Highways and Byways in LincolnshireRawnsley, W. F. (Willingham Franklin)
History
Highways and Byways in Lincolnshire
Rawnsley, W. F. (Willingham Franklin)
Lincolnshire (England) -- Description and travel
From the west front we should walk along the south side, passing first
the consistory court with its three lancet windows, and high pitched
gable, where is the little figure of “the devil looking over Lincoln.”
This forms a small western transept, and has a corresponding transept
on the north side, containing the ringers’ chapel and that of St. Mary
Magdalene.
[Sidenote: THE EAST END]
Going on we get a view of the clerestory windows in the nave, above which
is the parapet relieved by canopied niches, once filled with figures.
The flying nave buttresses now come into view, and next we reach, at
the south-western corner of the great transept, the beautifully built
and highly ornamented “Galilee Porch,” which was meant for the bishop’s
entrance from his palace into the cathedral. The room over it is now the
muniment room. From this point we get a striking view of the western
towers with the southern turret of the west front. The buttresses of the
transept run up to the top of the clerestory, and end in tall pinnacles
with statue-niches and crockets. The transept gable has a delicately
pierced parapet and lofty pinnacles. Above is a five-light Decorated
window, and below this a broad stone frieze, and then the large round
window, “The Bishop’s Eye,” with its unspeakably lovely tracery, a marvel
of lace-work in stone; below this comes a row of pointed arcading. The
eastern transept is the next feature, with another fine high-pitched
gable. Here the work of St. Hugh ends. The apsidal chapels of St. Paul
and St. Peter are at the east side of this transept, and then, along
the south side of the Angel Choir, the chapels of Bishops Longland and
Russell, with the splendid south-east porch between them. This, from
its position, is unique in English churches, and was probably designed
for the state entrance of the bishop after the presbytery had been
added, in place of the Galilee porch entrance. It has a deeply recessed
arch, with four canopied niches holding fine figures. The doorway has
two trefoil headed arches, divided by a central shaft with a canopied
niche above it, once containing the figures of the Virgin and Child.
Above this, and in the tympanum, is represented the Last Judgment. The
buttresses of the Angel Choir are beautifully and harmoniously enriched
with canopy and crocket, and the upper windows are perfect in design and
execution. Apart from its splendid position, it is this exquisite finish
to the beautifully designed building that makes Lincoln Cathedral so
“facile princeps” among English cathedrals. At the south-east buttress
are finely conceived figures of Edward I. trampling on a Saracen, and
his Queen Eleanor; and another figure possibly represents his second
queen, Margaret. Coming round to the east we look with delighted eyes
on what has been called “the finest example of Geometrical Decorated
Architecture to be found in the kingdom.” The window is not so fine as
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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