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
Oxford Cathedral is so hidden away behind the obtrusive walls of
Wolsey's college that it is difficult to obtain any good exterior
views. The best is that seen from the garden of one of the canons, to
enter which permission may be obtained. The view from the cloister is
also satisfactory. The principal entrance is from "Tom Quad" by the
"tunnel," as Lewis Carroll termed the passage or porch situated a
little to the north of the entrance to the hall. As we have said, the
west front and the greater part of the nave were destroyed by Wolsey
when he erected the college buildings. He also destroyed the west walk
of the cloister, which we enter by a passage leading from the entrance
to the hall. The cloisters are Perpendicular work of the latter part
of the fifteenth century. The north walk was at one time converted
into a muniment room, but has recently been restored to its original
form, and has a modern imitation of the old vaulting. The old
refectory stood on the south side, but has been converted into college
rooms. Its large Perpendicular windows still remain looking on to the
cloister. The entrance to the chapter-house is in the east walk, and a
fine Norman doorway it is. It belongs to the later Norman period. It
has four orders, richly ornamented with zigzag. A round-headed window
is on each side of the door. The chapter-house is one of the best
examples of the Early English style in the kingdom, and may be
compared with those of Lincoln, Salisbury and Chester. The east end is
very fine, and consists of an arcade of five arches which are double.
Slender clustered shafts with capitals adorned with foliage support
the inner arches. The three central arches are pierced for windows.
Similar arcades are at the east end of north and south sides. The
sculpture in this chamber is extremely fine. Grotesque corbels, carved
capitals and the bosses in the vault, are all beautiful and
interesting. One of the bosses represents the Virgin giving an apple
to the infant Christ. There is also some old glass and interesting
mural paintings. Diocesan meetings are held in this delightful room.
The foundation stone of Wolsey's college at Ipswich is preserved here.
In the room on the south are some fine paintings, an Elizabethan table
and an old chest. Another door in this cloister leads to the old
slype, a passage to the monastic burial-ground. On the left is St.
Lucy's Chapel, mainly of Norman construction, the east window being
much later. It is of Decorated character, and the tracery is
flamboyant and of very beautiful design. The south choir aisle
adjoins, and is part of the original church. The windows are modern
imitations of Norman work. The windows in the clerestory of the choir
are Perpendicular. The east end is modern, having been reconstructed
by Scott. On the north side of the Cathedral, viewed from the canon's
garden, we see the north transept with its large Perpendicular
window, erected at the beginning of the sixteenth century, flanked by
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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