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 woodwork of the stalls is the most perfect in the kingdom, and was
constructed in the closing years of the thirteenth century. The carved
foliage is remarkable for its grace and elegance. Notice the carved
heads and the monkeys and other animals playing amidst the branches.
The _Misereres_ are interesting, and are earlier than the canopies.
The pulpit was presented by one "Thomas Silkstede, prior," whose name
it bears.
In the centre of the presbytery we see the supposed tomb of William
Rufus, who was accidentally killed by an arrow when hunting in the New
Forest. His ashes, however, do not rest beneath this stone, but are
preserved in the chests above the screen, together with the bones of
Canute and some Saxon prelates. Cromwell's soldiers rifled the tomb
and found therein a chalice, which sacred vessel was usually placed in
the coffins of bishops and therefore could not have belonged to the
grave of the red-haired monarch. Bishop Fox (1500-1520) did much for
this part of the Cathedral. He placed the glass in the east window,
which has been much modified. Glass painting at this period had
attained its highest perfection as an art, and in its original
condition this window must have been unrivalled. The stone screens on
each side of the presbytery were also erected by Fox, and six mortuary
chests containing the bones of Saxon kings and bishops are placed upon
them. Amongst the bones of other illustrious men are deposited in a
mingled state the mortal remains of Kynegils, Ethelwolf, the father of
Alfred the Great, Egbert, Canute, and many others. The soldiers of
Cromwell played havoc with these bones of kings, and scattered them
about the Cathedral, hence it is impossible to be certain that these
chests actually contain the mortal remains of those whose names they
bear. The vault of the presbytery is wooden, and the bosses are
interesting.
Behind the reredos is the feretory or place for the shrines of patron
saints, with a stone platform at its east end on which formerly stood
the shrines of St. Swithun[6] and St. Berinus.
[Illustration WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL]
Pilgrims used to pass in procession before these shrines along the
stone passage. A collection of fragments of carved work is shown here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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