One of the more striking features of Wells Cathedral is its chapter house. Reached by a set of curving 13th century stairs off the north transept, the octogonal shaped chapter house (completed by 1306) has a beautiful symmetry that springs forth from the central column which supports a fan-vaulted ceiling.

This room served as the meeting place for the Dean and chapter - clergy who are responsible for the business and services of the cathedral. For cathedrals that had once been the abbey churches of monasteries, the canons lived according to a monastic rule. Wells Catheral was never part of a monastery, however, so that it was governed by secular canons who derived their income rom ownership of land. These endowments were known as prebends. The names of the office or place of the prebend for chapter members can be seen in the stalls with stone benches which fill the outer walls. Each member of the chapter thus has his own place to sit when the chapter gathers to consider cathedral business.