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
divided the chapel from the rest of the church, and in this enclosure
there was "an altar with a fair alabaster table above it, where Mass
was daily celebrated." Traces of the colouring which once adorned this
beautiful chapel can still be seen.
Leaving the nave, we enter the _Transepts_, which were part of
Carileph's work. The large window in the north transept was inserted
by Prior Fossor (1341-1374), and is in the Decorated style. Prior
Castell in 1512 restored the window, and filled it with coloured glass
representing the four doctors--SS. Augustine, Ambrose, Gregory and
Jerome. Hence it is known as the Window of the Four Doctors. In the
south transept is the large Perpendicular _Te Deum_ window, erected
about 1450. Some of the glass is ancient, but the greater part was
inserted in 1869 in memory of Archdeacon Thorp. Altars stood formerly
in the aisles at the north and south extremities of the transepts.
Traces of colour may still be seen, and the remains of some brackets
which contained sculptured figures. Chantrey's fine monument of Bishop
Barrington (1791-1826) stands in the south transept.
The whole of the lantern _Tower_ is of the Perpendicular style, and
was probably built by Prior Bell (1464-1478). A gallery surrounds the
lower stage, supported by grotesque heads. The Tudor flower ornament
may be observed on the string-course over the panelling. The screen is
modern, and was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. Passing into the choir,
the earliest part of the building, we see the Norman work of Carileph
blended with the later Early English style. As we have already
noticed, the east end of the Norman church terminated with apses.
These were subsequently removed. The whole choir comprehends four
pillars on each side, two of them clustered and two round, the latter
of which are cut in a spiral form. The roof was new vaulted by Prior
Horton, who succeeded in 1289, the ribs of the vaulting being
decorated with the dog-tooth mouldings. The work around the altar is
all Early English. Clustered pillars divide the nine altars from the
choir, decorated with foliage.
In the year 1650 a large number of Scottish prisoners were confined in
the Cathedral, who did much damage to the internal fittings. In order
to gain fresh air, or for love of mischief, they broke most of the
windows, and the holes in the floor in the south transept show where
they made their fires for cooking their meals. Another mark of their
presence was the destruction of the woodwork of the choir, which they
doubtless used for firewood. At the Restoration Bishop Cosin erected
the present stalls. The _misereres_ are worthy of remark--lions,
mermaids, monsters, apes, peacocks and dolphins being the most
striking subjects. The modern lectern and pulpit are both very
beautiful, the former being designed after the ancient lectern
described in the _Rites of Durham_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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