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
is one of the finest Decorated windows in the kingdom. The stone-work
is new, but it is believed to be an exact reproduction of the
original. It has nine lights. The glass of the upper portion is
ancient, dating from the reign of Richard II. It represents the
Resurrection, Final Judgment and the New Jerusalem. Hell is depicted
with the usual mediæval realism. Below is modern glass, representing
scenes from the life of our Lord. The _Stalls_ are Late Perpendicular,
erected by Bishop Strickland, and are excellently carved. The
tabernacle work is generally attributed to Prior Haithwaite (_circa_
1433). There are some quaint and curious _misereres_, the carvings
representing grotesque monsters, such as dragons and griffins, fables
such as the Fox and the Goose, and a great variety of subjects. A
Renaissance screen, erected by Salkeld, the last prior, divides the
west bay of the presbytery from the north choir aisle. The altar,
throne, lectern and pulpit are modern. There is a fine brass to the
memory of Bishop Bell (1495) on the floor of the choir.
Passing to the _North Choir Aisle_ we notice the Early English
character of the arcade and windows. The latter have two lights, and
have deep mouldings and dog-tooth ornament. The wall arcade is
particularly graceful. The last bay eastward was built when the east
window was erected, and is Late Decorated, and in the last bay
west-ward there is a Perpendicular window. The vault was constructed
after the fire of 1292. The two sepulchral recesses in the north wall
are remarkable. They are of Early English character, and have a
chevron moulding which is said to be unique. It is conjectured that
the effigy in one of these recesses is that of Silvester of Everdon
(1254), and that the other was intended for Bishop Hugh of Beaulieu,
who died in Burgundy. In another bay is an aumbrey wherein treasures
of plate and other valuables were stored. There is a late brass to the
memory of Bishop Robinson (1416), formerly Provost of Queen's College,
Oxford. Archdeacon Paley (1791), the learned divine whose _Evidences
of Christianity_ is still a divinity text-book at Cambridge, lies
buried here. The curious paintings on the back of the stalls, of late
fifteenth-century execution, always interest visitors to the
Cathedral. They illustrate the lives of St. Anthony and St. Cuthbert,
with descriptive verses under each scene, and there is a set of
figures of the Apostles with the words of the Apostles' creed
traditionally assigned to each. The _Retro-Choir_ is very narrow and
is of the same date as the window. Bishop Law's monument is here
(1787), carved by T. Banks, R.A. The _South Choir Aisle_ resembles
that on the north. The two western windows are later than the Early
English ones in the opposite aisle. There are monuments here of Bishop
Waldegrave (1869), Bishop Barrow (1429) (or Welton, 1362), Bishop
Goodwin (1891), Dean Close (1882).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account