The Cathedrals of Great Britain: Their History and ArchitectureDitchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
History
The Cathedrals of Great Britain: Their History and Architecture
Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
Cathedrals -- Great Britain; Church architecture -- Great Britain
Passing on to the east we notice the beautiful lofty choir. The main
part of the walls are Norman, and we notice the unusual polygonal
radiating chapels, which are part of the original Norman plan. The
windows are Decorated and Perpendicular, inserted in Norman openings.
The great east window is the largest and finest in England. The _Lady
Chapel_ was originally Early English work, built in 1225, but it was
rebuilt in 1457-1499, during the rule of Abbots Hanley and Farley. It
has four bays, each bay being filled with a lofty Perpendicular
window. There is a passage beneath the chapel, which was necessary in
order to reach the northern side. The chapel is one of the most
beautiful in England. The central _Tower_ is remarkable for its grace
and grandeur. The present one is the work of Abbot Seabrooke
(1450-1457), and belongs to the Perpendicular period. The bells are
ancient, and happily were saved, when the monastery was dissolved,
from the greedy hands of the commissioners of Henry VIII. The monastic
buildings are on the north side, which we shall examine later. There
is a fine view of the Cathedral from the north-west. On the north-west
is the Deanery, formerly the prior's lodging, a very interesting
house; and between it and the north aisle is a passage, the old Norman
slype communicating between the cloisters and the close.
THE INTERIOR
[Illustration NAVE PILLARS FROM THE WEST]
Entering by the south porch we note its Norman character. The old
Norman wooden roof has been replaced by a stone vault, and Decorated
windows of the time of the second Edward have been inserted, but
otherwise there has been little change. The west end, with two bays of
the nave, is Abbot Morwent's work (1420-1437). He destroyed two
western towers or turrets, which were built in 1222-1243 in place of
two similar Norman structures. The height of the Norman piers is
unusual, leaving a small space for the triforium and clerestory. The
zigzag and double cable moulding appear on the main arches. Abbot
Serlo was the builder of the original nave. The stone vault was
erected by the monks in the thirteenth century (1242), when the
clerestory was altered in the Early English style by Abbot Foliot
(1228-1243). Morwent inserted Perpendicular tracery in these windows.
The remains of coloured decoration were discovered during the
restoration. We have mentioned the numerous fires which wrought havoc
here. Traces of the fire may still be seen in the reddened surface of
the piers. The contrast between the Norman piers and the Perpendicular
piers at the west end is noticeable, also the disappearance of the
triforium in the last bay and the lierne vault. The west window
contains some modern glass inserted in memory of Bishop Monk (1856).
There is a curious series of grotesque heads on the arches of the nave
showing the mummeries of gleemen. The story of the _North Aisle_ is
similar to that of the nave. We have the same Norman work and the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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