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
Continuing our pilgrimage round the church we see the chapter-house
and the Lady Chapel, which has been too much restored with new niches
and statues of holy women mentioned in the Bible. The lower row (New
Testament) has figures of Priscilla, Anna, Dorcas, Mary of Bethany
with box of ointment, Martha with a dish and cloth, Lydia, Phebe and
Elizabeth; above Esther, Ruth with corn, Naomi, Rizpah, Deborah,
Miriam, Rachel and Rebecca. Passing the so-called mortuary chapels,
probably vestries, we notice a noble figure of the Madonna on south
side, and though the head has been defaced, and the child knocked
away, it remains a beautiful study of fourteenth-century pose and
drapery. On the corners of the sacristy are figures of Godefroi de
Bouillon and St. Chad. The south portal has been much restored. It is
similar to the north doorway, but not so rich in architectural
details. On the tympanum are shields with arms of the diocese, and on
the west the arms of Lady Catherine Leveson, a benefactress of the
time of Bishop Hacket, and an inscription recording her munificence on
the east. A row of niches is over the door, formerly filled with
figures of Roman cement. Happily they have disappeared. The rose
window is very fine.
INTERIOR
We enter the church by the west door, and are struck with the richness
and beauty of the view of the nave and choir, the clustered columns
with richly-carved capitals, the elaborate reredos of marble and
alabaster, and the stained glass of the Lady Chapel. It will be
noticed that the choir inclines considerably to the north. This
difference in orientation is observable in many churches, and has been
interpreted as a figurative representation of the bending of our
Lord's head upon the Cross. We believe that this beautiful fancy has
no authority, and most probably the inclination was accidental. No
records tell us when this nave was built. It is earlier than the west
front, and was begun about 1250, at the time when the Early English
style was being merged in that of the Decorated. There are eight bays.
The piers are octagonal, with many shafts, the capitals enriched with
foliage of Early English type. The triforium has two arches in each
bay, each arch has two sub-arches, with cusped heads, and a quatrefoil
in the tympanum. Dog-tooth ornament is used copiously. The clerestory
windows are triangular, with three circles in each, and a trefoil in
each circle. Mr. Petit stated, "Nothing can exceed this nave in beauty
and gracefulness." The roof was originally of stone. This the
besiegers damaged, and after its restoration the stone vaulting was
found too heavy for the walls and piers; hence it was removed, except
the portions at the immediate east and west end. Wyatt covered the
rest with plaster to imitate the original work. The roof has now been
coloured, so that it is impossible to discover any difference between
the stone and plaster ceiling.
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