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Title: How to Visit the English Cathedrals

Author: Esther Singleton

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Most recently updated: October 18, 2024

Language: English

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How to Visit the English Cathedrals

BOOKS BY MISS
SINGLETON
Turrets, Towers, and
Temples. Great Buildings of
the World Described by Great
Writers.
Great Pictures. Described by
Great Writers.
Wonders of Nature.
Described by Great Writers.
Romantic Castles and
Palaces. Described by Great
Writers.

Famous Paintings. Described
by Great Writers.
Historic Buildings. Described
by Great Writers.
Famous Women. Described by
Great Writers.
Great Portraits. Described
by Great Writers.
Historic Buildings of
America. Described by Great
Writers.
Historic Landmarks of
America. Described by Great
Writers.
Great Rivers of the World.
Described by Great Writers.
Famous Cathedrals.
Described by Great Writers.
Famous Sculpture. Described
by Great Writers.
Modern Paintings. Described
by Great Writers.
Wonders of the World.
Described by Great Writers.
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Love in Literature and Art.
The Golden Rod Fairy Book.
The Wild Flower Fairy
Book.
A Guide to the Opera.
A Guide to Modern Opera.
Dutch New York. Manners
and Customs of New

Amsterdam in the
Seventeenth Century.
How to Visit the Great
Picture Galleries.
How to Visit the English
Cathedrals.

Salisbury: Cloisters

How to Visit
The English Cathedrals
By
Esther Singleton
Member of the Royal Society of Arts

With Numerous Illustrations

New York
Dodd, Mead and Company
1912

Copyright, 1912, by
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
Published April, 1912

PREFACE
This little book is offered to the tourist in the most modest spirit and
with the hope that in this convenient form some gleanings from the
works of specialists may afford help and pleasure to those who run
quickly through the Cathedral towns of England. The subject has
been done so often and so well that an additional book would
demand an apology if it pretended to compete with the labours of
those who have spent long years in the study of special cathedrals,
or with the charming recollections of travel that others have given
the world from time to time.
My plan has been merely to present in a single volume concise
descriptions of the great ecclesiastical buildings of England,
together with the story of their construction and historical
associations supplemented with criticisms from the best authorities
of their most striking architectural and artistic features. These
authorities are duly acknowledged by initials.—E. S.
New York, March, 1912.

STYLES OF ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE
The cathedral usually grew architecturally from age to age, or rose
like a phœnix from the ashes of an earlier building.
“Not only is there built into a mediæval cathedral the accumulated
thought of all the men who had occupied themselves with building during
the preceding centuries, but you have the dream and aspiration of the bishop,
abbot, or clergy for whom it was designed; the master mason’s skilled
construction; the work of the carver, the painter, the glazier, the host of men
who, each in his own craft, knew all that had been done before them, and
had spent their lives in struggling to surpass the works of their forefathers. It
is more than this: there is not one shaft, one moulding, one carving, not one
chisel-mark in such a building, that was not designed specially for the place
where it is found, and which was not the best that the experience of the age
could invent for the purpose to which it is applied; nothing was borrowed;
and nothing that was designed for one purpose was used for another. A
thought or a motive peeps out through every joint; you may wander in such a
building for weeks or for months together, and never know it all.”—
(Fergusson.)
Most English cathedrals are built in the form of a Latin cross, the
arms of which are called the transepts. Over their point of
intersection the central tower is usually erected. The part of the
church running westward from this point to the entrance door is the
nave and that running eastward to the high altar is the choir.
Behind, or east of the choir, is situated the Lady-Chapel, or
Chapel of the Virgin, which sometimes contained additional altars to
other saints. Along the aisles we frequently find side chapels,
containing tombs and chantries of dignitaries, local saints and
benefactors.
The nave usually consists of the main arcade; the triforium
(which opens into a passage or gallery); and the clerestory.

The triforium is the arcaded story between the lower range of
piers and arches and the clerestory. The name is supposed to be
derived from tres and fores—three doors or openings, for such is
often the number of arches in each bay. Professor Willis, however,
believed that the word is traced to a monkish Latin word for
thoroughfare.
Clerestory, or clearstory, is the upper story of the nave of the
church above the aisles and pierced with windows. The windows of
the clerestories of Norman work are less important than in the later
styles. They become larger in the Early English period and more
important in the Decorated, always lengthening as the triforium
diminishes.
Sometimes the choir occupies two bays of the nave, but usually
begins with the screen placed on the east side of the central tower.
In olden days this was the rood-screen, so called because a large
crucifix, or rood, stood on it. All roods were destroyed during the
Reformation. At the present time the organ is frequently placed
here; and there is diversity of opinion about the artistic propriety of
its position.
Entering the choir we see the high altar often with a reredos
(French l’arrière dos, i.e., embroidered hangings). Along the sides
of the choir are the seats, or stalls, usually of carved oak,
surmounted with tracery, arches and pinnacles. Among these is the
bishop’s seat, or throne. Frequently the stalls exhibit beautiful
tabernacle-work and the misereres (miséricorde), which turn up and
afford support to a person in a position between sitting and standing,
are generally carved with grotesque and quaint figures and
caricatures. Vestries for the use of priests and choristers are often
situated near the choir.
At the back of the choir (the retro-choir) was placed the chief
shrine, where relics of the great saint of the cathedral were kept and

to which the streams of pilgrims passed. In many churches the steps
and pavements are worn away. Near the shrine was a watching-
chamber, where a monk guarded the shrine and its treasures.
Further east the Lady-Chapel was situated, though in a few cases
it is found on the north side, e. g. Bristol and Ely.
“In Italy the bones of a saint or martyr were almost invariably deposited
either beneath or immediately in front of the altar. But in the Gothic nations
this original notion of the burial-place of the Saints became obscured, in the
increasing desire to give them a more honourable place. According to the
precise system of orientation adopted by the German and Celtic nations, the
eastern portion of the church was in those countries regarded as pre-
eminently sacred. Thither the high altar was generally moved, and to it the
eyes of the congregation were specially directed. And in the eagerness to
give a higher and holier even than the highest and holiest place to any great
saint, on whom popular devotion was fastened, there sprang up in most of
the larger churches during the Thirteenth Century a fashion of throwing out a
still further eastern end, in which the shrine or altar of the saint might be
erected,—and to which, therefore, not merely the gaze of the whole
congregation, but of the officiating priest himself, even as he stood before
the high altar, might be constantly turned. Thus, according to Fuller’s quaint
remark, the superstitious reverence for the dead reached its highest pitch,
‘the porch saying to the churchyard, the church to the porch, the chancel to
the church, the east end to all—“Stand further off, I am holier than thou.” ’
This notion happened to coincide in point of time with the burst of devotion
towards the Virgin Mary, which took place under the Pontificate of Innocent
III., during the first years of the Thirteenth Century; and, therefore, in all
cases where there was no special local saint, this eastern end was dedicated
to Our Lady and the chapel thus formed was called The Lady-Chapel. Such
was the case in the Cathedrals of Salisbury, Norwich, Hereford, Wells,
Gloucester and Chester. But when the popular feeling of any city or
neighbourhood had been directed to some indigenous object of devotion, this
at once took the highest place, and the Lady-Chapel, if any there were, was
thrust down to a less honourable position. Of this arrangement, the most
notable instances in England are, or were (for in many cases the very sites
have perished), the shrines of St. Alban in Hertfordshire, St. Edmund at

Bury, St. Edward in Westminster Abbey, St. Cuthbert at Durham, and St.
Etheldreda at Ely.”—(A. P. S.)
Sedilia, seats used by the priest, deacon and sub-deacon during
the pauses in the mass, are generally cut into the south walls of
churches, separated by shafts or species of mullions and surmounted
by canopies, pinnacles or other elaborate adornments. The piscina
and aumbry are sometimes attached to them.
The piscina is a hollowed out niche with drain to carry away the
water used in the ablutions during mass. After the Thirteenth
Century there is scarcely an altar in England without one.
Sometimes the piscina is in the form of a double niche.
Beneath the cathedral there is often a crypt—in reality a second
church, often of great size.
“We may be tempted to ask, what is the purpose of a crypt? Some have
said that it was merely meant to give dignity to the church, or to avoid the
damp. It appears, however, to be a custom taken from the very early
Christian churches at Rome, which were in many cases built over the tomb
of a martyr, and had therefore a lower and an upper church. Indeed if we
imagine the central portion of the choir steps removed so that the nave floor
might extend without interruption to the crypt, and a clear view of the crypt
be open to the nave, we should have an arrangement precisely similar to that
of several Italian churches, notably that of San Zenone, at Verona.”—(F. and
R.)
As a rule, the monastic buildings, refectory, dormitory, infirmary,
etc., were built on the south side, and here were also the cloisters,
those pleasant walks and seats for exercise and recreation
surrounding a peaceful quadrangle. The slype, or passage on the
east side, led to the monks’ cemetery.
In the chapter-house the monks transacted their business.
The chapter-house, often one of the richest and most beautiful
portions of the cathedral, may be of any form. Those of Canterbury,

Exeter, Chester and Gloucester are oblong; those of Salisbury,
Wells, Lincoln, York and Westminster are octagonal; and that of
Worcester is circular. At Salisbury, Wells, Lincoln and Worcester a
single massive shaft supports the vault.
In examining a cathedral we must remember that many changes
have taken place since the first stone was laid. If the monks were
fortunate enough to have a full treasury, they kept up with the
architectural styles. They would pull down the old nave, or choir, or
transepts, and erect new buildings, lower the pitch of the roof, add a
new porch or door, or insert new windows in the ancient walls. Fires
were frequent and lightning and winds often played havoc with
towers and spires. Such manifestations of the displeasure of the
elements or saints necessitated rebuilding; and, as a rule, this
rebuilding was undertaken in the latest fashion. Therefore, we find
in most cathedrals specimens of many styles of architecture.
“As we see our cathedrals now, the view that meets us differs much from
that which would have greeted us in mediæval times. Then all was ablaze
with colours. Through the beautiful ancient glass the light gleamed on tints
of gorgeous hues, and rich tapestries and hangings, on walls bedight with
paintings, and every monument, pier and capital were aglow with coloured
decorations. We have lost much, but still much remains. At the Reformation
the avaricious courtiers of Henry VIII. plundered our sacred shrines, and
carried off under the plea of banishing superstition vast stores of costly plate
and jewels, tapestry and hangings. In the Civil War time riotous, fanatical
soldiers wrought havoc everywhere, hacking beautifully-carved tombs and
canopies, destroying brasses, and mutilating all that they could find. Ages of
neglect have also left their marks upon our churches; and above all the hand
of the ignorant and injudicious ‘restorer’ has fallen heavily on these legacies
of Gothic art, destroying much that was of singular beauty, and replacing it
by the miserable productions of early Nineteenth Century fabrication.”—(P.
H. D.)
And now, in order to make our visits more enjoyable, let us
refresh our memories with a slight résumé of the four leading styles

of English Architecture.
The Pointed Arch appeared almost simultaneously in all the
civilized countries of Europe. It was probably discovered by the
Crusaders in the Holy Land and brought home by them. None of its
charming and beautiful accessories, however, accompanied it; the
graceful clusters of pillars, the tracery and mullions were to be
developed by the Europeans. One of the first to use the word Gothic
to define Pointed Architecture was Sir Henry Wotton; and it seems
that the word was finally determined as a definition by Sir
Christopher Wren. An English critic says:
“The pointed arch was a graft on the Romanesque, Lombard and
Byzantine architecture of Europe, just as the circular arch of the Romans had
been on the columnar ordinances of the Greeks; but with a widely different
result. The amalgamation in the latter case destroyed the beauty of both the
stock and the scion; while in the former the stock lent itself to the modifying
influence of its parasitical nursling, gradually gave up its heavy, dull and
cheerless forms, and was eventually lost in its beautiful offspring, as the
unlovely caterpillar is in the gay and graceful butterfly.”
Although Pointed or Gothic Architecture developed with almost
equal vigour in every country of Europe, it reached its greatest
perfection in France. Many of the finest earliest buildings in
England were, to a great extent, French in their origin, or
development; but, in the course of time, English Gothic Architecture
became very original. In this country
“Gothic architecture seems to have attained its ultimate perfection in the
Fourteenth Century, at which period everything belonging to it was
conceived and executed in a free and bold spirit, all the forms were graceful
and natural, and all the details of foliage and other sculptures were copied
from living types, with a skill and truth of drawing which has never been
surpassed. Conventional forms were in a great measure abandoned, and it
seems to have been rightly and truly considered that the fittest monuments
for the House of God were faithful copies of His works; and so long as this

principle continued to be acted on, so long did Gothic architecture remain
pure. But in the succeeding century, under the later Henrys and Edwards, a
gradual decline took place: everything was moulded to suit a preconceived
idea, the foliage lost its freshness, and was moulded into something of a
rectangular form; the arches were depressed, the windows lowered, the
flowing curves of the tracery converted into straight lines, panelling
profusely used, and the square form everywhere introduced; until at length
the prevalence of the horizontal line led easily and naturally to the
Renaissance of the classic styles, though in an impure and much degraded
form. The mixture of the two styles first appears in the time of Henry VII.,—
a period in which (though remarkable for the beauty and delicacy of its
details) the grand conceptions of form and proportion of the previous
century seem to have been lost. Heaviness or clumsiness of form, combined
with exquisite beauty of detail, are the characteristics of this era.”—(J. H. P.)
The styles are generally classified as follows: I. Norman, or
Romanesque; II. Early English; III. Decorated; IV. Perpendicular.
“Soon after the Norman Conquest a great change took place in the art of
building in England. On consulting the history of our cathedral churches, we
find that in almost every instance the church was rebuilt from its foundations
by the first Norman bishop, either on the same site or on a new one;
sometimes, as at Norwich and Peterborough, the cathedral was removed to a
new town altogether, and built on a spot where there was no church before;
in other cases, as at Winchester, the new church was built near the old one,
which was not pulled down until after the relics had been translated with
great pomp from the old church to the new. In other instances, as in York and
Canterbury, the new church was erected on the site of the old one, which was
pulled down piecemeal as the new work progressed. These new churches
were in all cases on a much larger and more magnificent scale than the old.
“Strictly speaking, the Norman is one of the Romanesque styles, which
succeeded to the old Roman; but the Gothic was so completely developed
from the Norman that it is impossible to draw a line of distinction between
them; it is also convenient to begin with the Norman, because the earliest
complete buildings that we have in this country are of the Norman period,
and the designs of the Norman architects, at the end of the Eleventh Century

and the beginning of the Twelfth, were on so grand a scale that many of our
finest cathedrals are built on the foundations of the churches of that period,
and a great part of the walls are frequently found to be really Norman in
construction, although their appearance is so entirely altered that it is
difficult at first to realise this; for instance, in the grand cathedral of
Winchester, William of Wykeham did not rebuild it, but so entirely altered
the appearance that it is now properly considered as one of the earliest
examples of the English Perpendicular style, of which he was the inventor;
this style is entirely confined to England; it is readily distinguished from any
of the Continental styles by the perpendicular lines in the tracery of the
windows, and in the panelling on the walls; in all the foreign styles these
lines are flowing or flame-like, and for that reason they are called
Flamboyant; a few windows with tracery of that style are met with in
England, but they are quite exceptions.”—(J. H. P.)
The works of this period were colossal. Peterborough was begun
in 1117 and finished in 1143; the nave of Norwich was built
between 1122 and 1145; Canterbury was finished in 1130; and part
of Rochester in the same year.
In the time of William Rufus all the Saxon cathedrals were being
rebuilt on a larger scale. From this reign date the crypt of Worcester;
crypt, arches of the nave and part of the transepts of Gloucester; the
choir and transepts of Durham; and the choir and transepts of
Norwich.
In the reign of Henry I. the choirs of Ely, Rochester, Norwich and
Canterbury were dedicated; and among the new works begun were
the nave of Durham and the choir of Peterborough.
“The piers in the earlier period are either square solid masses of masonry,
or recessed in the angles in the same manner as the arches, or they are plain,
round massive pillars, with frequently only an impost of very simple
character, but often with capitals.
“The capitals in early work are either plain, cubical masses with the lower
angles rounded off, forming a sort of rude cushion shape, as at Winchester,
or they have a sort of rude volute, apparently in imitation of the Ionic, cut

upon the angles; and in the centre of each face a plain square block in the
form of the Tau cross is left projecting, as if to be afterwards carved. The
scalloped capital belongs to rather a later period than the plain cushion or the
rude Ionic, and does not occur before the time of Henry I. This form of
capital was perhaps the most common of all in the first half of the Twelfth
Century, and continued in use to the end of the Norman style. The capitals
were frequently carved at a period subsequent to their erection, as in the
crypt at Canterbury, where some of the capitals are finished, others half-
finished, with two sides blank and others not carved at all. In later Norman
work the capitals are frequently ornamented with foliage, animals, groups of
figures, etc., in endless variety. The abacus throughout the style is the most
characteristic member, and will frequently distinguish a Norman capital
when other parts are doubtful.
“Norman ornaments are of endless variety; the most common is the
chevron, or zigzag, and this is used more and more abundantly as the work
gets later; it is found at all periods even in Roman work of the Third Century
and probably earlier, but in all early work it is used sparingly, and the
profusion with which it is used in late work is one of the most ready marks
by which to distinguish that the work is late. The sunk star is a very favourite
ornament throughout the style; it occurs on the abacus of the capitals in the
chapel of the White Tower, London, and it seems to have been the forerunner
of the tooth-ornament. The billet is used in the early part of Peterborough,
but discontinued in the later work, and does not often occur in late work. It is
sometimes square, more frequently rounded. The beak-head, the cat’s-head,
the small medallions with figures and the signs of the zodiac, all belong to
the later Norman period. In the later Norman mouldings a mixture of
Byzantine character is seen on the ornaments as at Durham. It has also been
observed that in the sculpture of the period of the late Norman style there is
frequently a certain mixture of the Byzantine Greek character brought home
from the East by the Crusaders, who had returned. This is also one of the
characteristics of the period of the Transition.”—(J. H. P.)
The next period—that of the Transition—in which the science of
vaulting received great impetus and construction became more
elegant and graceful in line, is splendidly exhibited at Canterbury in
the work of the French William of Sens and his successor, the

English William. Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, is also a fine
example of late Norman and Transitional work.
The Early English Style covers the reigns of Richard I., John and
Henry III., from 1189 to 1272. It is known also as the First Pointed,
or Lancet, and is a purely English variety of Gothic Architecture.
The developments were always in the line of greater lightness and
elegance. There was also throughout this period a great use of
delicate shafts of polished Purbeck marble for doorways, windows
and arcades.
Canterbury, Rochester and Lincoln are famous examples.
Canterbury was completed in 1184; Rochester in 1201-1227; and
much of Lincoln was finished (especially the choir and eastern
transept with its chapels) before 1200.
Salisbury Cathedral, however, is usually considered as The Type
of the Early English style, because it is less mixed than any other
building of the same importance. It was commenced in 1220 and
consecrated in 1258.
The choir and apse of Westminster Abbey and the north transept
of York Minster are also good examples of this period. We may note
here that it was customary to build the west front immediately after
the choir and leave the nave to be filled in afterwards.
“New ideas and a new life seem to have been given to architecture, and
the builders appear to have revelled in it even to exuberance and excess, and
it was necessary afterwards in some degree to soften down and subdue it. At
no period has ‘the principle of verticality’ been so completely carried out as
in the Early English style, and even in some of the earliest examples of it.”—
(J. H. P.)
“The characteristic elegance of the general architectural design was
carried out in all the details. The mouldings were delicately rounded and
alternated with hollows so drawn as to give here delicate and there most
forcible effects of light and shade. Thus the dark line produced by marble in
a pier was continued by means of a dark shadow in the arch; and without

considerable knowledge of the science of moulding, it is impossible to do
justice to this part of the English Early Pointed work, which has never been
surpassed, if, indeed, it has ever been equalled at any period elsewhere. The
groined roofs were still simple in design, but a ridge rib was often added to
the necessary transverse and diagonal ribs of the previous period. This gave
a certain hardness of line to the vault; it was the first step to the more
elaborate and later systems of vaulting, and was soon followed by the
introduction of other ribs on the surface of the vaulting cells. Few works are
more admirable than some of the towers and spires of this period.”—(G. S.
S.)
The characteristic of lancet windows applies only to the early
part of the style from 1190 to about 1220 or 1230. After that time
circles in the head of the windows of two or more lights came in,
and the circles became foliated by about 1230, and continued to
1260 or 1270, when the Decorated style began to come into fashion.
“The windows in the earlier examples are plain, lancet-shaped and
generally narrow; sometimes they are richly moulded within and without,
but frequently have nothing but a plain chamfer outside and a wide splay
within. In the Early English style we have, in the later examples, tracery in
the heads of the windows, but it is almost invariably in the form of circles,
either plain or foliated, and is constructed in a different manner from
genuine Decorated tracery.
“At first the windows have merely openings pierced through the solid
masonry of the head, the solid portions thus left gradually becoming smaller
and the openings larger, until the solid parts are reduced to nearly the same
thickness as the mullions; but they are not moulded, and do not form
continuations of the mullions until we arrive at real Decorated tracery. This
kind of tracery was called by Professor Willis plate tracery; being in fact, a
plate of stone pierced with holes: it is extensively used in early French work.
The more usual kind of tracery is called bar tracery, to distinguish it from
the earlier kind.”—(J. H. P.)
Doorways are generally pointed or trefoiled, but sometimes
round-headed, and small doorways are frequently flat-headed, with

the angles corbelled in the form called the square-headed trefoil, or
the shouldered arch. Trefoiled arches are characteristic of this style.
Arches are frequently, but not always, acutely pointed; and in the
more important buildings are generally richly moulded, as in
Westminster Abbey, either with or without the tooth-ornament, as
the arches at York Minster. The pillars are of various forms,
frequently clustered; but the most characteristic pillar of the style is
the one with detached shafts, which are generally of Purbeck
marble. These are frequently very long and slender and only
connected with the central shaft by the capital and base, with or
without one or two bands at intervals. These bands sometimes
consist of rings of copper gilt, as in the choir of Worcester
Cathedral, and are sometimes necessary for holding together the
slender shafts of Purbeck marble. The bases generally consist of two
rounds, the lowest one the largest, both frequently filleted, with a
deep hollow between, placed horizontally, as at Canterbury. In pure
Early English work, the upper member of the capital, called the
abacus, is circular and consists, in the earlier examples, simply of
two rounds, the upper one the largest, with a hollow between them;
but in later examples the mouldings are frequently increased in
number and filleted.
Mouldings are chiefly bold rounds, with equally bold and deeply
cut hollows, which produce a strong effect of light and shade. Vaults
are bolder than during the Norman period and differ from
succeeding styles by their greater simplicity, as at Salisbury. In the
earlier examples there are ribs on the angles of the groins only; at a
later period the vaulting becomes more complicated, as at
Westminster. There is a longitudinal rib, and a cross rib along the
ridge of the cross vaults, and frequently also an intermediate rib on
the surface of the vault. The bosses are rare at first, more abundant
afterwards: they are generally well worked and enriched with
foliage. English vaults are sometimes of wood only, as in York

Minster, and the cloisters at Lincoln. A vault is, in fact, a ceiling,
having always an outer roof over it. There is a marked distinction in
the construction of Gothic vaults in England and France. In
England, from the earliest period, each stone is cut to fit its place; in
France the stones are cut square or rather oblong, as in the walls,
and only wedged out by the thickness of the mortar at the back in
the joints. Fan-tracery vaulting is peculiar to England, and it begins,
in principle, as early as in the cloister of Lincoln about 1220, where
the vault is of wood, but the springings are of stone, and cut to fit
the ribs of the wooden vault.
Buttresses project boldly, and flying-buttresses become a
prominent feature. There is a fine example of a compound flying-
buttress at Westminster Abbey, which supports the vaults of the
choir, the triforium and the aisles and carries the thrust of the whole
over the cloister to the ground. Early English towers are generally
more lofty than the Norman, and their buttresses have a greater
projection. The spire is usually a noticeable feature. The East End is
usually square; but sometimes terminates with the apse, generally a
half-octagon or a half-hexagon, as at Westminster Abbey.
“Throughout the Early English period there is an ornament used in the
hollow mouldings which is as characteristic of this style as the zigzag is of
the Norman; this consists of a small pyramid, more or less acute, cut into
four leaves or petals meeting in the point, but separate below as in Chester
Cathedral. When very acute, and seen in profile, it may be imagined to have
somewhat the appearance of a row of dog’s-teeth, and from this it has been
called the ‘dog-tooth[1] ornament,’ or, by some, the shark’s tooth ornament,
more commonly the tooth-ornament. It is used with the greatest profusion on
arches, between clustered shafts, on the architraves and jambs of doors,
windows, piscinas and indeed in every place where such ornament can be
introduced. It is very characteristic of this style, and begins quite at the
commencement of the style, as in St. Hugh’s work at Lincoln; for though in
the Norman we find an approach to it, in the Decorated various

modifications of it occur; still the genuine tooth-ornament may be
considered to belong exclusively to the Early English.
“Another peculiarity consists of the foliage, which differs considerably
from the Norman: in the latter it has more or less the appearance of being
imitated from that of the Classic orders, while in this it is entirely original.
Its essential form seems to be that of a trefoil leaf, but this is varied in such a
number of ways that the greatest variety is produced. It is used in cornices,
the bosses of groining, the mouldings of windows and doorways, and
various other places, but particularly in capitals to which it gives a peculiar
and distinctive character. The foliage of these capitals is technically called
‘stiff-leaf foliage,’ but this alludes only to the stiff stem or stalk of the leaf,
which rises from the ring of the capital; the foliage itself is frequently as far
removed from stiffness as any can be, as for instance in the capitals of
Lincoln. The stiff stalk is, however, a ready mark to distinguish the Early
English capital from that of the succeeding style. We must bear in mind,
however, that foliage is by no means an essential feature of the Early English
style; many of our finest buildings, such as Westminster Abbey, have their
capitals formed of a plain bell reversed, with mouldings round the abacus
like rings put upon it, and round the neck.
“The ornaments so well known by the name of crockets were first
introduced in this style. The name is taken from the shepherd’s crook,
adopted by the bishops as emblematical of their office. They occur at
Lincoln, in St. Hugh’s work, the earliest example of this style, and are there
used in the unusual position of being in a vertical line between the detached
shafts. They are found in the same position also in the beautiful work of the
west front of Wells. Afterwards they were used entirely on the outside of
pediments, or in similar situations, projecting from the face of the work, or
the outer surface of the moulding, as in the very beautiful tomb of
Archbishop Walter Grey in York Cathedral; and they continued in use in the
subsequent styles, although their form and character gradually change with
the style.”—(J. H. P.)
The transition from the Early English to the Decorated was very
gradual. It took place during the reign of Edward I. The transepts of
Westminster Abbey are held up as models of this transition and
contain some of the most beautiful work that can be found

anywhere. The crosses erected by Edward I. at all places where the
body of Queen Eleanor had rested, on the march from Lincolnshire
to Westminster Abbey, where she was buried, are usually regarded
as fine early examples of the Decorated style. Easy attitudes and
graceful draperies characterise the sculpture of human figures.
The Decorated Period dates from 1300 to 1377. It is also called
the Middle Pointed, Geometrical Pointed and the Flowing, or
Curvilinear, and also the Edwardian, because it covers the reigns of
Edward I., II. and III.
Exeter Cathedral is a superb example of this style. The nave of
York Minster and the lantern of Ely are also noteworthy
illustrations.
“The general appearance of Decorated buildings is at once simple and
magnificent; simple from the small number of parts, and magnificent from
the size of the windows, and the easy flow of the lines of tracery. In the
interior of large buildings we find great breadth, and an enlargement of the
clerestory windows, with a corresponding diminution of the triforium, which
is now rather a part of the clerestory opening than a distinct member of the
division. The roofing, from the increased richness of the groining, becomes
an object of more attention. On the whole the nave of York, from the
uncommon grandeur and simplicity of the design, is certainly the finest
example; ornament is nowhere spared, yet there is a simplicity which is
peculiarly pleasing.”—(Rickman.)
“The Decorated style is distinguished by its large windows divided by
mullions, and the tracery either in flowing lines, or forming circles, trefoils
and other geometrical figures, and not running perpendicularly; its
ornaments are numerous and very delicately carved, more strictly faithful to
nature and more essentially parts of the structure than in any other style.
There is a very fine window with reticulated tracery and richly moulded in
the south walk of the cloisters at Westminster. No rule whatever is followed
in the form of the arch over windows in this style; some are very obtuse,
others very acute and the ogee arch is not uncommon. Decorated tracery is
usually divided into three general classes—geometrical, flowing and

flamboyant; the variety is so great that many sub-divisions may be made, but
they were all used simultaneously for a considerable period. The earliest
Decorated windows have geometrical tracery; Exeter Cathedral is, perhaps,
on the whole, the best typical example of the early part of this style. The
fabric rolls are preserved, and it is now evident that the existing windows
are, for the most part, of the time of Bishop Quivil, from 1279 to 1291. In
some instances windows with geometrical tracery have the mouldings and
the mullions covered with the ball-flower ornament in great profusion, even
to excess; these examples occur chiefly in Herefordshire, as at Leominster;
and in Gloucestershire, as in the south aisle of the nave of the Cathedral at
Gloucester: they are for the most part, if not entirely, of the time of Edward
II. What is called the netlike character of tracery, from its general
resemblance to a fisherman’s net, is very characteristic of this style at its best
period, about the middle of the Fourteenth Century. Square-headed windows
are very common. Windows in towers are usually different from those in
other parts of the church. In the upper story, where the bells are, there is no
glass; in some parts of the country there is pierced stonework for keeping out
the birds, but more usually they are of wood only. These are called sound-
holes. Clerestory windows of this style are often small, and either circular
with quatrefoil cusps, or trefoils or quatrefoils; or the spherical triangle with
cusps, which forms an elegant window. The clever manner in which these
windows are splayed within and especially below, to throw down the light,
should be noticed.”—(J. H. P.)
The large rose-window, so conspicuous a feature on the
Continent, is rarely seen in England. When it does occur it is usually
found in the transept ends.
The East Front generally consists of one large window at the end
of the choir, flanked by tall buttresses. A smaller buttress appears at
the end of each aisle. The arrangement of the West Front is the
same, with a doorway beneath the central window. The towers of
the Decorated style are usually placed at the west end and are, as a
rule, similar to the Early English. The spires differ slightly from
those of the Early English, except that there are generally more
spire-lights and small windows at the bases and sides of the spire.

Lichfield Cathedral is one of the best examples of the exterior of a
perfect church of the Decorated style. Its three spires are perfect.
The ogee arch is frequently used in small arcades and in the
heads of windows. The dripstones, or hood moulds, are generally
supported by heads and are frequently enriched with crockets and
finials. The arcades that ornament the walls and those over the
sedilia are characteristic features of the style. Pillars are clustered
and arches richly moulded; they often have the hood-moulding over
them. Very often they have what is called a stilted base. The capitals
are ornamented with beautiful foliage: each leaf is copied from
nature and often arranged round the bell of the capital. The
ornamental sculptures in the hollow mouldings are numerous, but
there are two which require more particular notice; they are nearly
as characteristic of the Decorated style as the zigzag is of the
Norman, or the tooth-ornament of the Early English. The first is the
ball-flower, which is a globular flower half opened, and showing
within a small round ball. It is used with the utmost profusion in the
mouldings of windows, doorways, canopies, cornices, arches, etc.
The other ornament is the four-leaved flower. This has a raised
centre, and four petals cut in high relief; it is frequently much
varied, but may be distinguished by its being cut distinctly into four
petals, and by its boldness: it is sometimes used abundantly, though
not quite so profusely as the ball-flower. In some instances the
centre is sunk instead of being raised. The battlement, as an
ornamental feature in the interior of buildings, is frequently used in
this style, although it is more common in the Perpendicular.
The foliage in this style is more faithfully copied from nature
than in any other: the vine-leaf, the maple and the oak with the
acorn, are the most usual. The surface of the wall is often covered
with flat foliage, arranged in small squares called diaper-work,
which is believed to have originated in an imitation of the rich
hangings then in general use, and which bore the same name.

The groined roofs or vaults are distinguished from those of the
preceding style, chiefly by an additional number of ribs, and by the
natural foliage on the bosses. Many fine examples of these remain,
as in the Cathedral of Exeter and at York in the chapter-house; at
Norwich in the cloisters; at Chester the vault is of wood with stone
springers.
After culminating in the Decorated style, Gothic Architecture
began to decline in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. The
transition from the Decorated to the Perpendicular took place from
1360 to 1399:
“This change began to show itself in the choir and transepts of Gloucester
Cathedral before the middle of the Fourteenth Century. The panelling and
the window-tracery have so much the appearance of the Perpendicular Style,
that they have been commonly supposed to have been rebuilt or altered at a
late period; but the vaultings and the mouldings are pure Decorated, and the
painted glass of the Fourteenth Century is evidently made for the places
which it now occupies in the heads of the windows with Perpendicular
tracery; it must therefore be considered as the earliest known example of this
great change of style. In this work of alteration the walls and arches of the
Norman church were not rebuilt but cased with panelling over the inner
surface, so as to give the effect of the latter style to the interior. This was just
the same process as was afterwards followed at Winchester by William of
Wykeham, in changing the Norman to the Perpendicular style without any
actual rebuilding.”—(J. H. P.)
The work at Gloucester was begun as early as 1337. Another fine
example is the nave of Winchester Cathedral.
Bishop Edington, who died in 1366, began to alter Winchester
into the Perpendicular style. His work was continued by William of
Wykeham.
“Before the death of Bishop Edington the great principles of the
Perpendicular style were fully established. These chiefly consist of the
Perpendicular lines through the head of the window, and in covering the

surface of the wall with panelling of the same kind. These features are as
distinctly marked at Winchester as in any subsequent building, or as they
well could be.”—(J. H. P.)
The cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral are decidedly Perpendicular
in the fan-tracery of the vaults, but are partly of earlier date and
character. Another example of the transition from Decorated to
Perpendicular is the choir of York Minster, begun in 1361 and
finished in 1408. Its general appearance is Perpendicular.
“This style is exclusively English, it is never found on the Continent, and
it has the advantage of being more economical in execution than the earlier
styles. It remains to describe its characteristic features. The broad distinction
of the Perpendicular style lies in the form of the tracery in the head of the
windows; and in fully developed examples the distinction is sufficiently
obvious. We have no longer the head of the window filled with the
gracefully flowing lines of the Decorated tracery, but their place is supplied
by the rigid lines of the mullions, which are carried through to the architrave
mouldings, the spaces between being frequently divided and subdivided by
similar Perpendicular lines; so that Perpendicularity is so clearly the
characteristic of these windows that no other word could have been found
which would at once so well express the predominating feature. The same
character prevails throughout the buildings of this period: the whole surface
of a building, including its buttresses, parapets, basements, and every part of
the flat surface, is frequently covered with panelling in which the
Perpendicular line clearly predominates; and to such an excess is this carried
that the windows frequently appear to be only openings in the panel-work.
Panelling, indeed, now forms an important feature of the style; for though it
was used in the earlier styles, it was not to the same extent, and was of very
different character, the plain surfaces in those styles being relieved chiefly
by diaper-work.”—(J. H. P.)
The great idea of the architect was to correct and restrain the
exuberant tracery by introducing vigorous straight vertical and
horizontal lines. Another feature of the Perpendicular style was the
groined roof. The ribs of the vaulting were now enriched by cross

ribs, which were intersected by more ribs into small panels, which
were filled in with tracery. The key-stones were formed into
pendants. This network of ribs is called fan-tracery because the ribs
spread out like the sticks of a fan. Very beautiful examples occur in
Henry VII.’s Chapel, Westminster Abbey, and in the cloisters of
Gloucester Cathedral.
“The light and elegant style of vaulting known as fan-tracery, which is
peculiar to this style, with its delicate pendants and lace-like ornaments,
harmonises finely with the elaborate ornament of the tabernacle-work
ornament. Fan-tracery vaulting is peculiarly English. The principle of it
began with the earliest English Gothic style, as in the cloisters of Lincoln
Cathedral, each stone of the vaulting being cut to fit its place. In France this
is never done, each block of stone is oblong, as in those for the walls, and is
only made to curve over in a vault by the mortar between the joints.
“Arches are not so acute as in the earlier periods; capitals and bases of
columns are distinguished by the shallowness of the mouldings; mullions are
carried straight through the arch of the windows; doorways consist of a
depressed arch within a square frame with a label above; the label moulding
is frequently filled with foliage and the space round the arch parallel; towers
are often extremely rich and elaborately ornamented with four or five stories
of windows, canopies, pinnacles and tabernacles; porches are also fine,
highly enriched with panel-work, buttresses and pinnacles, and often with a
richly-groined vault in the interior; and mouldings are generally more
shallow than the earlier ones.
“There is an ornament which was introduced in this style and which is
very characteristic. This is called the ‘Tudor-flower,’ not because it was
introduced in the time of the Tudors, but because it was so much used at that
period. It generally consists of some modification of the fleur-de-lis
alternately with a small trefoil or ball, and is much used as a crest for screens
on fonts, niches, capitals and in almost all places where such ornament can
be used. The foliage of this style is frequently very beautifully executed,
almost as faithful to nature as in the Decorated style, in which the fidelity to
nature is one of the characteristic features. There is comparatively a
squareness about the Perpendicular foliage, which takes from the freshness

and beauty which distinguished that of the Decorated style. Indeed, the use
of square and angular forms is one of the characteristics of the style; we have
square panels, square foliage, square crockets and finials, square forms in the
windows—caused by the introduction of so many transoms—and an
approach to squareness in the depressed and low pitch of the roofs in late
examples.”—(J. H. P.)
The woodwork of the Perpendicular period is very beautiful:
open timber roofs (met with in the eastern counties), screens and
lofts across the chancel-arch and richly carved bench ends exist in
considerable numbers.
“The frequent use of figures, simply as corbels between the windows of
the clerestory to carry the roof, is a good characteristic of the late
Perpendicular style; they are generally of the time of Henry the Seventh or
Eighth. The figure used is generally that of an angel, and each angel is
sometimes represented as carrying a different musical instrument so as to
make up a heavenly choir.”—(J. H. P.)
Among the best examples of late Perpendicular are Henry VII.’s
Chapel, Westminster Abbey; St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; King’s
College Chapel, Cambridge; and Bath Abbey Church.
In writing of the latter W. D. Howells so beautifully describes
this style that no excuse is needed for bringing his definition into
this place. He says:
“It is mostly of that Perpendicular Gothic which I suppose more
mystically lifts the soul than any other form of architecture, and it is in a
gracious harmony with itself through its lovely proportions; from the stems
of its clustered column, the tracery of their fans spreads and delicately feels
its way over the vaulted roof as if it were a living growth of something
rooted in the earth beneath.”

ABBREVIATIONS OF AUTHORS QUOTED
A. A.—Alexander Ansted J. McC.—Justin McCarthy
H. J. L. J. M.—H. J. L. J. Massé
F. B.—Frederic Bond
J. E. B.—J. E. Bygate P.—Dean Patrick
P.-C.—Dean Pury-Cust
A. B. C.—A. B. Clifton F. A. P.—F. A. Paley
A. C.-B.—A. Clutton-Brock G. H. P.—G. H. Palmer
J. C.-B.—J. Cavis-Brown J. H. P.—J. H. Parker
H. C. C.—Hubert C. Corlette T. P.—T. Perkins

A. D.—Arthur Dimock C. H. B. Q.—C. H. B. Quennell
C. D.—Charles Dickens, Jr.
P. D.—Percy Dearmer R.—Rickman
P. H. D.—P. H. Ditchfield F. and R.—Field and Routledge
T. F. D.—Thomas Frognall Dibdin
S.—Dean Spence
A. H. F.—A. Hugh Fisher A. P. S.—Dean Stanley
E. A. F.—E. A. Freeman E. F. S.—Edward F. Strange
F. W. F.—F. W. Farrar G. G. S.—G. G. Scott
W. H. F.—W. H. Fremantle W. D. S.—W. D. Sweeting

H.—Hope T.—Canon Talbot
C. H.—Cecil Hallet
L. H.—Leigh Hunt W.—Willis
W. H. H.—W. H. Hart Wal.—Walcott
A.-à-W.—Anthony-à-Wood
A. F. K.—A. F. Kendrick C. W.—Winston
G. W. K.—Dean Kitchin E. W.—Edward Walford
R. J. K.—Richard J. Knight F. S. W.—F. S. Waller

G. W.—Gleeson White
L.—Dr. Luckock Geo. W.—George Worley
W. J. L.—W. J. Loftie H. W.—Hartley Wither

M.—Dean Milman

CONTENTS
PAGE
Canterbury 1
Rochester 33
Winchester 46
Chichester 66
Salisbury 76
Exeter 90
Wells 107
Bath Abbey 134
Bristol 140
Gloucester 151
Hereford 174
Worcester 188
Lichfield 200
Chester 215
Manchester 222
Carlisle 227
Durham 233
Ripon 249
York Minster 260
Lincoln 284
Southwell 313
Peterborough 319
Ely 334
Norwich 349
St. Albans 360
Oxford 375

St. Paul’s, London 393
St. Saviour’s, Southwark 415
Westminster Abbey 425
Index: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T,
V, W, Y, Z 445

ILLUSTRATIONS
Salisbury: Cloisters Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
Canterbury: South Porch 12
Canterbury: Nave, east 13
Canterbury: Choir, east 24
Rochester: West front 25
Rochester: Nave, east 40
Rochester: Choir, west 41
Winchester: Nave, west 52
Winchester: Font 53
Winchester: Choir, east 64
Winchester: West front 65
Chichester 72
Chichester: Nave, east 73
Chichester: Screen 76
Salisbury: North 77
Salisbury: Nave, east 88
Exeter: South-west 89
Exeter: Nave, east 98
Exeter: Choir, east 99
Wells: West front 114
Wells: North Porch 115
Wells: Nave, east 128
Wells: South-west 129
Bath Abbey: West front 136
Bath Abbey: Choir, west 137
Bristol: North 144

Bristol: Nave, east 145
Gloucester: East 154
Gloucester: Tomb of Edward II 155
Gloucester: Choir, east 164
Gloucester: Cloisters 165
Hereford: Nave, east 176
Hereford: North-east 177
Hereford: Choir 186
Worcester: South-west 187
Worcester: Nave, east 192
Worcester: Choir, east 193
Lichfield: West front 200
Lichfield: Nave, east 201
Lichfield: from East window 212
Chester: North 213
Chester: Choir, west 218
Chester: Choir-stalls 219
Manchester: South 224
Manchester: Nave, east 225
Carlisle: South-west 228
Carlisle: Choir 229
Carlisle: East End 232
Durham: West front 233
Durham: Nave, east 240
Durham: Galilee Chapel 241
Durham: Neville Screen 248
Ripon: South 249
Ripon: Nave, east 254
Ripon: Choir, east 255
York Minster: West front 268

York Minster: South 269
York Minster: Choir, east 278
York Minster: Choir, west 279
Lincoln: West front 288
Lincoln: Great West Door 289
Lincoln: Angel Choir 298
Lincoln: Choir, east 299
Lincoln: East Window 306
Southwell: North-west 307
Southwell: Chapter-House 316
Peterborough: West front 317
Peterborough: Choir, east 328
Peterborough: South 329
Ely: West Towers 336
Ely: Choir, east 337
Ely: East End and Lady-Chapel 346
Ely: Lady-Chapel 347
Norwich: East 356
Norwich: Choir 357
St. Albans: North 366
St. Albans: Nave, east 367
Oxford: Tower and Entrance 382
Oxford: Choir, east 383
Oxford: Latin Chapel 392
St. Paul’s: West front 393
St. Paul’s: Choir, east 414
St. Saviour’s, Southwark 415
St. Saviour’s, Southwark: Nave, east 424
Westminster Abbey: West front 425
Westminster Abbey: Poets’ Corner 432

Westminster Abbey: Choir, east 433
Westminster Abbey: Chapel and Shrine of Edward the
Confessor 436
Westminster Abbey: Henry VII.’s Chapel 437
Westminster Abbey: Cloisters 440
Westminster Abbey: South-west 441

CANTERBURY
Dedication: Christ Church. Formerly the Church of a
Benedictine Monastery.
Special features: Becket’s Crown; Door of Chapter-House;
West Doorway; Crypt.
Canterbury Cathedral presents a beautiful effect when seen from
a distance, keeping watch over the city that lies in the valley of the
Stour, girdled by hills. On one of these hills stands the village of
Harbledown, the “Bob Up and Down,” where Chaucer’s Pilgrims
halted, and from which a charming view of the ancient Cathedral is
to be enjoyed.
Another fine prospect is gained from St. Martin’s:
“Let any one sit on the hill of the little church of St. Martin, and look on
the view which is there spread before his eyes. Immediately below are the
towers of the great Abbey of St. Augustine, where Christian learning and
civilisation first struck root in the Anglo-Saxon race; and within which now,
after a lapse of many centuries, a new institution has arisen, intended to
carry far and wide to countries of which Gregory and Augustine never heard,
the blessings which they gave to us. Carry your view on,—and there rises
high above all the magnificent pile of our Cathedral equal in splendour and
state to any, the noblest temple or church, that Augustine could have seen in
ancient Rome, rising on the very ground which derives its consecration from
him. And still more than the grandeur of the outward buildings that rose
from the little church of St. Augustine, and the little palace of Ethelbert, have
been the institutions of all kinds, of which these are the earliest cradle. From
Canterbury, the first English Christian city—from Kent, the first English
Christian kingdom—has, by degrees, arisen the whole constitution of
Church and State in England, which now binds together the whole British
Empire.”—(A. P. S.)

