Chapter XIII: Part 13

“Immediately before us we see the noble West Front ‘the pride and
glory of Peterborough,’ the finest portico in Europe. With the
exception of the porch, the style is pure Early English. On the
north and south are two lofty turrets, flanked at the angles with
clustered shafts, and crowned with spires. Between these are three
pointed arches, supported by clustered shafts, six on each side
with foliated capitals. The central arch is narrower than the rest,
but its mouldings are ornamented with crockets and dog-tooth. A
string-course runs along the top of the arches, and the spandrels
have trefoils, quatrefoils and niches with statues. Above the
string-course is a series of trefoiled arches, some of which have
statues. Between the three gables are pinnacles much ornamented.
The gables have circular windows of beautiful design and a cross
on the apex; they are ornamented with dog-tooth and have niches
with statues--St. Peter in the centre, with SS. John and Andrew on
either side. The turrets on the north and south have six stages
panelled with arches. The spires are good examples of the
difference between those of the Early Decorated and Perpendicular
periods. The south spire is connected with the pinnacles of the
tower by clustered pinnacles springing from an arch; these are
decorated with crockets, and the spire belongs to the early
Fourteenth Century; whereas the spire on the north has no such
connection and is Early Perpendicular.

“We now notice the Porch with the parvise over it. This was built
late in the Fourteenth Century in order to give additional strength
to the west front and act as a kind of buttress to the piers of the
central arch. The design is very beautiful. The entrance has an
obtuse arch, and above a Perpendicular window with elliptical arch.
Buttresses empanelled with niches stand on each side. It has a
stone vault of good design. One boss is curious, representing the
Trinity. The attitude of the Saviour shows that the figure was
designed by a freemason, and bears witness to the antiquity of that
fraternity. The parvise is now a library.”--(P. H. D.)

In the latter years of the Fourteenth Century the central porch, with its upper room, =Parvise=, was added between the two middle piers of the west front. It has been regarded by some critics as a blemish and by others as an improvement, but it was probably a necessity for the purpose of extra stability.

“The construction of this elegant little edifice is extremely
scientific, especially in the matter in which the thrust is
distributed through the medium of the side turrets so as to fall
upon the buttresses in front. These turrets being erected against
one side of the triangular columns, on the right and the left hand,
support them in two directions at once, viz., from collapsing
towards each other, and from falling forward. The latter pressure
is thrown wholly upon the buttresses in front, which project seven
feet beyond the base of the great pillars.”--(F. A. P.)

Turning now to a description:

“It is vaulted in two bays, the first being of the same dimensions
as the inner width of the portico; the western bay (of the same
size) thus reaches beyond the two great piers and the corner
turrets and buttresses in all project about seven feet. This gives
a very substantial support to the piers. The whole composition is
very fine, and quite worthy of the great portico to which it is an
adjunct. It must be left to each spectator to decide for himself if
it improves or diminishes the effect of the whole. It is of late
Decorated date, highly enriched with profuse carving. The staircase
turrets, as well as the great window, are embattled. The spaces
north and south, and within the portico, have tracery on the walls
similar to the window. The groining is very fine. One of the
central bosses has a representation of the Trinity. The Father is
represented as the Ancient of Days, with a Dove for the Holy Spirit
above the shoulder and the figure of the Saviour on the Cross in
front. Freemasons are recommended to look for a special symbol
which they alone can understand and appreciate. The floor of the
portico is paved with gravestones, some apparently in their
original position. The place was at one time appropriated as a
burial-place for the Minor Canons.”--(W. D. S.)

This porch hides the fine central doorway, which is divided by a central pillar. A Benedictine monk tortured by demons--probably a hint to the brothers--is carved upon it.

“With a few exceptions, the whole of the interior of the Cathedral
is in the Norman style, and many judge it to be the most perfect
specimen in England. The plan consists of a nave of ten bays, with
aisles and a western transept; transepts of four bays, terminating
in an apse, nearly semicircular, with aisles; and beyond the apse a
large square-ended addition for more chapels having a groined
stone-roof of fan-tracery, now known as the New Building. The
ritual choir, as distinguished from the architectural choir,
extends two bays into the nave. This arrangement is a return to the
ancient one used by the Benedictines, the choir in Dean Monk’s
alterations having been limited to the position east of the central
tower.

“As we enter at the west door we see at a glance the entire length
and the whole beauty of the admirable proportion of the several
parts. While many may wish that the great arches of the tower which
can be seen from the west end had never been altered from the round
form of the Norman builders, few will regret that the Decorated
arches which took their place were retained when the tower was
rebuilt, instead of having new arches in the Norman style
substituted. The want of colour which is so marked a defect in many
English cathedrals is not so conspicuous here, because of the
painted ceiling.”--(W. D. S.)

There is no Norman work at the west wall. The great doorway has a round arch, but the arcade at the base consists of pointed arches. The mouldings here are Early English; and it is inside an Early English arch that the =West Window= of Perpendicular tracery is set. We may note that the glass is modern and a memorial to officers and soldiers who were killed in the South African War.

