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
Leofard at the end of the thirteenth
century, and are Late Decorated. Much restoration has been found
necessary here. Early English work prevails in the chapel on the south
side. The south wall of the choir aisle has several points of interest
and several styles of architecture are shown here. A consecration
cross can be seen in one of the bays. The south transept is very
similar to the north, and on the west of it is the sacristy. Norman
walls are on the north and east, and Early English on south and west.
On the south side of the Cathedral are the _Cloisters_, which are
curiously shaped. The Paradise is not square, the east walk being
longer than the west. These cloisters are fifteenth-century work,
having Perpendicular windows and flat roof. The south side of the nave
is interesting, and resembles somewhat the north side. The arches of
the windows in the aisles are Early Decorated, the tracery is modern.
In the fourteenth century the buttresses were strengthened and
enlarged, the parapet added. The Norman wall and windows remain in the
clerestory, though later tracery has been inserted in two of these.
The south porch leading to the west cloister has been much restored.
The doorway in the south-west tower is Norman, and is adorned with
chevron moulding, and beautifully designed. The window over it is also
of the same date.
THE INTERIOR
The interior is more imposing than the exterior. The best view is
perhaps obtained from north-east corner of the nave. The width of the
nave is the first peculiarity which we notice. It has double aisles on
each side of the nave, a peculiarity shared only with Manchester, and
some parish churches, such as Abingdon, Taunton and Coventry. There
are some grand effects of light and shade, and the nave is well
proportioned, and has a quiet dignity which is all its own. There are
eight circular arches, supported by seven flat piers, isolated and
flanked by half columns of cylindrical character with plain capitals
and cable moulding. Purbeck marble is extensively used in the
string-courses and capitals of the vaulting shafts. The triforium
preserves its Norman character. Here are the Norman circular arches,
containing two smaller arches resting on single shafts. The surface of
the stone in the head is hatched as at Rochester. There is a striking
analogy between Chichester and Peterborough, both in the nave and
choir. Both were destroyed by fire, and both rebuilt about the same
time. The main arcade and triforium are the work of Bishop Ralph de
Luffa (1091-1124).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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