This great Cathedral stands on the site of the primitive Roman, or
British, Church, attributed to King Lucius and granted by Ethelbert,
King of Kent, to St. Augustine (who had converted him in 597). It
is, therefore, the earliest monument of the English union of Church
and State, and the cradle of English Christianity. Pope Gregory had
intended to fix the Primacy in London and York alternately; but the
sentiment of St. Augustine’s landing in Kent prevailed; and,
therefore, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the See of which was
founded in 597, is still Primate of England. He crowns the King and
ranks next to royalty.
The first Cathedral was injured by the Danes in 1011 and it was
burned down during the Norman Conquest in 1067. Lanfranc, the
first Archbishop after the Conquest (1070-1089), reconstructed both
church and monastery from their foundations. Anselm (1093-1109),
took down the eastern part of the church and reërected it with far
greater magnificence. Ernulf, Prior of the monastery, was
responsible for the architecture; but the chancel being finished by
his successor, Prior Conrad, and beautifully decorated, became
known as the “glorious Choir of Conrad.” Canterbury Cathedral was
dedicated by Archbishop William in 1130. Henry I., King of
England, David, King of Scotland, and all the Bishops of England
were present at what Gervase calls “the most famous dedication that
had ever been heard of on the earth since that of the temple of
Solomon.” In 1170, Thomas à Becket was murdered here, having
fled for protection to the church after a violent scene in his chamber
with Henry’s knights. Becket was buried at the east end of the Crypt
and remained there forty-six years.
“Most men were persuaded that a new burst of miraculous powers, such
as had been suspended for many generations, had broken out at the tomb;
and the contemporary monk, Benedict, fills a volume with extraordinary
cures, wrought within a very few years after the ‘Martyrdom.’ Far and wide
the fame of ‘St. Thomas of Canterbury’ spread. The very name of Christ

Church, or of the Holy Trinity, by which the Cathedral was properly
designated, was in popular usage merged in that of The Church of St.
Thomas. For the few years immediately succeeding his death there was no
regular shrine. The popular enthusiasm still clung to the two spots
immediately connected with the murder. The Transept in which he died,
within five years from that time acquired the name by which it has ever since
been known, ‘The Martyrdom.’ The flagstone on which his skull was
fractured and the solid corner of the masonry in front of which he fell, are
probably the only parts which remain unchanged. But against that corner
may still be seen the marks of the space occupied by a wooden altar, which
continued in its original simplicity through all the subsequent magnificence
of the church till the time of the Reformation. It was probably the identical
memorial erected in the first haste of enthusiasm after the reopening of the
Cathedral for worship in 1172. It was called the Altar of the Martyrdom or
more commonly the Altar of the Sword’s Point (Altare ad Punctum Ensis)
from the circumstance that in a wooden shed placed upon it was preserved
the fragment of Le Bret’s sword, which had been left on the pavement after
accomplishing its bloody work. Under a piece of rock crystal surmounting
the chest, was kept a portion of the brains. To this altar a regular keeper was
appointed from among the monks, under the name of ‘Custos Martyrii.’ In
the first frenzy of desire for relics of St. Thomas, even this guarantee was
inadequate.
“Next to the actual scene of the murder, the object which this event
invested with especial sanctity was the tomb in which his remains were
deposited in the Crypt behind the Altar of the Virgin. It was to this spot that
the first great rush of pilgrims was made when the church was reopened in
1172, and it was here that Henry performed his penance. Hither on the 21st
of August, 1179, came the first King of France who ever set foot on the
shores of England, Louis VII., warned by St. Thomas in dreams, and,
afterwards, as he believed, receiving his son back from a dangerous illness
through the Saint’s intercession. He knelt by the tomb and offered upon it the
celebrated jewel,[2] as also his own rich cup of gold.”—(A. P. S.)
In 1174 a fire destroyed “Conrad’s Glorious Choir.” Rebuilding
was immediately begun under a French architect, William of Sens,
who fell from a scaffolding and had to relinquish the work to

another William, who completed the Choir and eastern buildings in
1184.
Everything was now in readiness for the removal of the Martyr’s
remains. Stephen Langton gave two years’ notice of the intended
“Translation”; and a marvellous assemblage gathered from all parts
of Europe on July 7, 1220. The Archbishop opened the tomb the
night before the coffin was carried to the Shrine above in Trinity
Chapel, and the “Vigil of the Translation,” July 6, was kept in the
English church until 1537. The great procession to the Shrine was
led by Henry III., then aged thirteen. Pilgrims came to the new
Shrine, as they had done to the one below, in thousands. Seven great
“jubilees” were held before 1530.
“The outer aspect of the Cathedral can be imagined without much
difficulty. A wide cemetery, which, with its numerous gravestones, such as
that on the south side of Petersborough Cathedral, occupied the vacant space
still called the Churchyard, divided from the garden beyond by the old
Norman arch since removed to a more convenient spot. In the cemetery were
interred such pilgrims as died during their stay in Canterbury. The external
aspect of the Cathedral itself, with the exception of the numerous statues
which then filled its now vacant niches, must have been much what it is now.
Not so its interior. Bright colours on the roof, on the windows, on the
monuments; hangings suspended from the rods which may still be seen
running from pillar to pillar; chapels and altars, and chantries intercepting
the view, where now all is clear, must have rendered it so different, that at
first we should hardly recognise it to be the same building.”—(A. P. S.)
At the church door the company of pilgrims arranged themselves
“every one after his degree,” and a monk sprinkled their heads with
holy water with the “Sprengel.” The great tide of pilgrims then
passed through the Cathedral. Sometimes they paid their devotions
to the Shrine first, and sometimes they visited the lesser objects first
and the Shrine last. In this case, they entered the Transept of the
Martyrdom, through the dark passage under the steps leading to the

Choir. Before the wooden altar and in the soft radiance of the
glorious representation of the Martyr in the transept window (of
which there remains only the central band with the donors, Edward
IV., his Queen, with their daughters and the two sons who perished
in the Tower), while the priest showed them the relics of which he
had charge, including the rusty fragment of Le Bret’s sword, which
all kissed in turn. Proceeding down the steps on the way to the
Crypt, new guardians exhibited in the dim light of a row of lamps
suspended from rings in the roof, the actual relics of St. Thomas,—
part of his skull cased in silver, which all kissed devoutly, and his
shirt and drawers of haircloth.
Mounting the steps of the Choir, the pilgrims were then shown
the great array of about four hundred relics preserved in ivory, gilt
or silver coffers, including the arm of St. George. And now, passing
behind the altar and up the steps, which many ascended on their
knees, chanting the hymn to St. Thomas, they entered Trinity
Chapel. They were first led beyond the Shrine to the easternmost
apse to see a golden head of the Saint studded with gems, in which
the scalp or crown of the Saint was preserved.
“The Shrine occupied the central part of the upper platform, and the
extent of the railed space round it may be readily perceived by examining
the floor on which the depression made by the feet of the pilgrims is plainly
visible. The pavement inside this limit is composed of the original steps and
platform of the Shrine, and consists in part of rich African marbles, as do
also two whole pillars to north and south, and two half pillars to the east.
These are said to have been the gift of a Pope to the Shrine, and, indeed, to
have once formed part of a Roman Temple. The Shrine itself was simply the
coffin of the Saint, richly adorned and cased with gold and precious stones.
It rested on a structure of stone arches some five or six feet high, and was, as
a rule, concealed under a wooden cover, working on pulleys, like many
covers of fonts in our churches now. When raised the cover would reveal to
the venerating gaze of the pilgrims, plates of precious metal studded with
jewels of fabulous value, the most remarkable of which would be pointed

out by the attendant with a white wand. When the Shrine was destroyed, by
order of Henry VIII., these treasures filled two great chests ‘such as six or
seven strong men could no more than convey one of them out of the church.’
West of the Shrine stood an altar, and west of the altar a gate in the railings,
in fact just between the altar and the beautiful fragment of Italian marble
pavement.”—(F. and R.)
We can imagine the long line of kneeling pilgrims and those who
were allowed behind the iron gates rubbing themselves against the
marble, so that the wonder-working body within could effect a cure
in anticipation of the moment when the wooden canopy would be
lifted.
“At a given signal this canopy was drawn up by ropes, and the Shrine
then appeared blazing with gold and jewels; the wooden sides were plated
with gold and damasked with gold wire; cramped together on this gold
ground were innumerable jewels, pearls, sapphires, blassas, diamonds,
rubies and emeralds, and ‘in the midst of the gold’ rings or cameos of
sculptured agates, cornelians and onyx stones.
“As soon as this magnificent sight was disclosed, every one dropped on
his knees, and probably the tinkling of the silver bells attached to the canopy
would indicate the moment to all the hundreds of pilgrims in whatever part
of the Cathedral they might be. The body of the Saint in the inner iron chest
was not to be seen except by mounting a ladder, which would be but rarely
allowed. But whilst the votaries knelt around, the Prior, or some other great
officer of the monastery, came forward, and with a white wand touched the
several jewels, naming the giver of each, and for the benefit of foreigners,
adding the French name of each, with a description of its value and
marvellous qualities. A complete list of them has been preserved to us,
curious, but devoid of general interest. There was one, however, which far
outshone the rest, and indeed was supposed to be the finest in Europe. It was
the great carbuncle, ruby, or diamond, said to be as large as a hen’s egg or a
thumb-nail, and commonly called ‘The Regale of France.’ The attention of
the spectators was riveted by the figure of an angel pointing to it. It had been
given to the original tomb in the Crypt by Louis VII. of France, when here
on his pilgrimage.[3]

“The lid once more descended on the golden ark; the pilgrims
‘telling heartily their beads
Prayed to St. Thomas in such wise as they could,’

and then withdrew, down the opposite flight of steps from which they had
ascended.”—(A. P. S.)
Next the pilgrims received the small leaden bottles, or ampulles,
filled with water mixed with the Martyr’s blood; and in the
numerous booths and stalls that lined Mercery Lane, the narrow
street running from the Cathedral to the Chequers Inn, bought other
memorials of the Pilgrimage, particularly the leaden brooches
representing the mitred head of the saint with the legend, Caput
Thomæ.
From the middle of the Fourteenth to the end of the Fifteenth
Century a wonder-working well was shown to pilgrims in the
Precincts.
Among the great visitors to the shrine of the “holy blissful
Martyr” were all the English kings from Henry II. to Henry VIII.;
Edward I. (1299), who presented the golden crown of Scotland, the
crown given by Edward to John Balliol and carried off by him, but
recaptured at Dover; Richard and John of England; Louis VII. of
France; Isabella, wife of Edward II.; John, the captive king of
France; Henry V. on his return from Agincourt; Emmanuel, Emperor
of the East in 1400, and Sigismund, Emperor of the West in 1417;
and great lords and ladies from England, France and Scotland. The
barons of the Cinque Ports, after every coronation, presented the
canopies of silk and gold which they held and still hold over the
head of the king.
In 1538 Henry VIII. issued a writ of summons against Thomas à
Becket accusing him of treason, contumacy and rebellion and had
the document read before the Martyr’s tomb. The suit was tried in
Westminster, and the long defunct Archbishop condemned. His

bones were ordered to be burnt and all his offerings handed over to
the Crown. Becket’s body, however, escaped burning and was re-
buried. The Shrine was destroyed and all the offerings of jewels and
gold carried off. They filled twenty-six carts. Becket was deprived
of the name of Saint and his images destroyed throughout the
country.
Returning now to the architectural history of the Cathedral, Prior
Chillenden (1378-1410) took down Lanfranc’s Nave and Transepts.
About 1473 Prior Goldstone II. added the splendid Angel Tower that
rises from the centre of the roof, and upon which the figure of a
golden angel welcomed the pilgrims to Canterbury.
In 1642, the Puritans battered the windows, hacked and hewed
the altars and monuments and committed ravages of all kinds under
a ringleader, Richard Culmer, known as “Blue Dick.”
After the Restoration, £10,000 was devoted to repairs. At a later
period the Choir-stalls, said to be carved by Grinling Gibbons, were
replaced.
In 1834, the northwest (Arundel) tower had to be pulled down. It
was rebuilt on a different plan.
Nothing of importance happened until 1872, when a fire broke
out on the roof of Trinity Chapel at half-past ten in the morning.
Little damage was done, however; but the Black Prince’s Tomb was
in danger and the relics above it were temporarily removed.
Canterbury was four centuries in building. It, therefore, exhibits
specimens of nearly all the classes of Pointed Architecture. It is
chiefly, however, Transitional Norman and Perpendicular.
“The existing cathedral, although of such various dates, covers, as nearly
as can be ascertained, the same ground as the original building of Lanfranc,
with the exception of the Nave, which is of greater length westward, and of
the Retro-Choir, or extreme eastern portion, which is also longer.”—(R. J.
K.)

Passing the traditional site of the Chequers Inn, where Chaucer’s
Pilgrims were housed, we walk up Mercery Lane to Christ Church
Gate, built by Prior Goldstone in 1517. It is a fine example of late
Perpendicular and once contained a figure of Christ in the central
niche.
This gate leads into the Precincts of the Cathedral. The close is
surrounded by the gardens of the Canons’ houses. We now look
upon the beautiful south side of the Cathedral.
“In the immediate Precincts, a delightful picture is presented from the
Green Court, which was once the main outer court of the monastery. Here
are noble trees and beautifully kept turf, at once in perfect harmony and
agreeable contrast with the rugged walls of the weather-beaten Cathedral:
the quiet, soft colouring of the ancient buildings and that look of cloistered
seclusion only to be found in the peaceful nooks of cathedral cities are seen
here at their very best.
“The chief glory of the exterior of Canterbury Cathedral is the central
Angel, or Bell, Tower. This is one of the most perfect structures that Gothic
architecture inspired by the loftiest purpose that ever stimulated the work of
any art, has produced. It was completed by Prior Selling, who held office in
1472, and has been variously called the Bell Harry Tower from the mighty
Dunstan bell, weighing three tons and three hundredweight, and the Angel
Tower from the gilded figure of an angel poised on one of the pinnacles,
which has long ago disappeared. The tower itself is of two stages, with two-
light windows in each stage; the windows are transomed in each face, and
the lower tier is canopied; each angle is rounded off with an octagonal turret;
and the whole structure is a marvellous example of architectural harmony
and in every way a work of transcendent beauty.”—(H. W.)
The South-west, or Chichele, Tower, (formerly St. Dunstan’s
Tower) was completed by Prior Goldstone (1449-1468). It is now
the Bell Tower. The Northern, or Arundel, steeple was rebuilt by
Austen in 1840 in place of the old Norman Tower, which had
become dangerous.

“The western towers are built each of six stages: each of the two upper
tiers contains two two-light windows, while below there is a large four-light
window uniform with the windows of the aisles. The base tier is ornamented
with rich panelling. The parapet is battlemented and the angles are finished
with fine double pinnacles. At the west end there is a large window of seven-
light transoms. The gable contains a window of very curious shape, filled
with intricate tracery. The space above the aisle windows is ornamented with
quatrefoiled squares, and the clerestory is pierced by windows of three
lights.”—(H. W.)
Above the aisle windows are quatrefoiled squares. The clerestory,
Choir and Becket’s Crown contain lancet windows. In the main
transept there is a fine Perpendicular window of eight lights.
The South side of the Cathedral is the one most generally
admired.
“On the south side is seen the porch; the nave (a beautiful design); and
the charming pinnacle of the south-west transept. East of the Warrior’s
Chapel is the projecting end of Stephen Langton’s tomb. East of this, the two
lower rows of windows are those of Conrad’s Choir; the upper row that of
William of Sens. The middle windows in the south-east transept were the
clerestory windows of Conrad; the windows above them are those of
William of Sens. The three upper stages of the tower on the south of this
transept are late Norman work; one of the prettiest bits in Canterbury.
Farther east we have French design, pure and simple; here, for the first time
in English architecture, the flying-buttresses are openly displayed; notice
how flat and plain they are; it had not yet occurred to architects to make
them decorative. The grand sweep of apse and ambulatory seems to send one
straight back to France. Then comes the broken rocky outline of the corona
—the great puzzle of Canterbury. North-east of the corona are two groups of
ruined Norman pillars and arches discoloured by fire; once they were
continuous, forming one very long building, the Monk’s Infirmary, of which
the west end was originally an open dormitory, open to the roof, and the east
end, separated off by a screen, the Chapel; which has a late Geometrical
window. On the north side of Trinity Chapel is seen the Chantry of Henry

IV.; then St. Andrew’s Tower and the barred Treasury; the lower part of the
latter is late Norman work, largely rebuilt.”—(F. B.)
The Porch on the south side of Chichele Tower is the work of
Prior Chillenden. It has a central niche on which the Martyrdom of
Becket was represented on a panel of the Fifteenth Century. The
niches are filled with statues. Through it we now pass into the
Cathedral.
The Nave (Perpendicular) resembles the bolder nave of
Winchester, built at the same period. The most striking feature is the
manner in which the Choir is raised above the level of the floor,
owing to the fact that it stands over the crypt. The

Canterbury: South Porch

Canterbury: Nave, east

flight of steps placed between the Nave and the Choir adds to the
effect.
“The nave, of eight bays, has no triforium. Each bay consists of a huge
arch resting on filleted pillars, and is subdivided into the pier-arch, with the
clerestory and panelling reaching to the string-course above. It is paved with
Portland stone. The vaulting and vaulting-shafts are the prominent features
of the nave, and the pier-arches are quite subordinate; these shafts are
banded, as at Bath, like Early English. The main transept has no aisles.”—
(W. J. L.)
Of the Nave windows none remain entire. The great West
Window is made up of fragments from the others. It contains the

arms of Richard II. impaling the Confessor’s; and those of Anne of
Bohemia (north); and Isabella of France (south).
The beautifully carved Screen of solid stone, separating the Nave
from the Choir, was placed there in the Fifteenth Century. Of the six
crowned figures in the lower niches, the one holding the church is
supposed to be Ethelbert; and the one on the extreme right, Richard
II. The figures of Christ and the Twelve Apostles, which filled the
thirteen mitred niches around the arch, were destroyed by “Blue
Dick” and his companions. A staircase leads to the top of the
Screen.
Another Screen partly fills the space between the two western
piers of the central, or Angel, Tower.
“The piers which support the central tower are probably the original piers
of Lanfranc’s erection, cased with Perpendicular work by Prior Chillenden at
the same time with the building of the nave. To this Prior Goldstone II.
(1495-1517) added the vaulting of the tower, and all the portion above the
roof, together with the remarkable buttressing-arches supporting the piers
below, which had perhaps shown some signs of weakness. These arches have
on them the Prior’s rebus, a shield with three golden bars, or stones. The
central arch occupies the place of the ancient roodloft, and probably the
great rood was placed on it until the Reformation.”—(R. J. K.)
The Choir of five bays shows the earliest instance of the Pointed
Arch in England and groining on a large scale. The clerestory of the
Choir is filled with windows representing the genealogy of the
Saviour. The carvings on the stalls are said to be by Grinling
Gibbons.
In 1096, Prior Ernulf began a longer and wider Choir than
originally existed; and this was dedicated in 1114, before he left
Canterbury to become Bishop of Rochester. Prior Conrad, his
successor, finished the decoration of it and “the glorious Choir of
Conrad,” as it was somewhat unjustly called, was consecrated in

1130. In 1174 it was destroyed by fire to the great distress of
everybody. All that remains is a portion of the pavement consisting
of large slabs of “stone or veined marble of a delicate brown
colour,” between the two Transepts.
“About four years after the murder on the 5th of September, 1174, a fire
broke out in the Cathedral which reduced the Choir—hitherto its chief
architectural glory—to ashes. The grief of the people is described in terms
which show how closely the expression of Mediæval feeling resembled what
can now only be seen in Italy or the East—‘They tore their hair; they beat
the walls and pavements of the church with their shoulders and the palms of
their hands; they uttered tremendous curses against God and his saints—
even to the patron saint of the church; they wished they had rather have died
than seen such a day.’ How far more like the description of a Neapolitan mob
in disappointment at the slow liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius than
of the citizens of a quiet cathedral town in the county of Kent! The monks,
though appalled by the calamity for a time, soon recovered themselves;
workmen and architects, French and English, were procured; and among the
former, William, from the city of Sens, so familiar to all Canterbury at that
period as the scene of Becket’s exile. No observant traveller can have seen
the two Cathedrals without remarking how closely the details of William’s
workmanship at Canterbury were suggested by his recollections of his own
church at Sens, built a short time before. The forms of the pillars, the
vaulting of the roof, even the very bars and patterns of the windows are
almost identical.... The French architect unfortunately met with an accident
which disabled him from continuing his operations. After a vain struggle to
superintend the works by being carried round the church in a litter, he was
compelled to surrender the task to a namesake, an Englishman, and it is to
him that we owe the design of that part of the Cathedral which was destined
to receive the sacred Shrine.”—(A. P. S.)
“On entering the choir, the visitor is immediately struck by the singular
bend with which the walls approach each other at the eastern end. By this
remarkable feature, together with the great length of the Choir (180 feet; it is
the longest in England) and the lowness of the vaulting; the antique character
of the architecture enforced by the strongly contrasted Purbeck and Caen

stone, and the consequent fine effects of light and shadow. The style is
throughout Transition, having Norman and Early English characteristics,
curiously intermixed. The pillars with their pier-arches, the clerestory wall
above and the great vault up to the Transepts, were entirely finished by
William of Sens. The whole work differed greatly from that of the former
choir. The richly foliated and varied capitals of the pillars, the great vault
with its ribs of stone, and the numerous slender shafts of marble in the
triforia, were all novelties exciting the great admiration of the monks.”—(R.
J. K.)
William of Sens, however, retained the second or Eastern
Transepts, which had existed in the former church.
Before the Reformation the Choir contained the high altar and the
altar-shrines of St. Alphege and St. Dunstan. No trace of the former
remains; but on the south wall of the Choir, between the monuments
of Archbishops Stratford and Sudbury, there is some diaper-work of
open lilies that adorned St. Dunstan’s altar.
The High Altar is on a higher level than the floor of the choir. It
is approached by two flights of steps (one on either side) in the
Presbytery, about 25 feet higher than the floor of the Nave. The
Altar was placed over the new Crypt, which is a good deal higher
than the older, or western, Crypt. The Reredos, erected in 1870, was
designed in the style of the screen-work in the Lady-Chapel in the
Crypt. The crimson velvet altar-coverings, now in use, were
presented by Queen Mary, wife of William III., and the gold chalice
by the Earl of Arundell in 1636. The Archbishop’s Throne, a gift
of Archbishop Howley (£1200), was carved by Flemish workmen
from designs by Austen. The stone-pulpit, by Butterfield, was
erected in 1846. The eagle used as a Litany desk is dated 1663.
The organ, built by Samuel Green, is believed to be the one used
at the Händel Festival in Westminster Abbey in 1784. It was
remodelled in 1886. Among the tombs and monuments of
Archbishops and Cardinals are: Cardinal Bourchier, who crowned

Edward IV., Richard III. and Henry VII.; Archbishop Howley, who
crowned Queen Victoria; Stratford, Grand Judiciary to Edward III.;
Simon of Sudbury, whose head was cut off during Wat Tyler’s
rebellion; and Cardinal Kemp, who was present at Agincourt.
In the north aisle, in a coloured and gilt altar-tomb, lies
Archbishop Chichele (died 1443), according to Shakespeare, the
instigator of the war with France (see Henry V., Act I., Sc. I.). Here
also lies Orlando Gibbons, Charles I.’s organist.
Of the six splendid windows in the north aisle of the Choir
described by the old authorities, only two remain.
“They should not be overlooked by the visitor, as they are full of curious
symbolism. The birth of Christ and His early life are depicted in the central
panels and the types from the Old Testament with them. Observe the Magi
all asleep in one bed; Shem, Ham and Japhet, dividing the earth, which one
of them holds in his hands, like a gorgeously painted map; and in the sixth
panel of the first window a very curious scene, in which we see depicted a
bronze idol or statue, similar, no doubt, to some the artist had seen as of
Roman work. Whoever he was who designed the work, he knew what was
classical art. The exaggerated muscular development which came in again
under Michael Angelo and his contemporaries in Italy, is seen here quite
plainly.”—(W. J. L.)
The same fire that destroyed the Choir also damaged the
Transepts. The windows and arcades in them are more completely
reconstructed than those in the side aisles. One feature here is the
double range of triforia, or open galleries. The lower triforium
belongs to Ernulf’s time: the windows in the upper one were his
clerestory.
The pilgrims were usually conducted into the North Transept, or
Transept of the Martyrdom through the dark passage under the
choir steps. In the west wall here, a door opened into the cloister,
through which Becket passed to his tragic death.

Directly opposite, on the other side of the Choir, the Warriors’
Chapel is situated.
The apse, approached by a broad flight of steps, is entirely
occupied by the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, which contained the
Martyr’s Shrine. The work here shows the influence of the French.
From the Transept of the Martyrdom the pilgrims were conducted
through the North Aisle of the Choir on their way to the great
Shrine; and, at the end of the aisle, close to the steps ascending to
the Retro-Choir, we find the door of St. Andrew’s Tower. This is
part of Lanfranc’s building and now used as a vestry; but it was
once the sacristy, where the rich offerings and precious relics
connected with Becket were exhibited to privileged pilgrims.
The Retro-Choir is reached by steep flights of steps necessitated
by the height of the Crypt below. Up these steps the pilgrims
climbed on their knees, chanting the hymn to St. Thomas:

“Tu per Thomæ sanguinem
Quem pro te impendit,
Fac nos Christo scandere
Quo Thomas ascendit.”

All this part of the Cathedral is the work of English William,
which is lighter, in general character, than that of William of Sens.
The Chapel of the Holy Trinity (or that of St. Thomas)
occupies the central portion of the Retro-Choir between the piers
formed by double columns. In the old Chapel of the Trinity
(destroyed by fire at the same time as Conrad’s Choir) Becket
celebrated his first Mass as Archbishop. His body lay in the Crypt
immediately below this spot.
“In earlier times the easternmost chapel had contained an altar of the
Holy Trinity, where Becket had been accustomed to say mass. Partly for the
sake of preserving the two old Norman towers of St. Anselm and St. Andrew,
which stood on the north and south side of this part of the church—but
chiefly for the sake of fitly uniting to the church this eastern chapel on an
enlarged scale, the pillars of the choir were contracted with that singular
curve which attracts the eye of every spectator, as Gervase foretold that it
would, when, in order to explain this peculiarity, he stated the two aforesaid
reasons. The eastern end of the Cathedral, thus enlarged, formed, as at Ely, a
more spacious receptacle for the honoured remains; the new Trinity Chapel,
reaching considerably beyond the extreme limit of its predecessor, and
opening beyond into a yet further chapel, popularly called Becket’s Crown.
The windows were duly filled with the richest painted glass of the period,
and amongst those on the northern side may still be traced elaborate
representations of the miracles wrought at the subterranean tomb, or by
visions and intercessions of the mighty Saint. High in the tower of St.
Anselm, on the south side of the destined site of so great a treasure, was
prepared—a usual accompaniment of costly shrines—the Watching
Chamber. It is a rude apartment with a fireplace where the watcher could
warm himself during the long winter nights, and a narrow gallery between

the pillars, whence he could overlook the whole platform of the shrine, and
at once detect any sacrilegious robber who was attracted by the immense
treasures there collected. On the occasion of fires the Shrine was additionally
guarded by a troop of fierce ban-dogs.
“When the Cathedral was thus duly prepared, the time came for what, in
the language of those days, was termed the ‘Translation’ of the relics.”—(A.
P. S.)
Becket’s body was removed here on July 7, 1220 (See page 4),
and remained the only occupant of this chapel for more than a
hundred years.
It only proves in what deep affection the English nation held the
Black Prince to have placed his remains by the side of Becket. His
body lay in state in Westminster from June 8, 1376, to September
29; and on the Feast of Michaelmas it was taken to Canterbury,
which he had selected for his resting-place. The procession from
London to Canterbury was magnificent; and the idol of the nation
was laid not in the Crypt, as he had expected, but in Trinity Chapel.
“In this sacred spot—believed at that time to be the most sacred spot in
England—the tomb stood in which ‘alone in his glory,’ the Prince was to be
deposited, to be seen and admired by all the countless pilgrims who crawled
up the stone steps beneath it on their way to the shrine of the saint.
“Let us turn to that tomb, and see how it sums up his whole life. Its bright
colours have long since faded, but enough still remains to show us what it
was as it stood after the sacred remains of him had been placed within it.
There he lies; no other memorial of him exists in the world so authentic.
There he lies, as he had directed, in full armour, his head resting on his
helmet, his feet with the likeness of ‘the spurs he won’ at Cressy, his hands
joined as in that last prayer which he had offered up on his deathbed. There
you can see his fine face with the Plantagenet features, the flat cheeks and
the well-chiselled nose, to be traced perhaps in the effigy of his father in
Westminster Abbey, and his grandfather in Gloucester Cathedral. On his
armour you can still see the marks of the bright gilding with which the figure
was covered from head to foot, so as to make it look like an image of pure

gold. High above are suspended the brazen gauntlets, the helmet, with what
was once its gilded leopard-crest, and the wooden shield, the velvet coat
also, embroidered with the arms of France and England, now tattered and
colourless, but then blazing with blue and scarlet. There, too, still hangs the
empty scabbard of the sword, wielded perhaps at his three great battles, and
which Oliver Cromwell, it is said, carried away. On the canopy, over the
tomb, there is the faded representation—painted after the strange fashion of
those times—of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, according to the peculiar
devotion which he had entertained. In the pillars you can see the hooks to
which was fastened the black tapestry, with its crimson border and curious
embroidery, which he directed in his will should be hung round his tomb and
the shrine of Becket. Round about the tomb, too, you will see the ostrich
feathers, which, according to the old, but doubtful tradition, we are told he
won at Cressy from the blind King of Bohemia, who perished in the thick of
the fight; and interwoven with them the famous motto, with which he used to
sign his name, ‘Houmout,’ ‘Ich diene.’ If, as seems most likely, they are
German words, they exactly express what we have seen so often in his life,
the union of Hoch muth that is high spirit, with Ich dien, I serve. They bring
before us the very scene itself after the battle of Poitiers, where, after having
vanquished the whole French nation, he stood behind the captive king, and
served him like an attendant.
“And, lastly, carved about the tomb, is the long inscription, selected by
himself before his death, in Norman French, and still the language of the
court, written, as he begged, clearly and plainly, that all might read it. Its
purport is to contrast his former splendour and vigour and beauty with the
wasted body which is now all that is left.”—(A. P. S.)
The Black Prince’s effigy of brass was once entirely gilt. Round
the tomb are escutcheons of arms, and on the canopy there is a
representation of the Holy Trinity with emblems of the Evangelists
at the corners.
At the foot of the Black Prince’s Tomb is the monument of
Archbishop Courtenay (1381-1396), the great opponent of the
Wycliffites; and directly opposite is the Tomb of Henry IV. and his

Queen, Joan of Navarre, whose effigies lie under a most elaborate
and beautiful canopy.
“In spite of some damage they remain the most interesting
representations, not only of the costume of the time, but also, we cannot
doubt, of the actual features of the persons. When the tomb was opened
some time ago the features of the king were seen for a moment and
corresponded closely with the representation on the tomb. The figures at the
foot of the Queen, known in heraldry as genets, and to the ordinary person
perhaps as weasels, appear also in the canopy combined with eagles and the
motto ‘Soverayne and Atemperance.’ The defaced painting on wood at the
foot of the tomb represented the Martyrdom of St. Thomas.”—(F. and R.)
Adjoining this tomb is the Chapel of Henry IV.’s Chantry,
built, as directed in the will of King Henry, who died in 1413, “a
chauntrie perpetual with twey prestis for to sing and pray for my
soul.” It contains the first example in Canterbury of the “fan-
vaulting,” so splendidly represented in the Dean’s Chapel.
The windows here and in the Corona should be studied.
“They are of the Thirteenth Century, and among the finest of this date in
Europe, excelling in many respects those of Bourges, Troyes and Chartres;
‘for excellence of drawing, harmony of colouring and purity of design they
are justly considered unequalled. The skill with which the minute figures are
represented, cannot even at this day be surpassed’ (Stanley). Remark
especially the great value given to the brilliant colours by the profusion of
white and neutral tints. The scrolls and borders surrounding the medallions
are also of beauty.
“The three windows remaining in the aisles surrounding the Trinity
Chapel are entirely devoted, as were all the rest, to the miracles of Becket,
which commenced immediately on the death of the great martyr. The
miracles represented in the medallions are of various characters. The
Lucerna Angliæ, a true St. Thomas of Kandelberg, as the Germans called
him, restores sight to the blind. Loss of smell is recovered at the shrine of
this Arbor Aromatica. Frequently he assists sailors, the rude crews of the
Cinque Ports in his own immediate neighbourhood. At the Norway fishing

his figure came gliding over the seas in the dusk, and descended, burning
like fire, to the imperilled ships of the Crusaders. In the window toward the
east, on the north of the Shrine, is represented a remarkable series of
miracles, occurring in the household of a knight named Jordan, son of Eisulf,
whose son is restored to life by the water from St. Thomas’s well, which,
mixed with his blood, was always carried off by the pilgrims. The father
vows an offering to the martyr before Mid-Lent. This is neglected; the whole
household again suffer, and the son dies once more. The knight and his wife,
both sick, drag themselves to Canterbury, perform their vow and the son is
finally restored. On a medallion in one of the windows on the north side is a
representation of Becket’s Shrine, with the martyr issuing from it in full
pontificals to say Mass at the altar.”—(R. J. K.)
At the extreme east end, just behind Trinity Chapel, is the circular
apse called Becket’s Crown, or the Corona. On the north side lies
Cardinal Pole, Bloody Mary’s cousin, who died the day after she
did.
“The great lightness and beauty of the Corona, the extreme east end of
the Cathedral, are remarkable. It is English William’s work. When
Archbishop Anselm was at Rome in the early part of his episcopate and
attending a council in the Lateran, a question arose as to his proper place,
since no Archbishop of Canterbury had as yet been present at a Roman
council. Pope Pascal II. decided it by assigning to the ‘alterius orbis papa,’ a
seat in the ‘corona,’ the most honourable position. It is possible that this fact
may have led the architects, on the rebuilding of the choir, to make the
addition of an eastern apse, or corona, which did not exist in the earlier
church. In it were the shrines of Archbishop Odo and Wilfrid of York, and a
golden reliquary in the form of a head, containing some relic of Becket,
perhaps the severed scalp. By a confusion of its proper name with this relic
the eastern apse came to be generally known as Becket’s Crown. On the
north side is the tomb of Cardinal Pole, Queen Mary’s Archbishop (1556-
1558) and the last Archbishop buried at Canterbury. His royal blood gave
him a title to so distinguished a place of sepulture.”—(R. J. K.)
From here one gains the best view of the Cathedral as a whole.
Canterbury is one of the longest of cathedrals (514 feet).

The central window (Thirteenth Century) in Becket’s Crown is
very ornate.
“It is very complete and an admirable example of the intricate symbolism
of the time. The subjects are arranged in three quatrefoils and two lozenges:
the Crucifixion occupying a square panel at the foot, surrounded by
representations of the spies carrying the great bunch of grapes; of Moses
striking the rock; of the sacrifice of a lamb in the Temple, and of Abraham
offering up Isaac on Mount Moriah. Next above is a lozenge-shaped panel,
painted with the Entombment, adjoining which we have Joseph’s brethren
putting him in the pit; Samson shorn in his sleep by Delilah; Daniel in a
walled city, labelled Babilonia, and Jonah let down into the jaws of the
whale by two men in a ship. Above these scenes is a quatrefoil, in the centre
of which we see the Resurrection, surrounded by representations of Moses
and the burning bush; Noah in the Ark; Rahab letting the spies down by the
wall, and Jonah landing near Nineveh from the mouth of a great whale. Then
another lozenge represents the Ascension and the scenes surrounding it are
the Ark of the Mercy-Seat; Elijah ascending in a chariot of fire; the burial of
Moses, and Hezekiah sick, while an angel gives him the sign of the shadow
on the dial of Ahaz. The last of the series is at the top. In a square panel we
see the great event of the Day of Pentecost. Above it Christ sits enthroned in
glory. Moses receiving the Two Tables of the Law is below. On one side is
the first ordination of deacons, and on the other the descent of the Holy
Spirit on the disciples. The whole style of this window is later than that of
the Becket series.”—(W. J. L.)

Canterbury: Choir, east

Rochester: West front

Passing west, down the steps worn by the pious pilgrims we
reach St. Anselm’s Tower and Chapel. Anselm’s Tower (like St.
Andrew’s opposite) is Prior Ernulf’s work. The elaborate south
window (1336) is Decorated of five lights.
St. Anselm’s Tower is entered through splendid gates of ancient
wrought iron.
At the east end behind the Altar of SS. Peter and Paul, the great
Anselm (1093-1109) was buried. Over the chapel is a small room
with a window looking into the Cathedral. This was the Watching
Chamber, in which, as we have seen, a monk was stationed at night
to keep watch over the Shrine of St. Thomas. There is a tradition
that King John of France was imprisoned here.

We now reach the South-east Transept, the work of both
William of Sens and English William on Ernulf’s walls.
At the corner of the South-west choir-aisle architects love to
notice the round arch and double zigzag of the Norman style fitted
into the Pointed Arch and dogtooth of the restoration of 1180. Under
the windows are the tomb of Archbishop Reynolds and the
monument to Hubert Walter, the latter the warrior-prelate and
Crusader who kept the Realm for Richard Cœur de Lion and raised
the ransom for his release.
The steps leading down into the great South Transept are similar
to those of the opposite Transept of the Martyrdom.
Opening east from this Transept is St. Michael’s, or The
Warriors’ Chapel, so named because of the martial monuments
and tombs contained in it.
The famous East Kent Regiment “The Buffs” place their
memorials here. This Chapel is particularly notable for containing
the tomb of Stephen Langton, the author of the Magna Charta,
which is of earlier date than the chapel. A very beautiful alabaster
monument of Lady Margaret Holland with her two husbands,
John Beaufort, son of John of Gaunt, and the Duke of Clarence, son
of Henry IV., beautifully represents the armour and dress of the
Fifteenth Century.
The Warriors’ Chapel is Perpendicular (about 1370), with a
complex lierne vault. The architect is unknown.
Directly opposite, on the other side of the Choir, is the Transept
of the Martyrdom. Here was erected a wooden altar to the Virgin,
where a portion of the Martyr’s brains were exhibited under a piece
of rock-crystal and fragments of Le Bret’s sword.
Before this altar Edward I. was married to Queen Margaret in
1299. A rude representation of the altar may be seen over the south-
west door of the Cathedral.

Returning to the North-west Transept, we visit the scene of the
Martyrdom which took place near St. Benedict’s apsidal chapel
(now occupied by the Dean’s Chapel) Dec. 29, 1170, during
vespers. The west door from the cloisters by which Becket entered
and the pavement by the wall, where he fell, remain. He was
mounting the stairs to the north aisle (now removed) when the
knights attacked him.
We have already noticed the great Window here, which was the
gift, in 1465, of Edward IV. and his Queen, whose
“figures still remain in it, together with those of his daughters and of the
two Princes murdered in the Tower. The ‘remarkably soft and silvery
appearance’ of this window has been noticed by Mr. Winston. In its original
state the Virgin was pictured in it ‘in seven several glorious appearances’ and
in the centre was Becket himself at full length, robed and mitred. This part
was demolished in 1642 by Richard Culmer, called Blue Dick, the great
iconoclast of Canterbury, who ‘rattled down proud Becket’s glassie bones’
with a pike, and who, when thus engaged, narrowly escaped martyrdom
himself at the hands of a malignant fellow-townsman.”—(R. J. K.)
In this transept stands the monument of Archbishop Peckham
(1279-1292) with his effigy in Irish oak. This is the earliest
complete monument in the Cathedral.
We now pass into the Dean’s Chapel, occupying the site of St.
Benedict’s Chapel. It was formerly the Lady-Chapel, built by Prior
Goldstone in 1460 and dedicated to the Virgin. The beautiful fan-
vault is similar to that in Henry VII.’s Chapel in Westminster Abbey
and to the roof of the staircase leading to the dining-hall of Christ
Church College, Oxford. The Dean’s Chapel received its present
name from the number of tombs and monuments to deans here, one
of the most curious of which is that of Dean Boys, who died in
1625. He is represented as he was found dead in his Library, and the
arrangement of the books with the edges turned outward from the
shelves strikes every one as singular.

Archbishop Warham, the last Archbishop before the
Reformation, also lies here, his heavy tomb in great contrast to that
of Archbishop Peckham, already mentioned, near it,—good
examples of the styles between 1292 and 1533.
The East Window is also notable.
“The figures of Dean Neville and his brother, against the eastern wall,
were transferred to this place on the destruction of the chapel which formerly
projected from the south side of the nave, and of which the marks in the wall
are clearly visible. In the east window some points may be noted. We see the
Neville arms, and a red shield with white saltire, and also the elaborate
Bouchier arms, the most distinguishable features of which are the water
‘budgets,’ two curious red skins joined together at the top, sometimes given
as an honourable blazon to those who supplied an army with water. We also
see the Bouchier knot alternating in most of the panes with the oak leaf and
acorn. This is the mark of Woodstock.”—(F. and R.)
A door here leads into the Great Cloister.
Opposite to St. Anselm’s, St. Andrew’s Chapel, now used as the
Choir Vestry, contains interesting remains of coloured decorations.
In olden days St. Andrew’s was a sacristy, where, as we have seen,
were kept the very precious offerings to the Shrine. On the inner
side is a building of late Norman work—this was originally the
Treasury.
The North-east Transept is a repetition of the South-east
Transept. It, however, contains a monument to Archbishop Tait,
designed by Boehm; and in the north wall are three slits called
hagiscopes. Through these “holy spy holes,” the Prior could see
Mass being celebrated at the High Altar and in the altars in the
Chapels of St. Martin and St. Stephen in the Transept below.
Before descending into the Crypt we must stop to look at St.
Augustine’s Chair, by tradition the throne on which the kings of

Kent were crowned and given by Ethelbert to St. Augustine. All the
Archbishops of Canterbury have taken office in it.
“This chair, which is sometimes called the chair of St. Augustine, but
which belongs to the Thirteenth Century, is composed of Purbeck marble. In
it each successive archbishop for the last six hundred years has sat when he
has been admitted to his metropolitan functions.”—(W. H. F.)
The famous Crypt is usually entered from the South Transept. It
is the oldest part of the Church, having been built between 1093 and
1107 in the reigns of William II. and Henry I. It is heavy, massive,
dark and low, like all Norman work. The capitals of the pillars are
quaintly and sometimes harmoniously carved; one under St.
Anselm’s Chapel, for instance, represents a concert of beasts
playing on musical instruments. The whole crypt was dedicated to
the Blessed Virgin and in the centre stood her altar and chapel. “The
Virgin Mother,” Erasmus wrote, “has there an habitation, but
somewhat dark, enclosed with a double iron rail, for fear of thieves;
for indeed I never saw anything more loaded with riches. Lights
being brought we saw a more than royal spectacle. This chapel is
not shown but to noblemen and particular friends.”
The beautiful Screen, which resembles the screen behind the
High Altar of the choir, is thought to have been added with other
decorations of the Crypt at the time of the Black Prince’s marriage
to the Fair Maid of Kent (1363), when he founded two chantries in
the Crypt. These now form the entrance to the French Church,
where the descendants of the Huguenot and Walloon refugees still
hold service in the ritual of their ancestors.
Queen Elizabeth gave up the whole of the Crypt in 1561 to the
Flemish and French refugees “whom the rod of Alva bruised.” The
silk-weavers set up their looms here.
Before the magnificent shrine of the Virgin lies Henry VII.’s
minister, Cardinal Morton, whose tomb is enriched with the crown

and roses of York and Lancaster, the Cardinal’s hat, the Tudor
portcullis and a passing allusion to his name—Mort (hawk) and Ton
or Tun (a barrel). He assisted in building Bell Harry (or the Angel)
Tower.
Another famous tomb in the Crypt is that of Isabel, Countess of
Atholl, granddaughter of King John and sister-in-law of John
Balliol, King of Scotland. She owned the castle of Chilham near
Canterbury and died in 1292. Her tomb stands at the entrance to the
Chapel of St. Gabriel. The latter is extremely dark, but shows,
when lighted up, some remarkable frescoes of the Twelfth Century,
representing the Nativity of Christ and of John the Baptist.
“Further beyond the Duchess of Atholl’s tomb the crypt is much loftier
and becomes almost a church in itself. This is the part beyond the apse of the
original Cathedral, the place of Becket’s first burial, where Henry II. did
penance, passing the night in fasting and in the morning baring his back and
receiving three lashes from each of the monks. Here the miracles began to be
wrought and the Tumba, even after its contents were removed, was still
reckoned a holy place. The present lofty crypt was built over and round the
Tumba after the great fire of 1174; and, some forty years after its completion
and that of the Trinity Chapel above it, the remains of Becket were translated
by Stephen Langton, with great pomp, to the shrine prepared for them in the
sanctuary above.”—(W. H. F.)
The Crypt is largely the work of Ernulf; and the diaper pattern
and marble shaft by the door that leads from the S. E. corner of the
Martyrdom, occur again in Rochester, where Ernulf became bishop
(See page 34). A statue of Ernulf, intended for the west front of the
Cathedral, is now in his Crypt.
The lower part of the Crypt ends towards the east in a semi-
circular sweep of pillars. The end of the Crypt was built by Ernulf in
1096.
The old Benedictine Convent of Christ’s Church that St.
Augustine established grew to be of the utmost importance. Portions

of the massive wall by which they were surrounded still remain. The
monastic buildings were numerous and extensive. The Prior, who
had the right of wearing the mitre and carrying the episcopal staff,
lived in great dignity. In a set of state chambers, known as the
Meist’ Omers and belonging to the Prior, pilgrims of high rank were
lodged. Somewhere in the vicinity of the Infirmary and its chapel
was the miraculous Well of St. Thomas, which appeared in the
Fourteenth Century. A passage and the Dark Entry, haunted by the
ghost of Nell Cook of the Ingoldsby Legends, takes us into the
Priors’, or Green Court, planted with linden trees, or limes, as the
English call them. Here we find remains of the great Dormitory, the
Guest House, built by Prior Goldstone, the Norman Almonry Gate
and the Norman Staircase, the only construction of its kind
existing. The Hall above was built in 1855.
The beautiful Cloisters, the work of Prior Chillenden (about
1400), are decorated on the roof with the arms of Kentish families.
In the northwest corner is the doorway through which Becket passed
to his doom.
“The cloister occupies the same space as the Norman cloister built by
Lanfranc, but of the Norman work only a doorway remains at the north-east
corner; there is some Early English arcading on the north side, but the
present tracery and fan-worked roof belong to the end of the Fourteenth
Century, when Archbishops Sudbury, Arundell and Courtenay, and Prior
Chillenden (1390-1411) rebuilt the nave, the cloister and the chapter-house.
The latter work cuts across the older in the most unceremonious way, as is
seen especially in the square doorway by which we shall presently enter the
Martyrdom, which cuts into a far more beautiful portal of the Decorated
period. If we take our stand at the north-west corner of the cloister, from
which a very fine view is gained of the Cathedral, especially about sunset,
we may picture to ourselves the life of the monks. Above the north-eastern
side of the cloister are the old Norman arches of their dormitory, now taken
in to the new library; on the eastern side is the chapter-house, with its fine
geometrical ceiling, where they transacted their business; on the south the

great church, the services of which occupied so many hours of the day.”—
(W. H. F.)

ROCHESTER
Dedication: St. Andrew. Formerly the Church of a
Benedictine Monastery.
Special features: Door of Chapter-House; West doorway;
Crypt.
After landing in 567, St. Augustine preached in Rochester, where
Ethelbert soon founded the church of St. Andrew for secular canons.
In 604, a bishop was appointed,—St. Augustine’s companion,
Justus. Justus became Archbishop of Canterbury in 624, and was
succeeded in Rochester by Paulinus; and he, in his turn, by the first
English bishop, St. Ythamar (644-655). Rochester’s three chief
saints in early days were, therefore, Justus, Paulinus and Ythamar.
Gundulf, a monk of Bec in Normandy, was appointed to
Rochester in 1076. He immediately turned it into a Benedictine
monastery and built a church for his monks. Gundulf was one of the
greatest architects of his day: he also built the great Keep of
Rochester Castle, portions of the Tower of London and the Castle of
Dover. The Saxon Cathedral had suffered from the ravages of the
Danes and upon the ruins, Gundulf, with assistance from
Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury, completed a larger cathedral
between 1080 and 1089. The plan was peculiar: it was neither
English nor Norman.
“All this work of Gundulf’s is now gone except portions of the crypt, the
keep and the nave. Of Gundulf’s nave there remain on the south side five
arches, together with the lower parts of the walls of both aisles. It is very
doubtful whether he built any part of the triforium or clerestory. At present
his work can only be seen in its original condition from the side of the aisles.
The pierarches had originally two square orders, which remain unaltered on

the side of the aisle (cf. Winchester transept). Gundulf’s masonry was in
rough tufa.”—(F. B.)
Gundulf placed the relics of St. Paulinus in a silver shrine at the
eastern end of his new cathedral.
Ernulf, Prior of Canterbury, began the second Norman church
about 1120. This was continued by his successor, John of
Canterbury.
“Subsequently the choir was re-arranged and the nave partly rebuilt,
partly re-faced, added to, and finished with the west front, which, to a great
extent, still remains. This later Norman work was carried out from east to
west during the episcopate of Ernulf (1115-24) and John of Canterbury
(1125-37). The upper part of the west front and some of the carving may not
have been completed within even that period. What seems certain is, that we
are indebted to later Norman builders for the re-casing of the piers of the
nave arcade, the greater richness of their capitals, the outer decorated order
of the arches, the triforium with its richly diapered tympana, and the west
front. Assigning most of these works to the time of Bishop John, as seems
best, we can point to others that testify to Ernulf’s architectural skill. He is
recorded to have built the refectory, dormitory and chapter-house. Portions
of these still remain, and one feature, in the ornamentation of the chapter-
house, especially, marks it as his work. This is a peculiar lattice-like diaper,
which occurs elsewhere at Rochester—in fragments that belonged probably
to a beginning by him of the renovation of the choir—but has only been
noticed at one other place: by the entrance to the crypt at Canterbury, where
also it is due to him.”—(G. H. P.)
The Cathedral was dedicated in 1130; but while King Henry I.,
the Archbishop of Canterbury and many of the nobility were still in
the city a fire broke out “without any regard to the majesty of the
King, grandeur of the church or solemnity of the occasion,” as an
old chronicle quaintly observes, and greatly damaged the new
church.

