Bell's Cathedrals: Southwark Cathedral: Formerly the Collegiate Church of St. Saviour, Otherwise St. Mary Overie. A Short History and Description of the Fabric, with Some Account of the College and the SeeWorley, George
History
Bell's Cathedrals: Southwark Cathedral: Formerly the Collegiate Church of St. Saviour, Otherwise St. Mary Overie. A Short History and Description of the Fabric, with Some Account of the College and the See
Worley, George
Southwark Cathedral (London, England)
The nave consists of seven bays on each side, divided by piers,
alternately circular and octagonal, like those in the choir, with
triple vaulting shafts on the north and south sides (the central shaft
in each case being of Purbeck), and a single shaft on the east and
west, corresponding with the interior order of the arches. The
vaulting shafts are banded. The deeply moulded arches are somewhat
loftier and more acutely pointed than those in the choir, placing the
triforia on a slightly higher level, but the triforia of nave and
choir are alike in that in both cases they consist of four arched
openings in each bay. Every bay is walled off from its neighbours on
either side, but has an opening at the back into a passage above the
aisles, which is continuous throughout nave and choir. In the
westernmost bay on either side, the triforium arcade has a wall
immediately behind the shafts. In the other bays it is recessed, and
open above the level of the aisle vaulting. In these respects the
architect has reversed the old arrangement, as in the original nave
the two westernmost bays had open triforia, the others simply
containing a shallow arcading. This arrangement, taken in conjunction
with traces of an incipient tower discovered within the two western
bays, seems to show that these bays were intended to form a narthex,
or vestibule, to the church, but it does not appear that the tower was
ever erected, or that the vestibule ever went beyond the conception.
The clerestory is lighted by plain lancet windows, enclosed in an
elegant arcading.
Entering the church by the great doorway at the south-west, and
looking towards the east, we get a fine perspective of over two
hundred feet, including the nave arcading in its three stages, the
groined and vaulted roof, and a good view of the choir, terminating in
Bishop Fox's fine stone screen, with the three-light window above it.
[Illustration: _Photo._ _G.P. Heisch._
THE CHOIR VAULT.]
In both aisles there is an interesting series of modern windows
intended to memorialise the great names associated with the Church,
the Borough of Southwark, and the history of England--all excellent
specimens of the revived art of glass-staining, and all at present
designed by Mr. C.E. Kempe. The visitor will find it convenient to
begin his examination of the interior at the =North Aisle=. The window
at the extreme west end of this aisle contains a figure of St.
Augustine of Hippo, as Patron of the Augustinian Canons, introduced
early in the twelfth century, when the Collegiate Church was
transformed into a monastery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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