineteenth century. Originally a bookseller with a shop on Cheapside in London, he purch
Our artist takeover by @susannahbakersmith_photographs closes with her Polaroid “homage” to another artist who we are focusing on this week, Frederick H. Evans (1853-1943). Evans’ most celebrated work – indeed one of the most
Something we at @niche_338 have realised through our project is the importance of looking up and taking in those surroundings we might otherwise ignore… In 2018, Antony Gormley’s first ever public commission, PLACES TO BE, was re-sited
Just a few more close-ups before signing off… these are just rough digital shots and I am working on processing and printing my film. I’m looking forward to sharing more later this summer. Thanks, again, to @clivedenconservation for s
Each statue is being painstakingly brushed with what looks remarkably like a toothbrush. @susannahbakersmith_photographs @wellscathedral @clivedenconservation #deepclean #historicrestoration #historicbuildings #medievalsculpture #gothiccathedral #ni
The pigeons looked a bit bemused, and annoyed at having their domain invaded, as well they might…being up there felt glorious after being locked down for so long. @susannahbakersmith_photographs @wellscathedral #modernmeetsmedieval #medievals
Fragments of red survive from the base layer of paint, each statue would have been brightly painted….difficult to imagine now how that must have looked, towering over the town. @susannahbakersmith_photographs @wellscathedral #wellscathedral
Last week I climbed the front of Wells Cathedral which is presently being cleaned….there I looked into these extraordinary faces from the 13th century ….a slight tilt of the head, a hand resting on the shoulder of another, making them l