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
[Illustration PLAN OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL]
OTHER CHURCHES AND OBJECTS OF INTEREST
_St. Martin's Church_, traditionally said to be the oldest church in
the kingdom, is certainly of great antiquity. A large number of Roman
bricks are built up in the walls. It contains a stone coffin, in which
it is said that Queen Bertha lies, the wife of King Ethelbert,
converted by Augustine, but this is improbable. The font is Saxon, and
it is, according to tradition, which is not very reliable, the font in
which Ethelbert was baptised.
_St. Augustine's College_ for Missionaries was formerly the Monastery
of St. Augustine. The earliest house was dedicated to SS. Peter and
Paul, said to have been founded by Augustine. Dunstan enlarged it, and
added the founder's name to the dedication. It became very rich and
important. The buildings were destroyed by the Danes, but they arose
again in greater glory, and at the dissolution of monasteries the
house became a Royal palace. The buildings are well worthy of a visit.
_St. Dunstan's Church._
The _West Gate_, built by Archbishop Sudbury, _temp._ Richard II.
_Holy Cross Church._
_St. Peter's Church._
_St. Thomas's Hospital_ for Entertainment of Pilgrims.
The remains of the old _Chequers Inn_ at the south-west corner of
Mercery Lane, can be traced, and a portion of it is incorporated in
the house known as Grafton House. There are some fine old houses in
this street, anciently called _La Merceri_, each stone projecting
outwards, so as almost to meet at the top, typical of an old English
city street.
WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
The city of Winchester, the ancient capital of England, the Caer Gwent
of the Britons, the Venta Belgarum of the Romans, the Royal city of
Alfred the Great and of William the Conqueror, was a place of vast
importance in the annals of England. Under Cnut it was the capital of
a kingdom stretching across the seas to Scandinavia, and under the
Normans a large part of France was in subjection to it. Here kings
were born and Royal weddings celebrated with great pomp in its grand
Cathedral. If Royal patronage could have preserved the glories of
ancient Winchester, it would have remained the capital of England; but
London was the centre of the commercial activity of the country, and
in the end Winchester was forced to yield supremacy to its more
powerful rival.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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