The tower having been much injured and weakened by fire, a new one,
according to Blomefield, was begun and finished by Bishop Ralph de
Walpole; but this, says Britton, more properly applies to the spire, the
style of which, rather than of the tower, corresponds with that period.
Bishop Walpole ruled the diocese from 1289 to 1299. Before his
translation to Ely, which took place in the latter year, he commenced the
cloister at the north-east angle, and built the chapter house. He only
completed a small portion of the east aisles. The chapter house has
since been destroyed. The rest of the cloister was built by Richarde de
Uppenhall, Bishop Salmon, Henry de Will, John de Hancock, Bishop
Wakering, Jeffery, Symonds, and others, and was completed A.D. 1430, in
the 133rd year from the first commencement of the work.
In January, 1362, the spire was blown down, and the choir thereby much
injured; but under the auspices of Bishop Percy, the present spire was
erected and the choir repaired. In 1629, the upper part of the spire was
again blown down, and in 1633, at a general chapter, it was ordered to be
repaired. In 1843, seven feet were added to its elevation, with the
present finial which formed a consistent termination to the crockets.
In 1463, the church was much injured by fire, the wood work in the
interior of the tower having been ignited by lightning. Under Bishop
Lyhart, however, it was again repaired and ornamented. The splendid
stone roof of the nave was added, the cathedral was paved, and a tomb was
erected over the founder, which was afterwards demolished during the
great rebellion. About the year 1488, Bishop Goldwell built the roof of
the choir of similar but inferior work to that of the nave, adding the
upper windows and flying buttresses. He also fitted up the choir and the
chapels around it, and covered the arched stone work with lead. In 1509
the transepts having been much injured by fire, Bishop Nykke repaired
them, adding stone roofs to them in the same manner as the rest of the
church.
At the dissolution of the monasteries, the cathedral suffered greatly
from the zeal of the Reformers, much curious work being destroyed; and
several obnoxious crucifixes, images, niches, tabernacles, and paintings,
were removed. In 1643, the fanatics took possession of the church and
the adjoining palace, and plundered them of all that was valuable. The
Yarmouth people being in want of a workhouse, sent a petition to the Lord
Protector, praying that “that great useless pile, the cathedral, might be
pulled down, and the stones given them to build a workhouse.” Of course
the petition was not granted. Soon after the restoration, the church was
fitted up again. In 1740, the nave and aisles were newly paved, the
tower was repaired, and the church cleaned. In 1763, the floor of the
choir was again repaved, the stalls repaired and painted, and other
improvements made, not always in harmony with the original structure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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