Vicars' Close is a short, cobbled street of terraced medieval houses leading north from the cathedral, and it is claimed to be the oldest residential street in Europe still in continuous occupation. The houses were built between 1348 and 1430 for the Vicars Choral — the men who sang the cathedral services — and have been lived in without interruption since.
The street is closed at both ends by gates, giving it the feel of a private precinct, which it essentially was. Each house is three storeys, built of warm golden limestone, with chimneys added in the Tudor period jutting above the roofline. At the north end stands the Vicars' Chapel; at the south end a stone footbridge leads directly into the cathedral close. The proportions, the uniformity, and the worn cobbles combine to make it feel genuinely medieval.
Visitors can walk the full length of the street. The houses are privately occupied and not open, but even from outside the effect is striking. It appears in the opening sequence of the film Hot Fuzz, which was largely shot in Wells.