Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal SeeClifton, A. B.
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal See
Clifton, A. B.
Lichfield Cathedral
There was also a bell called the "Clocke Bell," which was hung in the
lowest storey of the Jesus spire. It is shown in the south view given
in Fuller's "Church History," and particular attention is there directed
to it. The clock bell and all the others are now hung in the top storey
of the tower.
There is also a small bell in the great central tower called "the
Tantony": it formerly belonged to the Dyott family.
In the south-west tower is also the new =Clock,= which was put up in
1890. The face is underneath, in the west end of the south aisle of the
nave; there is no outside face. The well-known Cambridge quarter chimes
can, it is said, be heard at a distance of three miles.
In the green grass of the close are many tombstones, and round about
the cathedral stone coffins have been dug up; on the north side of the
choir is the traditional burying-place of two Mercian kings.
CHAPTER III
THE INTERIOR
Lichfield is one of the smallest cathedrals in England. In length it only
measures 370 feet from the inside of the west door to the extreme end of
the inside of the Lady Chapel, while the interior of the nave, with its
aisles, is only a little more than 68 feet wide; and yet its smallness
is not the first fact that will strike the visitor on entering the west
door: rather, on the other hand, its immense length in proportion to its
height and width will be noticed, but probably all other feelings will
be forgotten in the beauty of the vista that lies before him. The long
line of arches and the long low roof, with its almost countless bosses,
lead the eye down to the Lady Chapel, where a mass of blue and red shows
that the cathedral has some of the most beautiful glass in the kingdom.
The orientation of the nave and choir are not the same--the choir and
Lady Chapel being considerably inclined to the north. Many have been the
theories raised by the curious discoveries made as to the deflections
of various parts of this cathedral. They are too numerous to quote here,
and it will be sufficient to note that the total deflection of the east
end from the true east is about ten degrees.
[Illustration: A BAY OF THE NAVE--INTERIOR.]
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