The =West Transept= extends beyond the aisles. The enormous pointed arches have Norman mouldings. In the south end is a =Font= of the Thirteenth Century; the north end is a vestry.

“As we enter we notice the distinctive character of the Norman work
of which this Cathedral is a notable and excellent example. In the
extreme west there is a blending of the two styles of Norman and
Early English, but the monks of Peterborough clung tenaciously to
their old ideas and to Norman and Romanesque models, and right up
to the end of the Twelfth Century built in this style, not from any
desire to imitate the work of their predecessors (as some writers
assert), but from an obstinate adherence to conservative tradition.
Even when the glorious tide of English Gothic was rising, and they
could no longer resist the flood, they clung to the old zigzag
mouldings. It is evident from the construction of the third column
that they intended to end their church there; but happily the
Thirteenth Century brethren decided to rear the noble twin-towered
front and the perfect portico. Some of the later columns show
Transition work; on one side we see a Norman base or capital, on
the other an Early English.

“There is a grand uninterrupted view of the whole length of the
Cathedral from west to east. It will be observed that the lower
arch is Decorated, and this adds to the beauty of this view. Before
leaving the west we notice some dog-tooth carved in wood, which is
somewhat rare.”--(P. H. D.)

The =Nave= consists of ten bays, with Norman arches. The triforium arches are Norman; the clerestory windows are Perpendicular. The ceiling is very peculiar and very interesting, and is, moreover, original Norman.

“All agree that the style of the painting is perfectly
characteristic of the period. The divisions are of the lozenge
shape; in each lozenge of the central line is a figure, and in each
alternate one of the sides. The middle set has more elongated
lozenges than the others. The borders are black and white, with
some coloured lines, in odd zigzag patterns. The figures, which are
mostly seated, are very quaint and strange. Some are sacred, some
grotesque. We can see St. Peter with the keys, kings, queens and
minstrels; we find also a head with two faces, a monkey riding
backwards on a goat, a human figure with head and hoof of an ass, a
horse playing a harp, a winged dragon, a dancing lion, an eagle,
and other curious devices.”--(W. D. S.)

The =Choir= begins with the two east bays of the nave (the same arrangement occurs at Norwich), and runs through the space under the tower and

takes up four bays east of the tower. The piers are alternately round and polygonal.

“This portion was the earliest part of the Cathedral, and was
constructed by Abbot de Sais (1114-1125). The hatchet moulding is
conspicuous. The triforium arches are double like the nave, and the
clerestory has triple arches, the centre one being the highest. The
apse is particularly fine. The Decorated style is evident in the
windows, which were inserted in the Fourteenth Century instead of
the old Norman ones, and the hanging tracery of graceful design was
then added. The roof of the choir is late Fourteenth Century work
except at the east end where the roof is flat. Here Cromwell’s
soldiers discharged their muskets at the figure of our Lord in
glory, which they deemed to be an idol. This ceiling was decorated
in 1884 by Sir Gilbert Scott. The bosses of the rest of the roof
are curious. Nearly all the old glass was destroyed in the Puritan
desecration; the remaining fragments have been placed in the two
highest east windows. The fittings of the choir are modern except
an ancient lectern of Fifteenth Century date, given by Abbot Ramsay
and Prior Malden, as the inscription testifies, though it is now
scarcely legible. The choir-stalls are remarkably fine. The carved
figures contain a history of the Cathedral written in wood.”--(P.
H. D.)

Passing behind the High Altar we come to the Retro-Choir, or =New Building=:

“The New Building built beyond the apse is a very noble specimen of
late Perpendicular work. It was begun by Abbot Richard Ashton
(1438-1471) and completed by Abbot Robert Kirton (1496-1528): the
works seem to have been suspended between these periods. The roof
has the beautiful fan tracery, very similar on a small scale to
that at King’s College Chapel at Cambridge. The building is of the
width of the choir and aisles together.

“The junction of this addition with the original Norman apse is
admirable, and should be specially noticed. Parts of the original
external string-course of the apse can be seen. The ornamentation
on the bosses of the roof and in the cavetto below the windows, and
round the great arches from the choir aisles, is very varied.

“It must be sufficient here to indicate some of the designs. Most
need little explanation, but a few are hard to understand. On the
roof may be seen the three lions of England, a cross between four
martlets, three crowns each pierced by an arrow, and another
design. The smaller designs include four-leaved flowers, Tudor
roses, fleur-de-lys, the portcullis, some undescribable creatures,
crossed keys, crossed swords, crossed crosiers, crosses, crowns,
crowns pierced with arrows, crowned female head, an eagle, the head
of the Baptist in a charger, an angel, mitres, three feathers
rising from a crown, St. Andrew’s cross, and perhaps others. There
are also some rebuses and some lettering. On the north wall, in six
several scrolls, the letters AR before a church and a bird on a tun
occur more than once. This certainly refers to Abbot Robert Kirton;
but what the bird means is not clear. In the moulding over the
large arch to the south choir are four sets of letters. They form
the last verse of the psalter. The words are contracted: they stand
for _Omnis spiritus laudet Dominum_.”--(W. D. S.)