Two other fires occurred in the same century, and in 1179 the
monks set to work to rebuild the whole cathedral.
“As usual they arranged their building operations so as to avoid
interfering with the services in the choir as long as possible. First they rebuilt
the north aisle of the choir, but not so high as it is at present. The aisle
remained narrow because Gundulf’s tower was in the way. But the south
aisle of the choir they doubled in width. Next they set to work at the east
end, planning it, as at Hereford, as an eastern transept with an eastern aisle
and projecting eastward an oblong sanctuary (cf. Southwell). The new
transept was lofty and broad; and it is quite possible that it was built over the
top of Gundulf’s east end without disturbing daily services within it. Then
when all was finished Gundulf’s east end was pulled down. Unlike the
Worcester monks they preserved the level of the Eleventh Century choir, and
consequently had to continue Gundulf’s crypt eastward. In the new
presbytery is seen the same curious mixture of quadripartite and sexpartite
vaulting as in St. Hugh’s eastern transept at Lincoln. All this work was
finished in 1227.”—(G. H. P.)
The monks were enabled to undertake rebuilding on this large
scale because in 1201 they acquired a new saint. A baker of Perth,
named William, famed for his piety, started to the Holy Land. He
got as far as the road to Canterbury, where his servant killed him for
his money. The monks found the body and buried it in the choir of
St. Andrew’s. St. William soon began to work miracles and attracted
many of the pilgrims on their way to the Shrine of St. Thomas at
Canterbury. The choir, rebuilt by means of the offerings, was first
used for service in 1227.
“The choir and transepts of Rochester Cathedral are a very beautiful and
remarkable example of Early English. The architect was William de Hoo,
first sacristan, then prior, and there is some reason to believe that he is the
same person as William the young Englishman, who assisted William of
Sens after his fall from the scaffold at Canterbury, and completed the work
there. A young man at Canterbury in 1185, able to carry on and complete
such a work, may very well have become the architect on his own account of

the daughter church of Rochester in 1201-1227, and there is great
resemblance in style between Rochester and the later work at Canterbury.”—
(J. H. P.)
About this time the monks resolved to have a central tower and to
rebuild the nave. While all this work was going on, the church was
desecrated by the troops of Simon de Montfort. A chronicler relates
that
“They entered the church of St. Andrew on the day on which the Lord
hung on the cross for sinners. Armed knights on their horses, coursing
around the altars, dragged away with impious hands some who fled for
refuge thither, the gold and silver and other precious things being with
violence carried off thence. The buildings were turned into horses’ stables,
and everywhere filled with the dung of animals and the defilement of dead
bodies.”
In 1343 the central tower was completed by Bishop Hamo de
Hythe, who hung in its wooden spire four bells, named Dunstan,
Paulinus, Ythamar and Lanfranc. Bishop Hamo is said to have
reconstructed in alabaster and marble the shrines of Paulinus and
Ythamar. To the middle of the Fourteenth Century belongs also the
beautiful doorway leading into the Chapter-House and Library.
In the Fifteenth Century, the clerestory and vaulting of the north-
choir-aisle were finished and Perpendicular windows were placed in
the nave aisles. The great west window was inserted about 1470,
and the whole of the Norman clerestory was taken off and a new
clerestory and a new wooden roof were put up. The northern
pinnacle of the west gable was also rebuilt. About 1490, the Lady-
Chapel was erected in the corner between the south transept and the
nave.
In 1540 the Cathedral surrendered to the King; and became
known as the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin

Mary. In 1558 the body of Cardinal Pole rested here one night on its
way to Canterbury. An eyewitness speaks of
“the funeral pompe which trulie was great and answerable both to his
birth and calling, with store of burning torches and mourning weedes. At
what time his coffin, being brought into the church, was covered with a cloth
of black velvet, with a great cross of white satten over all the length and
bredth of the same, in the midst of which cross his Cardinal’s hat was
placed.”
The church suffered from the Puritans in 1642.
Samuel Pepys speaks of repairs in 1661. More were made in
1742-43. In 1749, the steeple was rebuilt. A new organ was acquired
in 1791; and at the close of the Eighteenth Century the upper part of
Gundulf’s tower was taken down.
Throughout the Nineteenth Century repairs and restorations were
constantly made. The glass chiefly consists of memorials to heroes
of the wars of the Nineteenth Century.
The best approach is from the High Street through the College
Gate, which marks the entrance to the Precincts, or Green Church
Haw. This is also known as Chertseys, or Cemetery Gate, which
lovers of Dickens remember as Jasper’s Gateway; for Cloisterham
of Edwin Drood is Rochester. The Deanery Gate dating from the
reign of Edward III. was formerly the Sacristy Gate. The Priors’
Gate dates from the Fourteenth Century.
The north side of the nave shows two-lighted Perpendicular
windows with irregular quatrefoils in their heads; the north transept
(Early English) a high gable with three circular windows and
pinnacles. And on the north side of the choir Gundulf’s Tower to
which there are two entrances,—one through an opening in the
north wall, the other through a doorway in the south-west corner. In
the angle between the south aisle and transept we note the Lady-
Chapel (Perpendicular) with three-lighted windows three bays long

from east to west and well-buttressed; the south side of the choir
contains three lancet windows and a fine doorway that used to open
into the cloisters. The south transept (Early Decorated) is well
buttressed and its gable adorned with pinnacles and gargoyles. The
lowest row of windows belongs to the crypt.
The West Front has been restored. The great central window,
and the flat gable above, are Perpendicular (restored), but all the rest
is either original Norman work, or as accurate a reproduction of this
as possible.
The great West Doorway (late Norman) dates from the first half
of the Twelfth Century.
“It is formed by five receding arches and every stone of each of these is
carved with varying ornamental designs. Between the second and third of
them runs a line of cable moulding, an ornament which occurs also inside
the door. Each arch has its own shaft and the groups of five on each side are
elaborately banded. The shafts have richly sculptured capitals, and in those
on the south side, as well as in the tympanum, the signs of the Evangelists
appear. The shafts second from the door on either side are carved with
statues, two of the oldest in England. These are much mutilated, but they
were thought worthy of great praise by Flaxman. That on the spectator’s left
is said to represent King Henry I. and the other his wife, the ‘good Queen
Maud.’ This attribution is probably correct, as these sovereigns were both
great benefactors to the Cathedral and were living when the front was being
built. The figure of the Queen has suffered the more; it is recorded to have
been especially ill-used by the Parliamentarians in the days of the great Civil
War. The tympanum contains a figure of Our Lord, seated in Glory, within
an aureole supported by two angels. His right hand is raised in benediction
and his left hand holds a book. Outside the aureole are the symbols of the
four Evangelists: the Angel of St. Matthew and the Eagle of St. John, one on
each side above the Winged Lion of St. Mark and the Ox of St. Luke
similarly placed below. A straight band of masonry crosses beneath the
lunette, and has carved on it twelve figures, now much mutilated, but
supposed to have represented the twelve Apostles. All the sculptured work of
the portal has suffered greatly from age and exposure and from the hand of

man. In the recent restoration the coping has been renewed, the shafts have
been given separate bases once more and many of the most worn stones have
been replaced by new ones carved in facsimile.”—(G. H. P.)
This doorway resembles those on the Continent and shows the
influence of the East. Freeman says: “The superb western portal at
Rochester Cathedral is by far the finest example of this kind, if not
the finest of all Norman doorways.”
The Mayor and Corporation of Rochester still have the right of
entry in their robes by this door, through which we now pass.
Immediately we descend four steps into the Nave:
“The nave, 150 feet long to the cross of the lantern, is Norman, as far as
the last two bays eastward. If, as is most probable, it is a part of Gundulf’s
work, it was, no doubt, a copy of the Norman nave at Canterbury; and we are
thus enabled to judge fairly what the appearance of the metropolitan
cathedral was in this part of it. Its architecture is plainer than that of the
contemporary examples in France, though owing to its having been always
destined for a wooden roof, the piers and the design generally are lighter
than where preparation was made for a stone vault. The triforium is richly
ornamented; and the arches open to the space above the side-aisles as well as
to the nave, a peculiarity which both Rochester and Canterbury may have
received from the church of St. Stephen’s at Caen, where the same
arrangement may still be seen. Lanfranc, the builder of the Norman church at
Canterbury, had been Abbot of St. Stephen’s. The clerestory windows above,
like those of the aisles, are Perpendicular; and the roof seems to have been
raised at the time of their insertion. This is of timber and quite plain.
“In passing beyond the Norman portion of the nave to the Early English,
of which nearly all the rest of the Cathedral consists, the strong influence of
Canterbury is at once apparent. The double transepts, the numberless shafts
of Petworth marble, and perhaps the flights of stairs ascending from either
side of the crypt, recall immediately the works of the two Williams in the
metropolitan church, which always maintained the closest connection with
Rochester, her earliest daughter.”—(R. J. K.)

At the end of the northern aisle we note the early Fourteenth
Century doorway for the use of the parishioners of St. Nicholas’s
altar. The lower end of the southern aisle terminates in a blind
arcade of three arches. Each aisle end has also a round-headed
Norman window. The great West Window is divided into eight
lights separated into

Rochester: Nave, east

Rochester: Choir, west

two rows by a horizontal mullion. The glass commemorates the
officers and men of the Royal Engineers who fell in the South
African and Afghan campaigns. The subjects are Biblical scenes and
heroes.
In the south-west corner of the Nave, a charming little Norman
doorway opens into the tower. A fine embattled moulding runs
round the arch.
The crossing is noticeable for the finely clustered shafts of the
tower-piers.
The North Transept (Early English) dates from about 1235. The
South Transept (Early Decorated) is later. The north transept is the
richer of the two. The corbels of monastic heads of great excellence
deserve notice.

In the east wall, opposite the entrance to the Perpendicular Lady-
Chapel, two bays were included under one arch to form a recess for
the altar of the Virgin Mary, about 1320.
The south transept underwent some alteration when the Lady-
Chapel was built. On the wall under the central window a
monument to Richard Watts was erected in 1736. Watts, a member
of Queen Elizabeth’s second Parliament, entertained her at “Satis
House” in 1573. He also left provisions in his will for the poor and
founded in 1579 the “House of the Six Poor Travellers,” where
nightly six poor wayfarers are provided with supper, bed and
breakfast and presented with fourpence when they leave.
Near the Watts monument a brass tablet to Charles Dickens, who
made the House of the Six Poor Travellers famous, connects “his
memory with the scenes in which his earliest and latest years were
passed and with the associations of Rochester Cathedral and its
neighbourhood, which extended over all his life.”
The Choir, reached by a flight of ten steps, is higher than the
nave. It is entered through iron gates in the central doorway of the
screen, which represent St. Andrew, King Ethelbert, St. Justus, St.
Paulinus, Bishop Gundulf, William de Hoo, Bishop Walter de
Merton and Cardinal John Fisher, designed by Mr. John Pearson.
The organ is on the screen beneath the choir-arch. The Choir,
remodelled in 1825-1830,
“is entered by a flight of steps rendered necessary, as at Canterbury, by
the height of the crypt below. It was completed sufficiently for use in 1127.
It is thoroughly developed Early English, although much has evidently been
borrowed, even in detail, from the Canterbury transition work. It is narrow
and somewhat heavy; defects not lightened by the woodwork of the stalls,
which is indifferent, or by the use of colour,—a single line of which,
however, is carried along the ribs of the vaulting with very good effect.
“The brackets of Early English foliage, from which the blind wall-arches
spring, should be noticed. Two large ones especially, at the angles of the

eastern transept, are excellent specimens of this period, before the naturalism
of the Decorated had begun to develop itself. A fragment of mural painting,
apparently of the same date as the choir itself, remains on the wall, close
above the pulpit. The painting, when entire, is said to have represented a
subject not uncommon in early churches—the Wheel of Fortune with
various figures—king, priest, husbandman and others—climbing it.”—(R. J.
K.)
This painting (5 feet 10 inches high and 2 feet 2 inches wide)
dates from the Thirteenth Century. Fortune dressed as a queen, and
in yellow, moves the wheel with her right hand.
Passing into the North-choir-transept, still Early English and a
part of William de Hoo’s work, the first point of interest is St.
William’s Tomb, at the north-east corner, of Purbeck marble, with a
floriated cross.
Towards the centre of the transept is a flat stone marked with six
crosses, upon which St. William’s Shrine is said to have rested.
The steps which descend into the north aisle of the Choir are, as at
Canterbury, deeply worn by the constant ascent of pilgrims.
West of the Saint’s tomb lies Walter de Merton, founder of
Merton College, Oxford, and Bishop of Rochester from 1274 to
1277. His tomb is a very beautiful example of Early Decorated.
The present arrangement of the east end is the work of Sir G.
Scott. The Choir-stalls were designed by Sir G. Scott, who
incorporated as much of the old work as possible.
Just behind the Altar, above which is a picture of The Angels
appearing to the Shepherds, by Benjamin West (placed there in
1788), is a fine Piscina. Opposite three stone Sedilia (late
Perpendicular) deserve notice.
In the railed-off transept aisle, known as St. John the Baptist’s
Chapel, or Warner Chapel, because of the monuments to members
of the Warner family (“Palladian” in style, 1666-1698), there is an

old weather-worn statue which tradition says is a portrait of
Gundulf.
In the eastern aisle of the north-east transept is the Tomb of
Bishop John De Sheppy (1353-1360). It is
“probably the most perfect specimen of ancient colour-work now existing
in England. It had been bricked up within the arch where it still remains, and
was discovered during the repairs in 1825. The colours and monuments
deserve the most careful attention, as well for their own beauty as for their
great value as authorities. In the maniple held over the left arm, some of the
crystals with which it was studded still remain. Remark the couchant dogs at
the feet. About their necks are scarlet collars, hung with bells. An inscription
with the Bishop’s name surrounds the effigy.”—(R. J. K.)
The short sacrarium, or chancel, east of the transepts, probably
formed part of William de Hoo’s work. The beautiful windows at
the east end are Decorated. In the south side of the sacrarium, next
the altar, a tomb of plain marble is thought to be that of Gundulf.
In the east wall of the south-choir-transept we come to one of the
finest pieces of English Decorated in existence,—the Chapter-
House Doorway. It dates from the middle of the Fourteenth
Century.
“The full-length figures, one on each side of the door, symbolising the
Church and the Synagogue, were both headless when Mr. Cottingham
restored the doorway, between 1825 and 1830. Much fault has been found
with him for turning the first, which is thought to have been like the other, a
female figure, into a mitred, bearded bishop holding a cross in his right hand
and the model of a church in his left. The blindfolded ‘Synagogue,’ by her
broken staff and the tables of the law held reversed in her right hand, typifies
the overthrow of the Mosaic dispensation. Above are figures, two on each
side, seated at book-desks under canopies. These are supposed to be the four
great Doctors of the Church: Saints Augustine, Gregory, Jerome and
Ambrose. Quite at the head of the arch, under a lofty pyramidal canopy, we
see a tiny nude figure which represents, probably, a pure soul just released

from Purgatory. If this is so, it would account for the flames from which the
angels, on each side, bearing scrolls, seem to be rising. It has been suggested
likewise that the distorted heads, which alternate with squares of foliage in
the wider inside moulding of the doorway, typify the sufferings of the soul in
its passage. The outside moulding is also interesting, being a wide hollow in
the bottom of which circular holes are cut at intervals. Through these can be
seen the broad stem from which spring the leaves that ornament the
intervening spaces. The arch-head is ogee-shaped outside, with large
external and smaller, but not less rich, internal crockets. The square back to
it, and the spaces beneath the corbels, on which the Church and Synagogue
figures stand, are filled with noteworthy diapers. The first is divided
diagonally into sunken squares, each containing a flower; and the others
have lion masks in quatrefoils, with five-petalled roses in the alternate
spaces.”—(G. H. P.)
A steep flight of stairs leads from this Transept to St. Edmund’s
Chapel, south of the Choir. From this we enter the Crypt,
“which extends under the whole of the choir and is one of the best
specimens of its class to be found in England. The west and east parts are
evidently of a much earlier date than the central, which is Early English, and
of the same period as the choir above. In building this, the ancient crypt was
probably broken through, and in part reconstructed. The earlier portions are
distinguished by very massive piers and circular arches. Between the piers
are small pillars, with plain broad capitals. It is not impossible that this part
of the crypt may date from before the Conquest. At all events, it is the
earliest portion of the existing cathedral, and cannot be later than the work of
Bishop Gundulf.”—(R. J. K.)

WINCHESTER
Dedication: The Holy and Indivisible Trinity. Formerly the
Church of a Benedictine Monastery.
Special features: Norman Nave; Tower; West Window; Choir-
stalls; Font; Reredos.

Winchester is the largest cathedral in England and affords good
examples of every style from pure Norman to early Renaissance. It
is the fifth cathedral that has occupied this site, for tradition says
that a British church was founded here by Lucius, King of the
Britons.
This first church was destroyed in 266 and the clergy martyred
during the persecutions of the Christians by Diocletian. The second
church, erected under Constantine, was in 515 transformed by
Cerdic, founder of the Kingdom of Wessex, into a Temple of Dagon,
in which he was crowned in 519 and buried in 534. Cerdic’s great
grandson, Kynegils, converted by St. Birinus, the first of Saxon
bishops, began the third church which his son, Kenwalk, completed
in 648. Kenwalk’s buildings were, in their turn, enlarged and
repaired by Swithun, a prior of the Benedictine monastery
established here. Swithun, who became Bishop of Winchester and
tutor to King Alfred and Ethelwold, was, according to the
chroniclers, “a diligent builder of churches in places where there
were none before, and a repairer of those that had been destroyed or
ruined.” When he died in 862, he was buried, according to his own
desire, in the churchyard of Winchester, where “passersby might
tread on his grave, and where the rain from the eaves might fall on
it.”

When this third church was destroyed by the Danes in 867,
portions were restored by Alfred the Great, St. Ethelwold and St.
Alphege. St. Ethelwold removed the body of St. Swithun to the
golden shrine within the cathedral, now dedicated to St. Swithun, St.
Peter and St. Paul; but the Translation being delayed by rain, gave
the saint reputation as a weather prophet. Hence the weather on the
anniversary (July 15) is foretold by the old rhyme:

“St. Swithun’s Day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithun’s Day, if thou be fair,
Forty days ’twill rain na mair.”

One of the features of St. Ethelwold’s cathedral was a
magnificent “pair of organs,” of tremendous size and power, with
twelve bellows above and fourteen below and seventy strong men as
blowers to fill the four hundred pipes. Below, at two keyboards, sat
two brethren in “unity of spirit.”
Ethelwold was buried in the southern crypt.
This Saxon church was succeeded by the present cathedral,
begun in 1079, by Walkelyn, the first Norman bishop.
Walkelyn was of noble birth and related to William Rufus, who
granted him license to search for stone in the Isle of Wight and as
much wood from the forest of Hanepinges (on the Alresford road)
as his carpenters could take in four days and nights. The wily
Bishop collected a large force of men and within the assigned time
cut down the whole forest. The King was furious. The new
Cathedral was finished in 1093, having been rebuilt by Walkelyn,
from the west front to the great tower, including the transepts. He
also removed, and with great pomp, St. Swithun’s shrine from the
old altar to the new one. Walkelyn died in 1098 and was buried in
the nave.

Bishop Lucy, Bishop William of Edington and William of
Wykeham are the next three great architects of Winchester.
“It was Bishop Edington who commenced the alteration of Winchester
Cathedral into the Perpendicular style; he died in 1366, and the work was
continued by William of Wykeham, who mentions in his will that Edington
had finished the west end, with two windows on the north side and one on
the south: the change in the character of the work is very distinctly marked.
Bishop Edington’s work at Winchester was executed at a later period than
that at Edington, and, as might be expected, the new idea is more fully
developed; but on a comparison between the west window of Winchester
and the east window of Edington, it will at once be seen that the principle of
construction is the same; there is a central division carried up to the head of
the window, and sub-arches springing from each side: it may be observed
that whenever this arrangement of the sub-arches occurs in Decorated work,
it is a sign that the work is late in the style. Before the death of Bishop
Edington the great principles of the Perpendicular Style were fully
established. These chiefly consist of the Perpendicular lines through the head
of the window, and in covering the surface of the wall with panelling of the
same kind. These features are as distinctly marked at Winchester as in any
subsequent building, or as they well could be.”—(J. H. P.)
In the eastern part of the Crypt there is ancient masonry
undoubtedly belonging to the time of St. Ethelwold; then we find
above it the massive Norman work of Bishop Walkelyn; then, to the
east, the graceful Early English of Bishop Lucy; along the nave, the
Perpendicular columns of Bishop Edington and William of
Wykeham, on which rests the exquisite groined roof. Above this
roof the great rough-hewn beams cut from the King’s forest by
Walkelyn more than eight hundred years ago can still be seen and in
a perfect state of soundness.
“In this great church many stirring scenes of English history have been
enacted. The early kings made Winchester their home and the Cathedral their
chapel. Here it was that Egbert, after being crowned in regem totius
Britanniæ, with assent of all parties, issued an edict in 828, ordering that the

island should thereafter be always styled England and its people
Englishmen. Here King Alfred was crowned and lived and died. Here, in
1035, Cnut’s body lay in state before the high altar, over which was hung
henceforth for many a year, a most precious relic, the great Norseman’s
crown. Here William the Conqueror often came, and wore his crown at the
Easter Gemôt; here, too, clustered many of the national legends: St. Swithun
here did his mighty works, and here were the forty dismal days of rain; hard
by is the scene of the great fight between Colbrand the Dane and Guy of
Warwick; in the nave of the church Queen Emma trod triumphant on the red-
hot plough-shares as on a bed of roses; hither came Earl Godwin’s body after
his marvellous and terrible death, one of the well-known group of malignant
Norman tales. It was in Winchester Cathedral that Henry Beauclerk took to
wife his queen, Matilda, to the great joy of all English-speaking folk. Here
Stephen of Blois was crowned King; and here, on the other hand, the
Empress Maud was welcomed by city and people with high rejoicings; here,
too, was drawn up and issued the final compact, in 1153, which closed the
civil war of that weary reign and secured the crown to the young Prince
Henry. He in his turn often sojourned in Winchester, and befriended in his
strong way the growing city. The Cathedral witnessed another compact in
the dark days of King John: the King was here reconciled to the English
Church in the person of Stephen Langton; Henry III. and his Queen Eleanor,
were here in 1242; and on May-day of that year ‘came the Queen into the
Chapter-house to receive society.’ In 1275 Edward I., with his Queen, was
welcomed with great honour by the prior and brethren of St. Swithun, and
attended service in the church. The christening of Arthur, Prince of Wales,
elder brother of Henry VIII., was here; and here Henry VIII. met his astute
rival, the Emperor Charles V. It was in Winchester Cathedral that the
marriage of Philip and Mary took place, and the chair in which she sat is still
to be seen in the church. The Stuart Kings loved the place. Here in the great
rebellion was enacted that strange scene when, after the capture of the city,
the mob rushed into the Cathedral, wild for booty and mischief, and finding
in the chests nothing but bones, amused themselves by throwing them at the
stained windows of the choir. It was at this time that Colonel Nathaniel
Fiennes, a Parliamentary officer and an old Wykehamist, stood with drawn
sword at the door of Wykeham’s chantry to protect it from violence. Since
the days of the Merry Monarch, who was often at Winchester, and loved it so

well that he built his palace here, no striking historical events have been
enacted within its walls. The church by degrees recovered from the ruin of
the Commonwealth time, and has had a quiet, happy life from that time
onward, a tranquil grey building sleeping amidst its trees, in the heart of the
most charming of all south English cities.”—(G. W. K.)
The best view of Winchester Cathedral is from the top of St.
Catherine’s hill, where the great mass rises solemnly over the
distant city. Its enormous length is broken by the bold transepts,
which extend three bays beyond the aisles. People are, as a rule,
disappointed with their first view of the exterior, because of its lack
of decoration and the lowness of the heavy Norman tower in the
centre. The bright-green turf of the Precincts and the trees, however,
make with the grey walls an impressive picture. A short avenue of
trees leads through the Close to the western door.
The West Front was originally the work of Edington (1345-
1366). It is 118 feet in breadth and composed of a panelled gable of
Perpendicular style with hexagonal turrets. Immediately under the
window in a gallery over the entrance, the bishop used to give his
benediction to the people. The figure of William of Wykeham stands
in the gable, replacing an ancient bishop removed in 1860. No one
seems to know whether it represented William of Wykeham, Bishop
Edington, or St. Swithun. Very probably it was the latter, as its
companions on the gable were St. Peter and St. Paul, the three
patron saints of the Saxon Cathedral.
The great West Window is divided by cross mullions into three
perpendicular and six horizontal compartments. It is said to be filled
with glass, collected from different parts of the building, after the
general smashing by the Parliamentary soldiers in 1646. Winston
says these pieces are very early Perpendicular glass, and may have
been placed together in the window, as we now see them, in Bishop
Edington’s time.

“Before entering, the visitor should remark the grand view of the interior
obtained through the open central door. The length of Winchester (520 feet
from this entrance to the extreme eastern buttresses) exceeds that of any
other cathedral on this side of the Alps, with the exception of Ely (560 feet)
and of Canterbury, which is about five feet longer than Winchester. A certain
coldness, arising from want of colour, is perhaps felt at first; but the eye
soon learns to dwell contentedly on the magnificent forest of piers, and on
all the graceful details above and around them. The string-course of corbel-
heads and the light balustrade of the triforium in the nave should here be
noticed as remarkably aiding the general effect.”—(R. J. K.)
The ground-plan shows a nave of eleven bays, a transept of three,
a choir of five, a presbytery of three and a Lady-Chapel at the east
end of three. All are furnished with side aisles.
Winchester is the longest cathedral in England, and the Nave is
one of the longest in the world. Fergusson says it is “perhaps the
most beautiful nave in England or elsewhere.” The view is
overwhelmingly grand and noble and the groining of the roof is
striking in the extreme.
The triforium was sacrificed and the old Norman piers, recased,
were left to carry the lofty Perpendicular arches and exquisitely
vaulted roof. The Perpendicular lining and panelling disguise the
fact that the interior is really Norman.
“The nave gains a special grandeur by the vaulting shafts rising from the
very floor so that the eye follows them upwards tardily, as if they were more
lofty than they actually are, to the capitals whence the groined roof springs.
The aisle windows have a beauty worthy of careful notice.
“A striking yet beautiful peculiarity is that Winchester nave, setting an
example followed generally in Perpendicular churches, has no proper
triforium—a balcony close above the nave arches taking its place. Owing to
the thickness of the Norman masonry this arrangement was unavoidable.
“The seven westerly piers on the south side retain the Norman stone-work
faced with new mouldings. Norman arches remain behind the triforium wall;
Norman shafts may be seen above the vaulting; and Norman flat buttresses

are traceable outside between the southerly clerestory windows.”—(G. W.
K.)
The Nave of Winchester, therefore, presents one of the most
curious examples of transformation from one style of architecture to
another; for here we have a perfect specimen of the Fourteenth and

Winchester: Nave, west

Winchester: Font

Fifteenth Centuries, yet it is from the ground to the roof the
original Norman building begun by Walkelyn. The extreme western
part was rebuilt by Edington, who began the transformation of the
Nave from the Norman to the Perpendicular, and continued by his
successor William of Wykeham (1366-1404).
At Wykeham’s death in 1404 the south side of the Nave was
finished and the north begun. The work was continued and finished
by his successors, Cardinal Beaufort and Bishop Waynflete (1404-
1486). The arms on the bosses of the vault of the nave are those of
Wykeham, Cardinal Beaufort and John of Gaunt (the latter’s father);
the chained white hart is the device of Richard II. and the lily that of
Bishop Waynflete.

Students may compare the Nave of Winchester with the Choir of
Gloucester, which is also Norman in plan, “overlaid with a veneer
of masonry in the Pointed Style.” The Gloucester Choir is, however,
of later date, and instead of showing an amalgamation of the two
styles, as at Winchester, the Pointed is added to the Round-arched
style.
The curious black basaltic stone Font was probably the gift of
Bishop Henry de Blois (1129-71), and some antiquarians think that
it was brought from Constantinople during the Second Crusade. The
carvings represent St. Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of
children, and much honoured by the Normans.
“Within the walls the most striking object of interest is undoubtedly the
famous Norman font of black basaltic stone, which was probably placed in
the church in the days of Walkelyn; it portrays in bold if rude relief the life
and miracles of St. Nicholas of Myra. Next after the font may perhaps be
noted the fine carved spandrels, Fourteenth Century work, of the choir-stalls,
with the quaint misereres of the seats; then Prior Silkstede’s richly carved
pulpit of the Fifteenth Century, and the very interesting and valuable
Renaissance panels of the pews, put in by William Kingsmill, last prior and
first dean, in 1540. The chantries and tombs in this church are of unusual
beauty and interest.”—(G. W. K.)
At the west end of the north aisle a square stone gallery called the
tribune is part of Edington’s work. It was used as a Minstrels’
Gallery on great occasions.
The nave Pulpit was a gift from New College, Oxford, in 1885.
In the north aisle there is a monumental brass in memory of Jane
Austen, the authoress, and near the south-west door are fixed the
flags of the 97th Regiment and memorials of the Crimean War. The
west window of the south aisle is filled with stained glass to their
memory.

On the south side of the Nave and in the second bay from the
Choir is Bishop Edington’s Chantry. It was somewhat altered
when the piers against which it stands were transformed from
Norman to Perpendicular. This is the first of a number of very fine
chantries, the most interesting of which is that of William of
Wykeham, which occupies the entire space between two piers of
the Nave on the south side in the fifth bay from the west end.
This chapel was built by Wykeham on the site of an altar
dedicated to the Virgin, where he used to worship when a boy.
“The design of William’s chantry is very beautiful; and it is one of the
best remaining specimens of a Fourteenth Century monumental chapel. The
foundation of the altar is still visible. The Bishop’s effigy, the comeliness of
which, it has been suggested, may have induced Anthony Wood to describe
him as having been of ‘a courtly presence,’ reposes on an altar-tomb in the
centre, arrayed in cope and mitre. The pillow at the head is supported by two
angels. At the feet three monks are represented offering up prayers for the
repose of the departed soul. They are said, but questionably, to represent
Wykeham’s three assistants in the cathedral works—William Wynford, his
architect; Simon de Membury, his surveyor of the works; and John Wayte,
controller.”—(R. J. K.)
The Choir is entered through a screen of stonework, by Garbett,
decorated with figures of James I. and Charles I., taken from an
older screen by Inigo Jones. The figure of Charles I. was much
injured by the Parliamentary troops who stabled their horses in the
cathedral. It was made by Hubert Le Seur, a pupil of John of
Bologna and much employed by Charles I.
The Choir consists of the old choir of the monks under the tower
and of the presbytery beyond it. This portion of the cathedral is of
various dates: the tower is late Norman; the piers, arches and
clerestory of the presbytery are Decorated (about 1350); the screen
enclosing it is Perpendicular (the work of Bishop Fox about 1524);

the vaulting of the presbytery (also the work of Bishop Fox); and
the ceiling under the tower, dates from 1634.
The visitor is struck by the enormous piers of the Tower, rebuilt
after 1107 when Walkelyn’s tower, under which William Rufus was
buried, fell. Many thought “that the fall of the tower was a judgment
for his sins.”
“Early in the Twelfth Century occurred the fall of the tower of this
Cathedral, celebrated from the peculiar circumstances with which it was
accompanied, which are thus described by William of Malmsbury, who was
living at the time:—‘A few country men conveyed the body [of the King,
William Rufus], placed on a cart, to the cathedral of Winchester, the blood
dripping all the way. Here it was committed to the ground within the tower,
attended by many of the nobility, but lamented by few. The next year (1097)
the tower fell; though I forbear to mention the different opinions on this
subject, lest I should seem to assent too readily to unsupported trifles; most
especially that the building might have fallen through imperfect
construction, even though he had never been buried there.’ That this was
really the case, the building itself affords us abundant evidence, and proves
that even the Normans at this period were still bad masons and very
imperfectly acquainted with the principles of construction. The tower which
was rebuilt soon after the fall is still standing, and the enormous masses of
masonry which were piled together to support it, and prevent it from falling
again, show such an amazing waste of labour and material as clearly to
prove that it was the work of very unskilful builders.”—(J. H. P.)
The tower was originally intended to serve as a lantern; but was
ceiled over in the reign of Charles I. In the centre is a medallion of
the Holy Family, the date 1634, and medallions of Charles I. and
Henrietta Maria.
The very narrow arches opening to the transepts should be
noticed.
The Choir Stalls are magnificent.

“The stalls which extend from the eastern tower-piers to the first pier of
the nave, are of oak, as black as ebony, and probably exhibit the very finest
woodwork of their date and style (which is the best) in the Kingdom. They
are early Decorated (Geometrical) work and their canopies and gables bear
considerable resemblance to those of the tomb of Edmund Crouchback in
Westminster Abbey. This would place their date about 1296. The beauty and
variety of the carvings are wonderful. There is no repetition; and the grace
and elegance, as well as the fidelity, with which the foliage is represented,
are nowhere to be surpassed. The human heads are full of expression; and
the monkeys and other animals sporting among the branches have all the
same exquisite finish. The mode in which the cusps of the circles in the
canopies are terminated, is worthy of attention; and in short, at this period of
the revival of wood-carving, no better examples could be found for study
and imitation. The misereres below are of early character and interesting.
Their date is rather later than those (Early English) in Exeter Cathedral—the
most ancient in the Kingdom. The desks and stools in front of the upper
range bear the initials of Henry VIII., Bishop Stephen Gardiner, and Dean
Kingsmill and the date 1540. The rich pulpit on the north side bears the
name of its donor ‘Thomas Silkstede, prior’ on different parts of it.”—(R. J.
K.)
The Presbytery is Early English, the work of Bishop Lucy
(1189-1204). It has a central alley of three bays. The arcading is
very graceful. The presbytery is closed at the sides by screens of
stone tracery, most of them erected by Bishop Fox, and bear his
motto, Est Deo Gratia. Upon these screens stand six mortuary
chests (also the work of Bishop Fox) containing the bones of the
West Saxon Kings and bishops removed from the crypt of the old
Saxon cathedral into Walkelyn’s church by Bishop Henry de Blois
and placed in leaden sarcophagi. The chests are of wood, carved,
painted and gilded in the Renaissance Style, which was being
introduced into England in Fox’s time.
“The vaulting of the presbytery (of wood) is the work of Bishop Fox
(1500-1520), and displays on its bosses, a mass of heraldry besides (at the
east end) the various emblems of the Passion together with a number of

faces representing Pilate and his wife, Herod, Annas and Caiaphas, Judas,
Malchus with the sword of Peter dividing his ear, Peter himself and many
others. All are curious and are best seen from the gallery below the east
window.
“The east window of the choir is filled with Perpendicular glass, a little
earlier than 1525, the work of Bishop Fox, whose arms impaled with those
of the sees he held (Exeter, Bath and Wells, Durham and Winchester) and his
motto Est Deo Gratia are introduced in it.”—(R. J. K.)
Winston thinks that the only part of the glass in its original
position consists of the two figures occupying the two southernmost
of the lower lights and all the tracery lights except the top central
one and the three immediately below it.
“The top central light is filled principally with some glass of Wykeham’s
time and all the rest of the window with glass of Fox’s time, removed from
other windows. In point of execution it is as nearly as perfect as painted
glass can be. In it the shadows have attained their proper limit. It was at this
period that glass painting attained its highest perfection as an art.”—(C. W.)
Beyond the tower-piers in the presbytery a plain tomb of Purbeck
marble was once the resting-place of William Rufus, killed in the
New Forest in 1100 and first buried, as we have seen, under the
Tower. His bones were removed in the Twelfth Century by his
nephew Bishop Henry de Blois and are now mingled with those of
Canute, Queen Emma and two Saxon bishops in one of the
mortuary chests on the screen of the Presbytery.
The piers and arches of the Presbytery are Decorated, dating from
1320 and 1350.
At the High Altar of the Choir Queen Mary was married to Philip
of Spain in July, 1554, by Bishop Gardiner. In Philip’s train were
Alva, the future scourge of the Low Countries, and Egmont, his
famous victim. The chair in which the bride sat is preserved in the
Chapel of the Guardian Angels.

At the back of the altar rises the magnificent Reredos, dating
from the latter end of the Fifteenth Century. In 1899 the final
restoration of the screen was completed by filling a niche that had
been vacant for three centuries. The altar-rails are of the time of
Charles I. A representation of the Incarnation hangs over the altar
placed there in 1899, when Benjamin West’s Raising of Lazarus was
removed to the South Transept.
“The Reredos is said to have been commenced by Cardinal Beaufort and
completed by Bishop Fox and Prior Silkstede. It is an excellent specimen of
Perpendicular work, executed in a fine, white soft stone; its elaborately
canopied niches, pierced and crocketted pinnacles, pilaster buttresses, and
centre projecting canopy, are surmounted at a height reaching nearly to the
corbels, with a triple frieze of running leaves, Tudor flowers and quatrefoils.
This Reredos is of the same type as those at Christ Church Priory and St.
Alban’s, but its dimensions are greater and better proportioned. Its
restoration is carried out with remarkable fidelity to the original work. The
back is closely panelled in the upper part, and the lower part is richly
decorated. No description could do justice to the beauty and effect of the
whole work. Milner describes its exquisite workmanship as being as
magnificent as this or any other nation can exhibit. The central part was
restored as a memorial to the late Archdeacon Jacob.”—(G. W. K.)
On either side of the altar a door opens to the space behind the
Reredos, which in early days was the Feretory, a place for the
feretra, or shrines of the patron saints.
“The Feretory, or Capitular Chapel, is immediately behind the altar and
communicates with the sanctuary. Here the magnificent shrine of St.
Swithun, of solid silver gilt and garnished with precious stones, the gift of
King Edgar, used to be kept except on the festivals of the saint, when it was
exposed to view on the Altar, or before it.
“Many portions of statuary formerly belonging to the Great Screen and
other parts of the building are here carefully preserved. From the platform
behind the reredos may be observed the admirable connection of Fox’s new
with De Lucy’s earlier work.”—(G. W. K.)

The old statue of the bishop, taken from the west front, may also
be seen here.
Back of the Reredos again stands the famous Edwardian Arcade,
with nine canopies (or tabernacles). Beneath it is the ancient
entrance, the “Holy Hole,” leading into the Crypt.
The presbytery aisles are greatly admired. Here we find beautiful
examples of Early English work and many splendid monuments and
chantries. Beyond lies the Lady-Chapel, with the Chapel of the
Guardian Angels on the north side and the Bishop de Langton’s
Chantry on the south.
The Lady-Chapel (1470) was founded by Elizabeth of York,
Queen of Henry VII., after the birth of her son, Arthur, as a
testimony of her gratitude. The arms of Henry VII., Elizabeth and
the Prince of Wales—the feathers divided by roses—are among the
ornaments.
A plain slab of grey marble in front of the Lady-Chapel is
supposed to mark the Tomb of Bishop de Lucy, the builder of all
this part of the Cathedral. At the back of the Lady-Chapel a Reredos
was placed by Dean Branston in 1876.
Ascending the steps from the transept, we reach the north aisle of
the presbytery, and gain a fine view beyond this of the eastern
portion of the church, with its splendid chantries and chapels.
With the exception of the extreme east end of the Lady-Chapel, it
is all the work of Bishop Godfrey de Lucy (1189-1204), and
consequently a very early example of Early English. The design and
details are of great beauty. The three aisles or alleys (called
procession paths or the via processionum) are separated from each
other by three arches on each side and terminate eastward in
chapels. These aisles were formed in order to facilitate the
circulation of processions.

The north chapel (part of De Lucy’s work) is called that of the
Guardian Angels, from the figures of angels still remaining on the
vaulting; the south chapel (De Lucy’s work) was fitted up as a
chantry by Bishop Langton, who died in 1500. The woodwork is
rich and beautiful and the vault elaborate with carved rebuses on his
name.
“The north and south walls, as far as the east walls of the two side
chapels, are De Lucy’s work, and retain his rich Early English arcade. The
eastern compartment on each side, as well as the east wall, have respectively
a large Perpendicular window of seven lights with transom and tracery of a
peculiar kind of subordination, or rather interpretation of patterns well worth
a careful study. The vault is a complex and beautiful specimen of lierne-
work. The capitals and bases of the vaulting-shafts are unusual and very
beautiful. The carved panelling of the western half of this chapel, the seats,
desk and screen of separation, are all excellent, and should be noticed. All
this Perpendicular work is due to Prior Hunton (1470-1498) and his
successor, Prior Silkstede (1498-1524). On the vault round the two central
keys—one representing the Almighty, the other the Blessed Virgin—are the
rebuses of the two priors: the letter T, the syllable Hun, the figure of a ton for
Thomas Hunton; the figure 1 and the letters Por for Prior: the letter T, the
syllable silk, the word sted with a horse below it, the figure 1 with letters as
before, for Thomas Silkstede, prior. The walls of this chapel are covered
with the remains of some very curious paintings illustrating the legendary
history of the Virgin.
“These are all the work of Prior Silkstede, whose portrait, with an
inscription, is still faintly visible over the piscina.”—(R. J. K.)
Between the pillars of the central aisle are the Chantries of
Waynflete and Beaufort. Both were much injured by Cromwell’s
troops and have been restored. The delicacy and beauty of
Waynflete’s canopy should be noted. The lily, his device, constantly
appears. His effigy lies here.
Beaufort appears in his Cardinal’s robes. He was half-brother to
Henry IV. and was bishop, statesman, soldier and banker to the

royal family. He is said to have burst into tears at the burning of
Joan of Arc at Rouen and to have left the scene. However, he
persecuted the Lollards. Between these two chantries lies the effigy
of a Thirteenth Century Knight in chain-mail and cross-legged. It
is the only ancient military figure in the cathedral. He is either Sir
W. de Foix or Sir Arnold de Gavaston.
Beyond the pier which connects De Lucy’s work with the
Presbytery on the north side is the Chantry of Bishop Gardiner
(1531-1555), the “hammer of heretics,” secretary to Cardinal
Wolsey and Henry VIII.’s ambassador to the Pope regarding his
marriage. Bishop Gardiner also married “Bloody Mary” to the King
of Spain.
Opposite is Bishop Fox’s Chantry, built by Fox himself. It is the
most elaborate chantry in the Cathedral. The arches were once filled
with stained glass. The Bishop’s emblem, the pelican, appears
everywhere. Fox was secretary and Lord Privy Seal to Henry VII.
and founder of Corpus Christi, Oxford. This college restored the
Bishop’s chantry. Blind several years before his death, Fox used to
be led every day to the small oratory attached to his Chantry.
The visitor should study these chantries, beginning with
Edington’s in the Nave and ending with Gardiner’s, for they form a
continuous record of the growth and development of Perpendicular
and Tudor architecture from 1366 to 1555.
“In no English church except Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s, lie so
many men of name. For just as the features of the Cathedral represent all the
successive phases and changes of the art of building, until it has been styled
a ‘School of English Architecture,’ so it may be said to be the home and
centre of our early history. Long is the roll of kings and statesmen who came
hither and whose bones here lie at rest. Cynegils and Cenwalh, West Saxon
Kings, founders of the church, are here; Egbert was buried here in 838;
Ethelwulf also and Edward the Elder and Edred. The body of Alfred the
Great lay a while in the church, then was transferred to the new minster he

had built, and finally rested at Hyde Abbey. And, most splendid name of all,
the great Cnut was buried here, as was also his son, Harthacnut, as bad and
mean as his father was great. The roll of kings was closed when Red
William’s blood-dripping corpse came jolting hither in the country cart from
New Forest.”—(G. W. K.)
The two Transepts are similar. Both have east and west aisles
and both are of two periods. The earlier parts are plain rude
Norman, massive and grand in effect. The arches, both of triforium
and clerestory, are square-edged like the pier-arches below them.
They should be compared with Ely Cathedral, the work of
Walkelyn’s brother, Simeon. It is interesting to note that the central
towers of both fell,—Walkelyn’s in 1107 and Simeon’s in 1321.
The North Transept contains five altars. On the south side
against the organ screen is the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, the
walls of which are covered with rude wall-paintings illustrative of
the passion of our Saviour.
The South Transept is similar to the North transept. In its
eastern aisles are two chapels formed by screens of stone tracery
work. The south chapel is called Silkstede’s Chapel, from Prior
Silkstede, whose name, Thomas, is carved on the screen with the
monogram M. A. of the Virgin and a skein of silk, his rebus. The
beautiful iron-work is of a later period. A plain black marble slab in
Prior Silkstede’s Chapel marks the Tomb of Izaak Walton, “the
prince of fishermen,” who died in 1683.
Entrances from both transepts lead to the crypt.
In the west aisle of the south transept is the Chapter-House
(formerly the sacristy), above which is the Library. The doorway in
the south wall led to the domestic buildings of the monastery.
The Crypt is entered from the north transept. It is Norman, dark
and massive, and suggestive of a remote age. It is frequently
flooded; for the level of the river seems to have risen since the

Eleventh Century. Like other crypts, it serves to show the original
plan of the Norman Church. It is in three parts: the western,
consisting of the substructure of the original choir; a long aisleless
chapel of three bays beneath the present retro-choir; and the
substructure of Courtenay’s Lady-Chapel built between 1486 and
1492. Beneath the

Winchester: Choir, east

Winchester: West front

high altar is the sacred well, the centre of Saxon worship before the
Cathedral had an existence.
The Roofs of this cathedral also deserve a visit.
“In the roof of the nave may be seen the original Norman shafts running
up above Wykeham’s vault, and in those of the aisles the Norman arches of
the triforium, best developed at the east end of the nave aisle-roof. The
transept roofs show to this day what Bishop Walkelyn did with Hempage-
wood. From the leads of the tower there is a very striking view over the city
and its environs.”—(R. J. K.)
The Bells hang in the great central tower: three are dated 1734,
the others 1737, 1742, 1772, 1804 and 1814. The tenor bell was
recast in 1892.

Within the Precincts stood the Royal Castle at the time of the
Norman Conquest. This was pulled down by Henry de Blois in the
Twelfth Century.

CHICHESTER
Dedication: The Holy Trinity. A Church served by Secular
Canons.
Special Features: Five Aisles; Spire; Campanile.
Chichester (the camp of Cissa) stands at the head of an arm of the
English Channel. Its Cathedral is the only one in England that can
be seen from the sea.
In 1082 the South Saxon See was removed from Selsey to
Chichester. The church of the monastery, dedicated to St. Peter,
seems to have been used until Bishop Ralph Luffa (about whom
little or nothing is known) founded the existing Cathedral. This was
completed in 1108, partly destroyed by fire in 1114 and partly
restored by the same Ralph, who died in 1123.
“Chichester Cathedral, though one of the smallest, is to the student of
Mediæval architecture one of the most interesting and important of our
cathedrals. At Salisbury one or two styles of architecture are represented; at
Canterbury two or three; at Chichester every single style is to be seen
without a break from the Eleventh to the Sixteenth Century. It is an epitome
of English architectural history for five hundred years. Early Norman, late
Norman, late Transitional, early Lancet, late Lancet, early Geometrical, late
Geometrical, Curvilinear, Perpendicular and Tudor work all appear in the
structure side by side. We have many other heterogeneous and composite
cathedrals, but nowhere, except perhaps at Hereford, can the whole sequence
of Mediæval styles be read so well as at Chichester.”—(F. B.)
Chichester was consecrated in 1148, again suffered from fire in
1186-1187 and was restored and enlarged by Bishop Seffrid II.
(1180-1204).
“The fire of 1186 was not as serious as that of Canterbury in 1182, so that
there was no need of rebuilding. Bishop Seffrid, however, covered the

Cathedral with a stone vault and added the necessary buttresses and flying-
buttresses. He also built the Choir, making great use of Purbeck marble. He
removed the Norman apse and built the aisled retro-choir of two bays.
“This is the architectural gem of the Cathedral. The idea of it probably
came from Hereford, where the retro-choir is a few years earlier. At
Hereford, however, the retro-choir projects picturesquely and forms an
eastern transept. The central piers of the Chichester retro-choir are
remarkably beautiful. They consist of a central column surrounded by four
shafts very widely detached; columns and shafts are of Purbeck marble. The
capitals are Corinthianesque; their height is proportioned to the diameters of
the column and shafts. This beautiful capital was reproduced a few years
later by St. Hugh at Lincoln. The triforium is of quite exceptional beauty, as
indeed is the whole design. Semicircular arches occur in the pier arcade and
triforium, and some of the abaci are square; otherwise the design is pure
Gothic. Here, as at Abbey Dore, St. Thomas’s, Portsmouth, Boxgrove and
Wells, we see the transition to the ‘pure and undefiled Gothic’ of St. Hugh’s
choir at Lincoln. In these beautiful churches the ancient Romanesque style
breathed its last.
“The aisles of the new retro-choir were continued on either side of the
first bay of the Norman Lady-Chapel whose three bays had probably been
remodelled before the fire in Transitional fashion. The capitals of the Lady-
Chapel are of exceptional interest and importance, as showing experimental
foliation which had not yet settled down into the conventional leafage of
early Gothic. The apse also of the south transept was replaced by a square
chapel, now used as a Library, in the vaulting of which the Norman zigzag
occurs.
“A little later in the Lancet period was built (1199-1245) the lovely south
porch, with small exquisite mouldings, and the charming foliated capitals
and corbels. The difference between early Transitional, late Transitional and
Lancet foliation may be well seen by examining successively the capitals of
the Lady-Chapel, the triforium of the retro-choir and the south porch. The
north porch is almost equally fine. The vaulting ribs, square in section, show
that the two porches both belong to the very first years of the Thirteenth
Century. Rather later, the sacristy was built on to the south porch, with a
massive vault supported by foliated corbels.”—(F. B.)

