Wood Carvings in English Churches: I. Stalls and Tabernacle Work. II. Bishop's Thrones and Chancel Chairs.Bond, Francis
History
Wood Carvings in English Churches: I. Stalls and Tabernacle Work. II. Bishop's Thrones and Chancel Chairs.
Bond, Francis
Choir stalls; Church decoration and ornament; Wood-carving
The length of the stalled choir varied of course with the number of monks
or canons serving the church. In a church of the first rank, such as
Lincoln or Chester, about sixty stalls seems as a rule to have been found
sufficient. These would generally occupy three bays; where more than three
bays are occupied with stalls, it is usually because more stalls have been
added at some later period, as at Lincoln, Norwich, and Henry the Seventh's
chapel, Westminster. In the centre, between the stalls, a considerable
space had to be left free, in order to leave room for processions from the
High Altar to the lectern and to the ecclesiastics in their stalls; as well
as for processions of the whole ecclesiastical establishment on Palm
Sunday, Corpus Christi day, Easter Sunday and other festivals, and on every
Sunday in the year. The lectern also was often of great size, and a gangway
had to be left on either side of it. In Lincoln Minster the space from one
chorister's desk to the chorister's desk opposite is 18 feet: from the back
of the northern to the back of the southern stalls is 40½ feet, which is
above the average breadth of an English cathedral or monastic choir. The
breadth of the choir conditioned the whole of the planning of the church;
for as a rule the nave and transepts were naturally given the same breadth
as the choir, in order that the central tower should be square.
As for the number of rows of stalls on either side of the choir, it was
usually three, rising successively in height; at Lincoln the floor of the
uppermost row is 2 feet 6 inches above that of the choir; the canopies rise
22 feet above the floor. At Lincoln modern additions have been made; at
present the upper row consists of 62 canopied stalls; 12 of them being
"return" stalls facing east; 25 facing north and 25 facing south. Below
them is a row of stalls without canopies; of these lower stalls there were
originally 46; in front of these again are the seats of the "children of
the choir."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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