The relic of greatest interest in the New Building is the famous =Monks’ Stone=, which, according to tradition, was constructed in commemoration of the massacre of Abbot Hedda and his monks by the Danes in 870. Critics are divided in opinion. Some think it Norman, but many accept the theory that it is Saxon work. In 1887 remains were found of the original Saxon church, which was sacked by the Danes, rebuilt and visited by King Edgar and Dunstan. Traces of the fire that destroyed it were also found. The east wall stood at the piers of the present south transept.

Queen Katherine of Aragon was buried in the north-choir-aisle outside the most eastern arch (1535). This was violated by the Puritans. Dean Patrick says: “First they demolish Queen Katherine’s tomb; they break down the rails that enclosed the place and take away the black velvet pall which covered the hearse; overthrow the hearse itself, displace the gravestone that lay over her body, and have left nothing now remaining of that tomb, but only a monument of their own shame and villainy.” A few slabs were recently found beneath the floor; and a marble stone bearing coats-of-arms and inscription has lately been placed over this spot.

In the south-choir-aisle a tablet tells us that here Mary Stuart was buried in 1587, just within the choir. The body was removed to Westminster Abbey in 1612. Remains of the hearse between the pillars were seen as late as 1800. These royal arms and escutcheons were also defaced and torn by the Puritans.

The =Transepts= are Norman, and characteristic Norman mouldings are universal. A Perpendicular screen in each separates the transept from a sort of eastern aisle, divided by pillars into chapels. In the =North Transept= the two chapels of St. John and St. James have been thrown into one--now the =Morning Chapel=. Some old Saxon coffin lids are preserved here.

The chapels of St. Oswald, St. Benedict, and St. Kyneburga and St. Kyneswitha still remain in the =South Transept=. West of the South Transept we come to the old =Chapter-House= (very small), now a music room. It is late Norman, but it has a Perpendicular doorway.

At the north-east corner of the close we come to the =Deanery Gateway=, leading to the Deanery. It is a fine specimen of Late Perpendicular, and was erected by Abbot Kirton (Kirkton), whose rebus (a church on a tun) appears over the side-door. It has a Tudor arch, with the arms of the See in spandrels, and is also ornamented with the Tudor rose and portcullis and the Prince of Wales’s feathers. We gain here a very good view of the north side of the Cathedral.

The north side is very fine. The arcading on the side of the tower is identical with that on the west front. Next we must notice the big windows of the western transept, early and fine specimens of cusped and traceried windows. The jambs are very peculiar because one side is Norman with square capitals, and the other side Early English. The arch of the window reaches as high as those of the triforium. Above is a round-headed window, and the gable, surmounted by a cross and bordered with the wavy ornament, contains a rose-window. Pinnacles, resembling those on the west front, adorn the sides of this west transept. The nave rises in five stages: a tier of small lights separates the triforium from the aisle.

The =Dean’s Door= on this side of the nave is Norman. The three shafts on either side, with their cushion capitals, carry round arches with characteristic and different mouldings. There are ten windows, very broad, of five lights each, under depressed arches. They were inserted in the Thirteenth Century. The parapet at the top is Early English.

The north transept has seven stages of windows (Perpendicular), and blind arcades and a battlemented gable, flanked by octagonal turrets.

Here we gain a view of the lantern tower, rebuilt in 1884. Then we come to the choir, and lastly to the =New Building=. The Decorated windows of the apse are particularly fine.

“The east end of Peterborough is rather peculiar. There remains the
old Norman apse with Decorated windows inserted, and this is
surrounded by what is called the New Building, though it is 400
years old, formed by extending the walls of the choir and building
a square end to the Cathedral. This was erected by Abbot Kirton.
His work possesses the best features of Perpendicular style. It is
richly ornamented and when we examine his work we cannot say that
the glories of Gothic achievement had quite departed. We see the
twelve buttresses, each terminated with a seated figure, usually
said to be one of the Apostles.”--(P. H. D.)

Turning round the east end we come to the ruins of the Infirmary, erected about 1260. Some fine arcading is still to be seen. Afterwards we come to the =Slype=, once vaulted, but now open to the sky, which formerly connected the Refectory with the Chapter-House, on the east side of the =Cloister=. Only the south and west walls of the =Cloister Court= remain. This is always called =Laurel Court=, though the origin is unknown.

The south side of the Cathedral is more beautiful than the north, from which it differs by having two doorways into the nave from the cloisters, and a very fine south-west spire, early Fourteenth Century work. A beautiful view of this spire and the bell-tower is obtained from =Laurel Court=.

ELY

DEDICATION: ST. ETHELREDA. CHURCH OF A BENEDICTINE MONASTERY.

SPECIAL FEATURES: THE OCTAGON; GALILEE PORCH; LADY-CHAPEL; BISHOP
ALCOCK’S CHAPEL; BISHOP WEST’S CHAPEL; MONK’S DOOR.

Ely is perhaps the most singular and beautiful of English cathedrals, when seen from a distance; for the massive building, with its turrets, buttresses, and pinnacles, rises with splendid majesty from the green meads that make a perfect foreground.

“The first glimpse of Ely overwhelms us, not only by its
stateliness and variety of its outline, but by its utter
strangeness, its unlikeness to anything else. Ely, with its vast
single western tower, with its central octagon unlike anything else
in the whole world, has an outline altogether peculiar to
itself.”--(E. A. F.)

About 655 Etheldreda, daughter of the King of East Anglia, went to live in the fen-land district, known as the Isle of Ely, that had come into her possession according to the terms of her marriage settlement with Tonbert, one of the noblemen of her father’s court. The civil government of her territory she gave to a steward named Ovin, while she devoted herself to good works. She was induced to marry Egfrid, son of Oswy, King of Northumberland, who became king in 670. Etheldreda, wearied of court life, became a nun; and when Egfrid determined to force her to return to court she fled from Coldingham to the Isle of Ely, where she established a religious house. She began to build in 673. The monastery over which Etheldreda presided as abbess was a mixed community. Bede calls it a nunnery. Etheldreda died in 679 and was buried, according to her own request, in the nuns’ graveyard. Her body was, however, removed into the church on October 17, 695. When the body was placed in a marble sarcophagus it was found in perfect preservation, and miracles took place. Two hundred years later the Danes ravaged Ely and destroyed the monastery (870), which was rebuilt in 970 by King Edgar and Bishop Ethelwold, of Winchester. The prior of Winchester, Brithnoth (970-981), was appointed its first abbot. There were no nuns in the new monastery.

The monks of Ely educated Edward the Confessor, who had been offered on this altar in infancy by his parents. After he became king he continued his “favourable regard to the place.” His brother, Alfred, whose eyes were put out by Earl Godwin, died and was buried in Ely. Ely was the last stronghold of Hereward; and it took the monks a long time to make their peace with the Conqueror. In order to raise enough money to purchase forgiveness they were forced to sell almost every article of gold and silver that they owned. Thurston, the last Saxon abbot (1066-1072), remained in charge of the monastery until his death. When Simeon, prior of Winchester, and brother of Walkelyn, Bishop of Winchester, was made abbot in 1081, it was deemed necessary to build a more sumptuous church. Simeon contributed a great part of his large fortune. He began with the transepts; and built the central tower, often called “Simeon’s Tower.”

Richard (1100-1107), a Norman, and relative of the king, finished the east end in 1106. Two bays of the nave next to the tower were also his work, and he continued Simeon’s Tower. During Richard’s rule the remains of St. Etheldreda, St. Sexburga, St. Ermenilda, and St. Withburga, the first four abbesses, were re-buried before the high altar.

In 1109 Ely was made a cathedral; but nothing seems to have been done to the building until Bishop Riddell (1174-1189) “carried on the new work and Tower at the west end of the church, almost to the top.”

Eustache (1198-1215), one of the bishops appointed to excommunicate King John, built the celebrated =Galilee Porch= at the west end. He contributed large sums out of his private fortune.

Hugh Norwold, or Northwold (1229-1254), built the six eastern bays of the presbytery, and the palace. Again were the remains of St. Etheldreda, St. Sexburga, St. Ermenilda, and St. Withburga removed to this part of the church, and the Cathedral was dedicated in 1252. King Henry III. and Prince Edward were present. When Bishop Norwold died (1254), he was buried at the feet of St. Etheldreda. His monument was removed to the north side of the presbytery, third arch from the east.

John Hotham (1316-1337) built the choir. It was during his bishopric that the Tower fell, and he provided for the building of the wrecked western bays.

The Fourteenth Century brings us to the greatest of all the Ely builders, the supreme artist and architect, Alan de Walsingham, sub-prior, sacrist, and finally prior. In 1321 he began the =Lady-Chapel=, which was finished in 1349. Its position is

peculiar--north-east of the north transept. Its site was chosen in all probability because St. Etheldreda’s shrine occupied the sacred east end. Walsingham’s great work, however, is the celebrated =Octagon=.

On the eve of St. Ermenilda’s Day, February 12, 1322, just after the monks had finished matins, the central tower fell and destroyed three bays of the choir. There was no wicked king in this case to blame for the calamity, as was the case with the similar tower built by Simeon’s brother at Winchester (see pages 55-56).

“No one could possibly have been found in the whole kingdom better
qualified to cope with the great disaster that took place at Ely in
1322 than the officer of the house who had the special custody of
the fabric. The originality and skill with which he designed and
carried out the noble work that takes the place of the central
tower, which is without a rival in the architecture of the whole
world, are beyond all praise. The exquisite work in the Lady-Chapel
would in itself have been sufficient to establish Walsingham’s
reputation as an architect of the very highest order of merit; but
it would have revealed nothing, if it stood alone, of the
consummate constructive genius which he displayed in the conception
of the octagon.

“The building was begun as soon as the space was cleared. The
stonework was finished in 1328, little more than six years after
the tower fell. The woodwork of the vaulting and lantern took
longer time; but this also was quite complete in 1342. Walsingham
had become prior in the previous year. The weight of the lantern,
it need hardly be said, is not borne, though it looks like it from
below, by the vaulting that we see. There is a perfect forest of
oak hidden from sight, the eight great angle posts being no less
than 3 feet 4 inches by 2 feet 8 inches in section.

“With such a man as Walsingham on the spot we cannot be wrong in
assigning to him the authorship of all the architectural designs
that were carried out in his lifetime. It is believed--for the
date is not exactly known--that he died in 1364. Besides the
Lady-Chapel and Octagon, he must have designed the singularly
beautiful bays of the presbytery between the Octagon and
Northwold’s work. The exquisite way in which the main
characteristics of the Early English work are adapted to the
Decorated style demands our highest admiration. The arrangement of
the three western bays on each side is exactly like Northwold’s
work, while the additional grace and beauty of ornamentation mark
the advance in taste that distinguished the Decorated period.
Bishop Hotham undertook the whole expense of rebuilding this
portion of the cathedral. He did not live to see it completed, as
he died in 1337, but he left money for the purpose.”--(W. D. S.)

Walsingham, though elected bishop by the monks, was not confirmed by the Pope. However, when they placed the brass over his resting-place in front of the choir they represented “The Flower of Craftsmen” (_Flos operatorum_ was his epitaph), with mitre and crozier.

Ely suffered less than many churches during the Puritan wars.

The most important work of late years has been the restoration of the octagon and lantern, as originally designed by Alan de Walsingham.

The great =West Tower= (Early English and Decorated) was built before the Galilee Porch, about the last year of the Twelfth Century. It is surmounted by an octagon with a window of three lights in each face. An octagonal turret ornaments each corner. Windows and arcades mark each story. A fine view of it is obtained from the south side.

The =Galilee Porch= is one of the finest examples of Early English in existence and is only surpassed by Bishop Hugh’s Choir at Lincoln.

“Each side externally, is covered with lancet arcading in four
tiers. In the upper tier the lancets are trefoiled with dog-tooth
in the moulding; in the next lower tier the lancets are
cinquefoiled, with two sets of dog-tooth. The lancets in the west
face are all cinquefoiled, and the three lower tiers have trefoils
in the spandrels. Nearly all are highly enriched with dog-tooth;
while the mouldings of the west door have conventional foliage as
well. The lancets here are deeper than on the sides of the porch,
and were probably designed to hold figures. Of the three large
lancets in the west window the central one is slightly more lofty
than the others.

“The interior of the porch is even more beautiful; the profusion of
ornamentation on the inner doorway and the exceeding gracefulness
of the double arcades in the sides are quite unsurpassed. Both
doorways are divided by a shaft and both have open tracery of
exceptional beauty above.”--(W. D. S.)

In addition to this feature, Ely has the unique =Octagon=, a good view of which is obtained from the north-west. It is beautifully proportioned and beautifully decorated with windows of exquisite tracery.

“The way in which the octagon and lantern combine in producing a
perfectly harmonious composition is in great part due to two points
of difference, points which very few observers detect. These are,
firstly, that the lantern is a regular octagon, having all its
sides equal, in this respect being unlike the stone octagon beneath
it; and, secondly, that the eight faces of the lantern are not
parallel to the eight faces of the octagon. The new windows of the
lantern are similar to the large ones below, but are not mere
copies of them. The upper stage of the lantern, above the roof as
seen from within, was once a bell-chamber; its lights are not, and
never have been, glazed. The whole of the lantern is of wood,
covered with lead. Two flying-buttresses rise from the corners of
the nave and transept aisles to the corbel table of the clerestory
range. There are also eight elegant flying-buttresses, one to each
of the angles of the lantern. These are part of the new work, the
originals having long disappeared.”--(W. D. S.)

The north-western part of the north transept fell in 1699, and was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, nephew of Bishop Wren, then in office. The north end of the transept contains Norman windows, and above them are two Perpendicular windows, each of three lights. In the east wall of the transept the lower lights are Decorated; the upper windows are the original Norman.

Next we come to the =Lady-Chapel=, the east window of which (seven lights) was inserted by Bishop Barnet (1366-1373), who also “beautified five of the windows in the presbytery.” The west window (eight lights) is of a little later date. In the side walls of the Lady-Chapel are five large windows, the tracery of which is very beautiful.

The =East End= is a superb illustration of Early English, although slightly altered from its original state by the introduction of the windows in the chapels of Alcock and West, and a plain wall for the original windows in the south aisle.

Flying-buttresses support the roof of the presbytery and choir. The Perpendicular window of seven lights attracts our notice in the south end of the south transept.

The entrance to the Cathedral from the south opens from the eastern end of the cloisters and is called the =Monks’ Door=.

The ornamentation is very rich. One spiral column is especially fine. The arch is trefoiled with cusps, having circular terminations with star ornament, and in the spandrels are quaint, crouching monks, each holding a pastoral staff. Two twisted dragons writhe above.

At the west end of the north alley of the cloisters we come to the =Prior’s Door=, a fine specimen of late Norman. In the tympanum is a carving in high relief of the Saviour.

Entering through the West we have a full view of the Cathedral, the vista fortunately not broken, for the open screen permits the gaze to wander the whole length to the east end. The massive Perpendicular arches here were built beneath the Norman ones to secure stability for the big tower that we have just examined.

The =Nave= is one of the most perfect specimens of late Norman. It is very similar to that of Peterborough. Ely, however, offers no suggestion of the transition of the next style, as does Peterborough. The Ely nave is supposed to have been finished before 1173, a little before Peterborough’s, and after that of Norwich. It contains twelve bays and measures 208 feet. The piers are of alternate design. In front of each a shaft runs up to the roof. As we follow this with our eyes we see that the ceiling is painted with Biblical subjects; but these pictures need not detain us, as they are modern. The billet moulding decorates the string-course above the main arcade. Most of the capitals are cushion.

The =Octagon= is the gem of the whole Cathedral.

“Few visitors will perhaps be disposed to examine any of the
objects of interest in the cathedral before an inspection of the
beauties of this magnificent erection, the first sight of which,
from one of the smaller arches towards the aisles, is a thing never
to be forgotten. There is not one of the many able artists and
architects who have written about the Octagon that has not spoken
of it as being without rival in the whole world; and the admiration
that was expressed fifty and more years ago would have been far
greater, and the enthusiasm more profound, had the writers seen it
in its present state of perfect restoration. No description can do
adequate justice to the grandeur of the conception or to the
brilliancy of the execution of this renowned work.

“The four great arches rise to the full height of the roof; that to
the east, indeed, is higher than the vaulted roof of the choir and
presbytery, the intervening space being occupied with tracery of
woodwork on painted boards, the Saviour on the Cross being painted
in the middle. The wooden vaulting of the Octagon springs from the
capitals on the same level as those of the great arches. The four
small arches to the aisles are of course no higher than the roofs
of the aisles: above these, on each side, are three figures of
apostles, under canopies with crockets. The figures are seated, and
each holds an emblem, by which it can be seen for whom the figure
is intended. It may be noticed (in the central figure on the
south-west side) that St. Paul, not St. Matthias, is put in the
place of Iscariot. The hood-moulds of the arches are terminated by
heads, of which six are portraits. King Edward III. and Queen
Philippa are at the north-east, Bishop Hotham and Prior Crauden at
the south-east, Walsingham and his master-mason (so it is believed)
at the north-west; those to the south-west are mere grotesques.
Above the seated figures on each side is a window of four broad
lights, filled with stained glass. The eight chief vaulting shafts
rise from the ground as slight triple shafts; they support, a
little above the spring of the side arches, large corbels, which
form bases for exquisitely designed niches, and through these
spring more shafts reaching to the vault. On each of the corbels is
a boldly carved scene from the career of St. Etheldreda; they
commence at the north-west arch. The subjects (two to each arch)
are as follows:

“North-west arch: St. Etheldreda’s second marriage. Her taking the
veil at Coldingham.

“North-east arch: Her staff taking root. Her preservation in the
flood at St. Abb’s Head.

“South-east arch: Her installation as Abbess of Ely. Her death and
burial (two scenes).

“South-west arch: One of her miracles. Her translation.

“In order to understand these wonderful sculptures more fully we
refer to the _Liber Eliensis_ which describes Etheldreda as
hurrying away from Coldingham with two ladies, Sewenna and Sewara,
and as reaching a rocky place on the coast where they were
overtaken by the king, but the three ladies crossed the Humber and
proceeded south, dressed as pilgrims. One night, while the queen
slept, her staff, placed in the ground, burst into leaf and flower.
On this spot a church was built and dedicated to St. Etheldreda.
When the three pilgrims arrived in the Isle of Ely, they were
joined by Wilfrid, the archbishop of York, who induced Etheldreda
to take the veil. The miracle referred to in the south-west arch
shows St. Etheldreda and St. Benedict appearing to a monk named
Brytstan, who was charged with seeking refuge in a monastery in
order to escape punishment for robberies of which he had been
guilty. The miracle was told to Queen Matilda, who freed
Brytstan.”--(W. D. S.)

The =Screen= separating the choir from the Octagon was designed by Scott. It is of oak, delicately carved in geometric patterns, and bearing a cross on the cresting that runs along the top. The gates are brass.

The first three bays of the choir were begun about 1240; the last six, forming the presbytery, were finished in 1340. The space of a hundred years thus lies between them.

