The Penniless Porch of Wells

Built around 1450 by Bishop Thomas Beckington, Wells’ Penniless Porch stands at the heart of a walled precinct. This Grade I listed gateway opens onto a complex of twelfth-century structures, including the cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace, Vicar’s Close, and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral. On the cathedral side, the Penniless Porch bears the rebus or badge of Bishop Thomas Beckington, a hint at its history.

The first floor room still has seventeenth-century panelling. The Penniless Porch was painted by Joseph Mallord William Turner in 1795. It was named for the beggars who plied their trade there, however in 2016 a man was prosecuted for begging nearby.

This three-storey building of Doulting ashlar stone is connected to the adjacent buildings. The rooms above the archway are used by the company occupying No 16 Market Place, and the roof is behind a battlemented parapet.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons