The Three Choirs: A Handbook to the Cathedrals of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester: A Complete Description of the Buildings, a History of Each Diocese and Biographical Notices of the BishopsKing, R. J. (Richard John)
Religion
The Three Choirs: A Handbook to the Cathedrals of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester: A Complete Description of the Buildings, a History of Each Diocese and Biographical Notices of the Bishops
Leland asserts that Bishop COBHAM (1317-1327) vaulted the north aisle of
the nave. This fixes the date of the Decorated work on the north side.
The bases of the piers differ from those opposite, and the capitals of
the shafts are enriched with excellent leafage, much undercut. This
“runs continuously round the pier, being inflected around the shafts, so
as to distinguish the groups without separating them, and with the
richest effect.” At the angles of the exterior hood-mouldings are small
heads of kings and bishops. The triforium has two pointed arches in each
bay, each arch enclosing two smaller ones. The shafts which support
these arches have capitals of leafage, and the tympana in the heads of
the larger arches are filled with sculptured figures. These, before the
late restoration, were so greatly decayed as to be quite undecipherable.
They have been re-worked as carefully as possible, but in most instances
the original subject was completely uncertain. The clerestory consists
of three pointed arches, with leafage on the capitals of the shafts, and
at the angles of the outer mouldings. The windows at the back are
Perpendicular insertions. Professor Willis has been the first to point
out that the triforium and clerestory of the two bays adjoining the
transition Norman work on this side of the nave, differ from the rest,
and are in fact Perpendicular, of the same character as the entire south
side. “We may conclude, therefore, that the north side of the Norman
nave was taken down first, and that when the portion in the Decorated
style had been completed, a pause in the work or a change of architects
happened, and the triforium and clerestory of these bays were then
completed in a different style[67].”
The vaulting-shafts run upward between each bay in groups of three. The
abacus from which the groining-ribs apparently spring, is partly a
continuation of the stringcourse at the base of the clerestory, and is
gracefully trefoiled.
The whole work on the north side of the nave is bolder and more
effective than that on the _south_. We have no record of the
construction of this side, but from its strong Perpendicular character
it can hardly be earlier than 1360. The clustered pier-shafts have much
smaller capitals of leafage than those opposite, and the leafage does
not pass round continuously. The design of the triforium resembles that
on the north side; but at the junction of the two smaller arches is a
bracket, once no doubt the support of a figure which rose against the
tympanum of the larger arch. All traces of these figures, however, had
disappeared, and they have been replaced by modern sculpture, executed
by BOULTON, under the direction of the architect. Small ancient figures
remain at the sides and intersections of the larger arches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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