“In the juxtaposition of these two magnificent specimens of the
Early English and Decorated periods of architecture there is an
opportunity of comparison which on such a scale occurs nowhere
else. It is to be remembered that in neither case is the treatment
of the upper part quite in accordance with the usual practice of
the period. When the presbytery was being built there were still
standing east of the central tower the four original bays of the
Norman choir. These, it may be assumed, were very similar in
character to those in the nave. There would, beyond question, have
been in each bay large triforium arches, each with a couple of
subordinate arches; and a single window in the clerestory with a
blank arch on each side. Bishop Northwold’s work was purposely made
to correspond with these bays as far as Early English work could do
so; and when after the fall of the tower it became necessary to
rebuild the choir, Bishop Hotham in like manner made his Decorated
work correspond with the Early English presbytery. The choir is, as
would be expected, richer in detail as well as more elaborate in
design; and it would be difficult to find in England anything to
surpass the tracery of the clerestory windows and triforium arches,
the beautiful cusped inner arches of the clerestory range, the open
parapets at the base of the two stages, or the long corbels,
covered with foliage, that support the vaulting shafts. In the
choir the clerestory windows have four lights each; in the
presbytery are triplets. The old colouring has been renewed
throughout. On the north side of the choir the three bays are
precisely alike; but on the south there is a variation in the
tracery of the western triforium arch. There are also shields of
arms (of the See of Ely and of Bishop Hotham) in the spandrels of
the triforium and arch below; and the shaft between this arch and
the next is enlarged at the top into a base for a statue (probably
of St. Etheldreda); while level with the string above is a very
fine large canopy (called by the workmen ‘the table’), which is
like nothing else in the cathedral. The clerestory windows also on
the south have different tracery.

“The difference between the two styles of architecture is well
marked in the groining of the roof, the Decorated portion being
much more elaborate. Some of the bosses are very remarkable: one
has St. Etheldreda with pastoral staff; one has the coronation of
the Virgin Mary; one has the foundress bearing the model of a
church, in which (as Dean Stubbs has pointed out) both arms of the
western transept are represented, so that it is a fair inference
that at the time this roof was constructed the whole of the western
transept was standing.

“Between the choir and presbytery there rise the massive Norman
piers built as the entrance to the apse; and these are the only
remains of the Norman church east of the octagon.”--(W. D. S.)

The magnificent =Choir-Stalls=, with their beautiful canopies, are thought to be Walsingham’s work. They are considered the finest Decorated stalls in existence. The misereres show wonderful carvings.

The =Reredos=, of alabaster, designed by Scott, stands in the centre of the screen of stone that runs along the whole of the presbytery, the lower part of which is a diaper pattern and the upper portion an open arcade of six arches (Early Decorated style).

“The east end of Ely is the grandest example of the grouping of
lancets.... Ely is also undoubtedly the head of all east ends and
eastern limbs of that class in which the main body of the church is
of the same height throughout, and in which the aisles are brought
out to the full length of the building.”--(E. A. F.)

At the end of the north-choir-aisle we come to the =Chapel of Bishop Alcock= (died 1500), Bishop of Ely from 1486 to 1500. He was a great architect, built the great hall in the Bishop’s palace at Ely and also this very ornate chapel. It dates from 1488. The roof is composed of fan-tracery, with a large pendant; and the walls are covered with canopies, tabernacles, crockets, niches, panels and other decorations with lavish display. The figures have gone from the niches. A cock on a globe--Alcock’s rebus--occurs on the stone-work very frequently.

At the end of the south-choir-aisle we find the corresponding =Chapel of Bishop West= (died 1533). This is similar in style to the Alcock chapel, but less ornate.

Several bishops are buried in this chapel. Though we may care little or nothing for the careers of the dignitaries who lie there, or who are perpetuated by monuments, we find among the tombs some fine examples of sculpture and ornament of the past.

For instance, that of =Bishop Louth= (died 1298), under the first arch of the presbytery in the south-choir-aisle, is a fine example of Early Decorated.

In the last arch, before reaching Bishop West’s Chapel, the tomb of =Bishop Hotham= (died 1337) calls for attention.

Under the four arches of the presbytery on the north, between the stalls and the altar, is that of =Bishop Redman= (died 1505), a very fine specimen of enriched Perpendicular work.

Next is the effigy of =Bishop Kilkenny= (died 1256), a fine example of Early English.

In the next arch a large Decorated structure of two stories, believed by Scott to have been built by Walsingham as the base for the =Shrine of St. Etheldreda=, was formerly known as Bishop Hotham’s shrine.

In the arch north of the altar is the tomb of the builder of the presbytery, =Bishop Northwold= (died 1254), who is represented in full vestments.

It is only natural that the transepts should show similarity with those of Winchester, consecrated in 1093, seven years before Simeon of Winchester came to Ely. He began his work, as we have seen, here, and got up as far as the triforium. The clerestory was added by his successor. Alterations took place at later periods, and now both triforium and clerestory are almost identical with those in the nave.

In the south transept Perpendicular windows of

three lights have replaced the western windows of the triforium. Two large Perpendicular windows ornament the north end and a curious window of seven lights adorns the south. Galleries, arches, and arcades afford exceedingly interesting study.

On the east of the north transept are three chapels, one of which has been restored for private devotion. Old paintings of the Martyrdom of St. Edmund on the roof have given it the name of =St. Edmund’s Chapel=. The screen in front dates from about 1350.

From the north transept we enter the =Lady-Chapel=.

