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
The _South-East Transept_ is similar to the northern one. The walls
are the work of Ernulf. It is to William of Sens, however, that we
have to attribute the architectural details. There are apsidal chapels
dedicated to SS. John and Gregory, the remains of Archbishop
Winchelsey's tomb (1313); and the "patriarchal chair," erroneously
called "St. Augustine's." In the aisle on the left are two tombs said
to be those of Archbishop Hubert Walter, who accompanied Richard I.
on a Crusade, and Archbishop Reynolds (1327), the friend of Edward II.
The _South-West Transept_ was rebuilt at the same time as the nave by
Chillenden. On the east of this is the _Warrior Chapel_, dedicated to
St. Michael. Its style is Perpendicular, _circa_ 1370, and was
probably erected by Chillenden. Here is the monument of Stephen
Langton (1228), who wrested from King John the Magna Charta. The
position is curious, only the head of the tomb appearing through the
wall. Other monuments are those of John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset,
half brother of Henry IV. (1409), and Thomas of Clarence, second son
of the same king, killed in battle in 1421, erected by the widow of
both; Lady Thornhurst (1609) and Sir Thomas, Sir John Rooke, one of
the heroes of the capture of Gibraltar, and some military trophies and
memorials.
[Illustration The Crypt.]
The _Crypt_ is one of the finest in England, built before 1085. There
is here some very fine Norman work, the western portion was
constructed mainly by Ernulf, though there is some of the work of
Lanfranc also here. The carving was executed after the stones were set
in their places, and we can see that some of the carving was left
unfinished, the designs having been roughly traced out. The portion of
the crypt east of the Trinity Chapel is the work of English William
(1178-1184). The Chapel of Our Lady Undercroft is enclosed by some
Late Perpendicular open stone-work, and was very magnificent. Only
privileged pilgrims were allowed to see the wealth of precious stones
and costly ornaments with which this wondrous shrine was adorned. In
the crypt is the monument of Lady Mohun of Dunstar (1395), the chantry
founded by the Black Prince, St. John's Chapel, the tomb of Isabel,
Countess of Athole (1229). Here Becket's body was hastily buried by
the monks after his murder; it remained here for fifty years, and was
resorted to by the crowds of pilgrims, and here Henry II. endured his
penance, receiving five strokes of a rod from each bishop and abbot
present, and three from each of the eighty monks, and remaining all
the night fasting, resting against one of the pillars. Queen Elizabeth
gave the Flemish refugees the use of the crypt both as a place of
worship and as a home for their industry. Here they plied their busy
looms, and in their moments of leisure wrote inscriptions on the
walls. The descendants of these settlers still live in Canterbury, and
use part of the crypt as their chapel.
THE MONASTIC BUILDINGS
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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