Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lincoln: A History and Description of its Fabric and a List of the BishopsKendrick, A. F. (Albert Frank)
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lincoln: A History and Description of its Fabric and a List of the Bishops
Kendrick, A. F. (Albert Frank)
Lincoln Cathedral
At the western end, an oak screen, carved with Gothic tracery and the
linen pattern, separates the aisle from the chapel of St. James. The
two westernmost piers on the south side shew the clumsy way in which
they were restored after the fall of the central tower. On the side of
the third pier is a carved head supporting a bracket in Purbeck marble.
The =Eastern Transept= is also the work of St. Hugh. There have been
alterations made at a later period; these will be pointed out. The four
semi-circular chapels on the east side were considered by Professor Willis
to have been finished after the death of St. Hugh, though no doubt forming
part of the original design. There hardly appears to be any necessity to
assign them to a later date than the rest of the transept. The northern
arm is in two bays, with the two semi-circular chapels on its eastern
side, and a chamber, misnamed the "Dean's Chapel," to the west.
[Illustration: THE EAST TRANSEPT, LOOKING NORTH.
_S. B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]
The end bay of the transept is cut off by an arch, carrying a wall above
which reaches to the vault. The wall is pierced by openings similar to
those of the triforium and clerestory, but they are unglazed, and through
them we can see the windows of the outer wall. The compartment which this
end bay thus forms has a stone vault at the height of the lower arch,
leaving the part above open to the roof. Thus it happens that, looking
from below through the upper openings, we are able to see right through
to the massive wooden beams which support the outer roof. This is
the only part of the interior from which the roof can be seen. It is
interesting to notice the rows of windows in the north wall, culminating
in the narrow lancets which fill the gable. The triforium is very similar
to that of the choir. Each bay contains two arches, themselves divided
into two sub-arches. The tympana are pierced, as before, with trefoils
and quatrefoils, except in the case of the first bay on the eastern side,
where they are plain. This is an interesting point, and is considered
to mark the earliest existing part of St. Hugh's work. The clerestory
is formed of narrow single lancets. The double arcading of St. Hugh is
seen to the left of the doorway, in the north wall, which leads to the
cloisters. Two columns of extraordinary design occur in this transept.
One is at the south-east corner of the "Dean's Chapel," and the other
is in a corresponding position on the other side of the church. Each
consists of an octagonal pier in the centre, with crockets running
up four of its sides; these are protected by four circular shafts of
Purbeck marble, which stand before them and alternate with hexagonal
fluted shafts. The crockets form "a remarkable and uncommon feature,
which seems to have been in use for a very few years; it occurs also in
the west front of Wells Cathedral, the work of Bishop Joceline, a few
years after this at Lincoln" (_Rickman_). The original purpose of the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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