Chichester’s saint was one of its own bishops—Richard de la
Wych—who died in 1253. He was canonized in 1261. In 1276, his
remains were removed from their first resting-place to the shrine in
the south transept opposite the beautiful Early Decorated window
(one of the loveliest examples of this style in England). Edward I.,
his Queen and the Court were present at the Translation. From that
time the shrine received many visits from pilgrims.
The central tower was built during the first half of the Fourteenth
Century, and the spire was completed at the end of the Fourteenth
Century. The campanile was built by Bishop John de Langton
(1305-1336). Bishop Sherborne (1507-1536) added the upper
portion of the choir-stalls and the decorations of the south transept.
These are the ornamentations referred to by Fuller, who quaintly
says Bishop Seffrid “bestowed the cloth and making on the church,
while Bishop Sherborne gave the trimming and best lace thereto, in
the reign of Henry VII.”
In 1643, the Parliamentarian troops broke the organ, defaced the
monuments and hacked the seats and stalls, which, of course,
necessitated restorations and repairs. Repairs, restorations and
alterations were also made from 1843 to 1856, the most important
of which was the reconstruction of the central tower and spire under
Sir Gilbert Scott. In 1867 the floor of the Lady-Chapel was lowered
to its original level and the Gilbert Chapel restored; and during the
last half of the Nineteenth Century, the cloister was restored and the
roof of the Lady-Chapel, and a new north-western tower designed
by Mr. J. L. Pearson.
“The Cathedral stands on the south of West Street, where a fine view may
be had of the whole of the north side of the building and of the detached
Campanile. The Close occupies entirely the south-west quadrant of the city,
being bounded by South and West Streets and the City Wall. The central
tower and spire, rising to a height of 277 feet, are conspicuous for many
miles around, but the west front is much shut in. Perhaps the most pleasing

view is that seen from the meadows on the south of the city, from which
point the Campanile fits in admirably with the general mass of the
building.”—(J. C.-B.)
This Campanile, in which eight bells hang, stands on the north
side of the Cathedral, and was built in the Fourteenth Century. It
covers a square of 50 feet and consists of two cubes with an
octagonal lantern (8 feet).
The Central Tower and its delicate Spire have had a peculiar
history. Exposed to the south-west gales from the Channel, the
authorities in the Seventeenth Century had fears for its safety; and,
consequently the upper part was taken down and rebuilt by Sir
Christopher Wren, who placed within it a pendulum-stage of wood
and iron to steady it. This ingenious invention lasted until 1861; and
it is said that Wren’s contrivance prevented the spire from toppling
over when the collapse occurred.
About 1859 this spire showed signs of weakness, and
underpinning was of no avail. On the 21st of February it inclined
slightly to the south-west, then seemed to right itself; and then, amid
a great cloud of dust, descended perpendicularly into the walls of
the tower, doing no harm to the roof of the church. The fall only
lasted a few seconds. As this happened in Queen Victoria’s reign,
the old Sussex prophecy was fulfiled:

“If Chichester Church steeple fall
In England there’s no King at all.”

The rebuilding was entrusted to Sir Gilbert Scott with a
stipulation that the new tower and spire should be exact
reproductions of the originals. Scott, however, added six feet to the
height.
“The central tower, which is battlemented, with octagonal turrets at the
angles, also battlemented, has in its principal or second story, two couplets in

each face, with a quatrefoil in the head, each under a pointed arch. The spire
is of beautiful design, octagonal; in each face is a window of two lights,
flanked by pinnacled turrets, crocketed and canopied. Its elegance has
constantly led to its being compared with that of Salisbury, which, however,
differs from it in age and many other particulars, as well as size. It forms not
only the central but the principal feature of the church, all whose lines are
designed to work in with it, a very perfect effect of unity, as at Salisbury,
being attained. It is locally said that the master built Salisbury and the man,
Chichester.”—(W. J. L.)
The West Front is composed of three stories, a gable, porch and
two towers. The northern tower is modern, copied from its twin,
which is Early English above the third story. The great West
Window is modern, copied from Fourteenth Century examples. The
central porch (Early English) is of the same date and character as
the south porch, which opens into the cloisters. The north porch
(Early English) lies between the aisle and the north-west tower.
The north wall of the nave has some curious buttresses. In the
south transept notice a richly traceried window (Decorated), of
seven lights, with a beautiful rose window above. A trefoiled string-
course ornaments the parapet in the transept and choir. The East
Window consists of three lancet windows, with a rose window of
seven foliated circles of the choir in the gable; it is flanked by
arcaded pinnacles with small spires.
The first view of the interior of Chichester is somewhat severe.
“On entering the nave the eye is at once caught by the five aisles, a
peculiarity shared by no other English cathedral but that of Manchester,
although some parish churches have it on a smaller scale, as Taunton and
Coventry. On the Continent the increased number of aisles is common,
witness Beauvais, Cologne, Milan, Seville, and seven-aisled Antwerp. Grand
effects of light and shade are produced by these five aisles: remark
especially the view from the extreme north-east corner of the north aisle,
looking across the cathedral. The great depth of the triforium shadows is

owing to the unusual width of this wall passage. The breadth of the nave (91
feet) is greater than that of any English cathedral except York (103 feet).
“The first two stories of the south-west tower at the end of the nave
deserve examination. The rude, long capitals, and plain circular arches,
probably indicate that it formed a part of the first church completed by
Bishop Ralph in 1108. The nave itself, as far as the top of the triforium, and
the two aisles immediately adjoining, are the work of the same Bishop (died
1123),—or should perhaps be described as having formed part of the
Norman cathedral completed in 1148. The clerestory above, and the shafts of
Purbeck marble which lighten the piers, are Seffrid’s additions (died 1204).
The vaulting is perhaps somewhat later; and it was because it was
determined, after the burning of 1187, to replace with a stone vault the
wooden roofs to which the frequent fires had been owing that Seffrid carried
up his vaulting-shafts along the face of the Norman piers, some of which he
re-cased. The two exterior aisles, north and south, were probably added by
Bishop Neville (died 1244), when it became necessary to provide additional
room for chantries and relic shrines. The positions of the various altars are
marked by piscinas and aumbries in the walls. The two, however, occur
together in the south aisle alone; in the north are aumbries only, an
arrangement possibly resulting from the feeling with which that quarter was
always anciently regarded. A certainly triplicity pervades all this part of the
cathedral, which was dedicated by Bishop Seffrid to the Holy Trinity. The
side shafts are triple throughout. The bearing-shafts of the vaulting are
clustered in threes, and branch out with three triple vaulting-ribs above. The
transitional character of Bishop Seffrid’s work is especially marked in the
clerestory, the inner arcade of which is pointed, whilst the windows
themselves are round-headed.”—(R. J. K.)
The nave is full of monuments and tablets, some of which are by
Flaxman. The one in the Chapel of the Four Virgins (north side) is
a memorial to Collins the poet. Near it are the two figures of the
Earl of Arundel and Maud, his wife. Arundel was beheaded in
1297. He is represented in full armour and at his feet is a lion.
“The most beautiful monument now remaining in the church is that which
is said to represent Maud, Countess of Arundel (1270). The modelling of the

whole figure and the long flowing lines of her robes are worthy of careful
study. The hands are clasped over the breast with the forearms bent upwards
slightly towards the face. On each of the long sides of the base supporting
the figure are six elongated quatrefoil panels, containing in all six female
figures and six shields. Between the quatrefoils are winged heads of ten
angelic figures. The blazoning of the shields is entirely gone, and the
brilliant colouring that once covered the entire monument is only to be
traced in a few places. The outer robe still shows

Chichester.

Chichester: Nave, east

some signs of the rich blue with which it used to be covered. The face of the
figure appears to be badly mutilated, but the damage to the features has been
done principally by an endeavour to preserve them.”—(H. C. C.)
In the choir we find stalls that have been in use since the
Fourteenth Century. On the backs of the choir-stalls pictures by
Bernardi represent Ceadwalla and Henry VIII. confirming privileges
to the bishops of their day.
In the south transept is a beautiful window, better seen from the
Cloisters because the bad glass spoils the effect of the tracery.
At the end of the south side in the Chapel of St. Mary
Magdalene St. Richard’s head was preserved in a silver reliquary in
the aumbry in the north wall.

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene is balanced by the Chapel of
St. Katherine at the end of the north-choir-aisle. In the south-
choir-aisle, two curiously carved Slabs, representing the Raising of
Lazarus and Martha and Mary meeting Jesus, are supposed to have
been brought from the first Cathedral in Selsey when the See was
transferred to Chichester in 1082.
A doorway in the north-choir-aisle leads to the old Chapel of St.
John the Baptist and St. Edmund the King. The vaulting is unlike
any other in the Cathedral. The zigzag, or chevron, occurs upon the
moulding of the ribs. A finely carved head appears on the spring of
the arch. This chapel is now used as the Library.
“At Chichester there were built, one after another, four sets of chapels—
of St. George and St. Clement on the south of the south aisle, and of St.
Thomas, St. Anne and St. Edmund on the north of the north aisle. The
WINDOWS should be studied in the above order; they form quite an excellent
object-lesson of the evolution of bar-tracery from plate-tracery, itself a
derivative from such designs as that of the east window of the south transept
chapel. When the chapels were completed, the Norman aisle-walls were
pierced, and arches were inserted where Norman windows had been; and the
Lancet buttresses, which had been added when the nave vault was erected,
now found themselves inside the church, buttressing piers instead of walls.
The new windows on the south side were built so high that the vaulting of
the chapels had to be tilted up to allow room for their heads; externally they
were originally crowned with gables, the weatherings of which may be seen
outside. In St. Thomas’s chapel is a charming example of a simple
Thirteenth Century reredos.”—(F. B.)
Above the south porch there is a small chamber popularly known
as the “Lollards’ Prison.”
Between the back of the reredos (modern) and the entrance to the
Lady-Chapel is the Retro-choir, or presbytery, which many critics
consider the chief glory of Chichester.

“The design in detail of these two bays is very different in character from
the three in the choir, which are like those in the nave. The two piers of
Purbeck marble are circular, and about them are grouped four detached
shafts of the same material. They are united only at the base and by the
abacus above the capitals, which are beautifully carved. The main arches in
the two bays are not pointed, but round, like those in the nave and choir; but,
unlike the latter, they have deeply cut mouldings in three orders. The
triforium arcade above, on the north and south sides, has moulded and
carved details of a similar character. Some of the beautifully carved figure-
work still remains in the spandrels between the subsidiary pointed arches.
But the most beautiful piece of design in all this work is in the arches of the
triforium passage across the east wall, above the entrance to the Lady-
Chapel.”—(F. B.)
St. Richard’s Shrine stood on a platform in the bay in the
presbytery immediately behind the High Altar. This platform was
removed at the time of the general restoration in 1861-1867.
The Lady-Chapel was once decorated with designs in colour,
remains of which are still to be seen. The new Reredos is of
alabaster. The glass of the window is also modern. Here is the Tomb
of Bishop Ralph, founder of the original Norman church.
The visitor should walk around the Cloisters for the sake of the
exterior views of the Cathedral. The south transept window is well
seen here. Note the beautiful tracery of the circular window above
it. The position of the Cloisters, lying eastward under the Transept
and Choir, instead of westward along the Nave, is unusual.
“The cloister which was added in the Fifteenth Century is of a peculiarly
irregular shape, and encloses the south transept within the paradise. It has
been much restored at different times. The present roof is of tiles and is
carried on common rafters. Each has a cross tie, and the struts are shaped so
as to give a pointed arch form to each one. The old Fifteenth Century
wooden cornice still remains in some sections. The tracery is divided into
four compartments by mullions, and each head is filled with cusped work.
Round the cloister are placed the old houses of the Treasurer, the Royal

Chaplains, and Wiccamical Prebendaries. Above the door leading to the
house of the Royal Chaplains is an interesting monument of the Tudor
Period. It is a panel divided into two compartments by a moulded stone
fragment. Leading out of the south walk is a doorway, through which the
deanery may be seen beyond the end of a long walled passage known as St.
Richard’s Walk. Looking back northwards, there is fine view of the spire
and transept from the end of this walk.”—(H. C. C.)
In the south-east corner the Cloister passes under the west end of
St. Faith’s Chapel, founded in the Fourteenth Century.

SALISBURY
Dedication: St. Mary; a Church served by Secular Canons.
Special features: Spire; Chapter-House.
Salisbury, on the edge of the great Salisbury Plain, haunted by
Ingoldsby’s “Dead Drummer” and not far from weird Stonehenge, is
famous for its beautiful Early English Cathedral.
“The visitor who sees it first on a bright day can never forget the
impression it has made on his mind. Unlike the architects of the so-called
‘Great Gothic Revival,’ the builders of Salisbury put their trust in proportion.
Incidentally they made their details as elaborate and as perfect as possible;
but they were subordinated to the general effect, and when, during the
frightful ravages of the ‘restorers,’ let loose upon the church in the past and
present centuries, many of the best and most precious of these details and
ornaments perished or were renewed, the main building survives, raising its
exquisitely graceful spire into the blue sky, its thousand pinnacles all
pointing upward and gleaming white against the deep green of the old trees
and the emerald turf of the surrounding close. England can show no fairer
sight. ‘How long,’ asked an American visitor, ‘does it take to grow such
turf?’ ‘Oh! not long,’ was the reply; ‘only a couple of centuries.’ One feels at
Salisbury that whether the answer was given there or at Oxford, of no place
could it be more true. Though, when we look near enough, we can see that
fresh and white as is the general effect, the masonry of Salisbury is of great
antiquity, except of course where it has been restored; and antiquity adds
another charm, for Salisbury was the first complete cathedral built after the
Romanesque tradition had died out, as St. Paul’s is the first built after it had
been revived. In other cathedrals there are fragments of the same style, and
they are always the most

Chichester: Screen

Salisbury: North

beautiful features of the whole building. We can recall the western porch at
Ely, and the Angel Choir at Lincoln, and the chapter-house at Southwell; but,
here, at Salisbury, we have the whole vast cathedral, all in the same supreme
style, every part fitting into its place, and adding its contribution to the
general effect, never in contrast but always in harmony until the effect is
attained. What that is may be read in countless books of travel or criticism.
Salisbury Cathedral, like the Parthenon and all other—there are not many—
buildings which tempt one to call them poems in stone—produces a different
feeling in the minds of all who see it.”—(W. J. L.)
Salisbury was built on a site unoccupied by a former church. The
“Bishop’s Stool” had long been at Old Sarum on Salisbury Plain, a
fortified castle and cathedral; but the castle became too important

and Bishop Poore and his canons removed the See in the early part
of the Thirteenth Century. An old legend says that the site of the
new Cathedral was determined by an arrow shot by an archer from
the ramparts into the green vale below.
The first stone was laid for the Pope, who had consented to the
removal of the church from Old Sarum; the second, for Stephen
Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, then with young Henry III. in
Wales; the third, for Bishop Poore; the fourth was laid by William
Longespée, Earl of Salisbury; and the fifth, by the Countess Ela, his
wife. When the King returned from Wales many of his courtiers
visited Salisbury, “and each laid his stone, binding himself to some
special contribution for a period of seven years.”
The building was undertaken by Elias of Dereham, clerk of the
works; and his successors were Nicholas of Portland and Richard of
Fairleigh. The latter completed the spire in 1375.
The Cathedral was consecrated in 1258, by the Archbishop of
Canterbury in the presence of Henry III. and his Queen.
The Cloisters and Chapter-House were built in the Thirteenth
Century and the Spire (which seems, however, to have formed part
of the original plan) in the Fourteenth.
“The history of no English cathedral is so clear and so readily traceable as
that of Salisbury. It was the first great church built in England in what was
then the new or pointed style (Early English); of which it still remains, as a
whole, one of the finest and most complete examples. The Abbey Church of
Westminster, commenced in 1245, and completed to the east end of the choir
in 1269, is the only great building of this age in England which can be
considered finer than Salisbury; and it is probable that Henry III. was
induced to undertake the rebuilding of Westminster from admiration of the
rising glories of the new Wiltshire cathedral, which he had several times
visited. On the Continent, the great rival of Salisbury is Amiens; commenced
in the same year (1220) and completed, nearly as at present, in 1272.

“The usual alterations took place in Salisbury Cathedral at the
Reformation, when much of the painted glass is said to have been removed
by Bishop Jewell. Although desolate and abandoned, it escaped material
profanation during the Civil War, and workmen were even employed to keep
it in repair. On the Restoration, a report of the general condition of the
cathedral was supplied by Sir Christopher Wren, and certain additions for the
strengthening of the spire were made at his recommendation. The great work
of destruction was reserved for a later period and more competent hands.
Under Bishop Barrington (1782-1791) the architect Wyatt was, unhappily,
let loose upon Salisbury; and his untiring use of axe and hammer will stand a
very fair comparison with the labours of an iconoclast emperor, or with the
burning zeal of an early Mohammedan caliph. He swept away screens,
chapels and porches; desecrated and destroyed the tombs of warriors and
prelates; obliterated ancient paintings; flung stained glass by cartloads into
the city ditch; and levelled with the ground the Campanile—of the same date
as the Cathedral itself—which stood on the north side of the churchyard. His
operations at the time were pronounced ‘tasteful, effective and judicious.’
The best point of view is from the north-east, which Rickman has
pronounced ‘the best general view of a cathedral to be had in England,
displaying the various portions of this interesting building to the greatest
advantage.’ The Cathedral is built (and roofed) throughout with freestone
obtained from the Chilmark quarries, situated about twelve miles from
Salisbury towards Hendon, and still worked. The stone belongs to the
Portland beds of the oölite. The pillars and pilasters of the interior are of
Purbeck marble. The local rhyme in which the cathedral is celebrated may
here be quoted; it is attributed by Godwin, who gives a Latin version of it, to
a certain Daniel Rogers:
“ ‘As many days as in one year there be,
So many windows in this church you see.
As many marble pillars here appear
As there are hours through the fleeting year.
As many gates as moons one here does view,
Strange tale to tell, yet not more strange than true.’

The great point to which the attention of the stranger is at once drawn is, of
course, the grand peculiarity of Salisbury, the ‘silent finger’ of its spire. This
is the loftiest in England, rising 400 feet above the pavement (Chichester

said, but very doubtfully, to have been built in imitation of it, is 271 feet in
height; Norwich 313 feet) and its summit is 30 feet above the top of St.
Paul’s.”—(R. J. K.)
Dean Stanley said that Westminster is all-glorious within and
Salisbury, all-glorious without.
“Much has been written on the beauty of the Cathedral church of
Salisbury, the chastity of its style and the purity of its detail. The east end
may be said to display the utmost refinement of the Early English era. Every
subordinate feature is so perfectly disposed, so admirably carried out and
adapted to its purpose, so necessary to the full effect of the whole, so simple
and yet so rich, that nothing, even by the most critical, can be found wanting
there or considered de trop. The northern side is scarcely less perfect; the
simple lancet openings of its eastern transept, the more fully developed
quatrefoils of the central gable and the still more advanced northern porch
beyond these, all mark the progress of construction. At the intersection rises
the still later tower and spire, the final limb of the whole, on an embattled
lower stage of earlier date. It is rich to the utmost limit. Every ballflower,
every projecting shaft and moulding sparkles for itself and casts its own
diminutive shadow upon its fellow, entirely relieving the wall-surface of that
flatness which is and must be the fault in every view purporting to suggest
its elegance. The church stands alone; like a model of itself; in its entirety
perhaps the most stately of which we can boast.”—(A. A.)
In the close, which is about half a square mile, there are three
gates: the South, or Harnham; the East, or St. Anne’s; and the
North, or Close Gate, built about 1327.
“The first thing to be noticed in Salisbury is the ample breadth of the
space in which its cathedral stands, the beauty of which space is enhanced by
rows and avenues of magnificent trees; so that it is difficult to conceive a
more appropriate enclosure in which to find ‘the most chaste of English’
churches. Salisbury covers no less than eight acres of ground.
“Entering from the High Street, the visitor finds himself almost in another
township. A street lined with houses conducts to the Cathedral lawn, where
from the north-eastern extremity the full proportions of the church may be

comprehended. The whole north side of the close is thus open. On the east
we find another gateway and the entrance to the Palace; on the other side the
Choristers’ Green, in itself another little close. The west is occupied by a
group of interesting and extremely handsome houses of various dates. Here
are the Deanery, standing in its own grounds opposite the Cathedral façade;
the King’s House, a long, many-gabled mansion of the early Fifteenth
Century, with mullioned windows and a vaulted porch, the occasional
resting-place of the English monarchs on their passage through Salisbury;
and the Wardrobe, distinguished by its heavy roof, its projecting double
gables, and the immense square windows, back and front, through which the
evening sun penetrates with a curious half-ghostly gleam. These form the
most effective line of buildings of the enclosure, which at this least trim but
not the less picturesque side, terminates at the Harnham Gate.”—(A. A.)
Raising our eyes to the Tower and Spire, we note:
“The Early English portion, however, terminates with the first story,
about eight feet above the roof; the two additional stories and the spire above
them date from the reign of Edward III. The walls of the upper stories of the
tower are covered with a blind arcade, richly canopied, and pierced for light
with double windows on all four sides. Above each story is a parapet with
lozenge-shaped traceries, which are repeated in the three bands encircling
the spire. At each angle of the tower is an octagonal stair-turret, crowned
with a small crocketed spire. The great spire, itself octagonal, rises from
between four small richly-decorated pinnacles. Its walls are two feet in
thickness from the bottom to a height of twenty feet; from thence to the
summit their thickness is only nine inches. The spire is filled with a
remarkable frame of timber-work, which served as a scaffold during its
erection. While making some repairs in 1762, the workmen found a cavity
on the south side of the capstone in which was a leaden box, enclosing a
second of wood which contained a piece of much decayed silk or fine linen,
no doubt a relic (possibly of the Virgin, to whom the cathedral is dedicated)
placed there in order to avert lightning and tempest.”—(R. J. K.)
Entering by the west door we look down the Nave.

“The interior is indeed very fine. It could hardly help being fine; a nave
so spacious and so proportioned could under no circumstances be a failure. It
is immensely high and as long in proportion. The proportion of height to
span (2⅛ to 1) is better than in most English churches. The harmony of the
design—practically the same from east to west and from north to south—is
unique in England, and is most impressive. The charming way, too, in which
the architect has contrived that we should have a vista of another miniature
church in the Lady-Chapel—a cathedral within a cathedral—is worthy of all
commendation. But, as in Lincoln nave, to the eye every support is
alarmingly insufficient for the work it has to do; the piers are too tall and
slender, the walls too thin and pierced with too many openings. The
triforium is a most unfortunate design: in harmony neither with the arcade
below, nor with the clerestory above; its outer arches ugly in themselves and
discordant with every other arch in the church; nor could it be expected that
its dark marble shafts would tell against a dark background—black on black.
Add to this the dreadfully new look of everything—partly due to the very
perfection of the masonry, partly because Scott has been here—and the
overpowering glare: one almost feels as if one were in the Crystal Palace.”—
(F. B.)
The most interesting tomb in the nave is that of William
Longespée, the first Earl of Salisbury, son of Henry II. and Fair
Rosamond, who died at his castle of Old Sarum in 1226.
“The effigy is entirely in chain-mail, covering the mouth as well as the
chin in an unusual manner. Over the mail is the short cyclas, or surcoat. On
the earl’s shield are the six golden lioncels also borne by his grandfather
Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. Longespée acquired the earldom of Salisbury
through marriage with its heiress, the Countess Ela. He took an active part in
public affairs throughout the reign of John; joined the Earl of Chester in an
expedition to the Holy Land, and was present at the battle of Damietta in
1221, where the Christians were defeated. He fought much in Flanders and
in France; was present on the King’s side at Runnymede; and was one of the
witnesses to the Great Charter.”—(R. J. K.)

The curious monument of the Boy Bishop was removed to its
present position about 1680, when it was found buried under the
seating of the choir. It is Early English and represents an effigy of
the boy in bishop’s robes and mitre, holding a crozier in his left
hand. The boy-bishop was elected by the choir-boys in many of the
English cathedrals on St. Nicholas’s Day (Dec. 6) and he held office
until Holy Innocents’ Day (Dec. 28), during which time he was
practically bishop. Law provided that if a boy-bishop died during
his term of power, he was to be buried in his vestments and with all
the pomp of an episcopal funeral; and, therefore, we must conclude
that this boy died during his short rule.
From the nave we enter the North Transept,
“passing under the wide Perpendicular arch, which (as at Canterbury and
Wells) was inserted early in the Fifteenth Century by way of counter-thrust
against the weight of the central tower, under which the central piers had
already given away to some extent, as will be at once perceived. It is owing
to this settlement of the piers that the spire is out of the perpendicular. The
triforium and clerestory of the nave are carried round the transept; the
triforium on the north side, being replaced by two-light window of very
elegant character. The clerestory window above, with its slender pilasters,
and graceful flow of lines, deserves especial notice. Each transept has an
eastern aisle divided by clustered piers into three bays. The screens which
formerly enclosed the chapel in each of these bays were swept away by
Wyatt. A staircase in the angle of the transept leads upward to the tower,
which may be ascended by staircases in each of its flanking turrets. The top
of the tower is called the Eight Doors, from the double doors on each side,
through which the visitor will obtain magnificent views over the town and
surrounding country. The first story of the tower is of Early English date, and
originally formed a lantern, open to the nave. It is surrounded by an arcade
of slender pilasters. The ascent of the spire—which is a formidable
undertaking—is made internally by a series of slender ladders as far as a
little door about forty feet below the vane, and from that point the
adventurous climber has to scale the outside by means of hooks attached to

the walls. The interior is filled with a timber frame consisting of a central
piece with arms and braces.”—(R. J. K.)
The South Transept is a counterpart of the north transept. The
windows at the south end are filled with stained-glass. The glass in
the upper lights is Early English.
The lierne vault above the central tower arches is Perpendicular.
From here we enter the Choir, passing under a screen of wrought
metal (modern). In the second arcade on each side of the choir is
placed the new and divided organ built by Willis.
“The Choir and Presbytery are very similar to the nave in the main
features of their design. The piers show a different plan, which provides for
eight shafts of Purbeck marble to each. The inner mouldings of the arches
exhibit the dog-tooth ornamentation of their period. The triforium and
clerestory differ slightly from the corresponding parts of the nave. In each of
the last two bays of the presbytery the triforium has five small cinquefoil
arches. At the east wall of the choir above the reredos is an arcade of five
simply-pointed arches, below a triplet window in the gable, which is filled
with stained glass, given by the Earl of Radnor in 1781, and representing
The Brazen Serpent, after a design by Mortimer.
“The choir still bears traces of Wyatt’s destruction. He removed the
original reredos behind the high altar and the screen before the Lady-Chapel,
so that both, with the low eastern aisle, were thrown into the choir. He
shifted the high altar from the choir to the extreme east end of the Lady-
Chapel, sacrificing several chantries and tombs to do so. Views of the
cathedral after his reign of terror fail to show any gain to compensate for so
much loss; the extreme length is not apparently an advantage, while the bare
look of the interior seems decidedly intensified by the increased vista that he
was so delighted to obtain, and for which, with a light heart, he effaced the
silent records of dead centuries. The decorations of the roof of the choir and
presbytery are reproductions of the original series of paintings, dating, it is
thought, from the Thirteenth Century. The subjects are the prophets and
saints, Christ and the four Evangelists and the twelve months.”—(G. W.)

On the north side of the choir is Bishop Audley’s Chantry, built
by the bishop in 1520, four years before his death. It is late
Perpendicular and resembles the chantry of Bishop Fox at
Winchester. The fan-tracery of the roof was originally coloured. In
the corresponding bay on the south side is the chantry founded by
Walter, Lord Hungerford, in 1429. It was removed from the nave
in 1778.
The Choir-Stalls are composed of pieces of various dates with
some additions by Sir Christopher Wren and canopies by Wyatt. The
Reredos is modern, the gift of Earl Beauchamp in memory of his
ancestor, whose chantry Wyatt destroyed. It was designed by Sir
Gilbert Scott.
Many of the Earls of Pembroke and their wives are buried near
the choir.
In the South-choir-aisle an interesting monument to Bishop
Davenport, probably one of the translators of the Bible, is of white
marble with black Corinthian pillars. Near it is the tomb of Sir
Richard Mompesson and his wife. He is in armour and Katherine
in a black robe with gold flowers. The black Corinthian columns
with vine leaves and grapes in green and gold twisted around them
are striking. Near the south transept, still in the choir-aisle, is the
altar-tomb of Bishop Mitford (1407), with carved shields. On the
cornice with the lilies, birds are holding in their beaks scrolls with
the words Honor Deo et gloria.
In the floor of the north-east-choir-aisle is the brass to Bishop
Wyvill, generally regarded as one of the most wonderful existing
examples. Bishop Wyvill (1329-1375) recovered for this See the
castle of Sherborne and the chase of Bere. The brass, therefore,
represents the contested castle with keep and portcullis. At the door
of the first ward the bishop appears, bestowing his benediction on
his champion, who stands at the gate of the outer ward with battle-

axe and shield. The rabbits and hares before the castle refer to the
chase of Bere, within Windsor Forest.
Bishop Giles de Bridport (died 1262) lies opposite William of
York’s tomb, between the choir-aisle and the eastern-aisle of the
transept. His monument is one of the most important and interesting
in the Cathedral.
“All the details of this remarkable monument deserve the most careful
examination. The effigy, at the head of which are small figures of censing
angels, lies beneath a canopy, supported north and south by two open arches
with quatrefoils in the heads. Each arch is subdivided by a central pilaster,
and springs from clustered shafts, detached. A triangular hood-moulding,
with crockets and finials of leafage, projects above each arch; and between
and beyond the arches pilasters rise to the top of the canopy, supporting
finials of very excellent design. The whole character of the tomb is most
graceful, but an especial interest is given to it by the reliefs with which the
spandrels of the arches are filled, and by the small sculptured figures on
various parts of the monument. The subjects, beginning on the south side,
have been thus interpreted. The first, a female figure with an infant and
attendants, represents the birth of the future bishop: in the three next
spandrels are his confirmation; either his own education or his instruction of
others; and, possibly, his first preferment. The shield hung from a tree in this
compartment, bears Az., a cross, or, between 4 bezants, no doubt his own
arms. On the north side of the monument are the bishop doing homage for
his see—a procession with a cross-bearer, perhaps referring to the dedication
of Salisbury Cathedral—the bishop’s death and the presentation of his soul
for judgment. Little or nothing is known of the life of Bishop Bridport.”—
(R. J. K.)
At the end of the north aisle of the Lady-Chapel and at the end of
the south aisle, directly opposite, are two monuments that will
interest the visitor. The first is a medley of obelisks, globes, spheres
and the Four Cardinal Virtues and effigies of Sir Thomas Gorges
and his widow, maid-of-honour to Queen Elizabeth. The second is a
gorgeous tribute to Edward, Earl of Hertford, son of the Protector

Somerset and of his wife, Catherine, Lady Jane Grey’s sister. The
effigies are praying; the Earl is in armour. The whole piece is gilded
and coloured.
Very little ancient glass remains in Salisbury.
“The fragments that survived were collected some fifty years since, and
placed in the nave windows, and in parts of some of the others. The most
important are in the great west triple lancet, wherein the glass ranges in date
from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Century. Mr. Winston, in his Paper read in
1849 before the Archæological Institute and printed in the Salisbury volume
for that year, considered that the earliest fragments are from a Stem of Jesse
about 1240 and some medallions about 1270. He describes two of the ovals
that are on each side of the throned bishop, a prominent figure in the lower
half of the central light, one of the Christ enthroned, the other of the Virgin.
The two medallions below them he believes represent Zacharias in the
Temple and the Adoration of the Magi. The later glass now in the same
window may be either Flemish work brought hither from Dijon, or possibly
partly from Rouen, and partly from a church near Exeter. It has been
conjectured that in the south lancet the figures represent SS. Peter and
Francis, in the central one the Crucifixion, the Coronation of the Virgin and
the Invention of the Cross, and in the north light the Betrayal of Christ and
St. Catherine. In two of the side windows of the nave are the arms of John
Aprice (1555-1558) and Bishop Jewell (1562).”—(G. W.)
In the south-choir-aisle is Jacob’s Dream in memory of the
Duke of Albany and there are also two of the proposed six angel-
windows—Angeli Ministrantes and the Angeli Laudantes—
designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and made by William Morris.
These are considered among the best examples of glass-painting
since the Middle Ages.
The Chapter-House is a very fine type of an English chapter-
house of the Thirteenth Century, when geometrical tracery was in
vogue. It probably dates from the reign of Edward the First.

“The architecture is somewhat later in style than that of the cloisters, and
if it be not, as its admirers claim, the most beautiful in England, it has few
rivals. Like Westminster, Wells and other English examples, except York and
Southwell, it has a central pillar, from which the groining of the roof springs
gracefully in harmonious lines. A raised bench of stone runs round the
interior. At its back forty-nine niches of a canopied arcade borne on slight
Purbeck marble shafts marked out as many seats. They are apportioned as
follows: those at each side of the entrance to the Chancellor and Treasurer
respectively, the rest to the Bishop, Dean, Archdeacons and other members
of the chapter.
“The plan of the building is octagonal, about fifty-eight feet in diameter
and fifty-two feet in height. Each side has a large fan-light window with
traceried head. Below these windows and above the canopies of the seats is a
very remarkable series of bas-reliefs. The bosses of the roof are somewhat
elaborately carved: one north of the west doorway has groups of figures on
it, apparently intended to represent armourers, musicians, and apothecaries,
possibly commemorating guilds who were benefactors to the building; the
others have foliage chiefly with grotesque monsters. On the base of the
central

Salisbury: Nave, east

Exeter: South-west

pillar is a series of carvings taken probably from one of the many books of
fables so popular in the Middle Ages. These were reproduced from the
originals, which are preserved in the cloisters.”—(G. W.)
The vaulted roof is re-painted in accordance with the original.
The Cloisters are on the south-west side of the Cathedral, their
western wall being on a line with the west front. These fine covered
walks, the largest in England (181 feet long), surround a great sward
(140 feet square), where a group of dark cedars contrasts beautifully
with the grey walls. The style is late Thirteenth Century. The
windows formed of double arches with quatrefoils united at the
main head with a large six-foiled circle are much admired.

EXETER
Dedication: St. Peter. A Church served by Secular Canons.
Special features: Screen on west front; Misereres; Bishop’s
Throne; Minstrels’ Gallery; Lady-Chapel; East Window.
“As the last cathedral church we visited, namely Salisbury, may be taken
as the most complete example of Early English work, so Exeter in its present
state is the best specimen of the Decorated style that is to be met with in
England. For though, unlike Salisbury, it was not built afresh from the
ground, yet under Bishops Quivil, Bitton, Stapledon and Grandisson,
between the years 1280 and 1369, the fabric was so entirely remodelled that
it may be regarded as practically a new building; and since the work of
remodelling began about the time that the Early English style was passing
into the Decorated, and was completed before the time when the
Perpendicular had superseded the Decorated, it naturally is characterised by
the features of that style which flourished during the first half of the
Fourteenth Century. Much indeed of the work found at Exeter is the very
finest that the Fourteenth Century produced.”—(T. P.)
As early as the reign of Athelstan a Benedictine monastery,
dedicated to St. Peter, existed at Crediton and was much injured by
the Northmen in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. When the Sees
for Devon and Cornwall were removed from Crediton to Exeter in
1050, the old church of St. Peter was chosen for the new Cathedral.
Of the Saxon church, however, nothing remains. William Warelwast
(1107-1136), the third bishop after the Conquest, began the new
church about 1112, in the “marvellous and sumptuous” architecture
of the Normans. During its erection it suffered from fire when
Stephen besieged Exeter in 1136. Of this building the two transept
towers remain. Bishop Peter Quivil built the greater part of the
present Cathedral before 1291; Bishop Stapledon, who was
murdered by the Londoners at the “great cross in Chepe” in 1326,

the eastern part of the Choir, the sedilia and the choir-screen; Bishop
Grandisson finished the Nave about 1350 and the west front, in all
probability, a little later; and Bishop Brantingham, the Cloisters.
The Lady-Chapel was built during the episcopates of Bronescomb
and Quivil, and the chapels of St. Mary Magdalene and of St.
Gabriel the Archangel, north and south of the Lady-Chapel, are the
work of Bishop Bronescomb.
Many of the ancient decorations and arrangements were either
removed, or defaced, by Queen Elizabeth’s “visitors,” who, in 1559,
were appointed to compel the general observance of the Protestant
formularies. During the Commonwealth the Cathedral was divided
into two portions by a brick wall so that an Independent preacher
named Stuckeley, one of Cromwell’s chaplains, could preach in
“West Peter’s,” and a Presbyterian, named Ford, in the Choir, or
“East Peter’s,” as the Puritans now named these portions of the
Cathedral.
The finest view is perhaps from Waddlesdown, about four miles
from Exeter. Taking a view of the exterior,
“The visitor should especially remark the Norman towers, the cresting of
the roof, the flying-buttresses and the north porch. The Norman towers, in
connection with the long unbroken roof, should perhaps be regarded as
constituting the specialty of Exeter. At all events, the peculiarity of their
present position is so great and so striking as at once to attract attention; and
the question of their place in the original Norman church is one of very
considerable interest. Each tower consists of six stages, the two lowest of
which are plain: the other four have blind arcades and circular window
openings, the details and arrangements of which vary in the two towers. At
the angles are square buttresses, which rise above the uppermost story. The
south tower is Norman throughout; that on the north was altered by Bishop
Courtenay for the reception of the great bell from Llandaff, and its final
stage is Perpendicular. The fleur-de-lis cresting of the roof is of lead (with
which the whole of the roof is covered), and its form is very graceful and
effective. The flying-buttresses derive a very grand effect from the fact that

the aisle-roofs slope outwards, and not, as usual, inwards. Resulting also
from this peculiarity are, the great height of the aisles on the exterior, and an
unusual development of the clerestory, without any intervening space
between it and the aisle-roofs; and within the nave, the absence of the
triforium; the place of which is, however, indicated by the blind arcade
above the piers. The north porch with its triple canopy is part of
Grandisson’s work, and very beautiful.”—(R. J. K.)
Many people are at first disappointed with their first view of the
West Front and more particularly of the Screen with its noble array
of statues. The impression that it produces has been well described
by W. D. Howells, who writes on his visit to Exeter:
“To the first glance it is all a soft gray blur of age-worn carving, in which
no point or angle seems to have failed of the touch which has blent all
archaic sanctities and royalties of the glorious screen in a dim sumptuous
harmony of figures and faces.”
Now let us examine it more in detail.
“The west front, usually regarded as the latest work of Bishop
Grandisson, who died in 1369, is of very high interest; and although it
cannot compete with those of Wells or Lincoln (both of earlier date), may
justly claim great beauty as an architectural composition. It recedes in three
stories, the lowest of which is formed by the sculptured screen; the second
contains the great west window, on each side of which is a graduated arcade;
and in the third, or gable, is a triangular window surmounted by a niche,
containing a figure of St. Peter, the patron saint of the cathedral. The SCREEN
deserves the most careful examination. It is pierced by three doorways, and
surrounded by a series of niches, in which are the statues of kings, warriors,
saints and apostles, guardians, as it were, of the entrance to the sanctuary.
These figures are arranged in three rows. From pedestals crowned with
battlements spring angels, each of whom supports a triple pilaster, with
capitals. The statues on these capitals, forming the second row, are for the
most part those of kings and knights; above the canopies which surmount
them appears the third row, chiefly saints and apostles. The positions of the
angels are admirably varied.

“The two statues with shields of arms in niches above the upper row are
certainly those of Athelstan and Edward the Confessor, the Saxon king who
expelled the Britons from Exeter, and the founder of the existing bishopric.
In all these figures the general arrangement of the hair as well as the fashion
of the crowns and of the armour, are those of the reign of Edward III., in
which the work was probably completed.
“The platform above the screen no doubt served, as in many foreign
cathedrals, as a station from which the church minstrels and choristers might
duly welcome distinguished persons on their arrival; and from which the
bishop might bestow his benediction on the people. The three doorways are
much enriched. Round that in the centre, within the porch, is a moulding of
carved foliage which deserves notice. On the central boss of the groining is a
representation of the Crucifixion. The recess within the south doorway
contains two sculptures, The Appearance of the Angel to Joseph in a Dream
and The Adoration of the Shepherds. Both, like the figures on the screen,
have suffered not a little from time, and the assaults of Cromwell’s
Puritans.”—(R. J. K.)
Exeter is distinguished among English cathedrals in not having a
central tower. This gives the exterior a unique appearance and the
interior gains by the absence of tower piers to block the view.
Exeter has, therefore, the most open and impressive vista of any
English cathedral. The screen being low, the whole design is
immediately comprehended. It has been compared to the Cathedral
of Bourges.
In our walks through Exeter it may be well to remember that
Quivil’s architect determined to see what he could do with lowness
and breadth.
“Everything should be broad and low, outside as well as inside. Look at
the east end of the choir—its two arches broad and low; above it the great
window—broad and low. Nowhere but at Exeter do you find these squat
windows with their truncated jambs; here they are everywhere—in the
aisles, in the clerestory, in choir, chapels, transepts and nave; even in the
great window of the western front: broad and low windows everywhere. Still

more original is the external realisation of the design; central tower and
spire, western towers and spires, alike are absent. Long and low, massive and
stable stretches out uninterruptedly the long horizontal line of nave and
choir. Breadth gives in itself the satisfactory feeling of massiveness,
steadfastness and solidity; and this is just what is wanting in the all-too aërial
work of Salisbury and Beauvais; vaulted roofs at a dizzy height resting on
unsubstantial supports and sheets of glass. But the Exeter architect has
emphasised this satisfactory feeling of stability still further. The window
tracery is heavy and strong; the vault is barred all over with massive ribs; in
the piers there are no pretty, fragile, detached shafts; the massive clustered
columns look as if they were designed, as they were, to carry the weight of a
Norman wall.”—(F. B.)
The heaviness was counteracted by transparency: the
arrangement of the windows flood the Cathedral with light; for the
aisle and clerestory are almost a continuous sheet of glass.
“Another distinctive feature in Exeter as in Salisbury, is that the architect
produces his effect mainly by architectural means—is not driven to rely on
sculpture. All the principal capitals have mouldings not foliage. Only in the
great corbels of the vaulting shafts and in the bosses of the vault does he
permit himself foliage and sculpture. Wonderful carving it is; the finest work
of the best period, when the naturalistic treatment of foliage was fresh and
young. Very remarkable these corbels are, with their life-like treatment of
vine and grape, oak and acorn, hazel leaf and nut. Unfortunately the corbels,
and still more the bosses, are so high up that their lovely detail is thrown
away; and they are out of scale.
“And the patterns of the window tracery are wonderfully diverse. It is
not, as in Lichfield nave or King’s College Chapel, where every window is
like its neighbour; when you have seen one, you have seen all. Here, all
down each side of the church every window differs. In dimensions, in
general character, they agree; in details they differ; each window is a fresh
delight; we have, what even in Gothic architecture we rarely get—diversity
within simplicity.”—(F. B.)
First we examine the splendid Nave.

“The first view of the NAVE is rich and striking. Its present length is 140
feet. The view looking east is intercepted by the organ, which is placed
above the screen at the entrance to the choir; but the general impression,
notwithstanding a want of height, is that of great richness and beauty. The
roof especially, springing from slender vaulting shafts, studded with
delicately carved and varied bosses, and extending unbroken to the east end
of the choir, is exceeded in grace and lightness by no other of the same date
in the kingdom and by few on the Continent. The carved bosses, all of which
retain traces of colour, represent foliage, animals (near the centre of the nave
is a sow with a litter of pigs), grotesque figures, heraldic shields, subjects
from early ‘bestiaries’ and romances, such as the centaur with a sword, and
the knight riding on a lion toward the eastern end, heads of the Virgin and
Saviour, the Passion and Crucifixion, and in the centre of the second bay, the
murder of Becket. Grandisson wrote a life of the great Archbishop, which
remains in MS., but was very popular in its day. The episcopal figure on the
adjoining boss may either represent Becket or Grandisson himself. Clustered
pillars of Purbeck marble (contrasting well with the lighter stone from
Silverton and Bere) of which the walls and roof are constructed, separate the
nave from the aisles and divide it into seven compartments or ‘bays.’
“The corbels between the arches, which support the vaulting shafts of the
roof, are, perhaps, peculiar to this cathedral, and should be especially
noticed. They are wrought into figures, twisted branches and long sprays of
foliage, and afford excellent examples of the very best period of naturalism.
Every leaf is varied and the character of the different kinds (here for the
most part oak and vine) is admirably retained. The second corbel on the
south side of the nave exhibits the Virgin treading on an evil spirit, and
carrying the Divine Infant. Above is her coronation. The easternmost nave-
corbels display on the north side Moses with his hands supported by Aaron
and Hur; and on the south the risen Saviour, with cross and banner. The
brackets at the foot of these corbels are crowned heads; and possibly
represent Edward I. and Edward II., the first beardless as usual, the other
more defaced. The second corbel on the north side represents St. Cecilia,
with a somewhat grotesque angel listening to her music.
“A blind arcade, taking the place of the triforium, deeply recessed and
arranged in groups of four arches under each bay, runs above the nave
arches; and in the central bay on the north side projects the Minstrels’

Gallery, an arrangement for the accommodation of musicians on high
festivals, which occur in this perfection nowhere else in England. There are,
indeed, other examples at Wells and at Winchester, but of far less interest
and importance. Each of the twelve niches into which its front is divided
contains the figure of a winged angel playing on a musical instrument and
surmounted by a rich canopy. The instruments beginning from the west are,
a cittern, bagpipes, flageolet, crowth or violin, harp, an unknown or unseen
instrument (the fingers are put close to the mouth), trumpet, organ, guitar,
wind instrument, tambour and cymbals. The two corbelled heads below,
supporting niches, are possibly those of Edward III. and Philippa. The
manner in which the hands and arms are raised above the heads is unusual.
Above the arcade and minstrels’ gallery is the clerestory, along which a
gallery is pierced in the thickness of the wall.
“The windows of the nave, all of the best and purest (geometrical)
Decorated, are said to exhibit a greater variety of tracery than can be found
in any other building in the kingdom. They are arranged in pairs, on opposite
sides of the cathedral; so that no two side by side will be found to resemble
each other. The varied and graceful patterns of the lead-work should also be
noticed. The stained glass in the great west window is, for the most part,
modern and worthless (it dates from 1766) injuring the beauty of the window
itself by its entire want of harmony and meaning. The ruby glass in this
window is said to be some of the latest that was manufactured in England
before M. Bontemps revived the art.”—(R. J. K.)
Walking back to the west end, we stop to examine the Chantry
of St. Radegunde,
“constructed in the thickness of the screen by Bishop Grandisson for the
place of his own sepulture. His tomb formerly existed here, but it was
destroyed by Elizabeth’s visitors and the high-born prelate’s ashes scattered
‘no man knoweth where.’ ”—(R. J. K.)
Opening from the first bay of the Nave is the small Chapel of St.
Edmund, of earlier date than the Nave. In the fifth bay, on the same
side, is the North Porch. In the last bay on the south side is an
Early English doorway that formerly opened into the cloisters; and

between the first two buttresses on the south side a finely carved
consecration cross attracts our notice.
The Pulpit dates from 1684.
The Transepts, one bay each, occupy the space under the towers.
East of the North transept is the Chapel of St. Paul, built by
Quivil and now used as a vestry. In the corner we find the tomb and
chantry of Sylke, a sub-chanter, who founded this chantry in 1485
and was buried in it in 1508. His effigy lies here. Against the east
wall are memorials to the soldiers of the 20th, or East Devon
Regiment who fell in the Crimean War. Here is also the famous
clock which has two dials. It is supposed to date from the reign of
Edward III.
A door below the clock opens to the stairs into the North tower,
in which is hung the Great, or Peter Bell, the second largest bell in
England. It weighs 12,500 pounds.
“The Peter bell was crazed on Nov. 5, 1611, most probably from a too
violent ringing in commemoration of the Gunpower Plot, and was recast in
1676. Its diameter at the mouth is 6 feet 3 inches; its height nearly 4 feet 8
inches. It is, of course, never rung, but the hours are struck on it by an
enormous hammer. The visitor who happens to be in the tower at the time of
striking will experience a new sensation,—the humming of the great mass of
metal lingers for many minutes among the huge beams and rafters. A superb
view of the city surrounded by trees and gardens, of the river and of its
junction with the sea at Exmouth, is obtained from the top of the tower, the
upper part of which (of Perpendicular character) was raised and adapted by
Bishop Courtenay for the reception of Great Peter, which he brought from
Llandaff.”—(R. J. K.)
The South Transept is a counterpart of the north, and the
Chapel of St. John the Baptist

Exeter: Nave, east

Exeter: Choir, east

(also Quivil’s work) corresponds with St. Paul’s opposite. In the
Tower are eleven bells, ten of which are rung in peal. They date
from the Seventeenth Century. Between this Transept and the
Chapter-House lies the Chapel of the Holy Ghost, formerly used as
a baptistery. It is Norman. The Chapter-House, opening from what
is still called the Cloisters (although the cloisters were demolished
during Cromwell’s rule), was begun in the Thirteenth Century and
finished in the Fifteenth.
When Bishop Grandisson dedicated the High Altar, Dec. 18,
1328, he wrote to the Pope that the Cathedral, then half finished,
would be superior in its kind to any church in France or England.
“High as this praise was, the beauty of the vaulted roof and the extreme
grace of the details are proofs that it was scarcely exaggerated. The roof

bosses and corbels are of the same character as those in the nave; but the
latter are even more admirable in design, and far more varied in foliage.
Maple, oak, ash, the filbert with its clusters of nuts, and the vine with fruit
and tendrils, could hardly be reproduced more faithfully. On the corbel
above the organ-screen, on the north side, is a Coronation of the Virgin and
on that beyond it a Virgin and Child with censing angels.”—(R. J. K.)
The Choir, Decorated, is very fine:
“We approach the choir, entered by a door in the beautiful screen
supporting the organ. This was the old rood-screen, on which formerly stood
the rood, or figure of our Lord on the Cross. It was erected in the Fourteenth
Century.
“The bosses of the vaulted roof are worthy of especial examination, so
remarkable are they for the delicacy of the carved foliage. The choir has
been carefully restored in recent years, and the stalls, pulpit and reredos are
modern and were designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. Notice the old misereres,
which are very remarkable and probably the oldest and most curious in
England. The foliage denotes the Early English period and they were
probably designed by Bishop Bruere (1224-1244). Notice the mermaid and
merman on the south side, the elephant, knight slaying a leopard, a minstrel,
etc. The lofty bishop’s throne was erected by Stapledon, and is said to have
been taken down and hidden away during the Civil War period. The painted
figures represent the four great bishops—Warelwast, Quivil, Stapledon and
Grandisson. The sedilia by Stapledon are very fine. Notice the carved lions’
heads and the heads of Leofric, Edward the Confessor and his wife Editha.
The east window is Early Perpendicular, inserted by Bishop Brantingham in
1390, and contains much old glass.”—(P. H. D.)
The miserere seats (Thirteenth Century) are curious and
beautiful. They are probably the earliest in England.
“They are fifty in number and their subjects are of the usual character,—
foliage, grotesques, animals (among which is an elephant) and knights in
combat, whose heater shields, flat helmets and early armour are especially
noticeable. Remark, on the south side of the choir a mermaid and a merman
holding some circular instrument between them, the elephant mentioned

above and a knight sitting in a boat drawn by a swan, an illustration of the
romance of the Chevalier au Cygne. On the north side a knight attacking a
leopard, a monster on whose back is a saddle with stirrups, a minstrel with
tabor and pipe, a knight thrusting his sword into a grotesque bird and a
mermaid holding a fish. The Early English character of the foliage, as well
as its graceful arrangement, should be noticed throughout.”
“On the south side, the superb Bishop’s Throne towering almost to the
roof. This was the gift of Bishop Bothe (1465-1478). It is said to have been
taken down and hidden during Monmouth’s Rebellion.”—(R. J. K.)
“The Bishop’s Throne (A.D. 1316), intended for his Lordship with a
chaplain on either side; ‘a magnificent sheaf of carved oak, put together
without a single nail, and rising to a height of 57 feet. The lightness of its
ascending stages almost rival the famous sheaf of fountains of the
Nuremberg tabernacle. The cost of this vast and exquisitely carved canopy
(about twelve guineas) is surprisingly small, even for those days. The carved
work consists chiefly of foliage, with finials of great beauty, surmounting
tabernacled niches, with a sadly untenanted look, however, for lack of their
statuettes. The pinnacle corners are enriched with heads of oxen, sheep,
dogs, pigs and monkeys.’ Next came what is perhaps the most exquisite
work in stone in England, as the throne is unparalleled in woodwork—the
SEDILIA; the seats of the priest to the east and to the west of him, those of the
Gospeller and Epistoler. The sedilia have been preferred even to the shrine
of Beverley and the Lady-Chapel of Ely. ‘The canopy of the seat nearest the
altar,’ says Mr. Garland, ‘deserves particular attention. It is adorned with a
wreath of vine leaves on each side, which meet at the point and there form a
finial; and never did Greek sculptor of the best age trace a more exact
portrait of the leaf of the vine, nor design a more graceful wreath, nor
execute his design with a more masterly finish.’ It is regrettable that the
carving of the sedilia is attributed to a Frenchman.”—(F. B.)
Of the high altar and reredos, perhaps the most magnificent in
Europe, carved at the same period, not a fragment remains.
The two most important tombs in the choir are those of Bishop
Lacey, who died in 1455, and Walter de Stapledon, who was
murdered in London in 1326. Lacey has but a plain slab at which

many miracles are said to have been done. Bishop Stapledon lies
under a Perpendicular canopy, a fine figure holding a crozier with
his left hand and a book with his right. Under the canopy is a figure
of the Saviour, and at its side the small figure of a king crowned and
wearing a scarlet robe, supposed to be Edward II. Bishop
Stapledon’s body was removed from London to Exeter Cathedral by
the Queen’s command and interred with great magnificence.
From the choir two chapels open. On the north, St. Andrew’s,
very early Decorated, is exactly like the opposite one, St. James’s.
Beneath the latter is the ancient Crypt. Both chapels have chambers
above them.
Beyond the Choir, the ambulatory, or procession-path (Early
Decorated), with Speke’s Chantry on the left or north and Bishop
Oldham’s on the right or south, leads to the Lady Chapel. This was
built by Quivil, and is remarkable for its beautiful foliage carvings,
old reredos, graceful openings to the chantries on either side and
magnificent east window.
“Quivil first transformed the Lady-Chapel; to him are due the shafts,
sedilia, double piscina, and the vaulting, the rib-mouldings of which are of
earlier character than those of the choir; and the windows, which closely
resemble those of Merton College, Oxford, which we know was commenced
in 1277. In the centre of the Lady-Chapel Bishop Quivil is buried; he died in
1291. The chapels on either side may have been remodelled or partly
remodelled by Bronescombe; but the east windows are later in style, and are
Quivil’s. The piers hereabout are very interesting. Those of the Lady-Chapel
looking into the side chapels are composed of four columns. The north-east
and south-east piers of the choir have clusters of eight shafts instead of four;
while in the pier between them the cluster of eight is developed into a cluster
of sixteen columns. Finally notice that these piers are set diamond-wise, with
four flat faces, and the angles to the north, west, south and east.”—(F. B.)
In the centre of the pavement is the tombstone of Bishop Peter
Quivil (died 1291), author of the present plan of the cathedral.

Other effigies of bishops are interesting works of art, but those of
Sir John and Lady Doddridge are very curious. Sir John (died
1628), one of James I’s judges of the King’s Bench, was called “the
sleepy judge,” because he always sat on the bench with closed eyes;
but more interesting is Lady Doddridge, who wears a rich dress
brocaded with roses and carnations and also a remarkable ruff and
headdress.
Under the arches opening from the Lady-Chapel to the side
chapels are tombs of Bishops Bronescomb and Stafford. Bishop
Bronescomb’s effigy (1280), on the south side, is a fine piece of
carving. Stafford’s opposite (1419) is of alabaster, and it is famous
for the rich tabernacle-work above the head.
We have been long attracted by the lovely East window. Now
we can see the details.
“The east window is early Perpendicular and was inserted by Bishop
Brantingham about 1390. The stained glass with which it is filled is for the
most part ancient and very fine. Much of it dates apparently from the first
half of the Fourteenth Century (temp. Edward I. and II.) and was removed
from the earlier window; the shields below are those of early bishops and
benefactors; the figures of saints above, most of which are to be recognised
by their emblems, deserve careful notice. Beginning with the lowest row,
and at the left hand, are St. Margaret, St. Catherine, St. Mary Magdalene, St.
Barbara, the Virgin and Child, St. Martin, St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Andrew.
All these figures are under very rich and varied canopies. The first three and
the last three are of the first period; the others of Brantingham’s time. In the
middle row are St. Sidwell, or Sativola, believed to have been a British lady
of noble birth, and contemporary with St. Winifred of Crediton (first half of
the Eighth Century). Her legend asserts that she was beheaded by a mower at
the instigation of her stepmother, who coveted her possessions, near a well
outside the walls of Exeter. In the window St. Sativola appears with a scythe
in her left hand, whilst at her right is a well with a stream of water flowing
from it. These emblems may either form a rebus of her name (scythe-well)
or refer to her martyrdom. Beyond St. Sidwell are St. Helena, St. Michael,

St. Margaret, St. Catherine, Edward the Confessor and St. Edmund. All the
figures in this row are of Brantingham’s period. The three figures in the
uppermost row are Abraham, Moses and Isaiah. These are of the first period.
The tone of colour throughout this window is very fine and solemn. The
heraldry in the upper part of the window is modern. In the north clerestory
windows of the central bay are four headless figures of early Decorated
character. The beautiful running pattern forming the ground on which they
are placed should be noticed.”—(R. J. K.)
In the north-choir-aisle is a curious tomb with a cross-legged
effigy of a Fourteenth Century knight in armour with one esquire at
his head and another holding a horse at his feet. This is supposed to
be a memorial to Sir Richard de Stapledon, a brother of the Bishop.
Returning as we came, we pass the Chantry of St. George,
founded by Sir Thomas Speke in 1518. It is a mass of rich carving.
The effigy of the founder lies within.
Opposite is Bishop Oldham’s Chantry, also a mass of carving,
where the owl in the panels refers to his name (the word old is
pronounced owld in Lancashire, where the Bishop was born). The
Bishop’s effigy lies in a niche in the south wall.
“The Tudor work (1485-1519) is exceptional in importance. It includes
the north entrance and other late portions of the western screen, two
exquisite chapels both built by Bishop Oldham—his own chantry (St.
Saviour’s) on the south side of the retro-choir, the Speke chantry (St.
George’s) on the north—and in addition, Prior Sylke’s chantry on the north
transept. All this work is admirable in design and execution. In Oldham’s
chantry is a charming series of owls with the scroll Dam, a rebus on his
name, proceeding from the beak of each little owl. To Bishop Oldham also
(1504-1519) is due the grand set of stone screens—one of the glories of the
cathedral—no less than ten, which veil all the nine chapels and Prior Sylke’s
chantry, and add fresh beauty to the beautiful choir.”—(F. B.)
At the extreme end of the east aisle is the Chapel of St. Mary
Magdalene, probably the work of Bishop Bronescomb, who died in

1280. The east window, which resembles that of the opposite chapel
of St. Gabriel, contains some stained glass of the Fifteenth Century.
In this chapel a fine Elizabethan monument to Sir Gawain Carew,
his wife and their nephew Sir Peter should be noticed. It dates from
1589. A staircase here leads to the roofs of the north-choir-aisle and
of the ambulatory. The views of the Cathedral obtained here are
very fine, especially of the flying-buttresses.
St. Gabriel’s Chapel is similar to that of St. Mary Magdalene.
Bishop Bronescomb’s patron saint was St. Gabriel the Archangel,
whose feast was, in consequence, celebrated in Exeter Cathedral
with the same solemnity as those of Christmas and Easter. A
monument by Flaxman to General Simcoe, who died in 1806,
having distinguished himself at the head of the Queen’s Rangers
during the American war, and a splendid statue of Northcote, the
painter, by Chantrey claim attention.
Finally summing up the characteristics of this glorious fane:
“Whatever else the student and lover of Gothic architecture omits, he
must not omit to visit Exeter. He will find it fresh and different from
anything he has seen before. Its unique plan, without central or western
towers, the absence of obstructive piers at the crossing, the consequently
uninterrupted vista, the singleness and unity of the whole design, the
remarkable system of proportions, based on breadth rather than height, the
satisfying massiveness and solidity of the building, inside and outside, and at
the same time the airiness and lightness of the interior, the magnificence of
its piers of marble, the delightful colour-contrast of marble column and
sandstone arch, the amazing diversity of the window tracery, the exquisite
carving of the corbels and bosses, the abundant and admirable Tudor work,
the wealth of chantries and monuments, the superb sedilia, screen and
throne, the misereres, the vaults, the extraordinary engineering feats from
which its present form results, the originality of the west front and of the
whole interior and exterior, place Exeter in the very forefront of the triumphs
of the Mediæval architecture of our country.”—(F. B.)

WELLS
Dedication: St. Andrew.
Special features: West Front; East End; Inverted Arches in
Nave; Chapter-House; Carvings of Capitals; Chain-Gate.
The site of this beautiful cathedral had long been sacred to the
Britons on account of its wells, or springs, when the early Christians
on coming to Glastonbury placed these waters under the protection
of St. Andrew. King Ina’s house of secular canons was established
here in 704, not far from the older Glastonbury, which, according to
legend, was established by Joseph of Arimathea. At the beginning of
the Tenth Century, a new bishopric was founded by Edward the
Elder for the province of Somerset; and the Abbot of Glastonbury
was made Bishop of Wells.
“Seen from a distance, the picturesque group of towers and pinnacles
derives increased effect from the beauty and variety of the surrounding
landscape. On one side rises the long ridge of the Mendips, with its rocky
outliers; whilst in the southern distance the lofty peak of Glastonbury Tor
lifts itself above the marches, marking the site of what was generally
believed, throughout the Middle Ages, to have been the earliest Christian
church in Britain, if not the first in Christendom. The Cathedral itself seems
to nestle under its protecting hills; and the waters of the Bishop’s moat,
sparkling in the sunshine, indicate the spring or great well which led King
Ina to establish his church here, and which had perhaps rendered the site a
sacred one as well in the days of the Druids as in those of that primitive
British Christianity which disappeared before the heathendom of the
advancing Saxons.
“From whatever direction the visitor enters the Close, he must pass under
one of the three gatehouses built by Bishop Beckington (1443-1464), all of
which display his shield of arms and his rebus,—a beacon inflamed issuing
from a tun or barrel. Over the Chain-Gate passes the gallery which connects

the Vicars’ College with the Cathedral. The gate, called the Penniless Porch,
opens to the Market-place; but the Cathedral will be best approached for the
first time through Browne’s gate, at the end of Sadler-street. From this point
an excellent view of the west front is obtained, rising at the end of a broad
lawn of greensward, bordered with trees. The Cathedral close of Wells is
scarcely so picturesque as those of Salisbury or of Winchester. It is more
open, however, and its short, bright turf contrasts very effectively with the
grey stone of the buildings which encircle it and with the grand old church
itself. This, with the exception of its pilasters of Purbeck, is built throughout
with stone from the Doulting quarries, about nine miles from Wells.”—(R. J.
K.)
During the rule of Robert (1135-1166) discord and jealousy
between the men of Bath and Wells rose to such a pitch that it was
determined the bishops should in future be styled “of Bath and
Wells” and elected by an equal number of monks and canons from
the abbey and collegiate church. Bishop Robert rebuilt and repaired
the Saxon cathedral which had fallen into decay. Robert’s work has
entirely perished. The next builders were Bishop Reginald Fitz-
Jocelyn (1171-1191) and Bishop Jocelin of Wells (1206-1242), who
rebuilt the Cathedral as we see it to-day. Jocelin was able to
consecrate parts of it in 1239.
Jocelin, the great “maker of Wells,” bishop from 1206 to 1242,
and his brother, Hugh (afterwards Bishop of Lincoln), were natives
of Wells; here Jocelin served as canon and Hugh as archdeacon.
Both were rich. Hugh, who lavished money upon Lincoln, also gave
much to Jocelin for Wells. Jocelin spent his entire fortune upon his
beloved Cathedral. This Jocelin must not be confused with the
earlier Reginald Fitz-Jocelyn, bishop from 1171 to 1191.
“The part which he built, there can be little doubt, included the three
western bays of the choir (which then formed the presbytery), the transepts,
north porch and the eastern bays of the nave. That is to say, on entering the
church, one is looking upon Reginald’s work, and not Jocelin’s; for, although
the rest of the nave was completed by Jocelin, it was done in accordance

with Reginald’s original plan. It is of great importance to remember this fact,
since until recently the nave, with the other parts just mentioned, was
attributed by Professor Willis, Professor Freeman, and most authorities to
Jocelin.”—(P. D.)
Jocelin also built the famous west front and began the Bishop’s
Palace.
In 1248 an earthquake did some damage to the central tower, and
repairs were at once undertaken. The canons generously contributed
funds which were augmented by the help of a local saint. Bishop
William Bytton, nephew of the bishop of the same name (who lies
in St. Catherine’s Chapel), died in 1274; and his remains soon began
to cure the toothache. His tomb in the south-choir-aisle was visited
by sufferers, and the famous western capitals in the transept
doubtless refer to their cures.
For the next fifty years and more, much was done to the
Cathedral by the energetic John de Godelee, dean from 1306 to
1333, who finished the Lady Chapel in 1326.
In 1318 the canons voluntarily offered a fifth of their salaries to
raise the central tower, which was carried up three more stages and
finished in 1321; and in 1325 they began new stalls, each canon
having agreed to pay for his own stall. In 1337 and 1338 the whole
church was thrown into dismay on account of fractures in the tower;
for the tower appears to have sunk deeply into the earth, owing to
pressure on the arches. All the masonry was disturbed; and in order
to remedy this trouble, the curious double arches were inserted, to
help support the strain. The original arches were also patched up
and filled in with great blocks of stone and strengthened in various
ways.
Much was due to Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury (1329-1363), who
was buried before the High Altar in the Choir he had founded. He
also finished the Palace begun by Jocelin. Bishop Harewell, who

died in 1386, gave two-thirds of the cost of the south-west tower
called by his name; and the executors of Bishop Bubwith finished
the northwest tower that bears his name.
Bishop Beckington built the lovely gateways, and Dean
Gunthorpe (died 1498), the Deanery.
The eastern walk of the Cloister and the Library above date from
between 1407 and 1424; and the western and southern Cloister
walks, between 1443 and 1464.
“Late researches have shown that Bishop Reginald began the present
church and that the Early English work should be divided into four periods:
(1) The three western arches of the choir, with the four western bays of its
aisles, the transepts and the four eastern bays of the nave, which are
Reginald’s work (1174-1191), and so early as to be still in a state of
transition from the Norman. It is a unique example of transitional building,
and Willis calls it ‘an improved Norman, worked with considerable lightness
and richness, but distinguished from the Early English by greater
massiveness and severity.’ The characteristics of this late Twelfth Century
work are bold round mouldings, square abaci, capitals, some with traces of
the classical volute, others interwoven with fanciful imagery that reminds us
of the Norman work of Glastonbury; while in the north porch, which must be
the earliest of all, we even find the zigzag Norman moulding. (2) The rest of
the nave, which was finished in Jocelin’s time—that is to say, in the first half
of the Thirteenth Century—preserves the main characteristics of the earlier
work, though the flowing sculptured foliage becomes more naturalistic, and
lacks the quaint intermingling of figure subjects. (3) The west front, which is
Jocelin’s work, and alone can claim to be of pure Early English style. (4)
The chapter-house crypt, which is so late as to be almost Transitional,
though, curiously enough, it contains the characteristic Early English dog-
tooth moulding which is found nowhere else except in the west window.
From this, we reach the Early Decorated of the staircase, the full Decorated
of the chapter-house itself, the later Decorated of the Lady-Chapel, the
transitional Decorated of the presbytery, and the full Perpendicular of the
western towers. Much of the masonry in the transepts, choir, choir aisles,
and even in the eastern transepts, bears the peculiar diagonal lines which are

the marks of Norman tooling. This does not, of course, prove that any part of
Bishop Robert’s church is standing, for mediæval builders were notoriously
economical in using up old masonry, but it does show that there are more
remains of his work in the building than was generally supposed.”—(P. D.)
The Cathedral was much damaged during the Reformation and
also during Monmouth’s rebellion in 1685, when the Duke’s
followers stabled their horses in it and enjoyed a barrel of beer on
the high altar.
There is a nave of nine bays, a space under the tower, a choir
opening eastward of it and two transepts (each of four bays) with
aisles opening north and south. The choir from the screen to the
high altar occupies six bays; a retro-choir of two bays lies behind
the altar; and beyond it again is an apsidal Lady-Chapel. The west
front has been much admired, but some critics consider it too heavy
for the short towers that abut on it. The windows of the nave and
transepts are Decorated. The windows of the choir are more ornate,
although in the same style, and those of the Lady-Chapel are still
more so. The central tower (Perpendicular) is entirely covered with
panelling. There is no spire. On the south side large cloisters open
from the south-western tower and from the western aisle of the
south transept; but there are only three walks, there being none on
the north side. The Chapter-House is approached from the north side
of the choir by a short passage and a flight of steps: a crypt lies
under it. A beautiful porch, with parvise, opens into the sixth bay of
the north aisle. From the eastern aisle of the north transept the
Chain-Gate passes to the Vicars’ College, a double row of
picturesque houses, dating from 1360.
“The Chain-Gate, in its association with the Chapter-House and the
Vicars’ Close, is unique. The incline of the steps, easily to be distinguished
from without, gives the corner a character quite its own. And the entrance to
the Green by this gate, with the Cathedral on one side, balanced by the
varied gables and roofs of the houses opposite, is particularly striking. The

exterior of the Chapter-House comes into full view; the great central tower
stands boldly up against the sky; the eastern gable presents its curious apex,
and the Lady-Chapel below stands like a thing separate from the rest.
Beyond, and under the Chain-Gateway, an arch admits to the Vicars’ Close
—a charming street, lined on either side with diminutive dwelling-houses,
once the separate residences of the vicars choral. At the top of the close is a
small Perpendicular chapel with a library above. The interior is profusely—
almost grotesquely—decorated in a manner to remind one to some extent of
those strange little oratories so frequently met with in other parts of Europe.
But to many it will possess a certain charm, despite its florid adornments,
not often realised in this country. The Vicars’ Hall, a considerable portion of
which is of the Fourteenth Century, with additions of a tower and other
features, probably by Bishop Beckington, stands at the bottom of the street
and communicates through the gallery of the Chain-Gate with the Chapter-
House staircase, and thus with the cathedral. By this gallery the choristers
passed into the church.”—(A. A.)
The celebrated West Front
“consists of a centre, in which are the three lancets of the western
window and above them a gable receding in stages, with small pinnacles at
the angles; and of two wings or western towers, projecting beyond the nave,
as at Salisbury. The upper part of these towers is of Perpendicular character.
That to the north-west was completed by Bishop Bubwith (1407-1424),
whose statue remains in one of the niches: that to the south-west was the
work of Bishop Harewell (1366-1386). Both these towers, fine as are their
details, have a somewhat truncated appearance; and it is probable that the
original Early English design terminated at the uppermost band of sculpture.
The three western doors are of unusually small dimensions, perhaps in order
to leave ample room for the tiers of figures which rise above them. Six
narrow buttresses at the angles of which are slender shafts of Purbeck
marble, supporting canopies, divide the entire front into five portions. The
whole of the statues which fill the niches are of Doulting stone.”—(R. J. K.)
Many visitors are at the first sight disappointed at the mutilated
and archaic expression of the figures; but they have commanded the
greatest admiration ever since old Fuller wrote: “The west front of

Wells is a masterpiece of art indeed, made of imagery in just
proportion, so that we may call them vera et spirantis signa.
England affordeth not the like.”
The West Front should be considered as a great screen intended
for the display of statuary rather than as the west termination of the
nave. The stone population, numbering about three hundred life-size
or colossal figures, is only equalled by that of Rheims and that of
Chartres. All critics agree that these statues, so notable for their
graceful draperies and spiritual expressions, rank with the
contemporary masterpieces of Italy and France. They are thought to
have been made by Italian sculptors at the time when Niccola
Pisano was reviving sculpture in Italy under the inspiration of
classical models. The kings, queens, princes, knights and nobles
wear the costume of the Thirteenth Century. The other figures are
prophets, angels, martyrs and “the holy church throughout the
world.”
Unlike the monumental west fronts of France, with their splendid
porches and doors, the doors of Wells have been compared to
“rabbit-holes on a mountain-side.”
The western towers projecting beyond the aisles of the nave give
additional breadth to the west front. The arrangement resembles that
of Rouen. The two towers are very similar. Both have two belfry
windows on each side and a stair turret on the outer western angle.
The spires were never added.
The Central Tower is Early English to the level of the roof, and
the two upper stages are Decorated. From its summit a beautiful
view is to be enjoyed.
The North Porch (Norman) is the oldest part

Wells: West front

Wells: North Porch

of the church. Some architects consider it the finest piece of
architecture at Wells.
“The entrance is doubly recessed and has the zigzag ornament among its
mouldings, an indication, if not of its early construction, at least of lingering
Norman traditions among its builders. These mouldings deserve the most
careful attention. The outer or dripstone, is formed of a very beautiful
combination of Early English foliage. Square panels on either side of the
arch contain figures of mystic animals, one of which is a cockatrice. The
gable above has a blind arcade, in the centre of which a small triplet gives
light to a parvise chamber. From the buttress at the angles rise slender spire-
capped pinnacles. The buttresses themselves are flat and narrow.
“The interior of the porch is divided into two bays, and its walls are lined
with a double arcade, the upper row of arches being more deeply recessed
than the tower. The vault springs from a central group of triple shafts. The
sculptures of the capitals on the east side possibly represent the death of
King Edmund the Martyr (A.D. 870),—bound to a tree as a mark for the
Danish arrows and afterwards beheaded. The figures are well designed, and
full of life and character. The double doorway leading into the nave displays,
like the exterior arch, the Norman zigzag.”—(R. J. K.)
On entering the Nave the visitor is at once struck by the noble
proportions, the impression of great length, the broad horizontal
band of the triforium, and the wealth of spirited and varied carving
of the capitals and corbels; but the most striking feature of all is the
great inverted, or double, arch that struts across the central piers
forming a St. Andrew’s Cross, by which name it is generally known,
and giving a grotesque (we are almost tempted to say Chinese)
appearance.
“Undoubtedly the first thing that the stranger notices in Wells Cathedral,
and the last that he is likely to forget, is the curious contrivance by which the
central tower is supported. Of the three pairs of arches (the upper arch
resting inverted upon the lower) which stretch across the nave and each of

the transepts, that in the nave is seen at once, and lends a unique character to
the whole church. At first these arches give one something of a shock, so
unnecessarily frank are they, so excessively sturdy, so very English, we may
think. They carry their burden as a great-limbed labourer will carry a child in
a crowd, to the great advantage of the burden and the natural dissatisfaction
of the crowd. In fact, they seem to block up the view, and to deform what
they do not hide.
“That is the first impression, but it does not last for long. Familiarity
breeds respect for this simple, strong device, which arrested the fall of the
tower in the Fourteenth Century, and has kept its walls ever since in perfect
security, so that the great structure has stood like a rock upon the watery soil
of Wells for nearly seven centuries, with its rents and breaks just as they
were when the damage was first repaired. The ingenuity, too, of these
strange flying-buttresses becomes more and more evident; the ‘ungainly
props’ are seen to be so worked into the tower they support, that they almost
seem like part of the original design of the first builders. One discovers that
it is the organ, and not the arches, that really blocks the view, and one
marvels that so huge a mass of masonry can look so light as to present, with
the great circles in the spandrels where the arches meet, a kind of pattern of
gigantic geometrical tracery. Indeed I think no one who has been in Wells a
week could wish to see the inverted arches removed.
“To appreciate the work fully, it should be looked at from some spot, such
as the north-east corner of the north transept, whence the three great pairs of
arches can be seen together. The effect from here is very fine, especially
when the nave is lighted up and strong shadows are cast. The extreme
boldness of the mouldings, the absence of shafts and capitals and of all
ornament, give them a primitive vigour, and their great intermingling curves,
which contrast so magnificently with the little shafts of the piers beyond,
seem more like a part of some great mountain cavern than a mere device of
architectural utility.”—(P. D.)
The general effect of the Nave is that of length rather than height,
largely due to the continuous arcade of the triforium which leads the
eye irresistibly eastwards, and the comparatively restricted height of
the Cathedral has been increased by bold vaulting, and by the way

the lantern arches fit into the vault. A little study will show the
visitor the separation between the late Twelfth Century work of
Reginald de Bohun, or Fitz-Jocelyn, and the Thirteenth Century
work of Jocelin. These differences lie in the masonry and the carved
heads and the capitals.
The heads of a king and bishop, projecting from the south side
between the fourth and fifth piers, mark the point of change
eastward: the masonry of piers, walls and aisle walls is in small
courses of stone; westward, the blocks are larger, eastward, small
human heads project at the angles of the pier-arches and westward
there are none; eastward, the tympana of the triforium arcade are
filled with carvings of grotesque animals and small heads at the
corners, and westward, the tympana are filled with foliage and
ornamented with larger heads. There are also other differences.
“Certainly it is an unusual instance of an architect deliberately setting
himself to complete the works of an earlier period in faithful accordance
with the original plan; and we may well be grateful to him for his modesty.
“All the carving is most interesting and beautiful: the caps and corbels of
the vaulting shafts; the little heads at the angles of the arches, which are
vivid sketches of every type of contemporary character; and the carvings in
the tympana, which are best in the seventh, eighth and ninth bays (counting
from the west end), those on the north excelling in design and execution,
while those on the south are more grotesque. But the capitals of the piers are
the best of all, and the most hurried visitor should spare some time for the
study of these remarkable specimens of sculpture, vigorous and lifelike, yet
always subordinated to their architectural purpose. Those in the transepts[4]
are perhaps the best, but the following in the nave should not be missed:—
North side, Sixth Pier (by north porch): Birds pluming their wings: Beast
licking himself: Ram: Bird with human head, holding knife (?).
“Eighth Pier. Fox stealing goose, peasant following with stick: Birds
pruning their feathers. (Within Bubwith’s Chapel) Human monster with
fish’s tail, holding a fish: Bird holding frog in his beak, which is extremely
long and delicate.

“Ninth Pier. Pedlar carrying his pack on his shoulders, a string of large
beads in one hand. Toothless monster with hands on knees.
“South side, Seventh Pier. Birds with human heads, one wearing a mitre.
“Eighth Pier. Peasant with club, seized by lion: Bird with curious foliated
tail (within St. Edmund’s chapel). Owl: Peasant with mallet (?).”
If we look back towards the west end of the Nave we note an
arcade of five arches, the middle one widest of all to accommodate
the two small arches of the doorway. The three lancet windows are
Perpendicular, remodelled, and some of their dogtooth moulding,
medallions in the spandrels and little corbel heads of Early English
work remain. There is a gallery below the sill of the window.
The two western towers form two small transepts that project
beyond the aisles. Each is connected with the aisle by an arch. The
Chapel of the Holy Cross under Bubwith’s Tower (north) is the
choir-boys’ vestry. The chapel under Harewell’s Tower (south) is
used by the bell-ringers. An Early English doorway leads from it
into the Cloister.
“The nave, as far as the piers of the central tower, consists of ten bays,
divided by octangular piers, with clustered shafts in groups of three. The
capitals are enriched with Early English foliage, much of which is of
unusually classical character,—one of the many indications of a lingering
local school, with its Norman traditions. Birds, animals and monsters of
various forms—among which is the bird with a man’s face, said to feed on
human flesh—twine and perch among the foliage. Above the pier arches
runs the triforium, very deeply set, and extending backward over the whole
of the side aisles. The roof retains its original position. (The whole
arrangement should be compared with the Norman triforia of Norwich and
Ely, both of which extend over the side-aisles; but their exterior walls have
been raised and Perpendicular windows inserted). The narrow lancet
openings toward the nave are arranged in groups of three, with thick wall-
plates between them. The head with each lancet is filled with a solid
tympanum, displaying foliage and grotesques, of which those toward the
upper end of the south side are especially curious. At the angles of the

lancets are bosses of foliage and human heads, full of character. In the upper
spaces between each arch are medallions with leafage. Triple shafts, with
enriched capitals, form the vaulting-shafts, the corbels supporting which
deserve examination. A clerestory window (the tracery is Perpendicular, and
was inserted by Bishop Beckington (1443-1464)) opens between each bay of
the vaulting, which is groined, with moulded ribs and bosses of foliage at the
intersections.”—(R. J. K.)
In the clerestory of the sixth bay on the south side there is a
Music Gallery, early Perpendicular, the front of which consists of
three panels with large quartrefoils containing shields. It is very
fine, but not equal to the Minstrels’ Gallery in Exeter. It is finished
with an embattled cornice.
The aisles of the Nave are of the same architectural character as
the Nave itself. Among the striking capitals are:
Fifth shaft. Peasants carrying sheep, with a dog.
Ninth shaft. Man in a rough coat carrying foliage on his back.
Tenth shaft. Mason carrying a hod of mortar and a mallet;
opposite side of arch: Peasant in hood with staff and opposite this
two heads, evidently with toothache.
The greater part of the glass of the West Window was collected
by Bishop Creyghton in 1660-1670, excellent Sixteenth Century
representations of the history of John the Baptist. Possibly
Creyghton added the figures of King Ina and Bishop Ralph in the
other lights, for the southern one also bears his arms. The top and
bottom of the middle light are said to have come from Rouen in
1813.
Now we will examine the transepts.
“The transepts seem to have been built before the nave, but some of the
carved work of the capitals and corbels is of later date than the nave. The
capitals on the west side of both transepts are among the finest in England.
Many refer to the toothache.

“North Transept: first Pier.—(Inside the Priest Vicars’ vestry) A
prophet(?) with scroll on which there is no name: Man carrying goose.
(Outside) Head with tongue on teeth.
“Second Pier.—Aaron writing his name on a scroll: Moses with the tables
of stone.
“Third Pier.—Woman with a bandage across her face. Above this cap the
corbel consists of a seated figure, naked, with distorted mouth and an
agonised expression.
“South Transept, second pier (from the south end). Two men are stealing
grapes, one holds the basket full, the other plucks grapes, holding a knife in
his other hand: The farmers in pursuit, one carries a spade and
the other a pitchfork: The man with the fork, a vigorous figure,
catches one thief: The man with the spade hits the other (whose face
is most woe-begone) on the head.
“Third pier.—Woman pulling thorn out of her foot: Man with one
eye, finger in his mouth: Baboon head: Cobbler; this figure shows
very plainly the method of shoemaking at this time; the cobbler in
his apron, sits with the shoe on one knee, his strap passes over the
knee and round the other foot, his foot is turned over so as to
present the side and not the sole to the strap: Woman’s head with
long hair.
“Fourth pier.—Head perfectly hairless: Elias P. (the prophet) with
hand on cheek as if he, too, has the toothache: Head in hood, with
tongue on the one remaining tooth.
“It may be well here to say a word about the general
classification of these earlier capitals, since their date is a matter of
great architectural interest. I would venture to divide them into five
groups—
“(1) Those of the three western bays of the choir: simple carved
foliage of distinctly Norman character, as in the north porch: these
belong to the time of Reginald (1174-1191).

“(2) The four eastern bays of the nave and its aisles. Some of
these may belong to the first period, though later than the choir:
they are more advanced in the foliage, and teem with grotesque
birds and beasts. Some, however, of the caps in these bays are of
quite different character; they contain genre subjects of perfectly
naturalistic treatment, very different to the St. Edmund of the north
porch capital; but exactly similar to the figure caps of the transepts.
They must therefore have been carved later than the death of Saint
William Bytton.
“(3) The western bays of the nave. These, which are of much less
interest, belong to the period of Jocelin’s reconstruction (1220-
1242). They are characteristic examples of rich stiff-leaf foliage,
freer than that of the earlier work, but much less varied and without
either human figures or grotesques.
“(4) On the eastern range of transept piers. These would seem
also to come within Jocelin’s period, with the exception of the third
pier of the south transept.
“(5) On the western range of transept piers, with which must be classed
those later caps already referred to in the nave under group 2. Their date is
settled by the fact that they abound in unmistakable representations of the
toothache. Now Saint William Bytton died in 1274, and his tomb became
immediately famous for cures of this malady. In 1286, the chapter decided to
repair the old work, no doubt because the offerings at his tomb had brought
money to the church.”—(P. D.)
In studying these fascinating grotesques, however, we have
neglected to examine the two chantries in the nave—Bishop
Bubwith’s and Dean Sugar’s. They are opposite one another and
are alike in general characteristics. The screen work and cornices of
Bubwith’s composed of light and elaborate tracery are very much
admired. Light doorways permit entrance. The altar here was
dedicated to St. Saviour. Bishop Bubwith (who built the north-west

tower) died in 1424. His arms, containing holly-leaves, are
beautifully carved.
Sugar’s Chantry, about sixty years later in date, is even more
elaborate. Like Bubwith’s, it is hexagonal and the canopy over the
altar is vaulted with delicate fan-tracery. Critics now consider it the
finer of the two.
Adjoining Sugar’s Chantry the stone Pulpit, built in the reign of
Henry VIII., calls for attention. In front are the arms of Bishop
Knight, who built it and who is buried near it (he died in 1547).
Beside it, is a brass lectern presented in 1660; upon this rests a Bible
of the same date.
In the South transept, we find the Font, interesting because it is
the one relic of Bishop Robert’s Norman church. It may have stood
in the earlier Saxon cathedral. The cover is Jacobean.
In the south end of the south transept is the Tomb of Bishop de
Marchia (died 1302). The effigy of the bishop, lying in a recess
under a canopy bristling with crockets and finials and brilliant with
scarlet and crimson, green and gold, is very striking. Some of the
angels surrounding the figure are charming. It is interesting to
compare this with the Tomb of Lady Lisle, also adorned with
crockets and brightly coloured.
Perpendicular stone screens divide the transepts from their small
chapels. The chapels of the south transept are St. Martin’s (now the
canon’s vestry) and that of St. Calixtus, enclosed on the side of the
choir-aisle by some beautiful ironwork from Beckington’s tomb. On
the south side of St. Calixtus’s chapel we must pause to examine
Dean Husse’s tomb, of alabaster, and noted for its carved panels
even in this cathedral of splendid carvings.
St. David’s Chapel in the north transept compels us to pause
again to look at the capital of the second transept pier—a handsome
head with curls and a smile on his face—and a fine corbel carved

into the form of a lizard eating leaves of a plant with berries. In this
chapel lies an interesting effigy of Bishop Still (1543-1607) in a red
robe lined with white fur. Next comes the Chapel of the Holy
Cross in which is the tomb of Bishop Cornish (died 1513), thought
also to have been used as the Easter Sepulchre, where the Host was
laid during Holy Week.
The north transept contains a relic of the past that delights every
one who happens to be there at the striking of the hour. The famous
clock that once belonged to Glastonbury Abbey is still in working
order. A little figure known locally as “Jack Blandiver” kicks the
quarters with his heels on two little bells and at the hour four figures
on horseback above the clock rush around and charge each other.
The curious clock was made by Peter Lightfoot, a monk of the
abbey. It was said to have been in constant use at Glastonbury for
250 years before it was removed to Wells at the Dissolution of the
monasteries.
From the east aisle of the north transept a door opens to the
Staircase that leads to the Chapter-House and also to the celebrated
Chain-Gate, or carved bridge that connects the Vicars’ College with
the Cathedral. Through this gallery the Vicars could pass from their
own Close into the Cathedral. The common hall of their college
(1340) opens from it.
“There are few things in English architecture that can be compared with it
for strange impressive beauty; the staircase goes upward for eighteen steps
and then part of it sweeps off to the Chapter-house on the right, while the
other part goes on and up till it reaches the chain-bridge; thus the steps lie,
worn here and there by the tread of many feet, like fallen leaves, the last of
them lost in the brighter light of the bridge. Here one is still almost within
the cathedral, and yet the carts are passing underneath, and their rattle mixes
with the sound of the organ within.
“The main gallery of the Chain-Gate is shut off by a door, which, if it
were kept open, would make the prospect even more beautiful than it is. Two

corbels which support the vaulting-shafts of the lower staircase should be
noticed; they both represent figures thrusting their staves into the mouth of a
dragon, but that on the east (wearing a hood and a leathern girdle round his
surcoat) is as vigorous in action as the figure on the west side is feeble. A
small barred opening in the top of the east wall lights a curious little
chamber, which is reached from the staircase that leads to the roof.”—(P. D.)
The Chapter-House is famous among these beautiful adjuncts to
English cathedrals. It has been called “a glorious development of
window and vault.” It was built in the latter half of the Geometrical
period (1280-1315). Note the profusion of ball-flower ornament
round the windows and the ogee dripstones outside.
“Of octagonal plan, its vaulting ribs branch out from sixteen Purbeck
shafts which cluster round the central pillar, typifying the diocesan church
with all its members gathered round its common father, the bishop. Each of
the eight sides of the room is occupied by a window of four lights, with
graceful tracery of an advanced geometrical type. These windows, which are
among the finest examples of the period, have no shafts, but their arch
mouldings are enriched with a continuous series of the ball-flower ornament.
Most of the old glass in which ruby and white are the predominant colours,
remains in the upper lights. Under the windows runs an arcade which forms
fifty-one stalls, separated into groups of seven by the blue lias vaulting-
shafts at the angles, but in the side which is occupied by the doorway there
are only two stalls, one on either side of the entrance. Two rows of stone
benches are under the stalls, and there is a bench of Purbeck round the base
of the central pier.”—(P. D.)
Another authority says:
“At the springs of the arches are sculptured heads full of expression,
kings, bishops, monks, ladies, jesters; and at the angles, grotesques of
various kinds. A line of the ball-flower ornament is carried round above the
canopies.
“The double arches at the entrance show traces of a door on the exterior.
Remark the curious boss in the vaulting, composed of four bearded faces.
The diameter of the chapter-house is fifty feet, its height forty-one feet. Its

unusual, and indeed unique, features are—its separation from the cloisters
from which the chapter-house generally opens; and its crypt, or lower story,
which rendered necessary the staircase by which it is approached.
“A most striking view of the chapter-house is obtained from the fourth
angle of the staircase, close to the doorway of the Vicars’ College. The effect
of the double-door arches with their tracery, of the central pier, the branched
ribs of the vaulting, and the fine windows is magnificent; and when the latter
were filled with stained glass, must have been quite unrivalled. The chapter-
house is by no means the least important of the many architectural
masterpieces which combine to place Wells so high in the ranks of English
cathedrals.”—(R. J. K.)
The Crypt, finished by 1286, represents the last development of
the Early English style. It was used as the treasury where valuables
were kept. It is reached by a dark passage from the north-choir-aisle.
The odd corbels should be noted. The walls are very thick, the
windows narrow with wide splays and the vaulting-ribs spring from
round and massive pillars with much effect. This Crypt is unusually
high, because the many springs at Wells would not permit of a
subterranean chamber.
But again we have been led astray from the main body of the
Cathedral. Returning the same way, we again enter the north
transept and stand beneath the splendid fan-tracery vault of the
tower, a vault, beautiful as it is, that hides the lantern with its
arcades. These, however, can be seen during the ascent of the tower.
The Screen dates from the Fourteenth Century.
“The first impression on entering the choir will not readily be forgotten.
Owing to the peculiar and most beautiful arrangement of the Lady-chapel
and the retro-choir, to the manner in which the varied groups of arches and
pilasters are seen beyond the low altar screen, to the rich splendours of the
stained glass, to the beautiful architectural details of the choir itself, and to
the grace and finish of the late restorations, it may safely be said that the
choir of no English cathedral affords a view more impressive or more
picturesque. It is difficult to determine whether the effect is more striking at

early morning, when the blaze of many-coloured light from all the eastern
windows is reflected upon the slender shafts of Purbeck and upon the
vaulted roof, or at the late winter services, when the darkened figures of
saints and prophets in the clerestory combine with the few lights burning at
the choristers’ stalls to add something of mystery and solemn gloom to the
maze of half-seen aisles and chapels.
“The first three piers and arches of the choir are Early English, of the
same character as those of the nave and transepts, and are probably the work
of Bishop Jocelin. The remaining portion, including the whole of the
vaulting as well as the clerestory above the first three bays, is very rich early
Decorated (geometrical) and deserves the most careful study.
“The tabernacle work and the window tracery of the first three bays,
although of the same date, are less rich than those of the eastern half of the
choir. In this latter portion remark the triple banded shafts of Purbeck,
carried quite to the roof as vaulting-shafts, and the tabernacle-work
occupying the place of the triforium, deeper and wider than in the lower
bays. Under each arch is a short triple shaft, supporting a bracket richly
carved in foliage. The sculpture of the capitals and of these brackets is very
good and should be noticed. The foliage has become unconventional, and
has evidently been studied from nature. Its diminutive character, as
compared with the Early English work in the nave, is very striking.
“The east end of the choir is formed of three arches divided by slender
piers above which is some very rich tabernacle-work, surmounted by an east
window of unusual design. At the back of the altar, and between the piers, is
a low diapered screen, beyond which are seen the arches and stained
windows of the retro-choir and Lady-chapel.”—(R. J. K.)
The stone vault is unusual, a sort of “coved roof,” Freeman calls
it, “with cells cut in it for the clerestory windows.”
The three western bays are Bishop Reginald’s of the Twelfth
Century. Here we are in the very oldest part of the Cathedral. Triple
vaulting-shafts of Purbeck marble are carried down to the floor.
“The clerestory windows contain flowing tracery of an advanced and not
very good type. In some the plain mullions are carried on through the head
of the window and intersect each other. Above the tabernacle-work of the

east end is the EAST WINDOW of seven lights, the last bit of the Fourteenth
Century reconstruction, the last flicker of Decorated freedom. Its curious
tracery is still beautiful, doubly so for the glass it enshrines, but the rule and
square of Perpendicular domination have already set their mark upon it; the
two principal mullions run straight up to the window head, and part of the
tracery between them is rectangular.”—(P. D.)
The Cathedral possesses sixty-four Misericords, from the old
choir-stalls, regarded as among the best examples of mediæval
wood-carving in England. The skilful hand of the carver has
wonderfully represented griffins fighting, mermaids, apes, goats,
dragons, wyverns, popinjays, cats, foxes, peacocks, monsters,
angels, eagles, hawks, rabbits, kings, peasants—and many other
birds, animals and grotesques.
The soft yet brilliant light sifts in from the Jesse Window above
the high altar. We lift our eyes and with some pains discern the
twining branches of the vine with the recumbent figure of Jesse at
the base, resting his head on his hand. From him rises the leading
shoot of the tree, with the figures of the Virgin and the Child each
with radiant nimbus and beneath a golden canopy. The tendrils of
the vine enwreath prophets, priests and kings,—the ancestors of the
Babe of Bethlehem. Above is a representation of the Crucifixion;
and at the very

Wells: Nave, east

Wells: South-west

top of the window, the outstretched wings of the Holy Spirit.
The choir-aisles are of the same character as the choir itself and
are entered from the transepts through ogee arches, ornamented with
crockets and finials.
The south-choir-aisle contains the Tomb of Saint William
Bytton, at which (the oldest incised slab in England) offerings were
made by those suffering from toothache, as we have already seen.
Further away is the Tomb of Beckington, surrounded by a beautiful
iron-screen of the same date as the tomb (1452). The carving is very
fine, especially the wings of the angels. A little colour is left here
and there. His effigy rests upon it, with old and wrinkled face. This
bishop said mass for his own soul here in January, 1452, thirteen
years before he died.

In the south-east transept, we find the Chapel of St. John
Baptist, where a Decorated piscina with canopy deserves attention.
At the extreme end of the north-choir-aisle is Saint Stephen’s
Chapel and at the extreme end of the south-choir-aisle is the
corresponding Saint Catherine’s Chapel. Both contain effigies of
bishops, tombs and monuments. Between and back of these is the
Lady-Chapel.
We now return to the Retro-choir. Four slender piers of Purbeck
marble bear up the vault. The arrangement of the columns should be
particularly noticed here. It is hard to realise that this Retro-choir
was merely a device for connecting the Lady-Chapel with the Choir,
it seems so entirely a part of the scheme.
“The beauty of the retro-choir, or ‘procession aisles,’ the arrangement of
its piers and clustered columns, and the admirable manner in which it unites
the Lady-chapel with the choir should be here remarked. It is throughout
Early Decorated. The foliage of the capitals and the bosses of the vaulting
will repay careful examination. Many of the vaulting ribs appear to spring
from two grotesque heads—one on either side of the low choir-screen—
which hold them between their teeth. The four supporting pillars and shafts
are placed within the line of the choir-piers, thus producing the unusual
intricacy and variety of the eastward view from the choir. At Salisbury, and
in all other English cathedrals, the piers of the procession-aisles are placed in
a line with those of the choir.”—(R. J. K.)
Mr. Bond thinks the Wells architect got his idea for the octagonal
Lady-Chapel by tacking on the elongated octagonal of the Lichfield
Chapter-House to the rectangular retro-choir of Salisbury.
“The Lady-chapel is an early work of the Curvilinear period; for it seems
to have been complete in 1324. The windows have beautiful reticulated
tracery of early type. There is lovely carving in the capitals, bosses, reredos,
sedilia and piscina. The Curvilinear foliated capitals here and in the choir
should be compared with the somewhat earlier capitals of the chapter-house,
with the early Geometrical capitals of the staircase, the Lancet capitals of the

west front and the late Transitional ones of porch, nave and transepts. The
ancient glass here and in the Jesse window of the choir is superb in colour.
“As every one knows, it is the most beautiful east end we have in
England. It may be worth while to see how this design was arrived at—a
design as exceptional as it is effective. The simplest form of an east end in
English Gothic is seen at York and Lincoln: it consists merely of a low wall
with a big window above it. The next improvement is to build an aisle or
processional path behind the east end; at the same time piercing the east wall
with one, two or three arches. This was done at Hereford about 1180; and on
a magnificent scale in the Chapels of Nine Altars at Durham and at
Fountains early in the Thirteenth Century. But the French apsidal cathedrals
—of which we have an example in Westminster—have not only an
encircling processional aisle, but also a chevet of chapels radiating out from
it; thus providing ever-changing vistas of entrancing beauty. The next step in
England also was to provide our rectangular choirs with a chevet as well as
with a processional aisle. An early example of this plan is to be seen at
Abbey Dore, in Herefordshire, about 1190. It occurs early in the Thirteenth
Century on a still grander scale at Salisbury, where one finds not one but two
processional aisles, as well as chapels to the east of them; and, in addition, a
Lady-chapel projecting still farther to the east, thus producing a design of
great complexity and beauty. Nevertheless, at Salisbury, since the chief
supporting piers of the retro-choir and the chevet are in a line with those of
the choir, there is by no means the same changeful intricacy of vista that
affords one ever fresh delight in an apsidal church. At Wells, however, the
architect attained all the success of the Continental builder simply because
he built his Lady-chapel not rectangular but octagonal. For to get this
octagon, of which only five sides were supported by walls, he had to plant in
the retro-choir two piers to support the remaining three sides; and these piers
are necessarily out of line with the piers of the choir. He had got the
Continental vista. He saw it; but he saw also that it could be improved upon.
And he did improve it, by putting up an outer ring of four more piers round
the western part of the octagon of the Lady-chapel. It was an intuition of
genius: it makes the vistas into the retro-choir and the Lady-chapel a
veritable glimpse into fairyland; and provides here alone in England a rival
to the glorious eastern terminations of Amiens and Le Mans. And that is not
all. We saw in the chapter-house the grand effect of the central stalk

branching upward and outward in all directions, like some palm tree
transmuted into stone. This beautiful effect he transfers to the retro-choir, but
multiplied—four palm trees in place of one; for each of the four external
piers of the octagon emulates the chapter-house’s central stalk.”—(F. B.)
The large windows are filled with fine specimens of Fourteenth
Century glass unfortunately now jumbled together. The East
Window is composed of odd pieces put together by Willement.
David and other patriarchs occupy the upper tier, and the Virgin,
Eve and the Serpent and Moses and the Brazen Serpent, the lower
tier. The upper lights display angels with the instruments of the
Passion, emblems of the Evangelists and busts of bishops and
patriarchs.
“From the south-west transept we pass into the CLOISTERS, which occupy
an unusual amount of space, but have only three walks instead of the usual
four.
“The difference between a true monastic cloister and this of Wells should
be remarked. The canons of Wells were not monks and did not require a
cloister in the ordinary sense. This is merely an ornamental walk around the
cemetery. It did not lead to either dormitory, refectory or chapter-house. It
served as a passage to the Bishop’s Palace; and the wall of the east walk is
Early English of the same date as the palace itself. The lavatory in the east
walk should be remarked, as well as the grotesque bosses of the roof in the
portion built by Bishop Beckington. Over the western cloister is the Chapter
Grammar School. The central space is known as the ‘Palm Churchyard,’
from the yew-tree in its centre, the branches of which were formerly carried
in procession as palms. From the south-east angle of the cloisters we
descend into the open ground within the gateway adjoining the marketplace,
and opposite the episcopal palace. This is surrounded by a moat, as well as
by strong external walls and bastions, and would have been capable of
sustaining a long siege according to the mediæval system of warfare. The
moat is fed by springs from St. Andrew’s, or the ‘bottomless well’—the
original ‘great well’ of King Ina,—which rise close to the palace and fall into
the moat in a cascade at the north-east corner. Both walls and moat were the
work of Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury (1329-1365).”—(R. J. K.)

Wells is famous for its ancient houses. The old Palace and the
Deanery are still occupied by the bishop and the dean; the canons
and vicars also live in the individual houses built for these
ecclesiastics. Wells was never a monastery with a common refectory
and dormitory: there were always secular priests here and each man
lived in his own house. Of all the domestic buildings the Bishop’s
Palace is the most beautiful. It is considered the most perfect
specimen of an Early English house that exists.

BATH ABBEY
Dedication: St. Peter and St. Paul. A Church served by
Secular Canons.
Special feature: West Front.
Standing before the West Front, we notice, first of all, that upon
the angles of the nave on either side of the great window are two
turrets, on the face of each of which is carved a ladder with angels
ascending or descending. The space above the window is also
carved with angels; and, under a canopy above the group, stands a
figure of God the Father. Of this strange decoration the following
story is told:
Oliver King, Bishop of Exeter, was translated to the See of Bath
and Wells in 1495. He went at once to Bath, and found the church in
a dilapidated condition. While there, he had a repetition of Jacob’s
famous dream of a ladder reaching from heaven to earth with angels
ascending and descending. Above them stood the Lord, who said:
“Let an Olive establish the crown and a King restore the church.”
Taking the hint, Bishop Oliver King immediately set to work to
rebuild the church and had his dream recorded upon the west front.
He also had an olive-tree and crown carved on each of the corner
buttresses.
Bishop King’s new church was smaller than the old one. It only
occupied the site of the former nave. He died before it was finished.
Prior William Birde continued the work, not forgetting a chantry for
himself, which is regarded as the best thing in the church. Birde
died in 1525; and the work was still unfinished when it was seized
by the king’s commissioners. The roofless and neglected church
soon fell into decay; but in 1572 it was patched up a little in order

that services might be held in it. The east window was glazed and
the choir was roofed. The nave, however, was not roofed until
Bishop Montague’s rule (1608-1616).
At the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, many mean houses
that had clustered around Bath Abbey were removed, and buttresses
and pinnacles were added to strengthen the walls. Repeated
restorations have made it exceedingly trim in appearance.
About 775, Offa, the Mercian king, founded here a college of
secular canons, who were expelled by Dunstan in the Tenth Century
and superseded by monks.
One great event in the abbey church was the coronation of King
Edgar on the Feast of Pentecost, 973; and for centuries afterwards it
was the custom to select on Whitsunday a “King of Bath” from
among its citizens, in honour of this circumstance.
John de Villula, a Frenchman from Tours, who was Bishop of
Somerset in the reign of William Rufus, greatly preferred Bath to
Wells. He was able to merge Bath Abbey into the bishopric; and
then he began to rebuild the church dedicated to St. Peter. When it
was finished, he transferred the bishop’s seat from Wells to Bath.
This did not satisfy Wells, however, and when Robert of Lewes
became bishop of Bath and Wells, he seems to have arranged
matters by allowing the Bishop of Somerset to have a throne at St.
Andrew’s in Wells and at St. Peter’s in Bath, the bishop to be
chosen by the monks of Bath and the canons of Wells (See page
108).
The church built by John of Tours having suffered from fire,
Robert was compelled to rebuild it; but subsequent bishops
neglected Bath; and at the end of the Fifteenth Century, when Oliver
King was removed here from Exeter, he found the church was in a
ruinous condition and began to rebuild it, as we have seen.

Bath Abbey is a very interesting example of late Perpendicular. It
was nearing completion when it surrendered to Henry VIII. in 1539,
and is, therefore, the last expression of Gothic Art. The most
interesting part of the church is the West Front, with its large
window flanked by the turrets with the ladders, already described.
Each turret contains a staircase; rises far above the parapet of the
nave; and terminates in an embattled parapet surmounted by an
eight-sided and crocketed pyramid.
“The great west window is one of seven lights, divided horizontally into
four parts. Below it is a battlemented parapet with a niche in the centre, in
which, no doubt, a statue formerly stood, and in which a new statue has
recently been placed. At the base of it are the arms and supporters of Henry
VII. Below it is the west door, beneath a rectangular label. The spandrels
contain emblems of the Passion. On either side stand statues of St. Peter and
St. Paul, to whom the church was jointly dedicated; these seem to be of
Elizabethan date. The doors themselves were the gift to the church of the
Lord Chief Justice, Sir Henry Montague, brother of the bishop who
completed the church. On them may be seen shields bearing the arms of the
Montagues and of the Bishop of Bath and Wells.”—(T. P.)
The Central Tower is oblong and rises two stages above the
roof. It contains two pairs of windows

Bath Abbey: West front

Bath Abbey: Choir, west

with rectangular heads and each corner is ornamented by a heavy
octagonal turret also terminating in octagonal pyramids decorated
with crockets. Similar pyramids terminate the turrets that flank the
sides of the east window of the choir.
There is no Lady-Chapel.
Let us survey the exterior:
“The nave consists of five bays. The clerestory windows are unusually
lofty, and are divided by transoms; they are of five lights. Along the top of
the clerestory wall is a battlemented, pierced parapet; but the pattern of the
pierced openings differs from that of the parapet which runs along the top of
the aisle walls. The aisles have five light windows without transoms; their
heads are four centred arches; between each bay are projecting buttresses of
three stages with gabled offsets, finished with crocketed pinnacles; against
them rest flying-buttresses formed of a lower semi-arch, with a straight

rectilinear truss. From the points where the arched flying-buttresses abut
against the clerestory walls, vertical, slightly projecting buttresses are built
upwards against the wall and rising above the parapet, are finished by
crocketed pinnacles. The same design is carried right round the church. The
clerestory of the transepts resembles those of the nave and the choir.”—(T.
P.)
Entering, our first and general view is impressive, because of the
fan-vaulting and height of the Nave. Owing to the absence of
horizontal lines, the vault seems higher than it really is. There is no
triforium. A string-course runs above the arches of the main arcade
beneath the clerestory windows, which are unusually tall. On
account of the enormous windows and the absence of painted glass,
Bath Abbey received the name of the “Lantern of the West”; but
now that the windows of the nave and choir-aisles have been
supplied with painted lights, the name is less appropriate. The
tracery of these windows is, of course, Perpendicular. The one in the
south-transept is a thanksgiving for the recovery of the Prince of
Wales in 1872. The lower lights depict the recovery of Hezekiah and
the royal arms of the Prince and Princess of Wales and also those of
the city of Bath. The upper part represents the Tree of Jesse. The
great east and west windows have seven lights. The west window
contains subjects from Old Testament history, and the east-window,
representations of the life of Christ.
“There is little variety in the arches and shafts throughout the church.
This repetition is a well-known feature in Perpendicular work. The piers
have no general capital. The shaft which carries the inner order of the arch
has a capital, and so, at the same level, have the vaulting-shafts of the high
vault and that of the aisles. These shafts spring from the bases of the main
pillars. The capitals at this level are plain, and so are the capitals of the
vaulting-shafts of the nave from which the vaulting-ribs spring. But in the
choir the place of these plain bands is taken by carved angels. Carved angels
also form the termination of the hood-moulding of the lower windows of the

south transept, and probably those of the north transept also, though these
windows are hidden by the wooden pipes of the organ.
“Over the heads of the clerestory windows of the nave are small shields,
and shields may also be seen in the centre of the fan-tracery in the nave,
choir and transept. In the aisles the fan-tracery is somewhat different, as in
the centre of each bay there is a pendant. The vaulting of the nave and its
aisles and that of the south transept are modern, put up, under the direction
of Sir Gilbert Scott, to match the roof of the choir and its aisles and north
transept respectively. The reredos was designed by the same architect. The
oak screen across the eastern part of the south choir aisle is due to his son.
The font is also modern. In fact, beyond the walls and the roofing of the
eastern part of the church, there is little old about it. In the clerestory
windows are a few fragments of Seventeenth-Century glass—heraldic
shields.”—(T. P.)
Although Bath Abbey is full of monuments (there are over six
hundred memorial tablets besides statues), the only tombs that
deserve attention are those of Bishop Montague, in the fourth arch
of the nave on the north side, and Lady Waller’s Monument under
the southern window of the transept. The figure of her husband, Sir
William Waller, who commanded the Parliamentary army in the
Battle of Landsdown, near Bath, clad in mail, gazes down upon his
dead wife. Two weeping children kneel at her feet.
Between the choir and the south-aisle Prior Birde’s Chantry
occupies two bays. It is a most elaborate piece of carving. The rebus
of the founder (a bird and a W) appears frequently. Fan-tracery
decorates the vault.
The very fine organ is placed in the transept. The bells of Bath
are famous.

BRISTOL
Dedication: The Holy Trinity. A Church served by
Augustinian Canons.
Special features: East Window (tracery and glass); Chapter-
House; Great Gateway.
The West Front of Bristol gives us a slight suggestion of a French
cathedral, for here we find a rose window and a large doorway, at
the side of which rise two square towers. The balustrade above the
crocketed gable of the doorway partly hides the rose-window.
The towers were built in 1887 and 1888: the north-west is Bishop
Butler’s Tower and the south-west, the Colston Tower. The Butler
tower is enriched with statues of St. Michael, St. Gabriel and the
Angel of Praise; the Colston, with the Angel of the Gospel, St.
Raphael and the Angel of the Sun. On our right is the Great
Gateway.
The exterior of Bristol is not very striking. The buttresses of the
Elder-Lady-Chapel are Decorated and of the same date as the east
window of the same chapel. We should also view the great east
window of the Lady-Chapel from without and the Central Tower.
“Early in the Fifteenth Century a central tower was added. Here again one
is struck by the originality of the British people: it is as beautiful as it is
original. The designer had noticed how beautiful is the effect of a close-
packed range of tall clerestory windows, such as those of Leighton Buzzard
Church. So instead of restricting himself on each side of the tower to one or
two windows, he inserts no less than five. The range of clerestory windows,
which the Fourteenth Century builder refused to the choir, becomes the
special ornament and glory of the tower.”—(F. B.)

As we enter through the North Porch, which occupies the space
between two buttresses and is adorned with statues of the Four
Evangelists, we may remember that when Henry VIII. created the
diocese of Bristol there had been a church and monastery of
Augustine canons on this site for four hundred years. This
monastery was founded in 1142 by Robert Fitzhardinge, Lord of
Berkeley Castle. Of his Norman church little remains but portions
of the walls in both transepts, a staircase in the north-aisle leading to
the tower, and some fragments in the choir. The Norman nave was
removed in 1542, because it was thought unsafe. The new nave and
western towers were completed in 1888 by Mr. Street, who copied
from the old, repeating the vaulting and the recesses of the eastern
end.
The ground plan consists of a nave with an aisle on either side; a
central tower and transepts; then the choir with north and south
aisles; and finally, the Lady-Chapel at the end. On the north of the
north-choir-aisle is the first Lady-Chapel—built in the Early English
style, and called Elder-Lady-Chapel to distinguish it from the later
Lady-Chapel at the east end.
At the south-east end of the south-choir-aisle we find the
Berkeley Chapel; and at the end of the south transept, the Newton
Chapel. Beyond it is the Chapter-House with its Vestibule, and on
the south and west the remains of the Cloisters.
Our best position for viewing the Nave is from the north or
between the two big towers. It is 120 feet long, 60 feet high and 69
broad including the aisles. One peculiarity of Bristol is that the
aisles are of the same height as the Nave; and another, that this
Cathedral has neither clerestory, nor triforium. The windows of the
Nave are very large and are strengthened by transoms.
The West Window has for its subject the Adoration of the Lamb.
The Choir consists of four bays. It is in the Decorated style and

dates from 1306 to 1332.
“The piers of the choir carry triple shafts which support the vaulting of
the choir, and others for the aisles, which are here of the same height as the
choir. Capitals of great delicacy and beauty, modelled from real foliage,
serve to break the line of the mouldings and accentuate the springing of the
vault. Graceful though the span of the roof is admitted to be, the lines of the
arcade of the choir are finer, and the effect of the contrast of their soft
mouldings carried up and around without a break is excellent. The iron
screen-work that separates the choir from its aisles is uninteresting and too
small in scale.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
On either side of the high altar are canopied recesses containing
monuments. The reredos is a memorial to Bishop Ellicott and is
rather too high, therefore interfering with a good view of the
splendid east window in the Lady-Chapel. The mosaic pavement is
new, and the stalls are also modern. Some of the old Misereres have
been preserved, however, and consist of grotesques. Some of them
illustrate Reynard the Fox.
In both aisles of the Choir we are struck by the very peculiar
vaulting designed by Abbot Knowle to strengthen the building and
help carry the lateral thrust occasioned by the heavy central
vaulting. These bridges, or transoms, therefore, do the work of
flying-buttresses as faithfully to-day as when they were erected six
hundred years ago.
“The transoms, features which were repeated in the windows of the aisles
of the choir, and in a much heavier form in the windows of the nave, are
additionally strengthened by the graceful arches below which spring from
capitals almost similar to those on the choir side of the piers. From the centre
of each transom rises a cluster of groining ribs. It has been customary to
speak rather disparagingly of this clever piece of work of Abbot Knowle and
to term it carpentry work in stone. It may be so, but the student of to-day
may thank the Fourteenth Century Abbot for a most instructive lesson. The
transoms have crowned heads at either end and in the centre, and they,

unlike the transoms in the aisles of the nave, are ornamented with little
flowers. Beneath the windows, which are Decorated in character, is a string-
course, with ball-flower ornament, a feature which is found all round this
eastern part. In the south aisle the vaulting was intended to be the same as in
the north aisle, having been planned by the same architect, but a difference
in the westernmost bay shows it was superintended by a different mind. In
all probability it was Knowle’s successor, Abbot Snow, who, from 1332-
1341, went on with his predecessor’s work, adding that part called the
Newton Chapel.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
There is not a great deal of old glass in Bristol, but some of the
Windows in this east end are worthy of careful study.
“The east windows of the choir aisles are filled with glass coloured with
enamels in accordance with the practice of the Seventeenth Century instead
of glass coloured in its manufacture. They date from the reign of Charles II.;
and although it is traditionally said that they were presented by Nell
Gwynne, it is more probable that they were the offerings of Henry Glenham,
Dean of Bristol from 1661 to 1667, and afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph. The
arms of Glemham (Or, a chevron gules between three torteaux) are repeated
three times in the window of the south aisle and once in that of the north.
The subjects (arranged as type and antitype) in the north aisle are—in the
centre, the Resurrection; below Jonah delivered from the whale. On the
right, above, the Ascension; below, Elijah taken up to heaven. On the left,
above, the Agony in the garden; below, Abraham about to offer up his
son.”—(R. J. K.)
In the third bay of the north wall of this north-choir-aisle a
doorway opens into a peculiar passage designed by Abbot Knowle
to take the place of a triforium. The passage leads to a staircase
communicating with the central tower and the belfry.
North of the north-choir-aisle we come to the greatly admired
Early English Chapel, the Elder Lady-Chapel.
“The Lady-Chapel (generally called the Elder Lady-Chapel because the
altar of the Virgin was removed to the east end of the church after Abbot
Knowle had rebuilt the choir) is entered from the north-east corner of the

transept. The chapel is Early English, and dates, according to Mr. Godwin,
from the time of Abbot John (1196-1215). The chapel is of four bays, the
windows in which are triplets with inner arches, of which those at the side
are gracefully foliated. The detached vaulting-shafts are of Purbeck marble.
The sculpture of the capitals and string-courses is unusually good; and the
spandrels of the wall-arcade are filled with grotesque designs which are full
of spirit and character, greatly resembling the sculpture in Wells Cathedral,
much of which is of the same date. Remember especially—a goat blowing a
horn and carrying a hare slung over his back; a ram and an ape playing on
musical instruments; and St. Michael with the dragon(?); below is a fox
carrying off a foliage. The vaulting of the roof would seem to stamp the
English character.”—(R. J. K.)
This chapel was originally detached from the rest of the
Cathedral. Beneath the two arches

Bristol: North

Bristol: Nave, east

between it and the north-choir-aisle stands the Tomb of Maurice,
ninth Lord Berkeley (died 1368). Here he lies with Elizabeth, his
wife. The knight is in armour and his head lies on a mitre. A good
groined canopy overshadows these figures.
Retracing our steps into the choir and passing into the South-
choir-aisle, we examine the Glenham window, which is of the same
date as the corresponding one in the north-choir-aisle.
The subjects are—in the centre, above, Our Lord Driving the
Money Changers from the Temple; below, Jacob’s Dream; on the
right, above, the Tribute Money; below, Melchisedec and Abraham;
the subject on the left, above, is uncertain; below, the Sacrifice of
Gideon.

From the western bay of the south-choir-aisle we enter the
Newton Chapel, where members of the Newton family lie. This
dates from 1332-1341. The style is late Decorated. The south wall
divides it from the Chapter-House, with which it is parallel.
On the right, after passing out of the Newton Chapel, we come to
one of Abbot Knowle’s recesses. The foliage consists of oak leaves
and acorns interspersed here and there with tiny sprays of mistletoe,
an unusual ornament, in church decoration.
We next pass the Tomb of Thomas, Lord Berkeley, who died in
1243. He is represented in armour. His crossed legs show that he
was a knight-templar. This is the oldest monument in the cathedral.
The next recess contains the effigy of Maurice, Lord Berkeley,
who died in 1281. He is also in armour. In the next bay we pass up
one step to the entrance of a Vestibule (once a sacristy, now a
music-room for the choristers), a fine specimen of Decorated work.
Through this we pass into Berkeley Chapel.

“Opposite the entrance door on the south side are three ogee arches with
niches between. In one of these, the third from the west, was a hearth upon
which the sacramental bread was baked. The ornamentation in the spandrels
and the finials is curiously interesting work in foliage. The vaulting of the
roof would seem to stamp the work as that of Abbot Knowle. It consists of
curved ribs, quite detached, large in section, springing from small capitals.
The bosses are particularly fine, the foliage being very flowing and free. It is
difficult to realise that the mason has here done in stone what many wood-
carvers would fail to do in their softer material. The door into the Berkeley
Chapel is enriched with a niche overhead, and a moulding below consisting
of medlers.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
The Berkeley Chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is
thought that an altar also stood here to St. Keyne, who turned to
stone all the snakes in the vicinity. The ammonites were probably
suggested by finding one or two in a piece of stone.
“There are two windows toward the east, the soffetes of which are
ornamented with a gigantic ball-flower; and the peculiar foliage on some of
the capitals should be remarked. Under each of the windows was an altar, the
steps and piscinæ of which remain. The altars were separated by a screen,
the marks of which were visible in the old pavement. Between the chapel
and the aisle the wall is pierced by the peculiar arch of Abbot Knowle; and
under it, in the thickness of the wall, is an altar-tomb much ornamented and
containing five shields charged with the coats of the Berkeley, Ferrers and
De Quincey families. The tomb in its present state is no doubt that of
Thomas, Lord Berkeley (died 1321), whose wives were of those families;
but the lower part, with its very fine foliage, is of Early English date, and
may possibly have been removed from another part of the church.”—(R. J.
K.)
The Lady-Chapel is of the same date as the Choir. The east end
was rebuilt about 1280 and a window with geometrical tracery,
consisting of foliated circles, was inserted. Until 1895 it was used as
a chancel. It is 42 feet long and 32 feet broad and consists of two
bays. It is lighted by five windows. The central one is a Jesse

window, and each of the four side windows has a transom with rich
tracery below. This rich tracery we noticed from the street. In a
good light relics of the ancient painting on the walls, representing
angels, each with a golden nimbus, can be seen.
The Reredos of the Lady-Chapel is partly Abbot Knowle’s work
and partly Perpendicular. On the first bay of the south side are the
Sedilia, restorations of the original cut away to make room for an
Elizabethan tomb of Sir John Young and his family. They are in
four divisions with rich canopies of leafage supported by shafts of
red serpentine.
The various recesses contain tombs and effigies of dignitaries of
the Cathedral, and, while the general lines of these recesses are
similar, there is much variety in the treatment of details.
The splendid East Window is pure Decorated and of great
beauty in tracery and design. Most of the glass is old, which adds
another charm to the lovely effect of the tracery. There is much
beautiful silvery white glass from which the brilliant colours sparkle
with great effect, and we have no difficulty in tracing the Tree of
Jesse:
“The lower lights are separated by vine tendrils into oval panels, twenty-
one in all. In the lowest tier in the centre is Jesse with David on the right and
Solomon on the left hand. To the left of the latter are the prophets Micah,
Haggai, Malachi; to the right of David are Jeremiah, Daniel and Amos. In
the next tier the central figure is the Virgin and Child with Hezekiah on the
left and Ahaz on the right, the four kings, David, Solomon, Hezekiah and
Ahaz, representing the descent of the promise. To the left of Hezekiah are
the prophets Jonah, Habakkuk, Zechariah; and to the right of Ahaz are
Isaiah, Ezekiel and Hosea. Above these two rows of regular panels are three
panels, containing four subjects—the central one giving us the Crucifixion,
with our Lord in glory in the upper part of the light. In the right hand light is
the Virgin Mary, in that on the left is St. John.

“In the head of this window there are now seventeen blazons of arms. In
the quatrefoil at the top—the arms of England as used before the time of
Edward III., viz., the three lions; in the two trefoils immediately below are
Berkeley of Stoke Gifford (L), Berkeley of Berkeley Castle (R).
“Most of the glass in this upper part is original and is supposed by Mr.
Winston to date between 1312-1322, as the arms of Gaveston, who was
murdered in 1312, are not in the window, while the arms of De Bohun, who
was slain in open rebellion in 1322, are clearly here. The glass, then, is of
Knowle’s time, and being contemporary with the masonry, affords a rich
example of the harmony of form and colour about which one hears so much
but which one so seldom sees. It is probable that the tracery of the window
may have been designed for Abbot Knowle by the builder of the window at
Carlisle, also an Augustinian house. There is a strong resemblance in the two
windows, both of which are excellent work.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
The four side windows contain rich and interesting glass of the
same date. The one bearing the arms of Mortimer, Earl of March,
has a picture of the Martyrdom of St. Edmund, the last of the native
kings of East Anglia, who taken prisoner by the Danes in 870
refused to abjure his faith. He was put to death. Here we find,
according to legend, the grey wolf watching over the severed head.
The costume of the soldiers gives us 1320 as the date of this
magnificent window. Beneath St. Edmund are an archbishop and
two knights, bearing the arms of the Berkeleys.
The tracery of the large north window was inserted in 1704.
The South Transept contains the tomb of Bishop Butler, more
famed as the author of the Analogy of Religion than as Bishop of
Bristol (1738-1750). The epitaph is by Southey.
The Cloisters, on the south side of the cathedral, are entered
from the south transept. From them the Chapter-House is entered.
The entrance, or vestibule, of the Chapter-House shows a very
early example of what may be called a pointed arch. The mouldings
and members are quite of the circular style and character. From

north to south the arches are round-headed, but east and west they
are pointed. This Transitional Norman work—dating from
Fitzhardinge’s time—is of special interest.
“The chapter-house is one of the oldest parts of the earlier fabric of the
cathedral, and as Britton truly says, ‘in its original state must have been one
of the most interesting of the kind in the kingdom and perhaps in Europe.’ In
spite of what it has undergone at the hands of architects, restorers and
rioters, it is most interesting still, a regular parallelogram in shape,
measuring 42 feet in length by 25 in breadth and 25 feet in height, divided
into two bays.
“The eastern wall, which dates from 1831, has three windows, and the
west wall has also three round-headed arches, the central one being the main
door, while the side ones serve as windows, each being subdivided by a
small pier. Each of these main openings has a label of cable-moulding.
Above this cable-moulding is an arcade of interlacing arches, borne by
thirteen tall piers, alternately plain and twisted; and above this is a
semicircular space, also filled with rounded-headed intersecting arches, so
arranged as to fill the semicircular space. The north and south walls have a
plain round-headed arcading below, with a bold round moulding, while
above is an elaborate arcading, similar to the lower tier on the west wall, but
with much richer capitals. Above this is interlaced lattice-work, and above
this in one bay a space covered with zigzag mouldings. The shafts of the
arcading on the walls are alternately richly carved or almost plain. The
clustered shafts, from which the main arch of the vaulting springs, are
peculiarly rich in ornamentation.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
In the Chapter-House there is preserved a fine piece of archaic
sculpture, which was found under the floor in 1831 after the
destructive fire of that date, in use as a slab covering an ancient
coffin. It represents the descent of the Saviour into Hell and the
delivery of Adam, and is probably of the same date as the slabs in
Chichester.
The famous Great Gateway, the arcading of which is much in
the style of the Chapter-House, is supposed to stand on the site of

the principal entrance to Fitzhardinge’s monastery. Though Norman
in style and probably containing a lot of Norman masonry, critics
believe that it is a Perpendicular restoration of the old work.
This archway is composed of four recessed orders enriched with
chevron and other mouldings and ornaments. This must not be
confused with the less elaborate Gateway in Lower College
Green, probably of Fitzhardinge’s time and strengthened by Abbot
Newland. The latter was the gateway to the abbot’s dwelling and
afterwards to the Bishop’s Palace.

GLOUCESTER
Dedication: St. Peter: Formerly the Church of a Benedictine
Abbey.
Special features: Central Tower; Choir; Lady-Chapel; East
Window; Cloisters.
Gloucester presents a fine view from all points of approach.
“As a rule, visitors see it first from the south side, and the south-west
general view is one of the best, equalled, but not surpassed, by that from the
north-west. The north view from the Great Western Railway, with the school
playing-fields in the foreground, makes a striking picture, but it is more
sombre than the picture formed by the south front. Viewed from the north-
west corner of the cloister-garth, the pile is seen perhaps at its best. From
this point it is easy to study so much the varied architecture of the whole,
and with little effort to transport the mind back for a space of four hundred
years. The eye first rests upon the turf of the garth now tastefully laid out
after many years of comparative neglect. Flanking the garth on every side
are the exquisite windows of the Cloister—a cloister which no other can
surpass. Above the Cloister will be seen on the eastern side the sober,
impressive Norman work of the Chapter-house in which so much of our
English history has been made. To the south of this is the Library, built close
against the walls of the north transept, which tower above, and lead the eye
upward to the great tower which, ‘in the middest of the church,’ crowns the
whole.
“Placed where it is, almost in the centre of the long line of the nave,
continued in the choir and Lady-chapel, at the point where the transept line
intersects it, it is the chief feature of the massive pile. All else seems to be
grouped with a view to the enhancing of the effect of the central position of
the tower. The other members of the building seem merely to be steps, by
means of which approach can be made to it. It is the grandest and most
impressive feature of the outside. No matter from whence one looks at it, the
charm is there. Seen from the gardens in the side streets close by when the

pear-trees are in bloom, or in the full blaze of a hot summer day, or again
later in the autumn when the leaves are beginning to turn, or, better still, in
snow time, it is always full of beauty. On a bright hot day the pinnacles seem
so far off in the haze as to suggest a dream fairyland. On a wet day, after a
shower, the tower has the appearance of being so close at hand that it almost
seems to speak. Viewed by moonlight, the tower has an unearthly look,
which cannot well be described. The tower is 225 feet high to the top of the
pinnacles, and the effect of it is extremely fine. From the main cornice
upwards, the whole of the stone-work is open, and composed of what at a
distance appears to be delicate tracery, and mullions and crocketed
pinnacles.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
In it hang the venerable bells that escaped the king’s
commissioners at the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1553.
Gloucester is notable for its examples of the Transition from
Decorated to Perpendicular, which probably originated in this
Cathedral.
The abbey of Gloucester was founded by Osric, viceroy of King
Edward, in 681. It was dedicated to St. Peter. Osric’s sister,
Kyneburga, who died in 710, was the first Abbess of this double
foundation for monks and nuns. Osric and Kyneburga were buried
in the Abbey church in front of the altar of St. Petronilla. In 823,
secular priests were placed here by the King of Mercia; and in 1022
they were expelled by Canute for Benedictine monks. When the
monastery was burned to the ground, Aldred, Bishop of Worcester,
re-established the monks in 1058, and began the building of a new
church also to St. Peter,—“a little further from the place where it
had first stood, and nearer to the side of the city.”
The monastery failed to flourish; Aldred was translated to York in
1060; and when Serlo, who had been William the Conqueror’s
chaplain, succeeded to Wilstan, or Wulstan, Aldred’s successor, he
had under him only two monks and eight novices. After fifteen
years of energetic rule (1072-1103), Serlo rebuilt the Cathedral.

In August, 1089, an earthquake damaged the then existing
building. Eleven years later (1100), in the last year of the reign of
William Rufus, “the church,” as Florence of Worcester wrote,
“which Abbot Serlo, of revered memory, had built from the
foundations at Gloucester, was dedicated (on Sunday, July 15th)
with great pomp by Samson, Bishop of Worcester; Gundulf, Bishop
of Rochester; Gerard, Bishop of Hereford; and Herveas, Bishop of
Bangor.” It is thought that part of the church was finished for the
dedication, such as the presbytery, choir, the transepts, the Abbot’s
cloister, the chapter-house, and the greater part of the nave.
The Saxon Chronicle tells us that in 1122, while the monks were
singing mass, fire burst out from the upper part of the steeple, and
burnt the whole monastery. Between 1164 and 1179 one of the
western towers fell down.
Repairs were consequently necessary.
Offerings at the Tomb of Edward II. were a great aid in providing
funds.
“Instead of going on with Abbot Morwent’s rebuilding of the nave, the
monks now turned their attention to the central tower. The tower was of no
use as a lantern, for the lierne vault of the choir had been carried beneath it.
So it long remained unaltered. But in the days of Abbot Seabroke (1460-
1482), it was rebuilt under the superintendence of a monk named Tully, to be
in character with the new exterior of choir and transepts. A very imposing
tower it is; fully able, from its massiveness as well as from its height, to
gather together the masses of the building—all the more so because the
transepts are so short. It succeeds where the central towers of Worcester and
Hereford fail; in fact, it is as effective in its way as Salisbury spire. The
pinnacles, again, bear witness to the love of these later artists for harmony
and unity; each pinnacle, with its two ranges of windows, is a repeat of the
two stages of the tower below.
“Then—after the tower had been erected—it was decided to rebuild the
Lady-chapel. So an immense detached building was constructed to the east
of the great window of the presbytery; without aisles, but with little

transepts; almost one continuous sheet of glass, and with a superb vault. This
Lady-chapel had to be joined up to the presbytery, but the great east window
was in the way. However, the difficulty was got over by a series of ingenious
shifts and dodges, which must be seen to be appreciated (1457-1499).
“And so ended this great building-period at Gloucester (1330-1499),
which turned the course of English architecture; so that the Curvilinear style
of 1315 to 1360 did not find its natural development in Flamboyant, as on
the Continent, but was switched off to Perpendicular and Tudor design.”—
(F. B.)
Let us see what the “shifts and dodges” referred to above
consisted of.
“The method of joining the Lady-chapel to the choir is best noticed from
the outside. It is a piece of exceedingly clever and graceful construction, and
there is the minimum of obstruction to the light passing through to the east
window, and the maximum of support to the elliptical east window. Viewing
the Lady-chapel from the north side, the play of light through the windows
on the south side has a very grand effect. Under the east end of the Lady-
chapel is a passage which has given rise to much speculation in bygone
times. The Lady-chapel, at

Gloucester: East

Gloucester: Tomb of Edward II.

the time of its erection, was carried out to the farthest limit of the land
possessed by the Abbey. As the east wall of the chapel was actually on the
western boundary wall the passage was made to give access from the north
to the south of the grounds, without the need of going right round the
precincts by the west front.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
During the reign of Henry VIII., the Abbey which had
“existed for more than eight centuries under different forms, in poverty
and in wealth, in meanness and in magnificence, in misfortune and success,
finally succumbed to the royal will. The day came, and that a drear winter
day, when its last Mass was sung, its last censer waved, its last congregation
bent in rapt and lowly adoration before the altar there; and, doubtless, as the
last tones of that day’s evensong died away in the vaulted roof, there were
not wanting those who lingered in the solemn stillness of the old massive
pile, and who, as the lights disappeared one by one, felt that there was a void
which could never be filled, because their old abbey, with its beautiful
services, its frequent means of grace, its hospitality to strangers, and its
loving care for God’s poor, had passed away like a morning dream, and was
gone for ever.”—(W. H. H.)
Gloucester has suffered from the hands of restorers. In 1847, Mr.
F. S. Waller made extensive repairs. At this time the gardens were
added.
The exterior presents a great variety of battlements and pinnacles
and another interesting feature in the exterior is the construction of
the two passages which make up the greater part of the so-called
Whispering Gallery. This connects the north and south triforium of
the choir.
The West Front of Gloucester, restored in 1874, is comparatively
uninteresting. The buttresses of the great window are pieced, as are
also the parapets. Plain transoms cross the lights of the great west

window, the tracery of which is very elaborate when looked at from
within. The old towers have disappeared.
The South Porch is the principal entrance. It is the work of
Morwent (1421-1437). Over the doorway stand St. Peter and St.
Paul and the four Evangelists, and below them are King Osric and
Abbot Serlo, the founders of the Abbey church. In the niches of the
buttress stand St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and St.
Gregory. The windows of this porch have been formed by piercing
the tracery of the inside. Over the porch is an unfinished parvis. The
doors date from the Fifteenth Century.
We now enter the Nave.
“The first impression of the nave changes all earlier thoughts of the age
of the building. It is unmistakably Norman, grand beyond expression, but
cold, severe and deathly white. The stained glass (mostly modern) of the
Norman and Decorated windows fails to supply the evident lack of colour.
“There was a time when lines of blue and scarlet and gold relieved the
white vaulted roof, when altars agleam with colour and pale flickering lights
gave light and brightness to the chill whiteness of this vast and mighty
colonnade. On Sunday evenings, when the nave is filled with worshippers
and the bright searching daylight is replaced by the yellow gleam of the little
tongues of fire above the great and massive arches, the want of colour is
little felt, and the noble and severe beauty of the matchless Norman work in
the great nave strikes the beholder. The nave of Gloucester, to be loved and
admired as it deserves, and as it appeared to men in the days of the
Plantagenet Kings, must be seen in one of the many crowded evening
services.
“Save that the altars with their wealth of colour and light are gone, and
the lines of colouring and the glint of gold of the Norman wooden ceiling no
longer are visible on the stone-vaulted roof above and the south aisle
Norman windows are replaced with exquisite Decorated work of the time of
the second Edward, there is no great structural change since the day at the
close of the Eleventh Century when Abbot Fulda from Shrewsbury preached
his famous sermon to the Gloucester folk, the sermon in which he foretold

the death of the imperious and cruel Rufus in words so plain, so
unmistakable, that Abbot Serlo of Gloucester, who loved the great wicked
King, in spite of his many sins, was alarmed and at once sent to warn his
master, but in vain. Rufus disregarded the Gloucester note of alarm, and a
few hours later the news of the King of England’s bloody death, in the leafy
glades of the New Forest, rang through Normandy and England.
“Yes, it is the same nave, only colder and whiter, on which Anselm, the
saintly archbishop, and Rufus gazed; the same avenue of massy pillars—
then scarcely finished—through which Maud the Empress often went to her
prayers with her chivalrous half-brother, Earl Robert. Beauclerc, her father,
too, and some grey-haired survivors of Hastings must have looked on these
huge columns crowned with their round arches which excite our wonder to-
day. They were a curious fancy of the architect of Serlo; or was it not
probably a design of a yet older artist of Edward the Confessor? These
enormous round shafts, which are the peculiar feature of the nave of our
storied abbey, have only once been repeated, probably by the same architect,
in the neighbouring abbey of Tewkesbury, a few years later. There is nothing
like them on either side of the silver streak of sea. The Tewkesbury copies
are slightly smaller; otherwise they are exact reproductions of
Gloucester.”—(S.)
The Nave differs from other Norman naves like those of
Peterborough, Ely and Norwich.
“The unique features here are the great height of the massive circular
columns, fourteen in number, and the consequently dwarfed triforium or
gallery running over the main arches. There are traces to be seen of the
original Norman clerestory under the Perpendicular windows, and, judging
from this, the height of the clerestory, as originally constructed, must have
been but little less than that of the piers in the nave.
“This Norman clerestory was altered at the same time that the roof of the
nave was vaulted—viz. in 1242, in the time of Henry Foliot. This work was
done by the monks themselves, who thought, as Professor Willis suggests,
that they could do it better than common workmen. Their work is made of a
light and porous kind of stone, treated with plaster on the under-side, and it
was rendered necessary by the previous roof, which was of wood, having

been destroyed by fire in 1190. Of this fire the piers certainly show the traces
to this day, all having become reddened and slightly calcined. To make the
new clerestory the whole of the original Norman work over the arcade of the
triforium was removed, with the exception of the jambs of the side-lights
(which extended beyond the arches of the triforium) and the wall between
them.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
All the stone-work was originally painted.
“The painting may be thus generally described. The hollow of the abacus
of the capitals was red, the lower member of the same, green; the whole of
the bell red, the leaves alternately green and yellow, with the stalks, running
down, of the same colours, into the red bell of the capital. The vertical
mouldings between the marble shafts were red and blue alternately; the
lower shafts green and blue, with red in the hollows, and the foliage on these
also is green and yellow. Some of the horizontal mouldings are partly
coloured also. The bosses in the groining are yellow and green, as in the
capitals. All the colouring, which was very rich, was effected with water
colours; in one instance only has any gold been discerned, and that was upon
one of the bosses in the roof.”—(F. S. W.)
Abbot Morwent pulled down the west end of the Nave in 1421-
1437 and reconstructed it in the Perpendicular style. It is supposed
that the original west front was like that of the Abbey at
Tewkesbury.
The west window contains nine lights, filled with modern glass.
The South aisle, originally Norman, was remodelled about 1318.
The tracery of the windows is unusual. The ball-flower is seen in
great profusion in this part of the Cathedral.
In this aisle there is a monument to Dr. Jenner of vaccination
fame, to whom the five-light west window here is also a memorial.
The tracery of the windows of the clerestory is attributed to
Abbot Morwent.
The North aisle retains its original Norman vaulting, and the
Norman piers, which correspond to the piers in the Nave, are

divided into several members. Some of their capitals are richly
carved. In each bay there is some Perpendicular tracing. A stone
bench along the wall is also Perpendicular.
The door into the Cloister at the west end of the aisle is very fine,
and the side niches and canopy work over it deserve study.
The door at the eastern end of the aisle leading to the Cloisters is
also Perpendicular. Both doors have fan-vaulted recesses, like the
great west door of the Nave.
The west end of the aisle is the work of Abbot Morwent (1421-
1437).
A heavy stone screen, dating from 1820, closes the east end of
the nave. We pass through a small arch in this screen, and beneath
the broad platform on which the great organ stands.
This was originally built in 1663-1665 by Thomas Harris, and
was painted and gilded in 1666. The oak case is in the Renaissance
Style.
Little idea of the beauty of the Choir can be obtained from the
Nave. We enter from the north aisle. It is 140 feet long; 33 feet 7
inches broad; and 86 feet high.
“Looking upwards, the visitor will note the beauty of the vaulting and the
bosses placed at the intersection of the ribs. These bosses at the east end of
the choir chiefly represent a choir of angels playing on various kinds of
musical instruments, and a figure of Our Lord in the attitude of blessing. All
the roof was originally probably painted and decorated, but the existing
colour and gilding is recent work, having been done by Clayton & Bell. At
first sight the groining of the roof looks most complicated, but, if analysed
and dotted down on paper, it will be seen to be in reality a simple
geometrical pattern. The bosses will repay careful examination with a glass.
“Viewed from the door in the screen, the choir looks in very truth a piece
of Perpendicular work, as the Norman substructure is then for the most part
concealed. A closer examination, however, will prove that the Norman work
is all there—that it has been veiled over with tracery from the floor level to

the vaulting with open screen-work, fixed on to the Norman masonry, which
was pared down to receive it.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
The general impression is striking:
“The choir on which you are now looking is very long—not too long,
however, for its great height—for the fretted roof, a delicate mosaic of
tender colours set in pale gold, soars high above the vaulting of the nave.
The proportions are simply admirable. From the lofty traceried roof down to
the elaborately tiled floor, the walls are covered with richly carved panelled
work, broken here and there with delicate screens of stone. The eastern end,
hard by the high altar, is the home of several shrines. There is happily no
lack of colour in this part of our cathedral. The western end is furnished with
sixty richly-carved canopied stalls of dark oak, mostly the handiwork of the
Fourteenth Century. The curiously and elaborately fretted work of the roof
we have already spoken of as a rich mosaic of gold and colours. The floor, if
one dare breathe a criticism in this charmed building, is too bright and
glistening, but it is in its way varied and beautiful. The carving of the
reredos, a work of our own day, is, to the writer’s mind, open to criticism,
but is still very fair, telling in every detail of loving work and true
reverence.”—(S.)
The High Altar occupies the same site as the ancient one. The
sixty Choir-stalls have been restored in part; the sub-stalls date
from Sir Gilbert Scott’s restoration (1873). On the south side of the
High Altar there are four Sedilia also restored. Redfern’s figures in
the niches are Abbot Edric, Bishop Wulstan, and Abbots Aldred,
Serlo, Foliot, Thokey, Wygmore, Horton, Froucester, Morwent,
Seabroke and Hanley. The three angels over the canopies, playing
on a tambour and trumpets, deserve notice.
On the north side of the Presbytery we pause to look at the
chantry Tomb of Abbot Parker, where the carving of vine and
grapes on the stone screen is fine. The curious cross in the form of a
growing tree at the foot of the tomb is also striking. Parker, who
died in 1539, was buried elsewhere. Then we pass to the more

famous Tomb of Edward II., erected by Edward III. The alabaster
figure is probably the earliest of its kind in England. The tomb was
opened in 1855 to satisfy curiosity as to whether the king was really
buried there after his murder in Berkeley Castle nearby.
“Though it awakens our recollection of a feeble-minded king, and his
barbarously brutal murder, it also compels our admiration at the beauty of
the work. It has been restored, renovated or re-edified, but in spite of that,
appeals to us from the wealth of very highly ornate tabernacle work, the
richness, and at the same time the lightness and elegance of the whole. The
details too are well worth careful examination. It may be, judging from the
expression of the face, that there has been some attempt at portraiture, but
repair and restoration have practically made it impossible to settle what
would otherwise be an interesting question. The superb canopy has suffered
much at the hands of restorers—e.g. in 1737, 1789, 1798 and in 1876.”—(H.
J. L. J. M.)
The next monument is to King Osric, erected in “late dayes,” i.e.
in the time of Abbot Parker, whose arms are in the spandrels of the
canopy (1514-1539).
The Norman piers, cut away to receive the tomb, are decorated
on their capitals with the white hart chained and gorged, with a
ducal coronet, the device of Richard II. Osric is represented as clad
in tunic, laced mantle and a fur hood or collar, bearing the model of
a church in his left hand.
The next tomb westwards is, as Leland says, that of “King
Edward of Caernarvon (who) lyeth under a fayre tombe, in an
arch at the head of King Osric tombe.”
The transepts and ambulatory of the choir are usually entered
through the iron gateway in the south aisle of the nave.
These Ambulatories, or aisles, have nothing uncommon in their
form or arrangement below, but above occurs the great peculiarity
of this church. The upper range of chapels surrounding the Choir is
perhaps not to be met with in any other church in Europe.

Another peculiarity of the Choir is its six-light west window. This
was rendered necessary by the difference in height of the Nave and
Choir; for the vaulting of the choir is about twenty feet higher than
that of the Nave. The glass consists chiefly of patchwork from other
windows in the Cathedral. It represents a figure of our Lord, with
angels on either side. Below angels play musical instruments.
The Triforium of the Choir is considered by some critics the
finest in existence.
“It occupies the space over the ground floors of the aisles or ambulatory
of the choir, and originally extended of a like width round the east end of the
Norman Church, but at the time when the Fourteenth-Century work of the
present choir was executed, the whole of the east end of the old Norman
choir, with the corresponding part of the triforium, was removed in order to
make room for the existing large window, the small east chapel being
allowed to remain.”—(F. S. W.)
The Triforium is reached by the staircases in the western turrets
of the two transepts and by arcaded passages passing under the great
windows of the transepts.
“The first chapel in the triforium contains two brackets with rich
canopies, and there is a very well preserved double piscina. Ball-flowers in
two rows will be found in the mouldings of the east window. Remains of two
canopies in the jambs of the windows are also to be traced.
“The massive Norman piers should be carefully studied, as the way in
which the later casing work has been applied can be more easily seen in the
triforium than elsewhere.
“The picture on the west side of this part of the triforium was discovered
in 1718, against the then eastern end of the nave, underneath the panelled
wainscot at the back of the seats occupied by the clergy when the nave was
used for service.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
This painting of The Last Judgment is supposed to date from the
reign of Henry VIII., or Edward VI. It was suggested by the great
altar-piece at Dantzig (1467).

As an entrance to the east chapel of the triforium, the narrow
gallery, called the Whispering Gallery, was made. It is a passage of
Norman work, very much altered and re-used. It is 74 feet long, 3
feet wide, 6⅛ feet high, and is carried on segmental arches from the
east end of the south triforium to the west wall of the Lady Chapel,
and thence in the same way to the north triforium.
On the way towards the Whispering Gallery, the flying-buttresses
inserted in 1347-1350 to support the walls of the clerestory, which
were weakened by the insertion of the great east window of the
Choir, should be noticed.
Visitors are always interested in the Whispering Gallery, where
the lightest whisper can be easily and distinctly heard at the other
end of the gallery. It inspired the following lines, by Maurice
Wheeler (head-master of the King’s School, 1684-1712):

“Doubt not but God, who sits on high,
Thy secret prayers can hear,
When a dead wall thus cunningly
Conveys soft whispers to the ear.”

The East Window is larger than the East Window of York
Minster. It measures 78 × 38 feet; that at York is 78 × 33.
Though it has suffered much mutilation, restorers have done little
harm, and it is possible to get some idea of its original splendour.
“It is worthy of remark that the tracery, heads and cusps, as seen from the
inside of this window, are not repeated on the outside, a plain transom only
crossing the lights. This peculiarity is repeated in the great west

Gloucester: Choir, east

Gloucester: Cloisters

window and in many other windows in the cathedral.”—(F. S. W.)
The stone-work of the window was restored in 1862 and the glass
cleaned and re-leaded. The window consists of fourteen lights—six
on the centre with four on either side. The subjects are the
Coronation of the Virgin Mary with Christ and the Apostles, saints
and kings. The heraldic shields fix the date of the glass between
1347 and 1350. The canopies and nearly all the figures are of white
glass enriched with yellow. The tones of red and blue are
particularly rich. The drawing of the figures has been much
criticised.
“The whole of this, the loveliest choir in England, is lit by a mighty wall
of jewelled glass behind the great golden reredos.
“This vast east window which floods the choir of Gloucester, beautiful as
a dream with its soft, silvery light faintly coloured with jewelled shafts of the
richest blue and red, and here and there a vein of pale gold—this vast
window could not have been seen out of England, or, at least, one of the grey
and misty northern countries, where gleams of light or shafts of sunshine are
exceedingly precious. In south or central Europe the effect of such a mighty
window would be simply dazzling to the eye, would be painful from its
excess of light.
“This great east window is the largest painted window in England—the
largest, the writer believes, in Europe. Its stonework exceeds in size the
magnificent east window of York, which stands next to it. The respective
measurements are Gloucester, seventy-two feet high by thirty-eight wide;
York, seventy-eight by thirty-three feet. The lower parts of the centre
compartments at Gloucester are not completely glazed, owing to the opening
into the Lady-chapel. The glass of Gloucester is, on the whole, light-
coloured, the designers being evidently anxious that the beautiful stone
panels and screen-work should be seen in all their exquisite details. The
glass has suffered marvellously little from the ravages of weather and the
fanaticism of revolutionary times; the busy restorer, too, has dealt gently
with it. There are forty-nine figures, and of these thirty-seven are

pronounced by our lynx-eyed experts to be absolutely genuine. Of the
eighteen armorial shields in the lower lights thirteen are certainly the
identical shields inserted by the survivors of Cressy. The whole of the
gorgeous canopy-work has been untouched. The subject of the paintings is
the Coronation of the Virgin and the figures consist of winged angels,
apostles, saints, kings and abbots. The coats-of-arms are those borne by King
Edward III., the Black Prince, and their knightly companions, such as the
Lords of Berkeley, Arundel, Pembroke, Warwick, Northampton, Talbot and
others who took part in the famous campaign in which occurred the battle of
Cressy, and who in some degree were connected with Gloucestershire. The
window was, in fact, a memorial of the great English victory, and may fairly
be termed the Cressy window.”—(S.)
The Vestibule to the Lady-Chapel is a beautiful work. The lower
portions of the west wall, parts of the old Norman apsidal chapel,
are pierced by the opening for the door and by two perpendicular
windows.
The lierne vaulting is very delicate (the ribs are run differently in
the four quarters of the roof), and the pendants form a cross. Over
the vestibule is the small chapel which is entered from the
Whispering Gallery.
The beautiful Lady-Chapel was built between 1457 and 1499 on
the site of a smaller one.
The Lady-Chapel, 91 feet 6 inches long, 25 feet 6 inches high,
and 46 feet 6 inches high, consists of four bays, which, as the wall
of the chapel is so low, are chiefly composed of fine tracery and
glass.
“All the wall below the windows is arcaded with foiled arches, with
quatrefoils above them. The wall between the windows is panelled with
delicate tracery like that in the windows, and in its three chief tiers contains
brackets for figures, with richly carved canopies overhead. Many of these
canopies (like the walls) show traces of colour.

“Vaulting shafts of great beauty support one of the grandest Perpendicular
roofs that has ever been made. Each boss in the roof is worth minute
inspection, and since the restoration (1896) it is possible to see the bosses in
practically the same condition as they were when they left the masons’ hands
in the Fifteenth Century. With three exceptions they are all representations of
foliage.
“It has been said above that the chapel is cruciform. The arms of the cross
are represented by the two side chapels, like diminutive transepts on the
north and south sides, with oratories above them, to which access is given by
small staircases in the angles of the wall. Both these side chapels contain
some exquisite fan-tracery vaulting, which is supported upon flying arches,
fashioned in imitation of the graceful flying arches in the choir.
“On the north side the chapel contains a full-length effigy of Bishop
Goldsborough (who died in 1604) robed in his white rochet, black chimere,
with lawn sleeves, scarf, ruff and skull-cap.
“The east window in this chapel is in memory of Lieut. Arthur John
Lawford (1885), and is dedicated to St. Martin.
“The chapel above has a vaulted roof with bosses of foliage, and there are
small portions of ancient glass.
“The Lady-chapel is one of the largest in the kingdom, and is said, at the
time of the Dissolution, to have been one of the richest. A great part of it is
said to have been gilded and gloriously ornamented. Traces of the colour can
be seen in the mouldings of the panellings and in the carving upon the
walls.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
The Reredos still retains traces of its gorgeous colours. It is very
richly ornamented.
The East Window, consisting of nine lights, dates from 1472-
1479. The monuments are not especially remarkable. The tiles of
the floor and the sedilia are notable.
On our right, as we leave the Lady Chapel, we come to Abbot
Boteler’s Chapel (1437-1450). It contains a fine ancient reredos,
interesting tiles and a curious wooden effigy of Robert, Duke of
Normandy, son of William the Conqueror. Critics think it nearly

contemporary with the Duke himself. The figure rests on a Fifteenth
Century chest.
Next we come to St. Paul’s Chapel (north-west) entered by a
doorway. The reredos here is very fine. It was repaired in 1870. St.
Peter, St. Paul and St. Luke, by Redfern, ornament the niches.
An ancient stone reading-desk, from which pilgrims to the shrine
of Edward II. were addressed, attracts our attention near the door
leading into the North Transept. This is originally Norman, cased
over with Perpendicular panelling, more developed, however, than
that in the south transept. The work here was done in 1368-1373.
Angular mouldings are used in the place of round mouldings and
the mullions run right up to the roof, which is much richer than that
in the south transept. The vaulting of the north transept somewhat
resembles the fan-tracery of the cloisters. This transept is 8 feet
lower than that on the south side and it is 2 feet shorter.
Beneath the north window is a greatly admired piece of Early
English (1240), supposed to have been a Reliquary. The middle of
the three divisions is a doorway. Beautifully carved foliage and
Purbeck marble shafts are the chief ornamentation.
Opposite, between the tower-piers, is a small chapel, said to have
been dedicated to St. Anthony. It is used as the Dean’s vestry.
The South Transept (St. Andrew’s Aisle) was transformed from
the Norman in 1329-1337. The vaulting is lierne with short ribs. The
walls are panelled.
On the north side of the south transept, we find the Seabroke
Chapel.
“The alabaster effigy represents the Abbot in his alb, stole, tunic,
dalmatic, chasuble, amice and mitre, with his pastoral staff on his right side.
The chapel has been partially restored. Traces of colour are to be seen in the
reredos and the roof over it.

“Almost opposite to this, but nearer to the iron gate, is a recessed tomb to
a knight in mixed armour of mail and plate, and by his side his lady, with
kirtle, mantle and flowing hair. Both wear SS. collars, and this helps to give
the age of the monument, by narrowing the date down to a year not earlier
than 1399.”—(H. J. L. J. M.)
On the east side the Chapel of St. Andrew occupies a
corresponding position to that of St. Paul in the north transept. This
chapel has been restored. Some of the best glass in the Cathedral is
contained in the east window over St. Andrew’s Chapel. It dates
from about 1330 and consists of the head of a white scroll-work of
vine leaves, etc., on a fine ruby-coloured ground, and below plain
quarries with very simple borders.
Opposite Boteler’s Chapel we find St. Philip’s Chapel (south-
east), restored in 1864. There is some dog-tooth moulding near the
piscina. A fine Perpendicular arch, supporting the triforium above,
attracts attention before the Lady-Chapel is entered.
The Crypt is entered from the eastern door in the south transept.
It is one of the five great eastern crypts erected before 1085[5] and
consists of an apse, three small apsidal chapels and two chapels
underneath the eastern chapels of the north and south transepts.
“Great alterations have from time to time been made in the crypt. The
large semicircular columns against the walls, though of great antiquity, are
not parts of the original structure, but are casings built round, and enclosing
the former smaller piers, and the ribs springing from their capitals are built
under, with a view to support the vaulting.”—(F. S. W.)
Through a door in the organ screen in the north aisle of the nave
we enter the Cloisters, which are among the most perfect and
beautiful in England. They form a quadrangle and each walk is
divided into ten compartments. Fan-tracery is thought to have
originated here in the vaulting. They were begun by Abbot Horton
(1351-1377) and completed by Abbot Froucester (1381-1412).

“The view looking down either of the walks is very fine, mainly owing to
the richness of the groined roof, which is the earliest example of the fan-
vault. This style of vaulting is entirely peculiar to England; and Professor
Willis has suggested that the school of masons who were employed in this
cathedral may have originated it. The wall sides of the cloisters are panelled;
and the windows, divided by a transom, have rich Perpendicular tracery. The
lights above the transom were glazed. Each walk is divided into ten
compartments. In the south walk are the Carrels—places for writing or
study, twenty in number, formed by a series of arches, running below the
main windows. In each carrel is a small and graceful window of two lights.
[6] The very fine view at the angle of the south and west walks should
especially be noticed. In the north walk are the lavatories, projecting into the
cloister garth; these are very perfect. Under the windows is a long trough or
basin into which the water flowed. The roof is groined. Opposite in the wall
of the cloister, is the recess for towels, or manutergia. The windows of the
east walk are filled with memorial glass by Hardman (the eighth is by
Ballantyne, as is one window in the west walk).”—(R. J. K.)
A small cloister, or slype, opens from the east walk between the
cathedral and the chapter-house. This is also called the Abbot’s
Cloister. This is Norman in its western portion and Perpendicular
beyond.[7] Above this is situated the Chapter Library, a long, dark
Perpendicular room with a roof of dark oak, a large Perpendicular
window east and a row of small windows on the north side.
Though the cloisters are quadrangular, the length of the four
walks is not quite the same. The width (12⅛ feet) and height (18⅛
feet) are alike.
In the North Alley, the Monks’ Lavatory is
“one of the most perfect of its date. It projects 8 feet into the garth, and is
entered from the cloister alley by eight tall arches with glazed traceried
openings above. Internally it is 47 feet long and 6⅛ feet wide, and is lighted
by eight two-light windows towards the garth and by a similar window at
each end. One light of the east window has a small square opening below,
perhaps for the admission of the supply pipes, for which there seems to be

no other entrance either in the fan vault or the side walls. Half the width of
the lavatory is taken up by a broad, flat ledge or platform against the wall, on
which stood a lead cistern or laver, with a row of taps, and in front a hollow
trough, originally lined with lead, at which the monks washed their hands
and faces. From this the waste water ran away into a recently discovered
(1889) tank in the garth.”—(H.)
From the West Alley the monks entered their great dining-hall;
and at the south-west corner a vaulted passage called the Slype lies
under part of the old lodging of the Abbots, now the Deanery. In this
passage, a sort of outer parlour, the monks held conversation with
strangers. In the South Alley the monks studied after dinner until
evensong. It has ten windows of six lights and twenty recesses, or
“carrels,” below the transoms.
The roof of the East Alley is a perfectly plain barrel vault
without ribs. In the south-west corner we find a hollowed bracket,
or cresset stone, in which a wick, floating in tallow, was kept to
light the passage.
Opposite the fifth bay a doorway, containing some good Norman
work, slightly restored, leads into the Chapter-House.
Originally consisting of three Norman bays, it probably, like the
chapter-houses at Norwich, Reading, and Durham, terminated in a
semi-circular apse. The present east end is Late Perpendicular, and
makes a fourth bay. The vaulting of the later part is well groined,
and the window is good. The roof of the three Norman bays is a
lofty barrel vault supported by three slightly pointed arches
springing from the capitals of the columns, which are curiously set
back, and separate the bays.
Norman arcading of twelve arches—i.e. four to each bay—runs
along the three westernmost bays on the north and south walls.
“The west end is arranged in the usual Benedictine fashion, with a central
door, flanked originally by two large unglazed window openings, with three

large windows above. Only one of the windows flanking the doorway can
now be seen, the other having been partly destroyed and covered by
Perpendicular panelling when the new library stair was built in the south-
west corner of the room.”—(H.)
Of the four old gateways remaining the finest is St. Mary’s
Gate, a typical specimen of Early English work. It leads into St.
Mary’s Square. In the northwest corner of the Precincts the famous
vineyard was situated.

HEREFORD
Dedication: St. Mary and St. Ethelbert. A Church served by
Secular Canons.
Special features: North Transept and East End.
Hereford is situated in the fertile and cultivated valley of the Wye.
“Almost in the midst of the city the sturdy mass of the cathedral building
reposes in a secluded close, from which the best general view is obtained.
The close is entered either from Broad Street, near the west window, or from
Castle Street; the whole of the building lying on the south side of the close
between the path and the river. The space between the Wye and the
Cathedral is filled by the Bishop’s Palace and the college of the Vicars’
Choral. On the east are the foundations of the castle, which was formerly
one of the strongest on the Welsh marshes.”—(A. H. F.)
A stone church was begun here about 830 in honour of St.
Ethelbert, the East Anglian king, murdered by Offa near Hereford in
792. At his shrine miracles were wrought. This church was rebuilt in
Edward the Confessor’s reign; but was plundered and burnt by the
Welsh and Irish. The present building was begun by Robert de
Losinga about 1079 and finished by the middle of the Twelfth
Century. The most remarkable part of the building is the north
transept. This is supposed to have been built by Bishop Aquablanca
(see page 177), who was succeeded by Thomas de Cantilupe, the
great saint of the Cathedral (see page 178).
Hereford has suffered greatly from calamities and restorations. In
1786 the western tower and west front fell. They were reconstructed
by Wyatt. He also shortened the nave by one bay and destroyed the
Norman triforium. Repairs and restorations were undertaken in
1841, 1852 and 1858.

The most striking feature of the exterior is the central Tower—of
two stories above the roof with buttresses and exhibiting the ball-
flower in great profusion. The four pinnacles at the corners were
added in 1830. The Lady-Chapel with its tall lancet-shaped
windows and bold buttresses is also interesting. On the south side
the Audley Chantry projects with great effect; and from the west we
gain a good view of the Bishop’s Cloisters, with the square turreted
tower called the Lady Arbour, though nobody knows why. Only
the east and the south walks now remain. They are Perpendicular
with fine window openings and richly carved roof.
We enter the Cathedral by the North porch, completed in 1530.
It is of two stages, and projects beyond an inner porch of the
Decorated period. The doorway opening into the church is also
Decorated.
On entering the Nave, we pass to the west end to get the best
general view.
“The nave, which is separated from the aisles by eight massive Norman
piers (part of the original church), of which the capitals are worthy of notice,
has somewhat suffered by restorations at the hands of Wyatt. The triforium,
the clerestory, the vaulting of the roof and the western wall and doorway are
all his work; and it must not be forgotten that he shortened the original nave
by one entire bay. Walking to the west end, from which the best general view
is to be obtained, one is impressed by the striking effect of the great Norman
piers and arches and the gloom of the choir beyond. Through the noble
circular arches, which support the central tower and the modern screen on
the eastern side of it, we see the eastern wall of the choir, pierced above by
three lancet windows and below by a wide circular arch receding in many
orders. A central pillar divides this lower arch, two pointed arches springing
from its capital, and leaving a spandrel between them, which is covered with
modern sculpture. In the far distance may be distinguished the east wall of
the Lady-chapel and its brilliant lancet lights. Throughout the Cathedral the
Norman work is remarkable for the richness of its ornament as compared
with other buildings of the same date, such as Peterborough or Ely.

“The main arches of the nave are ornamented with the billet and other
beautiful mouldings and the capitals of both piers and shafts are also
elaborately decorated. The double half shafts set against the north and south
fronts of the huge circular piers are in the greater part restorations.
“Over each pier-arch there are two triforium arches imitated from the
Early English of Salisbury. They are divided by slender pillars, but there is
no triforium passage. During the Late Decorated period the nave-aisles were
practically rebuilt, the existing walls and windows being erected upon the
bases of the Norman walls, which were retained for a few feet above the
foundations. The vaulting of the roofs of the nave-aisles and the roof of the
nave itself were coloured under the direction of Mr. Cottingham.”—(A. H.
F.)
In the second bay of the south aisle stands an ancient Font of late
Norman design, decorated with figures of the Apostles, on a base
with four demi-griffins or lions. Among the monuments in the nave
is an alabaster Effigy of Sir Richard Pembridge, in plate and mail
armour with his greyhound. He died in 1375. Here are also the
effigy and tomb of Bishop Booth (died 1535), who built

Hereford: Nave, east

Hereford: North-east

the north porch. The handsome iron grille in front of the tomb is of
the same date.
The Central Tower rests on massive piers with Norman arches.
The entire space is open from the floor of the Cathedral to the
wooden floor of the bell-chamber, painted beneath in blue and gold.
From this floor hangs a corona of wrought iron, coloured like the
screen. The tower contains a fine peal of ten bells.
Through the north arch of the tower we pass into the North
Transept, said to be the work of Peter of Savoy, who became
Bishop of Hereford. He was called Bishop Aquablanca from his
birthplace near Chambéry. He died in 1268 intensely hated. The

original Norman north transept was pulled down about 1260 for this
new one, rebuilt
“on a design which is perhaps the most original, as it certainly is one of
the most beautiful in the history of English Gothic architecture. To the north
and west were built enormous windows, with tracery of cusped circles, quite
exceptional in their elongation, more like late German than English work.
On the east side was built an aisle of exquisite beauty. Its arches, almost
straight-sided—its triforium windows, a ring of cusped circles set under a
semicircular arch—its clerestory windows, spherical triangles, enclosing a
cusped circular window—the composition of the triforium—the north and
west windows—are quite unique, except so far as they were copied in later
work in the city and neighbourhood. At the south end of the aisle is the
exquisite TOMB of Bishop Peter Aquablanca (died 1268); no doubt built in
his lifetime. The tomb is as unique as the transept, and chiefly resembles it in
design. The inference is that Bishop Aquablanca built the transept. The credit
of it, however, is constantly given to his successors, apparently on account of
his private vices. But saints as well as sinners have liked to leave memorials
behind them in stone; and, moreover, Aquablanca had his good points. To
this day four thousand loaves are distributed every year out of funds which
he bequeathed. It is recorded, too, that of a fine which was imposed on the
citizens for encroachments on his episcopal rights, he remitted one half and
handed over the other for works on the cathedral.”—(F. B.)
Aquablanca was succeeded by Thomas Cantilupe, as much loved
as the former was hated. Dying on a homeward journey from Rome,
in 1282, his bones were removed from the flesh by boiling and
carried to Hereford to be placed in the Lady-Chapel. Forty years
later he was canonized. Many miracles were effected at his shrine,
removed to the transept in 1287. King Edward I. sent sick falcons to
be cured and people thronged with large offerings. We shall soon
see all that is left of the Cantilupe Shrine.
“The Norman arches opening to the aisles of the nave and choir resemble
those which correspond to them on the south side of the church. The transept
beyond them was, as we have seen, entirely rebuilt, and is one of the most

remarkable examples of the period remaining in England. The unusual form
of its arches, and its pure, lofty windows, are sufficiently impressive now;
but their effect must have been wonderfully increased when the windows
were filled with glass displaying the history and miracles of the sainted
Bishop, and when the shrine itself was standing on its pedestal within the
eastern aisle, rich with the gold and jewels offered by the numerous pilgrims
who knelt daily before it.
“The west side of the transept (which is of two bays beyond the aisle
passage) is entirely filled by two very lofty windows of three lights each.
The heads of the narrow lights are sharply pointed; and the tracery above is
formed by three circles enclosing trefoils. These windows are set back
within triangular-headed arches. On the north side is a double window of the
same character divided by a group of banded shafts. The triple lights on
either side of these shafts, and the foiled circles above them, precisely
resemble the windows on the west side of the transept.
“The vaulting springs from clustered shafts, the corbels supporting which,
on the east side, are beautiful and singular, and resemble bunches of reeds,
terminating in a small open flower. The small heads below these corbels, at
the intersection of the main arches, should also be noticed.
“The eastern aisles, lighted by three very beautiful windows, each of
three lights, with three quatrefoils in the tracery, are set back within wider
arches, as is the case with the windows in the main transept. In this aisle, in a
line with the central pier, is the pedestal of the Cantilupe Shrine. This is a
long parallelogram, narrowing toward the lower end, and is entirely of
Purbeck marble. It has two divisions; the lower closed, like an altar-tomb,
the upper a flat canopy, supported on small open arches. Upon this rested the
actual shrine, containing the relics of the saint. Cantilupe was Provincial
Grand Master of the Knights Templars in England; and round the lower
division of the pedestal are fifteen figures of Templars in various attitudes,
placed in the recesses of a foliated arcade. All are fully armed, in chain-mail,
with surcoat, shield and sword. All are seated, and tread on various monsters,
among which are dragons and swine, muzzled. The spandrels in this arcade,
and the spandrels between the arches in the upper division, are filled with
leafage of the first Decorated period, retaining some of the stiff arrangement
of the Early English, but directly copied from nature. In the lower spandrels

it is arranged in sprays; in the upper it is often laid in rows of leaves, among
which occur oak, maple and trefoil. The whole of this work will repay the
most careful examination. (It should be compared with the foliage of the
capitals of the shafts surrounding the central pier of the aisle, which is far
more stiff and conventional). On the top of the lower division of the pedestal
was a brass of the Bishop, of which the matrix alone remains.
“The position of the shrine in this transept may be compared with that of
St. Frideswide at Oxford, and with that of St. Richard de la Wych at
Chichester. All had an altar immediately adjoining the shrine, which was
dedicated to the saint, and at which the offerings of pilgrims were made. In
these cases, however, the usual position of a great shrine—at the back of the
high altar—was, for some special reason, departed from. At Hereford, this
position of highest honour was probably occupied by the shrine of St.
Ethelbert.”—(R. J. K.)
Close by is the interesting monument of Bishop d’Aquablanca,
just by the north-choir-aisle. This Early English monument was
once richly coloured.
The effigy of this foreign priest—Peter of Savoy—lies under a
canopy supported by delicate shafts of Purbeck marble, the gables
surmounted by floriated crosses, the central cross bearing a figure of
the Saviour. The richly canopied tomb under the great north
window bears the effigy of Bishop Thomas Charlton, treasurer of
England in 1329 (died 1369).
Under the north-west-window is the canopied tomb of Bishop
Swinfield (1283-1317). His effigy disappeared long ago, and some
unknown figure lies there. The ball-flower is conspicuous in the
mouldings of the canopy and behind the tomb there is a mutilated
carving of the Crucifixion, surrounded by vine-leaves and tendrils,
quite similar to the leafage of the Cantilupe Shrine. In a
neighbouring recess decorated with the ball-flower lies the effigy of
an unknown lady of the Fourteenth Century.

The North-choir-aisle is entered through the original Norman
arch. In the north wall of this aisle in a series of arched recesses
(Decorated) lie the effigies of various ecclesiastics. Beyond the first
one, Bishop Geoffry de Clive (died 1120), a door opens upon the
turret staircase leading to a typical monastic Library, containing
more than 2,000 volumes, MSS. and ancient deeds, the
accumulations of eight centuries. These are kept in eighty old oak
cupboards and the ancient books are chained.
Descending and passing to the corner of the north-east transept
we come to Bishop Stanbery’s Chantry, a rich example of late
Perpendicular, with two windows on the north side. The ceiling is
richly groined. The capitals at the corners of the chapel are very
grotesque. Opposite the chantry, on the north side of the choir, is the
alabaster effigy of Bishop Stanbery (died 1474).
In the wall of the aisle above is a Decorated window. The glass
is in memory of Dr. Musgrave, Archbishop of York, previously
Bishop of Hereford. The subject is St. Paul, the story of whose life
is continued in the windows of the chantry.
Immediately beyond, the north-east-transept opens. It is Early
Decorated, retaining some Norman characteristics. In the centre
rises an octagonal pier which helps to carry the quadripartite
vaulting, which has good bosses of leafage. This pier gives a
peculiar character to this transept. The windows are Early
Decorated.
The South transept retains much that is Norman, although it was
altered during the Perpendicular period, when two huge windows
were cut into the walls. Perpendicular panelling surrounds that in
the south wall. The lierne vaulting is also of the same date. The east
wall has five series of Norman arcades. Two Norman windows in
the clerestory contribute light.

The Denton tomb, with its effigies in alabaster showing traces of
colour, dates from 1576.
The organ, in the first archway on the south side of the choir,
was the gift of Charles II. It has been twice enlarged.
Effigies of bishops fill the four Decorated arched recesses on the
south wall of the south-choir-aisle and on the north wall, under an
arch opening to the choir, is the tomb of Bishop De Lorraine, or
Losinga (died 1095). Here is also the monument and tomb to
Bishop Mayhew, of Magdalen College (1504-1516); some old
windows restored by Warrington; and the famous Map of the
World, one of the most valuable relics of mediæval geography in
existence. It was designed about 1314 by Richard of Haldingham, a
Lincolnshire monk. It was discovered more than a hundred years
ago under the floor of Bishop Audley’s Chapel.
The South-east-transept, between the retro-choir and the
chapter-house, opens into the latter. The style is in the main
Decorated, though the window tracery is later quite Flamboyant.
One single octagonal pillar separates it from its eastern aisle. From
this transept a lovely view of the Lady-Chapel can be enjoyed.
The peculiar darkness of the Choir is due to the arrangement of
the transepts, which prevents the admission of light except from the
clerestory.
“The main arches of the choir are of three orders, and spring from
massive composite piers, with broad, square bases. The capitals of the semi-
detached shafts are enriched with leafage and grotesque heads. The triforium
in each bay consists of one wide Norman arch circumscribing two smaller,
divided by a central shaft, and springing on either side from two massive
semicircular piers, with small capitals. Both outer and inner arches spring
from these piers. The capitals of the central shafts have square abaci, and are
enriched. The tympana of the outer arches are covered with scallop, leaf and
billet ornament. At the base of the triforium runs a square string-course,

enriched with minute carving. The lozenge ornament prevails round the
main arches of the choir, as does the zigzag round those of the nave.
“Broad square pilasters, with semi-detached shafts at their angels, fill the
spaces between the piers. They terminate at the spring of the triforium arches
in double triangular headings, with crocketed sides and finials of leafage.
These headings are Early English, of the same date as the clerestory and
vaulting; and between each pair rises a group of so-called vaulting-shafts,
with capitals of leafage, terminating at the base of the clerestory; and
connected (under the actual base of the clerestory) by a band of open
flowers. The clerestory consists of one lofty pointed arch in each bay,
divided by a central; on either side is a smaller trefoiled arch. The windows,
of two lights, with a quatrefoil in the heading, are placed at the back of the
wall-passage, and form in effect a double plane with the large inner arches.
They are filled on each side with indifferent stained glass. The choir vaulting
is plain quadripartite, with bosses of leafage at the intersections.”—(R. J. K.)
The Choir-stalls are Decorated. Some of the Misereres are
quaint. The Bishop’s Throne dates from the Fourteenth Century.
The Cathedral also possesses an ancient episcopal chair, which, it is
said, King Stephen sat in when he visited Hereford.
Within a great Norman arch of five orders stands the modern
Reredos, at the back of which rises a great pier from which spring
two pointed arches. The spandrel, or Tympanum, is covered with
modern sculpture—the Saviour in Majesty and the Evangelists; and
below a statue of King Ethelbert, who was said to have been buried
in the first Saxon church somewhere about this spot.
From the Retro-choir we pass into the Vestibule of the Lady-
Chapel, the walls of which are broken with transitional Norman
window openings,—pointed arches with massive mouldings. The
foliage of the capitals is Early English.
Five steps (necessitated by the height of the crypt below) lead up
to the Lady-Chapel, very rich Early English, dating from the first
half of the Thirteenth Century. It is 24 × 45 feet and of three bays.

On the north side each bay contains two large windows; on the
south side, the third bay is filled by the Audley Chapel.
“The very rich clustered shafts and arches of the side windows should be
especially noticed. The capitals of the shafts are Early English leafage; and
there are small heads at the intersections and crowns of the arches. A circle
enclosing a quatrefoil pierces the wall above these windows. The vaulting is
plain quadripartite, and springs from shafts which descend upon a base
raised slightly above the pavement. The modern pavement of the Lady-
chapel is laid with red and green tiles in large square panels. The whole
design is broad and good in outline; and is somewhat richer at the altar end,
which is raised on one step.”
Ferguson has remarked that
“Nowhere on the Continent are such combinations to be found as the Five
Sisters at York, the east end of Ely, or such a group as that which terminates
the east end of Hereford.”
Many of its features were hidden until the restorations and repairs
were undertaken in 1841.
“The glorious EAST-WINDOW consists of five narrow lancets recessed
within arches supported by clustered shafts, the wall above being perforated
with five quatrefoil openings, of which the outside ones are circular and the
centre three are oval. It was as a memorial to Dean Merewether, to whom the
cathedral owes so much, that the stained glass designed by Cottingham was
placed in the east windows in the narrow lancets that he loved so dearly. It
represents scenes in the early life of the Virgin and the life of Christ, the last
being the supper in the house of Mary and Martha. In the side windows the
visitor should especially notice the rich clustered shafts and arches, the Early
English capitals and the ornamentation of the arches. The double PISCINA and
AUMBRY south of the altar are restorations necessitated by the dilapidated
state of the originals.”—(A. H. F.)
In the central bay on the north side lies the effigy of Sir Peter de
Grandison (died 1358) under a canopy of open tabernacle work.
The armour is very interesting. Once the effigy was supposed to be

Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford. On the same side lies
Joanna de Bohun, Countess of Hereford (died 1327). Her effigy is
a splendid study in costume. She left a large estate to the Cathedral.
A black marble slab, with brass, marks the resting-place of Dean
Merewether (died 1850). Dean Berew, or Beaurieu, in the south
wall of the vestibule, is one of the best specimens of sculpture in the
Cathedral. He died in 1462.
It was not every bishop who could build two chantries; but
Bishop Audley (1492-1502) built himself a charming Tudor chapel,
two stories high, projecting from the south side of the Lady Chapel,
a circular staircase giving access to the upper room. He intended it
for his tomb; but as he was translated to Salisbury in 1502, he had
the trouble of building another one there, in which he was buried.
“The lower chamber is shut off from the Lady-chapel by a screen of
painted stone with open-work panelling in two stages. The chapel is
pentagonal in plan, and has two windows, while a third opens into the Lady-
chapel through the screen. The ceiling is vaulted, and bears evidence of
having in former times been elaborately painted.
“There are five windows in the upper chamber and the groined roof is
distinctly good. The boss in the centre represents the Virgin crowned in
glory. On other parts of the ceiling are the arms of Bishop Audley and those
of the Deanery, as well as a shield bearing the letters R. I. The upper part of
the chantry, which is divided from the Lady-chapel by the top of the screen
which serves as a kind of rail, may have been used as an oratory; but no
remains of an altar have been found. On the door opening on the staircase is
some good iron-work, and Bishop Audley’s initials may be noticed on the
lock. Standing by the door of this chapel, the visitor has a lovely view
westward: two pillars rising in the roof and across the top of the reredos; to
the right, the Norman arches of the north transept and further on still the
nave.”—(A. H. F.)
From the south side of the Lady-Chapel we enter the Crypt by
steps leading down from an Early English porch. It is 50 feet long,

and consists of a nave and aisles. Because the crypt was used as a
charnel-house, it is called Golgotha. It is lighted by plain lancets.
There are only a few fragments of old glass in the windows, some
of the best (early Fourteenth Century) is in one of the lancets on the
south side of the Lady-Chapel. The subjects are Christ surrounded
by symbols of the Four Evangelists; Lamb and flag; Angel and
Marys at the Sepulchre; Crucifixion; Christ carrying the Cross.
A window in the north-east transept contains Fourteenth Century
glass, restored by Warrington in 1864: St. Katherine; St. Michael;
St. Gregory; and St. Thomas of Canterbury. In the south-east
transept a similar window exhibits St. Mary Magdalene; St.
Ethelbert; St. Augustine; and St. George. The many memorial
windows do not call

Hereford: Choir

Worcester: South-west

for special attention. One, however, in the north transept, erected to
Archdeacon Lane Freer, is to be noticed on account of the tracery.
It is one of the largest in England of the period of Edward I.
From the south-east transept we enter a narrow passage, the
Vicars’ Cloister, that leads to the College of Vicars-Choral (1396).
It is a picturesque quadrangle with an inner cloister (Perpendicular,
about 1474).
The Bishop’s Palace lies south, between the Cathedral and the
river Wye.

WORCESTER
Dedication: The Blessed Virgin, St. Peter and the Holy
Confessors, Oswald and Wulstan. Formerly the Church of a
Benedictine Monastery.
Special features: Nave; Choir-Stalls; Tomb of King John;
Chantry of Prince Arthur; Arcade across transepts and
Lady-Chapel; Crypt.
The Cathedral of Worcester is severe and plain; but its very severity
appeals to some critics, as do the general lines of the entire edifice.
“The beautiful proportions of the great tower harmonise so well with the
general plan and mass of the rest of the fabric that although it has no pride of
place like Durham or Lincoln, it still dominates the whole city and vicinity
in a great and unmistakable manner. The flat meadow-land of the Severn
valley in this part of the county, unbroken westward up to the very foot of
the Malvern hills, gives the Cathedral on this side the importance of the chief
feature in many miles of landscape. And as one approaches from the
eastward, over the slight eminences on which the battle of Worcester was
chiefly fought, a glimpse of the tower is the earliest evidence of the
existence of the city.”—(E. F. S.)
The history of Worcester Cathedral begins with Oswald, a
Benedictine monk, consecrated Bishop of Worcester by Dunstan in
961. Oswald’s cathedral, finished in 983, was destroyed by the
Danes in 1041, and rebuilt in 1084-1089 by Wulstan, a monk of
Worcester, who became Bishop in 1062. Wulstan placed his church
a little to the south of the first one. His crypt still remains,—the
most famous crypt in England. Wulstan’s tomb was miraculously
preserved when a fire burned parts of the cathedral in 1113, eight
years after his death. Miracles were performed and cures effected.
Finally in 1203 Wulstan was canonized.

When King John died in 1216, he was buried before the High
Altar between the tombs of Oswald and Wulstan.
The Cathedral was dedicated in 1218 in the presence of King
Henry III. and bishops, abbots, priors and nobles from all parts of
the kingdom.
The church suffered from fires and storms; and the central tower
fell in 1175. Rebuilding was frequently a necessity; and, therefore,
many styles are to be found throughout the fabric.
Repairs were undertaken between 1702 and 1712, when the choir
was paved and when it is supposed that the spires on the corners of
the presbytery, transepts and nave were added.
An important series of repairs and restorations were undertaken
by Wilkinson from 1748 to 1756. At this period
“the north end of the nave transept was rebuilt, the stone pulpit removed
from the nave to the choir, and the latter re-paved with blue and white stone.
The old right-of-way through the cathedral was replaced by a more proper
and convenient passage round the west end; and many gravestones were
removed from the floors of the side aisles of the choir, and from the nave,
which were re-paved with white stone. The Jesus Chapel was opened to the
nave and the font therein erected.
“The great flying buttresses at the east end were erected between 1736
and 1789. The great west window was rebuilt in 1789, and that of the east
end in 1792. In 1812 a new altar-screen and choir-screen were built, and the
tall pinnacles taken down after 1832.
“In 1857 began the great restoration of the cathedral under the auspices of
Mr. Perkins, the architect to the dean and chapter, whose work was
continued and amplified by Sir Gilbert Scott, who was employed after 1864.
“The results of this restoration, probably the most complete and far-
reaching undergone by any British cathedral, include the exterior and
interior of the tower, the pavements throughout the building; the decoration
of the choir and Lady-chapel; all the windows, and almost the whole of the
furniture and fittings, including a new reredos, choir-screen, organ and
pulpit. The restored cathedral was reopened, with a magnificent choral

service on the 8th of April, 1874. Since that date many additions have been
made, splendid evidences of the survival of the old local patriotism; for
almost everything is due to the munificence of local donors.”—(E. F. S.)
The chief feature is the central Tower, supposed to have been
completed in 1374. It has been restored carefully.
“It is of two stages. The first has two lancets on each side, within an
arcade of seven bays. Each of the upper stages has two louvred windows
surmounted by crocketed canopies, and ornamented by three large
sculptured figures in niches, of the whole twelve of which, six are modern.
The whole is crowned by an open rail, or parapet, with six spirelets on either
side and a crocketed pinnacle at each corner.”—(E. F. S.)
The West End contains one large modern window of eight lights
with a wheel window above. The gable, with three small lancet
windows, is surmounted by a cross and flanked by two buttresses
topped by pinnacles. The doorway in the west front is also modern
(1857-1873); but parts of the old Norman doorway have been
inserted.
On the north side, the North Porch (24 feet long and 8 feet
broad) consists of two bays. The front was restored. The sculptured
figures in the canopied niches are Christ and the Twelve Apostles.
Above these is a row of saints and then Perpendicular battlements.
An exterior turret and staircase lead to the rooms above it, occupied
by the porter. Two bays, each with a window, follow; then comes
the Jesus Chapel; then one more bay; and then the north-transept,
with its gable, cross and pinnacles; then four more bays; then the
choir; then three more bays; and, finally, the Lady-Chapel. The
south side is similar, with the exception of the projecting Chapel of
St. John.
Pinnacles are a striking feature on all sides of the edifice.
On entering we are struck with the long vista, for the closed
choir-screen, found in so many English cathedrals, is conspicuously

absent. The proportions of the Nave are justly admired. It
“consists of nine bays, of which the two westernmost are of widely
different character and date from the remaining seven. Its breadth, including
the aisles, is 78 feet, its length 170 feet, and its height 68 feet; which
dimensions may be compared with those of Salisbury, 82 feet, 229 feet 6
inches, and 81 feet; and of Wells, 82 feet, 161 feet, and 67 feet, respectively.
The two western severies are of great interest. The pier arches are pointed,
but rise from Late Norman capitals; the triforium stages have each two three-
light round-headed windows, of which the centre one is considerably the
highest, surmounted with zigzag ornament and decorated with characteristic
lozenges, the whole enclosed within a pointed moulding. The clerestory has,
in each bay, a central round-headed light, with Norman ornament above it,
flanked by blank pointed windows, considerably smaller.
“On the north side, the whole of the walls of the five eastern bays, and the
pier arches of the next two towards the west belong to the Decorated period,
and may be dated between 1317 and 1327. The remainder of the two latter
bays and the whole of the seven eastern bays of the south side are very early
Perpendicular. Willis considers that this work was probably begun in the
middle of the fourteenth century, and completed by the date of the vaulting
of the nave, 1377, which would establish it as one of the earliest specimens
of Perpendicular work in the country. The triforium arcade consists of two
pointed arches, each subdivided again into two; and the clerestory has a
large central light, with a smaller light on either side in each bay. On the
north side these are the ordinary pointed arches of the Decorated period; on
the south the lateral arches are straight sided, and the central arch only has a
small curve on joining the vertical piers. Similar arches, but a century earlier
in date, occur in the north transepts of Hereford and of Rochester
Cathedrals.”—(E. F. S.)
The vaulting was finished in 1377. The glass of the windows is
modern, as is also the handsome pulpit, designed by Sir Gilbert
Scott, Italian in style and made of alabaster and grey and green
marble.
The monuments and tombs call for no special description, with
the exception of the altar-tomb of John Beauchamp, fourth bay

from the east. It dates from the early Fifteenth Century and is
panelled in five compartments with coloured armorial bearings. The
knight lies here in full armour, with pointed basinet, sleeveless
jupon and baldric. His lady beside him is in the costume of the
period. Her head rests on a swan and a dog lies at her feet.
The North aisle (1317-1327) is Decorated. Beyond the north
porch, we come to Jesus Chapel, enclosed by a stone screen
(Perpendicular) and containing a wooden altar with a full-size
Madonna and Child.
The North transept is a mixture of Norman and Perpendicular. It
consists of two bays; and in the north-west corner is the circular
stair-turret. The South transept is similar to the north, and has,
likewise, a stair-turret in the south-west corner.

Worcester: Nave, east

Worcester: Choir, east

The west window is of Perpendicular tracery. A fine Norman
arch, partly closed by a Perpendicular screen, marks the entrance to
the Chapel of St. John. Both transepts are aisleless. The South aisle
of the nave is Norman and Transitional. The Font is modern.
The Choir was begun in 1224. The eastern transepts were added
at the same time. A little of the old Norman work betrays itself here
and there. No one seems to know why Bishop Godfrey de Giffard
(1268-1301) placed gilded brass rings around the columns, unless it
was for the sake of adding extra strength.
“The beauty of the pier-arches and those of the triforium, relieved so
handsomely by the black shafts of Purbeck marble bearing Bishop Giffard’s
brass rings, and by the finely proportioned spandrels of each bay, is by no
means to be under-estimated.

“The choir is of five bays, including the eastern crossing, which is of
greater width than the others. The pier-arch mouldings are of two patterns,
one very similar to those of the choir and presbytery at Salisbury, having one
of the ribs flanked by a double range of dog-tooth. The piers themselves, as
well as those in the Lady-chapel, are octagonal, and have detached Purbeck
shafts, eleven of which are fixed with a narrow course of marble embracing
the shaft in the manner of a ring; and the remaining eight with brass rings;
the two processes being used symmetrically, so that shafts similarly fixed
stand opposite to each other.
“The triforium consists of two large arches in each bay, subdivided again
into two. During the restoration the pillars, which had been whitewashed,
were restored to their original rich black colour, and the rings which bind
them made visible. The sculptures in the spandrels are restorations by
Boulton. The inner wall of the triforium walk is decorated with a finely-
proportioned arcade, which adds greatly to the general effect. The clerestory
has a triplet of pointed lights in each bay, the centre one being considerably
higher than those at the side, although they rise from pillars of equal height.
The vault of the roof springs, in each severy, from a single shaft terminated
with a foliated capital; it is simple in character, and was probably completed
before the end of the first half of the thirteenth century. The elaborate
pavement of Devonshire marble and encaustic tiles is modern.”—(E. F. S.)
The Choir-stalls (restored) date from 1379. The thirty-seven
miserere seats represent Biblical, mythological and contemporary
figures.
The Reredos, behind the High Altar, composed of alabaster,
inlaid with coloured marbles, lapis lazuli, agates and malachite, is
modern. The Bishop’s Throne is also modern; but the richly carved
Pulpit of white stone dates from about 1630. It bears the arms of
England, France, Scotland and Ireland.
In the centre of the choir in front of the altar steps stands the
Tomb of King John. When John died in the Castle of Newark in
1216, his body was brought to Worcester Cathedral and buried
before the High Altar. In 1797 the tomb was opened. The effigy,

now gilded, is the earliest royal effigy in England. It dates from the
early Thirteenth Century and is probably a good likeness of the
Magna Charta king. Bloxam’s description in 1862, gives an idea of
its original appearance:
“The effigy was originally the cover of the stone coffin in which the
remains of that monarch were deposited in the Chapel of the Virgin, at the
east end of the cathedral. The altar tomb is of a much later period, probably
constructed early in the sixteenth century, when the tomb of Prince Arthur
was erected.... The sides of this tomb are divided into three square
compartments by panelled buttresses; each compartment contains a shield
bearing the royal arms within a quatrefoil richly cusped; the spandrels are
also foliated and cusped.... It is, however, the effigy of the king, sculptured
in the early part of the Thirteenth Century, and probably the earliest
sepulchral effigy in the cathedral, to which our chief attention should be
drawn. This effigy represents him in the royal habiliments; first, the tunic,
yellow, or of cloth of gold, reaching nearly to the ankles, with close-fitting
sleeves, of which little is apparent. Over the tunic is seen the dalmatic, of a
crimson colour, with wide sleeves edged with a gold and jewelled border,
and girt about the waist by a girdle buckled in front, the pendant end of the
girdle, which is jewelled, falling down as low as the skirt of the dalmatic. Of
the yellow mantle lined with green little is visible. On the feet are black
shoes, to the heels of which are affixed spurs. On the hands are gloves,
jewelled at the back; the right hand held a sceptre, the lower portion of
which only is left; the left grasps the hilt of the sword. On the head is the
crown; there are moustaches and beard, and the light-brown hair is long. On
either side of the head is the figure of a bishop holding a censer, perhaps
intended to represent St. Oswald and St. Wulstan, between whose tombs the
king was interred in the Chapel of the Virgin.”
On the south side of the sanctuary we find the Chantry of Prince
Arthur, son of Henry VII., who died at Ludlow Castle in 1502.
This is the most famous piece of work in the Cathedral, and one of
the best examples of Tudor architecture in existence. It was erected
in 1504, and

“consists of six bays of open tracery divided by panels of canopied niches
containing figures and heraldic bearings surmounted by a battlemented rail
and pinnacles. Within is a richly groined roof, with unusual flying supports,
east and west. At the east end are the mutilated remains of a rich stone
reredos, containing a figure of our Lord, and others hardly recognisable,
which was above the altar formerly placed here. At the west end is a small
figure of Henry VII. seated.
“The tomb itself of the Prince stands in the centre of the chantry. It is
singularly plain, in contrast to the richness of its surroundings, almost the
only ornament being the arms of England and France within panels on the
sides. Around the top runs a painted inscription, obviously a late substitute
for a brass which has been removed, to this effect: ‘Here lyeth buried prince
Arthur, the first begotten sonne of the righte renowned Kinge henry the
Seventhe, whiche noble Prince departed oute of this transitory life ate the
Castle of Ludlowe, in the seventeenth yeere of hys father’s reign, and in the
yeere of our Lorde god on thousande fyve hundred and two.’ ”—(E. F. S.)
The Chapel of St. John, projecting from two bays of the south-
choir-aisle, is on the site of a Norman chapel. The Norman arch at
the west end is its finest feature. It has three windows filled with
modern glass and a piscina in the south wall.
The Eastern transepts demand careful attention.
“The design of the walls ... is extremely beautiful. Two lofty triplets of
lancet lights are placed the one above the other. The lower triplet has a
gallery in front of it immediately above the arcaded wall, and at the same
level as the sill of the adjacent side aisle windows. The upper triplet has a
similar gallery at the level of the triforium. Rich clustered shafts rise from
the lower gallery in two orders; the inner order carries molded arches to
correspond with the heads of the lower triplet; the shafts of the outer order
rise from the lower gallery up to the impost of the upper triplet, grouping
themselves with the shafts that stand in front of the upper triplet, and uniting
in one group of capitals at the impost, where they carry a range of three
arches with deep rich mouldings. Thus the entire composition represents a
gigantic window of six lights.”—(W.)

