Wells Bishop’s Eye gate repair bid blocked

By Laura Linham 23rd Mar 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 23rd Mar 2026

Somerset Council has blocked plans to repair the historic timber gates at the Bishop's Eye in Wells after ruling that the listed building application did not give enough detail.

The refusal relates to application 2025/2245/LBC for the Grade I listed gatehouse in Market Place, with the decision authorised on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.

Papers show the work was meant to tackle a string of problems affecting the 18th century gates, including decay, warping, corrosion, failed earlier repairs and damage linked to pigeon fouling.

But council officers said they were not given enough information to properly judge what effect the work would have on the historic structure.

The refusal notice says crucial details were missing, including section drawings of a proposed steel spine, a specification covering works to the historic ironmongery, and drawings showing how new timber would be joined to surviving historic timber.

Somerset Council said that without that information it could not properly assess the likely level of harm or weigh it against any public benefit.

A conservation report submitted with the application painted a worrying picture of the condition of the gates. It said both were structurally vulnerable, with the south gate said to be in especially poor condition at its lower section.

The report also said loose and failing timber had started catching on the uneven cobbled surface when the gates were opened, adding more strain to the already weakened structure.

Under the proposed scheme, the gates would have been removed one at a time and taken off site for specialist workshop repairs.

That work would have included lifting each gate in a steel cradle, cleaning away heavy dirt and pigeon deposits, cutting out failed repairs, replacing decayed timber, repairing metalwork and considering concealed stainless steel reinforcement to strengthen weakened areas.

Historic England supported the principle of repair, but said more information was needed to understand the impact on the significance of the 18th century gates.

The Bishop's Eye was built around 1451 as the entrance to the Bishop's Palace precinct. The timber gates were added later, in the 18th century.

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