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
We enter by the north porch. The _Nave_ covers the same ground as the
original Norman Cathedral, and some remains of the old building are
left. At the west end the door entering into the north aisle, at the
north-east angle of the north aisle, and the great Norman shafts
running up the centre of the second piers from the west, are pure
Norman. The two _Western Bays_ are Transition Norman, and are an
interesting study. We see here almost the earliest advance of Gothic
art and the earliest traces of the Early English feeling which
manifested itself for the first time in its developed form in the
choir of Lincoln. It will be observed that the arches are pointed, but
the capitals are Late Norman. The triforium is peculiar, and has a
series of pointed arches over three round-headed openings, the centre
one being much higher than the rest, and the ornaments are the zigzag,
lozenge and curious knots of carved leafage. The clerestory consists
of groups of three windows under round arches, the tracery at the back
being Perpendicular insertions. The date of this portion is about
1160. The vault was fashioned by Bishop Wakefield (1375-1394). There
are seven remaining bays. Those on the south are later than those on
the north, and the earlier work is the richer and more beautiful. On
the north the five eastern bays and the pier arches of the other two
are Decorated (1317-1327), while the rest of these two bays and all
the south side are Early Perpendicular. The great west window is
modern, erected in 1865 in Early Decorated style. Sculptured figures
of characters from the Old Testament appear in the tympana of the
triforium.
The _South Aisle_ has two west bays of Transition Norman work like the
nave, quadripartite vaulting, Late Decorated windows, high in the wall
on account of the cloister on the other side, and two doorways called
the monks' and the prior's. The wall is original Norman. Here is a
large modern font. The _North Aisle_ has also the two west bays of
Transition Norman. The vaulting is Decorated, the work of Bishop
Cobham (1317-1321), and the rest of the aisle belongs to the same
period. The _Jesus Chapel_ opens from this aisle, separated by a
modern screen in Perpendicular style. This chapel has been recently
restored by the Hon. Percy Alsop, and the scheme of decoration is very
elaborate and beautiful. The _Pulpit_ is a very handsome and elaborate
structure made of marble and alabaster, with some excellent carving.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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