One of the finest features of the Cathedral is the arcade that runs
along the whole extent of the eastern transepts and across the Lady-
Chapel.
“This is a series of trefoil headed arcades of three mouldings, resting on
slender Early English shafts, each spandrel having been filled with carvings
which take high rank among the best of the English school of the Thirteenth
Century. They have now been, to a great extent, restored (by Boulton), and
many, including all at the east end, are entirely new. The best of the old ones
are figured by Aldis; and the most interesting, whether entirely ancient or
partly restored, are as follows, starting from the west wall of the south-
eastern transept:
“Two crusaders fighting a lion. A centaur. An angel weighing a soul, and
the devil pulling down the scale. Devils roasting a soul in hell. The Jaws of
Death. A body borne to burial. Expulsion of Adam and Eve. An angel
leading a righteous soul to heaven. The dead rising from coffins. Christ
enthroned. The archangel blowing the last trump. An angel holding a cross.
“South Aisle.—Two monks building. A queen instructing an architect.
Two monks discussing plans. A devil with bird’s claws, riding on a man’s
shoulders. The Crucifixion.
“Lady-Chapel.—Centaur and crusader. Prophets and Bible subjects
(modern), grotesque.
“North Aisle.—Bishop offering a model of the cathedral at an altar
(perhaps Bishop Henry de Blois, d. 1236). The Annunciation. The Visitation.
The Nativity.
“North Transept.—Old Testament subjects. A bishop. A monk chastising
a novice.”—(E. F. S.)
The tracery of the windows in the choir aisles and the Lady-
Chapel is modern, patterned on Early English models. The entire
east wall is modern. The window consists of five lights in two tiers.
The glass dates from 1860 and represents the Crucifixion and the
Ascension.
In the south aisle of the Lady-Chapel we notice one of the finest
effigies in the building. It is a Fourteenth Century lady, whose left

hand holds the cord of her cloak. A little dog lies at her feet. It is
interesting to compare this with another unknown effigy of a lady of
the Thirteenth Century in the north aisle of the Lady-Chapel. The
left hand holds a glove.
In front of the altar and on the floor of the Lady-Chapel are the
effigies of Bishop William de Blois (died 1236) and his successor
Bishop Walter de Cantelupe (died 1265). The latter is in higher
relief than the former and was originally set with gems. In the north
aisle we must also note the large effigy of Sir James de
Beauchamp, in complete armour with surcoat and long shield of
Henry III.’s reign. Beneath the reredos lies the richly robed figure of
Hawford, Dean of Worcester in 1553-1557. On the south side lies
William, Earl of Dudley, in white marble on arches of alabaster.
The Lady-Chapel is of the same date as the choir.
From the south transept of the nave we enter the famous Crypt,
which dates from 1084. It was built after that of Winchester (1079)
and before those of Gloucester (1089) and Canterbury (1096). Three
rows of pillars form four walks, with an outer aisle of two rows of
pillars. It was surrounded by several chapels, but only the southern
chapel is now accessible. The pillars are admired for their grace and
lightness, when illuminated. It suggests the Mosque of Cordova. In
comparing the crypts of Winchester, Gloucester, Canterbury, and
Worcester, Willis says:
“The height of all these crypts is nearly the same; so that at Winchester
and Gloucester the arches are flattened into ellipses, the pillars are low and
squat, and the crypts appear as sepulchral vaults; while at Worcester, where
the arches are semicircular and the pillars more slender, the crypt is a
complex and beautiful temple.”
The Cloisters form an irregular quadrangle enclosing a lovely
green garth, 83 feet square. The roof of the walks is richly vaulted.

The glass in the windows in the south alley depicted the history and
miracles of St. Wulstan, but the glass was destroyed by the Puritans.
Beyond the south walk is the Refectory, a handsome building of
red sandstone, dating from about 1372. It is now used as a class-
room of the Cathedral School founded by King Henry VIII. The
monks’ lavatory occupies two bays in the north alley.
From the west walk we enter the Chapter-House, originally a
Norman building of the Eleventh Century. It was repaired about
1400, when the Norman windows and vaults were supplanted by
those we now see. The present Chapter-House
“consists of ten bays, with a Perpendicular vaulted roof rising from a
central Norman Column. Each bay contains a light traceried window, of
which two are entirely, and two half, blocked up. Below these is a series of
slightly hollowed niches in grey, blue and yellow stone in alternate courses,
resting on three courses of rough red masonry. These niches have slight
traces of ancient fresco painting; they are surmounted by an arcade of
intersecting circular arches containing smaller arches. Similar ornamentation
is to be found in the chapter-houses at Bristol and Rochester, and in the
external wall of Ernulf’s crypt at Canterbury.”—(E. F. S.)

LICHFIELD
Dedication: St. Chad and St. Mary. A Church served by
Secular Canons.
Special features: Spires; West Front; Nave; Lady-Chapel;
Herkenrode glass.
Lichfield is famed for its three beautiful spires, the only church in
England with this distinguishing feature. They are locally known as
“Ladies of the Vale,” or “Ladies of the Valley.”
The central spire, which always groups so charmingly with the
two that rise above the west front, dates from the Restoration, and is
an imitation of the western ones. Its predecessor, destroyed during
the Civil Wars, was supposed to have been rebuilt about 1250. The
two western spires are said to have been built by Roger de Norbury
(1322-1359), but the north-west one was rebuilt in Perpendicular
times in imitation of the earlier style. The south-west, or Jesus
Tower, also the belfry, got its name from the Jesus Bell, given by
Dean Heyward in 1477, and destroyed during the Civil Wars. The
Jesus is a little higher than the other tower. Both spires are
octagonal. At intervals they are broken by windows.
“Of all the cathedral churches of England, Lichfield may be said to be the
most lovely. Other cathedrals are larger—indeed, this is one of the smallest;
—many are grander, or more magnificent; but for simple beauty, for charm,
for delicacy of construction and appearance, Lichfield may rightly claim to
take the foremost place. Peterborough, when we stand inside the west door
and look down its line of enormous piers, fills us with awe at its immensity
and

Lichfield: West front

Lichfield: Nave, east

strength; a feeling which is perhaps a little impaired by the present position
of its stalls. Salisbury appeals to us with its perfect simplicity and symmetry,
and York with its unequalled grandeur and splendour; but after viewing all
the cathedrals of England, it is Lichfield which is most likely to be
remembered among them for something which may be most aptly called
charm. What can be more delightful than the view which confronts the
traveller who, approaching from the town, pauses to look across the
sparkling water of the pool at the three graceful spires standing out amid a
wealth of green trees and shrubs? Truly a picture to be long remembered.
“The cathedral stands in a close which was once surrounded by strong
walls with bastions and a moat. Nature had supplied the moat on the south
side, and the Cathedral Pool, as it is now called, is still there. The artificial
moat has been drained, but its course can be easily traced running round the
bishop’s palace, and its water has been replaced by lovely gardens and
gravel walks. Some bits of the old wall remain, the north-east bastion in the
palace gardens and a turret on a house at the south corner: the ‘beautiful
gates’ of Bishop Langton are gone; but in the Vicars’ Close at the west of the
cathedral are two small irregular courtyards with houses so old that we feel
sure that their wooden beams and plaster were there when the Royalists of
the neighbourhood housed themselves within the fortified close.
“The close is not large, and of course, as Lichfield is a cathedral of the
old establishment, there are no monastical buildings, no ruined cloisters. On
the north side the ground rises rapidly in a grassy slope to a terrace, behind
which are some of the canons’ houses. Opposite the north transept is the
deanery, a substantial red brick house in the style of the middle of the last
century; next to it, and farther east, is the bishop’s palace.”—(A. B. C.)
Lichfield was built in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries
and is, therefore, almost entirely in the styles of Early English and
Decorated. The Early English may be studied in the transepts which
were begun first; Early Decorated in the nave; and fully developed
Decorated in the Lady-Chapel and Presbytery.

There is a curious similarity between the building of Lichfield
and York:
“The Norman Cathedral of York was built in 1080, and that of Lichfield
at an uncertain date. Between 1154-1181, Archbishop Roger substituted for
the original chancel at York a long, square-ended choir, with the aisle carried
behind the end. At Lichfield, during the same period, the large chapel was
built at the end of the Norman apse; and about the beginning of the
Thirteenth Century the whole Norman eastern termination was, as at York,
replaced by a long, square-ended choir with the low aisles behind. Next, at
York the Norman transepts were rebuilt in Early English: the south transept,
1230-1241; followed by the north transept, 1241-1260. Also at Lichfield the
Norman transepts were rebuilt in Early English, beginning with the south
and ending with the north. The Early English work of this cathedral is shown
by the licenses to dig stone to have been in progress in 1235 and 1238. York
nave and Lichfield were next rebuilt in Early Decorated—the first in 1291-
1324. Lastly, at Lichfield, the elongation of the eastern part was begun at the
extreme east, beyond the existing choir by the Lady-chapel, in late
Decorated under Bishop Langton, 1296-1321, and followed by taking down
the choir, and continuing the same work on its site westward. The works at
York followed in the same order, but forty or fifty years later, by first
erecting the presbytery outside the existing choir, and then taking down the
latter and continuing the work of the presbytery to form the new choir. The
plans of the two cathedrals rival each other in the simplicity of their
proportions.”—(W.)
Nothing definite is known of the early history of this Cathedral,
as all records were destroyed during the Civil Wars. In all
probability there was the same old story of a Saxon church in the
Seventh Century succeeded by several other churches until the
Norman Cathedral was built, probably like Peterborough, only
smaller.
This, of course, fell a victim to the change of fashion, and was
pulled down gradually as the new building—the one we know to-
day—arose. The first thing that was done was the building of a new

choir (Early English) from the central tower to the seventh bay of
the present choir. Some of this was destroyed at a later period. The
sacristy and adjoining room were also built. Then, about 1220, the
south transept was begun, then the nave, north transept and west
front, with the two towers.
Walter de Langton (1296-1321) began the Lady-Chapel; and
while this was being built the Early English presbytery was pulled
down and rebuilt in the Decorated style, to be uniform with the
Lady-Chapel. The old clerestory of the choir was also rebuilt in the
same style. Walter de Langton also built the Bishop’s Palace, which
was destroyed in 1643, bridged the Cathedral Pool, and erected a
splendid shrine to St. Chad, which cost £2,000. This stood behind
the high altar in the eastern bay of the retro-choir, with an altar to
this saint on its west.
St. Chad, or Ceadda (669-672), was the patron saint of Lichfield,
who, when Bishop of Mercia, chose Lichfield as his seat and thus
founded the diocese; and he built a small church near St. Chad’s
Well. His service was short and he died in 672.
Miracles were immediately performed at his shrine in Stowe
Church; but his remains were removed to the Cathedral. St. Chad’s
Head was placed in a separate chapel (see page 213).
When Henry VIII. despoiled the shrine he found a great horde of
treasures—jewels, golden and silver crosses, chalices, maces, and
copes, and other vestments had accumulated in great number. In the
Fourteenth Century a document mentions “the head of Blessed
Chad, in a certain painted wooden case; also an arm of Blessed
Chad; also bones of the said saint in a certain portable shrine.”
Lichfield suffered greatly during the Civil Wars. The Royalists
hoisted the king’s flag on the central steeple and defied the
Roundheads led by Lord Brooke. The Cathedral was besieged in
March, 1643; and on the second day of that month, which happened

to be St. Chad’s Day, Lord Brooke was killed by a shot fired by a
son of Sir Richard Dyott, called “Dumb Dyott,” because he was
deaf and dumb. This was regarded as a miracle. A contemporary
letter notes:
“We have had the honour in these parts to bring my Lord Brooke to a
quiet condition. That enemy of our Church (March 2) was slain in his quarrel
against our Church, by the God of our Church, with a shot out of the
Cathedral, by a bullet made of Church lead, through the mouth which reviled
our Church; and (if this be worth your reading) this Cathedral was dedicated
to the memory of an old Saxon holy man (called Ceadda, commonly Chad);
the blow of death came from St. Chad’s Church upon St. Chad’s Day.”
The Cathedral remained in a ruinous condition for a year or more
after the Restoration. Then Bishop Hackett (1661-1671) went to
work to clear away the rubbish and make repairs. In eight years’
time the Cathedral was ready for a new dedication.
Perpendicular tracery was inserted in some of the windows in the
Fifteenth Century, when the Cathedral was at the height of its
beauty.
The present West Front is a restoration of the beautiful work of
the Middle Ages.
In 1820 the west front was completely covered with cement
which concealed all its beauty until 1877, when the authorities
began to remove it. Only five of the original statues remained and it
was decided to fill all the 113 niches. Tradition said the long row of
figures over the doors represented the Saxon and English kings with
St. Chad in the centre; but the others were unknown. They are now
as follows:
“The two rows on the northern tower to the north of the great west
window: higher row, St. Editha, David, St. Helena, Solomon, St. Gabriel,
Zechariah, Nahum, Amos, Jeremiah; lower row, Dean Bickersteth, St. Mark,

Queen Victoria, St. Luke, St. Uriel, Malachi, Habakkuk, Obadiah, Daniel
(Jeremiah just above Daniel by the window).
“The two rows on the southern tower to the south of the great west
window: higher row, Isaiah, Hosea, Jonah, Zephaniah, St. Michael, Bishop
Hacket, Bishop Lonsdale, Bishop Selwyn; lower row, Ezekiel, Joel, Micah,
Haggai, St. Raphael, Bishop Clinton, Bishop Patteshall, Bishop Langton.
“Next is the long row of kings with St. Chad in the centre, stretching right
across the cathedral: William the Conqueror, William Rufus, Henry I.,
Stephen, Henry II., Richard I., John, Henry III., Edward I., Edward II.,
Edward III., Richard II., St. Chad, Penda, Wilphere, Ethelred, Offa, Egbert,
Ethelwolf, Ethelbert, Ethelred, Alfred, Edgar, Canute, Edward the Confessor.
“Lowest row, broken three times by the doors: St. Cyprian, St.
Bartholomew, St. Simon, St. James the Less, St. Thomas (northern door), St.
Philip, St. Andrew (central door), St. Paul, St. Matthew (southern door), St.
James the Greater, St. Jude, St. Stephen, St. Clement, St. Werburga.”
The Duke of York (James II.) gave the money for the tracery of
the large West Window after the original had been destroyed during
the Civil Wars. This was removed in 1869, for another more in
sympathy with the style of the Fourteenth Century.
The West Door is one of the most beautiful in England, taking
rank with the Prior’s Door of Lincoln Cathedral. The porch is
recessed and the outer arch, cusped. Within, a central support rises
to form two arches. The whole is richly carved. Above the central
pillar is a bas-relief representing Christ in Glory, with angels by his
side. On the central column stands a figure of the Virgin and Child,
and on either side of the door beneath canopies are Mary Magdalene
and St. John the Evangelist (north), and Mary, wife of Cleophas,
and St. Peter (south).
What the original statues were is not known. Most of the
ironwork on the doors is supposed to be original.
The two side doors are deeply recessed. The figures in the
northern doorway are of princes and princesses who promoted

Christianity in England; and in the southern, the chief missionaries.
The gable and towers are also adorned with statues of Biblical fame.
The nave is ornamented and strengthened by buttresses and
flying-buttresses. In the north transept we find a handsome North
Doorway, a splendid specimen of Early English with traces of the
Norman. It is deeply recessed and revealing a double arch carved
with foliage. The mouldings are also carved. The outer one contains
bas-reliefs showing the genealogy of Christ, beginning with Jesse
and ending with the Virgin and Child. On the right side, opposite
Jesse, is St. Chad baptizing the sons of King Wulphere, and above
are the Apostles. The architrave is surmounted by a weather
moulding in the form of a gable on the top of which is a cross. The
pillars on each side of the doorway have finely carved capitals and
dog-tooth ornamentation. The graceful centre pillar consists of four
slender shafts with carved capitals. Next comes the octagonal
Chapter-House; then the choir and presbytery; and then the Lady-
Chapel, entirely restored and with new saints in the niches. On the
south side of the Lady-Chapel are mortuary chapels.
The south side shows the buttresses of the choir; then the turrets
of the sacristy with their crocketed pinnacles; and then the South
Transept, the gable of which contains a beautiful rose window. The
South Door, much restored, resembles the northern one, only it is
not so fine. The heavy buttresses on this side are Wyatt’s. Now we
have again come to the Jesus tower (south-west), in which the ten
bells are hung.
Entering by the west door, the beauty of the interior bursts upon
us. We have an unbroken vista and the Cathedral therefore
impresses us as immensely long. The beautiful arches of the roof
carry the eye straight down to the windows of the Lady-Chapel.
The Nave is transitional from Early English to Decorated and is
dated by various authorities from 1250 to 1280.

The large piers are composed of clustered shafts with richly
carved capitals of foliage. From these spring mouldings. The top of
each arch touches the string-course, and then comes the triforium,
so beautiful here with its row of double arches, each one sub-
divided into two lights, above which is geometrical tracery. Dog-
tooth ornament decorates the mouldings of these triforium arches,
and also the string-course that separates the triforium from the
clerestory. The clerestory windows are curious: spherical triangles
enclosing three circles with quatrefoil cusps. Dog-tooth
ornamentation runs around the windows. A large circle with five
cusps ornaments the spandrels of most of the pier-arches across
which the vault shaft passes. At the intersection of the various ribs
(five ribs) are finely carved bosses. Much of the effect is obtained
from the size of the triforium.
The glass in the big west window dates from 1869, a memorial to
Canon Hutchinson, who was a zealous worker for the Cathedral’s
restoration, by Sir Gilbert Scott.
In the north aisle of the nave we note the tablet placed there by
Ann Seward to the memory of her father, Canon Seward, his wife
and daughter, upon which Sir Walter Scott added lines to the
memory of the poetess. There is also a neighbouring tablet to Lady
Mary Wortley Montagu, who was born in Lichfield.
In the north transept we find a curious monument to Dean
Heywood (died 1492) showing the skeleton of this worthy. The
upper part (which represented him in full canonical costume) has
gone. Similar monuments are in Exeter and Lincoln. In the South
Transept there are busts and memorials to Dr. Samuel Johnson, a
native of Lichfield (died 1784), and to David Garrick (died 1779),
an early resident of Lichfield. In the first bay of the aisle, there is a
monument to the officers and men of the 80th Regiment
(Staffordshire Volunteers), over which hang colours taken from the

Sikhs. At the south end we note a fine altar to one of Nelson’s
captains, Admiral Sir William Parker (died 1866). Note the big
south window (Perpendicular) in which there is some Herkenrode
glass (see page 212).
There is another memorial window in the south aisle of the nave
to the officers of the 64th (2d Staffordshire Regiment) who fell in
the Indian Mutiny.
The Transepts, as we have seen, were built before the nave.
Each consists of three bays with eastern aisles. Most of the windows
are Perpendicular.
“At the south end was probably a large five-light Early English window,
surmounted by a rose window. The rose window still remains, but, being
above the present groining, cannot be seen from inside the cathedral; the five
lights are replaced by a nine-light obtuse-headed window, which seems
much too large for the transept; and this effect is increased by the extreme
whiteness and transparency of its glass. At the north end, the five-light
window is surmounted with three small lights, but these last again are hidden
in the roof.”—(A. B. C.)
Now we come to the Choir, which, including the presbytery and
retro-choir, has eight bays. It has no triforium.
The splays of the windows are beautifully decorated with
quatrefoil ornamentation. There is only one of the original
Decorated windows (east on south side). The others are
Perpendicular.
“The vaulting is very much the same as in the nave, but the vaulting-
shafts divide into seven instead of five ribs; the bosses, as everywhere else in
the cathedral, are very deeply and richly carved.
“On the four eastern sets of piers long slender shafts run up from the base
of the piers in the same way as in the nave, and similarly the spandrels are
ornamented with foliated circles, of which nearly all trace had disappeared
before the recent restoration. This, however, is not the arrangement on the
three western pairs. It was found here that these shafts did not reach the

ground; and so Sir Gilbert Scott, having discovered a portion of the
sculptured wing of an angel just above the dean’s present stall, decided upon
finishing the shafts with corbels in the form of angels occupied in minstrelsy.
Above each of these angels—which were innovations—he placed, under
richly crocketed canopies and standing on very finely-carved brackets, the
figures of six saints.”—(A. B. C.)
Architects love to study the merging of the two styles in this part
of the Cathedral, and one of the best illustrations is the entrance to
the vestibule of the Chapter-House. The arch at the west end of the
north-choir-aisle is very old and interesting and so is the arcading in
the aisles.

“In the first three western bays in both aisles the large arcading, with its
plain trefoiled arches, is clearly Early English. The arcading in the other
bays is equally clearly of the Decorated period, and is considerably smaller.
In the four eastern bays in each aisle the arches go right up to the course
which forms the top of the arcading, and the triangular spandrels thus
formed are ornamented each with a curious little head, having queer
headgear; the rest of the spandrel is carved with foliage, and in the plates of
the foliated arches are quaint animals. The arcading in the remaining bay is
similar, but angels’ heads with wings take up the whole spandrel. Some of
the arcading, notably that in the three easterly bays of the south aisle, is
unrestored. The inferiority of the modern work in the next bay is only too
patent.”—(A. B. C.)
The window over the tomb of Bishop Hackett in the South-
choir-aisle is adorned by lovely foliage. Here, too, we find the very
interesting Minstrels’ Gallery. It was probably placed here in the
Fifteenth Century because the arcading has been cut away to make
room for it. The little gallery rests upon fan-shaped vaulting. As it
stands directly in front of the chapel of the Head of St. Chad, it may
have been used for the purpose of exhibiting this relic to the devout
in the aisle below. (See page 213.) It is similar in style to the
minstrel gallery of the Mediæval halls: hence its name. A staircase
in the wall leads to the gallery.
The Choir-screen, of ornamental metal-work, designed by Sir
Gilbert Scott, is similar to those of Salisbury, Hereford and
Worcester. The Choir-stalls, Bishop’s Throne and elaborate Reredos
are all modern. The south-choir-aisle contains a number of
interesting monuments. There is a monument to “Hodson of
Hodson’s Horse,” killed in the Indian Mutiny. Under the cross is
the King of Delhi surrendering his sword to Major Hodson, with
figures of Justice, Fortitude, Temperance and Mercy and statuettes
of Joshua, David, St. Thomas of India and St. George of England.
Here is also the monument of Bishop Langton (died 1296) with

mutilated effigy. Opposite is the curious monument to Sir John
Stanley of Pipe, the effigy representing the knight naked to the
waist, and the legs in armour. It seems that Captain Stanley had
been excommunicated for some offence, and, after atonement, had
been allowed burial here on condition that evidence of his
punishment should appear on his effigy. The most famous
monument of all, however, is that of The Sleeping Children, by Sir
Francis Chantrey in 1817. It established his fame and is an early
example of the natural style just coming into favour. It represents
two young daughters of William Robinson, Prebendary of the
Cathedral, sleeping in each other’s arms.
We must notice in the north-choir-aisle one window in which
King David is teaching the singers of the House of God. The glass is
old Flemish.
Now we have the Lady-Chapel, the gem of the whole Cathedral,
rendered exceptionally beautiful because of the old glass in the
windows.
“In shape it forms a symmetrical extension, both in height and width, to
the choir, but without aisles; and it has an octagonal apse—the only
example, it is said, of such a termination in the country. It is lighted by nine
high windows, with Decorated tracery. This tracery has recently been
restored in the style of that in the three end windows; until this was done
most of the windows contained Perpendicular tracery.
“The windows rest on an arcade of very beautiful design. The arcade may
be said to consist of a series of small decorated canopies, supported by shafts
with carved capitals, and separated by ornamented buttresses. The canopies,
which bow forward, have trefoil ogee arches, surmounted with crockets and
finials. Above the arcade is a similar embattled parapet to that in the choir,
with a similar passage round the chapel behind it.

“The vaulting of the roof is like that in the choir; the same number of ribs
diverging from the slender shafts which run right down to the bends of the

arcade. Halfway up these shafts are niches, the brackets and canopies to
which are beautifully carved. These are old, but until recently were empty,
and no authentic record remained as to what were the characters
represented.”—(A. B. C.)
In 1895 ten virgin saints and martyrs, by C. E. Kempe, were
placed here.
Of course, all the glass was crashed during the siege of Lichfield;
and, therefore, the windows are filled with other than the original.
The seven most eastern windows contain what is called the
Herkenrode glass, originally in the Abbey of Herkenrode near
Liège. The designs are supposed to be by Lambert Lombard of the
Sixteenth Century. Two of the windows depict founders and
benefactors of the abbey, and the other five, scenes in the life of
Christ. The Herkenrode glass (340 pieces) was bought by

Lichfield: from East Window

Chester: North

Sir Brooke Boothby in Belgium in 1802, for £200, now valued at
£15,000. What remained was used to fill other windows in the
Cathedral. On the south side of the Lady-Chapel are three
“Mortuary Chapels,” with groined roofs. In the central one lies the
effigy of Bishop Selwyn (buried outside), Bishop of New Zealand,
who organized the church in that far-away country. This accounts
for the frescoes showing the Maoris. The two end windows are also
old glass supposed to have come from the Low Countries. One is a
symbolic picture of Baptism; the other, the legendary Death of the
Virgin.
We have yet to examine the Sacristy of the Chapter-House. The
sacristy is on the south side (Early English). Its upper floor was the

Chapel of St. Chad, which, as we have seen, was entered from the
minstrels’ gallery (see page 211). The restored chapel was re-
dedicated on St. Chad’s Day (March 2), 1897.
“The Chapel of St. Chad, first Bishop of Lichfield, and, with the Blessed
Virgin Mary, patron of our Cathedral Church, was destroyed in all
probability when the rest of the Cathedral was laid in ruins in 1643, the siege
beginning on St. Chad’s Day, March 2nd of that year. Little was left: the four
walls remained in a broken condition, with the vaulting-shafts and caps for
the springers of the stone groining, and the wall-ribs, to mark its original
lines; also the very beautiful Early English windows—twelve lancets in
groups of three—which, singularly enough, were little injured. Externally
these are very plain, but internally they are full of interest, and there is
nothing better of the kind in the Cathedral. The site of the old altar is clearly
marked; indeed, a small portion of it has been preserved. The piscina also
still remains. The aumbry remains in which antiquarians suppose that St.
Chad’s relics were preserved.”—(L.)
The Chapter-House and the vestibule leading to it were built
about the middle of the Thirteenth Century (Early English). The
vestibule contains beautiful arcading; the capitals of the pillars are
finely carved. The entrance door into the Chapter-House is very
handsome, with deeply cut mouldings, and capitals of the grouped
shafts richly carved with leaves. Dog-tooth and trefoils are also used
as ornamentation. The Chapter-House is octagonal. The central
pillar, composed of clustered shafts with richly carved capitals of
foliage, carries the eye upward, where the ribs spread out beautifully
over the roof and bosses mark their intersection. The windows are
Early English, of two lights. Below them runs a fine arcading.

CHESTER
Dedication: Christ and the Blessed Virgin. Originally the
Church of a Benedictine Abbey.
Special features: Choir; Choir-Stalls; Chapter-House.
Chester was the church of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Werburgh
when Henry VIII. founded the See after the dissolution of the
monasteries. It had been originally an establishment of secular
canons. The patron saint, St. Werburgh, was a niece of St.
Etheldreda of Ely; and she took the veil at Ely, where she eventually
became abbess. St. Werburgh was buried at Hanbury; but when the
Danes were ravaging Mercia, the monks of Hanbury fled with the
relics of St. Werburgh to Chester, where they were richly enshrined
in the old church of St. Peter and St. Paul. This church was rebuilt in
the Tenth Century; and when a new foundation was made in 1095
by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, at the desire of St. Anselm, the
church was rebuilt, the canons replaced by Benedictine monks and
the house called the Abbey of St. Werburgh.
Rebuilding was again necessary in 1194 and was continued for
centuries. The eastern portion of the church is Early English, the rest
is Decorated with alterations and additions in the Perpendicular
style.
Ancient and royal Chester is one of the most picturesque cities in
England. It was so important in Roman times that it was called the
“City of Legions.” It was also a stronghold of Saxons and Danes.
From the Norman Conquest until the reign of Henry III. the Earls of
Chester had their own courts and parliaments at Chester. Since
Henry III. bestowed the title of Earl of Chester upon his oldest son,

the heir to the throne has always held the earldom. The old church
did not become a cathedral until 1541.
Chester Cathedral, being built of soft red sandstone, suffered
from the weather. Restoration was a necessity. Consequently the
exterior is almost exclusively of the Nineteenth Century. It is
handsome and effective, though, unfortunately, owing to the
situation, somewhat below the level of the street, and the crowding
of buildings, a good view of the Cathedral is hard to obtain.
At one time it was one of the most beautiful, as well as the
richest, in England. It was terribly defaced during the Civil War,
when the Puritans used it for a stable and broke the windows.
Subsequent repairs and restorations have greatly transformed it.
One of the curious features of the Cathedral is the south transept.
It was claimed as the Parish church of St. Oswald until 1881.
Oswald (604-642), be it remembered, was the son of King Ethelfrid,
and became King of Northumbria. He was a convert to Christianity,
which he introduced among the Anglo-Saxons. Killed by Penda, the
King of Mercia, he was canonised by the Roman Catholic Church.
“On approaching the cathedral on the south side, the transept, or church
of St. Oswald, is a remarkable feature. Projecting to nearly the same length
as the nave, with its lofty clerestory and great south window, it attracts
attention as well by its own importance as by the unusual ground-plan which
it gives to the entire building.”—(R. J. K.)
Let us look at the chief features of the exterior:
“The WEST FRONT consists of an eight-light canopied Perpendicular
window, with a band of elaborate tracery succeeded by ordinary tracery of
the period in the head, set between two banded octagonal turrets, which are
battlemented. The west door is peculiar; it consists of an arch under a square
head, with foliated spandrels and a range of angels in the mouldings, deeply
recessed under a larger arch with another square head. On each side are four
crocketed niches, with pedestals denuded of their statues. To the west is a

four-light canopied window, under a panelled band and flanked by a rich but
empty niche on either side.
“The door of the SOUTH PORCH is Tudor with two-light, square-headed
windows and a canopied niche, and an intervening rich band. The windows
of the aisles and clerestory of the nave are Perpendicular; the parapet is
shallow. The SOUTH TRANSEPT, as long as the choir and as broad as the nave,
has a Perpendicular clerestory and south windows, the former of four lights
and with two transoms. The windows of the aisle are Late Decorated and of
four lights separated by buttresses. This description applies to the south side
of the choir, but the aisles are extended within one bay of the east end of the
Lady-chapel, which has Perpendicular windows; the great east window is of
the same date. Traces of Early English architecture appear in the north side
of the choir and Chapter-house. The north window of the transept and
windows of the nave are Perpendicular.”—(Wal.)
We can enter, as we prefer, by the west door, or the south porch.
The Nave is uninteresting. It consists of six bays, the piers are
groups of attached shafts terminating in foliage capitals. The roof is
modern.
Decorated windows light the South aisle. The North aisle
contains some old Norman work. Here we find an ancient Italian
font, presented in 1885, and an old piece of tapestry that has been in
the Cathedral since 1668.
The North transept is small, owing to the monastic buildings on
this side. Here we find Norman work. Some of the windows exhibit
Perpendicular tracery. The roof is Perpendicular.
Until 1881 the South Transept was, as we have said, the Parish
Church of St. Oswald. It has Decorated windows. Perpendicular
windows light the west aisle.
We now enter the Choir. The screen is modern and by Sir G.
Scott.
“The choir is remarkable for the great beauty of the wood-work which it
contains, as well as for its architectural merits. The style is that of the

transition between the Early English and Decorated. The north side differs
from the south, especially in regard to the mouldings. The north side is
earlier than the south, the building having been commenced at the east end
of that side. The mouldings on the north are bold rounds, while those on the
south are shallow and small hollows. The triforium has a series of
elaborately-carved cusped arches, and the clerestory windows are light and
graceful with geometrical tracery. The vault is modern, constructed of good
English oak. At the east there are figures of the sixteen prophets and at the
west are angels playing musical instruments. There are some curious
grotesque corbels, from which the vaulting shafts spring.
“The carving of the CHOIR STALLS is equal, if not superior, to anything in
England. These are Fourteenth Century work and rival the noble stalls of
Amiens. They have been restored with much accuracy and taste. The carving
of the dean’s stall should be noticed, as it represents the Jesse tree,
surmounted by the Coronation of the Virgin. That representing Jacob’s
Dream is modern. The misereres are extremely interesting and curious and
full of religious instruction, though often conveyed in the way of sarcastic
reproof. There are forty-eight, of which three are modern. Some of the most
curious are: a pelican feeding her young; St. Werburgh and the stolen goose;
a wife beating her husband; the strategy of the fox; stag hunt; Richard I.
pulling out the heart of a lion; a fox in the garb of a

Chester: Choir, west

Chester: Choir-stalls

monk presenting a gift to a nun; various wild men; wrestlers; unicorn resting
its head on a virgin’s knee, and numerous grotesques.”—(P. H. D.)
The Altar is modern and is made of oak of Bashan, olive-wood
from the Mount of Olives and the cedar of Lebanon. The Reredos, a
mosaic of the Last Supper, the Pulpit and the Bishop’s Throne are
all modern.
For many years the Shrine of St. Werburgh was used for the
latter. We pause to look at this interesting piece of Fourteenth
Century work, remembering how many eyes of Mediæval pilgrims
have gazed with reverence upon it.
“At the end of the stalls on the south side is the Bishop’s Throne. This has
been formed from the base of the shrine of St. Werburgh, which seems to
have served its present purpose since the foundation of the See in the
Sixteenth Century. It has, however, so greatly altered during the late

‘restoration,’ that it is difficult to ascertain the ancient arrangement. The
lower part, with niches for figures, is ancient. The part resting on this, as
high as the small gilt figures, is modern. The figures themselves are old, and
before the alteration they rested on the ancient base. The pinnacles and all
the upper portion are modern. The ancient portions are early Decorated work
of the Thirteenth Century. The niches in front and at the sides of the base are
lined with a small arcade and vaulted. Above them are foliaged canopies.
The gilt figures hold scrolls, once perhaps bearing names. They are
conjectured to represent kings and queens of Mercia, connected either
directly or collaterally with St. Werburgh. It is possible that when the shrine
itself was perfect, the lower part, with niches, formed a portion of the base,
whilst the small figures may have been a canopy supported by marble shafts.
Under this canopy and on the base the feretory or actual shrine, with the
relics, may have rested. This, however, is but conjecture, since no drawing or
description exists of the shrine before the Reformation.”—(R. J. K.)
The North aisle of the choir will detain the student because there
is much Norman work here. Here can also be traced the termination
of the old Norman apse. The arch in the east wall of the transept is
also Norman, and early, too. The doorway from the north aisle is
Fourteenth Century work. The apse was rebuilt in the Early English
period and made to end in a square. In the Perpendicular period it
was extended further. Note the gates of old Spanish workmanship
across both aisles. They date from 1558.
At the end stands the Lady-Chapel.
“The Lady-Chapel is of Early English design, and was built about 1266,
previous to the present choir. Many alterations were made subsequently,
including the removal of the ancient steep and lofty roof and the substitution
of a flat roof and the insertion of Perpendicular windows. Most of these
additions have been removed and the Early English character restored. The
east window of five lights was designed by Scott, and the original form of
the roof has been restored. The vault, which is original Early English, has a
boss representing the murder of Thomas à Becket. The mosaics were
designed by Sir A. Blomfield. Here the consistory court was held at the time

of the Reformation, and George Marsh, the Chester martyr, was condemned
to be burnt.”—(P. H. D.)
Through a Norman doorway in the north aisle of the choir, we
enter the Cloisters.
“The south walk is entirely new, having been restored by Scott. The west
walk adjoins a fine Early Norman chamber, probably the great cellar of the
abbot’s house. The cloisters are Perpendicular work. In the south and west
walks there is a double arcade on the cloister-garth side, which contained the
carrels, or enclosed studies of wainscot, where the monks read or wrote, and
on the opposite side are recesses which are not tombs, but Armaria or
cupboards, where their books and materials for illuminations were stored. In
the Perpendicular period the roof of the cloisters was raised, which was not
an advantage, as it caused the aisle windows and those of the refectory to be
partly blocked up, and the vaulting cuts into the earlier work. The
Lavatorium is near the Refectory, an Early English building with
Perpendicular windows. It is a noble structure, shorn of some of its length,
and now used as a music room. The stone pulpit is remarkably fine, of Early
English design, which rivals the famous pulpit of Beaulieu Abbey.”—(P. H.
D.)
A doorway in the east walk carries us into the Vestibule of the
Chapter-House.
In the vestibule (Early English) light graceful piers support the
vaulting. The mouldings are very much admired.
The Chapter-House is also Early English and ranks high among
these very national productions. It dates from about 1240. The east
window of five lights is a handsome example of its date.

MANCHESTER
Dedication: St. Mary the Virgin, St. George and St. Denis.
Formerly served by Secular Canons.
Special features: Choir-Stalls; Gordon Window.
Manchester was built for a parish church and only became a
cathedral in 1847. It is a very fine specimen of Perpendicular Gothic
of the early Fifteenth Century, though there are some remains of
older work here and there. The oldest is the arch leading into the
Lady-Chapel. This shows some influences of the Decorated style.
The choir, aisles and chapter-house date from 1422-1458; the
nave was built in 1465-1481; Chapel of the Holy Trinity, 1498;
Jesus Chapel, 1506; St. James’ Chantry (Ducie Chapel), 1507; St.
George’s Chapel, 1508; Ely Chapel, 1515; and Lady-Chapel in
1518. The Cathedral suffered during the Civil Wars and has been
much restored.
The exterior is not particularly impressive. The walls are grimy
with smoke and there is no emerald sward, nor are there ivy-covered
walls.
The one tower (built in 1864-1868) rises above a still more recent
Western porch, designed by Basil Champneys and ornamented
with a parapet and a single crocketed turret, which gives it a very
unsymmetrical appearance. The square tower contains a clock in the
first stage, soars 140 feet and is finished with a pierced battlement
with pinnacles at the corners.
Turning round the corner, we come to the South porch, two bays
and two stories (modern) and elaborately carved. Next comes the
Jesus Chapel; then the octagonal Chapter-House; then the Fraser
memorial chapel; and then we turn the corner and come to the Lady-

Chapel, unusually small and projecting only about eighteen feet.
The windows are Eighteenth Century, though the tracery is
Decorated in general character.
Passing the window of the north-choir-aisle and the eastern end
of the Derby Chapel, we again turn the corner. The first projection is
the Ely Chapel and the next and smaller one is an engine room used
for working the organ. The small door next opens into the ante-
chapel of the Derby Chapel. Finally we reach the north porch.
“It is a dimly lighted building; this is due chiefly to two causes: first to
the fact that it is enormously wide, and the aisle windows are therefore far
from the central nave, and secondly to the fact that almost all the windows
both of aisles and clerestory are filled with painted glass, in many cases of a
deep colour, and rendered still more impervious to light by the incrustation
of carbon deposited on their outside by the perpetual smoke of the city. So
dark is the church that in the winter months it has generally to be lit with gas
all the day long, and even in the summer, in comparatively bright weather,
some gas burners will generally be found alight. The mist also of the exterior
atmosphere finds its way into the building, and hangs beneath the roof,
lending an air of mystery to the whole place, and giving rise to most
beautiful effects when the sunlight streams through the clerestory windows.
The tone also of the nave arcading and clerestory rebuilt in recent years, of
warm, rose-coloured sandstone, is very lovely.”—(T. P.)
The Nave is wider than it is long. With its double aisles it
measures 114 feet; its length is only 85 feet. The choir is about the
same proportion. The Lady-Chapel, at the extreme east, is very
small. The sides of the nave and choir are still further extended by
chapels, partitioned off by screens. On the south side of the nave we
have first St. George’s Chapel (founded in 1508) and St.
Nicholas’s Chapel (founded in 1186, before the present church was
built); and on the north side the space once occupied by the Holy
Trinity Chapel (1498) and St. James’s Chapel (1507).

“This church differs from most of our cathedral and abbey churches in
having no triforium.[8] And the clerestory is not lofty, so that the church is
rather low for its width, though the height of the arches of the main arcade
prevents this being felt. The roofs of the aisles are all modern, but that of the
nave, though extensively repaired, has much of the original work in it, and,
with the exception of a few bosses, the choir roof is old. All the roofs are of
timber; in the nave the intersections of the main beams are covered by
beautiful bosses carved out of the solid wood. On either side, at the points
from which the main cross beams spring, is a series of angelic figures
splendidly carved in wood: those on the south side playing stringed
instruments, those on the north side wind instruments.
“The pillars of the main arcade of the nave are modern work built in
imitation of the original ones. They are light and graceful, and, like many
other pillars of fifteenth century date, are formed of shafts of which only half
have separate capitals, the other mouldings running round the arch. The
spaces between the arches are elaborately carved with heraldic shields.”—(T.
P.)
In the nave we find the one interesting window in the Cathedral
(the most eastern one in the Ducie Chapel), a memorial to General
Gordon killed at Khartoum in 1888. It consists of five lights.
Gordon is in the centre, his hand on the head of a native boy.
Natives and angels occupy the other lights.
Towards the east end of the nave stands the

Manchester: South

Manchester: Nave, east

modern pulpit and then an ancient rood-screen with three wide
openings and double doors.
Passing through the screen, we enter the Choir, sometimes called
the Radcliffe Choir, because members of this family were buried
here.
The Choir-stalls date from the early Sixteenth Century and
resemble those in Ripon Cathedral and Beverley Minster.
“There are twelve stalls on either side, and three on each side of the
entrance through the rood-screen facing east. The stalls are furnished with
misereres, which, in common with many others both in England and on the
Continent, represent all manner of quaint subjects, monsters, animals,
hunting scenes, etc.
“The carved elbows of the stalls and the end of the book desks are also
worthy of careful examination, especially the Eagle and Child and general

carving of the Dean’s Stall, which is a marvel of beautiful workmanship, and
said by high authorities to be unequalled.
“Between the stalls the floor is one step higher than that of the nave, and
at the east end of the stall, there is a further rise of two steps as we pass into
the presbytery. Here, on the south side, we see the bishop’s throne—modern
work, carved with a view to be in harmony with the stalls, but comparing
unfavourably with them in execution. There is a rise of two more steps into
the sanctuary, and the altar itself is raised two steps higher; this gives a good
effect. Behind the altar is an elaborately carved wooden reredos of modern
work, richly painted and gilt.”—(T. P.)
A fine ancient screen runs across the arch at the opening of the
Lady-Chapel.
Along the south side of the south-choir-aisle we first come to the
vestry, then to the Jesus Chapel (now a library), separated from the
aisle by a handsome screen of the Sixteenth Century. Then we reach
the fine entrance to the Chapter-House, beneath a large arch. At the
end is the Fraser Chapel, with an altar cenotaph to the second
Bishop of Manchester, James Fraser (died 1885), buried elsewhere.
On the north aisle of the choir the space is occupied by the Derby
Chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was the private chapel
of the Stanley family, to which the Earls of Derby belong. It was
begun by James Stanley (1485-1509), who became Bishop of Ely.
He died in 1515 and was buried near the Ely Chapel, where the
original tomb and brass are still to be seen.

CARLISLE
Dedication: The Holy Trinity. Formerly served by
Augustinian Canons.
Special features: Choir and East Window.
In the ancient town of North Cumberland—the famous border town
appearing so frequently in ballads as “Merry Carlisle”—the
Cathedral shares the honours with the Castle. Both date from about
1092.
When William Rufus II. rebuilt and fortified Carlisle, he left one
Walter, a Norman priest, as governor. He began to build a church
and priory, but died in the meantime and Henry I. continued the
work. The church was dedicated in 1101; the monastery of
Augustinians was founded in 1121; and the Cathedral established in
1133. It was built in the Norman style, a nave with aisles, transepts
and a tower at the intersection of the latter. The architect was Hugh,
once abbot of Beaulieu. The Norman choir was taken down early in
the Thirteenth Century and rebuilt in the Early English style. Two
fires—especially the one in 1292—wrought much damage. About
the middle of the Fourteenth Century the choir was completed in the
Decorated style, and the magnificent East window was also inserted
at this time. Robert Bruce took up his quarters in the Cathedral after
the Battle of Bannockburn (1314). In 1392 the north transept
suffered from fire. Bishop Strickland (1400-1419) restored it and
rebuilt the central tower, adding to it a wooden spire. Henry VIII.
disestablished the monastery and formed a Cathedral.
During the Civil War the Puritan soldiers were quartered in the
Cathedral and did much damage.

They pulled down two-thirds of the Norman nave in order to get
stones with which to repair the fortifications. At the rising of
Charles Edward, “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” in 1745, his soldiers
captured Carlisle and used the Cathedral for their headquarters; and
when the Duke of Cumberland arrived, the church was again used
as barracks and many of the Jacobites were confined in its walls.
Carlisle is a fine place to study all the styles of Early English in
simple, pointed, geometric and flowing. It is famed for its
wonderful East Window and the superb Choir, one of the finest in
England.
“A good view is obtained from the castle. The usual approach is from the
east end, whence we observe the grand east window with its beautiful Late
Decorated tracery. It is flanked by buttresses, with niches and crocketed
pinnacles. In the niches are statues of SS. Peter, Paul, James and John. A
foliated cross crowns the gable and on each side are four similar crosses. In
the gable is a triangular window, having three trefoils, and below is a niche
with a figure of the Virgin. The Central Tower, built by Bishop Strickland
(1400-1419) on the old Norman piers, is too small for the huge choir and
lacks dignity. Formerly it was crowned with a wooden spire, but this has
been removed. There is a turret set at the north-east angle, and in the north
side is a niche with the figure of an angel. The lower part of the choir is
Early English, with the exception of a Perpendicular window at the west, and
a Decorated one in the east bay. The clerestory is Late Decorated, and the
windows have flowing tracery. The ball-flower ornament is extensively used
in the cornice. The sculpture at Carlisle is worthy of notice. Carved heads
and curious gargoyles abound. The North Transept is

Carlisle: South-west

Carlisle: Choir

nearly all modern. It was rebuilt by Strickland in the Fifteenth Century, and
again rebuilt when the church was restored. There is, however, an Early
English window in the west wall. On the east side there was formerly a
chapel, which has not survived the repeated alterations. The greater part of
the Nave was taken down by Cromwell’s soldiers. What is left is of
unmistakable Norman character. There is some modern imitation work, and
late architectural detail. Most of the windows are modern, and also the
doorway. The south side is similar to the north. The South Transept
preserves the old Norman walls. On the south is a modern doorway with a
window over it. On the east is St. Catherine’s Chapel, a Late Early English
or Early Decorated building. The south side of the choir is similar to the
north, and presents Early English details of construction. The monastic
buildings once stood on the south side of the church but they have been
pulled down with the exception of the fratry and gatehouse, the stone being
used for repairing the fortifications of the city by Puritan soldiery. The
refectory, or fratry, was rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century, and is now used as a
chapter-house. There is a fine reader’s pulpit here. The gateway was erected
by Prior Slee in 1527. The Deanery is a fine old house, and was formerly the
prior’s lodging. It was rebuilt in 1507.”—(P. H. D.)
The Nave is Norman, but of the eight bays only two now remain.
The piers are low, the arches semicircular, and it appears that later
hands carved the Early English foliage on the capitals. The triforium
shows plain round-headed arches. The clerestory has three arches in
each bay, resting on shafts with carved capitals. The west end is
modern. Sir Walter Scott was married here in 1797.
The North Transept was rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century and the
north end again in modern times. The large window is modern and
Decorated in style. An Early English window in the west end is a
good example of plate-tracery. The roof is modern; the arch of the
choir aisle, Decorated. Norman piers support the Tower, to which
Bishop Strickland added additional columns, Perpendicular with
foliated capitals. The crescent and fetterlock on the capital of the

eastern arch are emblems of the Percy family; the rose and scallop
shell on the western side, of the Dacres and Nevilles.
The South Transept is only one bay: The arch into the choir-
aisle is Norman with zigzag ornaments and cushion capitals.
Another Norman arch opens into St. Catherine’s Chapel, now a
vestry. It was founded by John de Capella, a wealthy citizen. The
beautiful screen is Late Decorated.
The Choir consists of eight pointed arches: it is 138 feet long and
72 feet high.
“We now enter the choir by the door in the organ-screen. This is one of
the finest in England—spacious, lofty, well-proportioned and rich in all its
details. The arches of the main arcade are Early English, as the mouldings
and dog-tooth ornament testify. These remained after the fire of 1292 and
were retained. The piers are Early Decorated and were evidently built to
support the arches after the fire. The capitals were carved later in the Late
Decorated period, when the upper parts of the choir, triforium, clerestory,
roof and east end were rebuilt. The builders were probably Bishops Welton
and Appleby (1353-1395). When the choir was rebuilt in Early English
times, the architect determined to enlarge it, and as the monastic buildings
on the south prevented any expansion in that direction, the south piers of the
choir retained their old position, while the north were moved further
northward, and a new north aisle added. Thus the choir and the tower and
nave are not quite symmetrical, and there is a blank wall at the north-west
end of the choir which is thus accounted for. The details of the architecture
of the choir merit close attention, especially the sculpture. Small figures of
men, animals and monsters are mingled with the foliage. There are some
admirable representations of the seasons, beginning with the second capital
on the south, counting from the east end. There is a very fine timber roof,
constructed about the middle of the Fourteenth Century. The scheme of
colour decoration is, unfortunately, not original.”—(P. H. D.)
The East Window is one of the finest Decorated windows in
existence. The stone-work is not new, but it is believed to be an
exact reproduction of the original. It is composed of 86 distinct