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Wells Cathedral, England

Wells is a small city in Somerset, England, not far from where I live in Bath. The construction of Wells Cathedral began in 1175 and was largely completed by the mid-13th century making it one of the earliest Gothic cathedrals in England.

In this article, I take you through the highlights based on my visit in May 2024.

Wells Cathedral west front Photo by JFPenn — Wells Cathedral west front. Photo by JFPenn

The cathedral’s west front is adorned with nearly 300 statues of saints, kings, angels, and biblical characters. Many are weathered and eroded, with some being replaced by new carvings. Originally, many of the statues and the west front itself were painted in vibrant colours, though much of the paint has worn away over the centuries.

Salisbury Cathedral, England

Places, Religious

In late April, I visited Salisbury Cathedral in the south-west of England. It’s only an hour from where I live in Bath. I’ve used the cathedral as one of the settings for my ARKANE thriller, End of Days, and revisited it as part of my research for a new project on Gothic Cathedrals.

Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest spire in the United Kingdom, standing at 404 feet (123 meters). It has had scaffolding around it for the last 38 years so I was lucky to be able to see it newly uncovered.

Unlike many medieval cathedrals built over centuries with varying styles, Salisbury Cathedral was constructed within a relatively short period (1220-1258). This gives it a consistent Early English Gothic style, which is rare as most other cathedrals blend styles as they were constructed over longer periods.

Vienna, Nuremberg, And Cologne. My Five Days Research Trip For Spear Of Destiny

Places, Weekend Trips

In January 2024, I did a whistlestop five-day book research trip to Vienna, Austria, and then Nuremberg and Cologne in Germany. My goal was to research locations for my next action-adventure thriller, Spear of Destiny, and also to visit two spectacular Gothic cathedrals.

In this article, I’ll share the highlights and also some practical tips. It includes:

St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom), Vienna
The Holy Lance / Spear of Destiny in the Hofburg Treasury, Vienna
Tombs of the Habsburgs, Capuchin Crypt, Vienna
Globe Museum and State Hall library, Vienna
Practicalities of Vienna, and trains to Germany
Nazi Art Bunker, Nuremberg, Nurnberg
Cologne Cathedral, Koln

Spear of Destiny, an ARKANE thriller, will launch in June 2024 on Kickstarter and will be available on all stores by September 2024. Click here for more details.

Viking And Christian Art. Urnes Stave Church, Norway

Religious, Unusual Places

I love visiting unusual churches, so I was excited to visit Urnes stave church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in September 2023.

You can drive there or cross the beautiful Sogn fjord from Solvorn on the ferry and walk up the hill to the church.

When Do Human Remains Become Art? Visiting The Paris Catacombs

Unusual Places

When do human remains become art? I considered this question as I walked through the Paris Catacombs recently. It was the second time I had visited, so I knew what to expect, but the impact of so many bones, so many lives, was still strong.

Skulls in the Paris catacombs, Photo by JFPenn

The Paris Catacombs hold the remains of more than six million people, moved there to free up the overcrowded cemeteries above. Each section is labeled with the name of the cemetery that the bones were moved from.

Classical Architecture, Angels Unawares, And A Surprise Gutenberg Bible. A Long Weekend In Washington DC, USA

Weekend Trips

I’ve always wanted to visit Washington, D.C. as it features in so many films and TV shows. I set a scene in my thriller, Ark of Blood, at the George Washington monument (they have a replica Ark), but I had never visited — until now.

On this long weekend, I enjoyed the classical architecture of the government buildings, the ecclesiastical grandeur of the Basilica and the cathedral, and discovered the beautiful Library of Congress. This trip ended up inspiring Spear of Destiny, which features the library and the Capitol.

JFPenn at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, Feb 2023 — it was very, very cold!

In February 2023, I managed a long weekend before speaking at a conference in Colorado Springs. It was an unseasonal cold snap, so I was freezing but the sky was blue, and I spent days walking the city, which was really empty as it was off-season. Here are some of the places I visited and would recommend to others.

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