How to Visit the English CathedralsSingleton, Esther
History
How to Visit the English Cathedrals
Singleton, Esther
Cathedrals -- England
Retracing our steps into the choir and passing into the
=South-choir-aisle=, we examine the Glenham window, which is of the same
date as the corresponding one in the north-choir-aisle.
The subjects are--in the centre, above, _Our Lord Driving the Money
Changers from the Temple_; below, _Jacob’s Dream_; on the right, above,
the _Tribute Money_; below, _Melchisedec_ and _Abraham_; the subject on
the left, above, is uncertain; below, the _Sacrifice of Gideon_.
From the western bay of the south-choir-aisle we enter the =Newton
Chapel=, where members of the Newton family lie. This dates from
1332-1341. The style is late Decorated. The south wall divides it from
the Chapter-House, with which it is parallel.
On the right, after passing out of the Newton Chapel, we come to one of
Abbot Knowle’s recesses. The foliage consists of oak leaves and acorns
interspersed here and there with tiny sprays of mistletoe, an unusual
ornament, in church decoration.
We next pass the =Tomb of Thomas, Lord Berkeley=, who died in 1243. He is
represented in armour. His crossed legs show that he was a
knight-templar. This is the oldest monument in the cathedral. The next
recess contains the effigy of =Maurice, Lord Berkeley=, who died in 1281.
He is also in armour. In the next bay we pass up one step to the
entrance of a =Vestibule= (once a sacristy, now a music-room for the
choristers), a fine specimen of Decorated work. Through this we pass
into =Berkeley Chapel=.
“Opposite the entrance door on the south side are three ogee arches
with niches between. In one of these, the third from the west, was
a hearth upon which the sacramental bread was baked. The
ornamentation in the spandrels and the finials is curiously
interesting work in foliage. The vaulting of the roof would seem to
stamp the work as that of Abbot Knowle. It consists of curved ribs,
quite detached, large in section, springing from small capitals.
The bosses are particularly fine, the foliage being very flowing
and free. It is difficult to realise that the mason has here done
in stone what many wood-carvers would fail to do in their softer
material. The door into the Berkeley Chapel is enriched with a
niche overhead, and a moulding below consisting of medlers.”--(H.
J. L. J. M.)
The Berkeley Chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is thought that
an altar also stood here to St. Keyne, who turned to stone all the
snakes in the vicinity. The ammonites were probably suggested by finding
one or two in a piece of stone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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