Cathedrals -- England; England -- Description and travel
By the time that the Normans cast their influence over Worcester, Bishop
Wulfstan had gained so much fame for saintliness that it is recorded he
was the only English prelate left in charge of his see. But subsequent
history somewhat discounts his holy character and demonstrates his
readiness to conform with new customs.
He met the Normans half-way by undertaking to build a great church of
stone, after the Norman style of architecture.
In 1088 he suffered interruption through Welsh raids, but finally
signalised the end of his labours by holding a synod in the crypt in
1094.
Another notable foundation of his is the Commandery, in 1095, believed
to be one of the rarest specimens of early house architecture now
extant. We cannot be too grateful for his contribution to church
architecture, though only the outer walls of the nave, the aisles, a
part of the transept walls, some shafts, and the crypt remain as
evidences of his Norman adaptability.
Here it is well to accentuate the fact that the crypt (1084) is apsidal,
and that only three other examples of this style exist, namely at
Winchester, Gloucester, and Canterbury, all dating within the last
twenty years of the eleventh century.
The nave (1175) was much injured by the collapse of the central tower.
In the meanwhile, though dead some two hundred years, the saintly
character of Wulfstan suffered no diminution, and was turned to
profitable use by the monks soon after 1203, the year of his
canonisation. The magnificent offerings to his shrine became so numerous
and rich that the monks were enabled to finish the Cathedral in
1216--surely the most fitting memorial to the great founder. They
continued their labours by adding a Lady chapel, soon after, in the east
end, and rebuilding the choir in the Early English style. In the
fourteenth century the nave was reconstructed, the Decorated style being
introduced in the north side and the Perpendicular in the south.
The Chapter House is a round building with a stone roof resting on a
central pillar, and dates from the Late Norman period.
The Refectory belongs to the Decorated, and the Perpendicular style
claims the cloisters. The central tower is just over one hundred and
sixty feet in height. As can be seen by the drawing, the plan of the
building is a pure cross. There are two transept aisles, and only
secondary transepts to the choir exist. A noteworthy circumstance is
that St. Helen's, Worcester, is the earliest recipient of a chantry
(1288).
The most interesting memorial in this cathedral is King John's, in the
choir, said to be the earliest sepulchral effigy of an English king in
the country. In the Chantry Chapel there is an altar-tomb to Arthur,
Prince of Wales and son to Henry VII., who died in 1502. John Bauden,
bishop, and author of "Icon Basilike," has a monument. Bishop Hough's
memory is perpetuated by the work of Roubillac, and that of Mrs. Digby
by the sculpture of Chantrey.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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