Penniless Porch, Wells, 15th-century stone gateway in Wells, England.
The Penniless Porch is a 15th-century stone passageway that connects Wells Market Place to the Cathedral Green. This three-story structure has a lead roof, incorporates a stone bench into its design, and features an octagonal turret at its southwest corner.
Bishop Thomas Beckington commissioned this structure around 1450 as an entrance from the Market Place to the Cathedral Green. The building later received Grade I listed status, recognizing its architectural importance to England's heritage.
The name comes from the stone bench where poor people once sat to receive donations from citizens passing through. This tradition shapes how locals and visitors understand the building's role in the community.
The structure sits on the main pedestrian route between the two squares in Wells' old town. Walking through the covered passage provides a convenient shortcut and shelter from the weather while moving between the Market Place and Cathedral Green.
The interior contains preserved 17th-century wooden panels and a stone fireplace that reveal how the upper rooms were once fitted out. These surviving details offer a rare glimpse into the domestic fittings of a medieval gateway building.
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