“Notwithstanding the cruel mutilation of the sculpture all round
this chapel, it can be seen that for perfection of exquisite work
there is no building of the size in this country worthy for one
moment to be compared with this in its unmutilated state. Its
single defect strikes the beholder at once: the span of the roof is
too broad and the vaulting too depressed for the size of the
chapel. The windows on the north have been restored. The end
windows, which are of great size, are of later date; that to the
east has a look of Transition work about it. The building was
finished in 1349, and the east window was inserted by Bishop
Barnet, _circa_ 1373. The great beauty of the interior consists in
the series of tabernacle work and canopies that run round all the
four sides below and between the windows. The heads of the canopies
project. In the tracery beneath, at the head of the mullion, was a
statue. The delicate carving of the cusps and other tracery is
varied throughout. On the spandrels were incidents connected with
the history of the Virgin Mary (mainly legendary) and of Julian the
Apostate; and though in no single instance is a perfect uninjured
specimen left, yet enough remains, in all but a few cases, for the
original subjects to be identified. All was once enriched with
colour, and many traces remain; and in various parts of the windows
there are fragments of stained glass. Most of the monumental
tablets which once disfigured the arcade below the windows have
been happily removed into the vestibule. The arches and canopies at
the east end are arranged differently from those on the sides. In
the roof, which reminds us of the contemporary roof in the choir,
are some carved bosses, not large, but singularly good. Among the
subjects can be recognised a Crucifixion, with half-figures beside
the cross; Adam and Eve; the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth, holding
between them a book inscribed ‘Magnificat’; the Annunciation, with
‘Ave Maria Gratia plena’; the Ascension, indicated by the skirt and
feet of the Saviour and five heads of apostles; the Coronation of
the Virgin; and the Virgin in an aureole.”--(W. D. S.)

NORWICH

DEDICATION: THE HOLY TRINITY. CHURCH OF A BENEDICTINE MONASTERY.

This Cathedral was begun in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, the bishop appointed by William Rufus, who had received his education in Normandy, and who became prior of Fécamp. No earlier church stood on the site. It was dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

“The characteristics of the cathedral are--its long nave, which is
typical of the Norman church; its glorious apsidal termination,
encircled by a procession path, which recalls the plan of a French
cathedral; and the form of this, with the remains of its old
bishops’ chair centrally placed, and with the westward position, of
the throne at Torcello and other Italian churches, of the basilican
type of plan.

“It is interesting to note that Herbert’s early French training
influenced him in the planning of the beautiful eastern termination
to his cathedral, and the grand sweep of the procession path.
Similar apsidal terminations, of slightly later date, once existed
at Ely, and still remain in a modified form at Peterborough and St.
Bartholomew’s.

“It is probable, and the more generally accredited supposition,
that Herbert built the presbytery with its encircling procession
path and the original trefoil of Norman chapel radiating
therefrom;--the choir and transepts with the two chapels projecting
eastwards and the first two bays of the nave. Harrod advances a
theory that he completely finished the whole of the cathedral
church, as well as the offices for the housing of the sixty monks
who were placed therein, in 1101.”--(C. H. B. Q.)

Norwich acquired its chief saint in the Twelfth Century, and a saint, moreover, that much resembled Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln. A young boy, William, the child of simple country people, was murdered by the Jews in the city. Immediately after his death miracles took place. The monks placed his altar near the ante-choir, and raked in the offerings.

The Cathedral suffered from fires, and the tower was struck by lightning in 1271. There was also a terrible riot between the people and the monks in the Thirteenth Century, when the Cathedral was besieged. The monastery and the Cathedral were burned, and many monks were killed. Some citizens of Norwich were hanged, drawn and quartered, and the city had to repair the church. The monks were compelled to erect new gates and entrances, one of which, St. Ethelbert’s Gate, still exists (see page 351).

About 1361 the spire and parts of the tower were blown down, and the presbytery was damaged. Therefore, the clerestory was rebuilt, and in the transitional style from Decorated to Perpendicular. The Cloisters date from about this time, and so does the Erpingham Gate. In the middle of the Fifteenth Century the nave vault was constructed; and it was under the two rules of Bishop Lyhart and Bishop Goldwell that the Cathedral was practically completed as we see it to-day. Dean Gardiner pulled down the Lady-Chapel and the Chapter-House in the Sixteenth Century, and in the Seventeenth Century Cromwell’s soldiers took possession.

Bishop Hall tells us how they behaved:

“Lord, what work was here, what clattering of glasses, what beating
down the Walls, what tearing up of Monuments, what pulling down of
Seats, what wresting out of Irons and Brass from the Windows and
Graves! What defacing of Armes, what demolishing of curious stone
work, that had not any representation in the World, but only of the
cost of the Founder and skill of the Mason, what toting and piping
upon the destroyed Organ pipes, and what a hideous triumph on the
Market day before all the Countrey, when, in a kind of Sacrilegious
and profane procession, all the Organ pipes, Vestments, both Copes
and Surplices, together with the Leaden Crosse which had been newly
sawne down from over the Green-Yard Pulpit, and the Service books
and singing books that could be had, were carried to the fire in
the publick Market place; A leud wretch walking before the Train,
in his Cope trailing in the dirt, with a Service book in his hand,
imitating in an impious scorne the tune, and usurping the words of
the Letany; neer the Publick Crosse, all these monuments of
Idolatry must be sacrificed to the fire, not without much
Ostentation of a zealous joy.”

The Precincts are, like those of all English cathedrals, lovely, and these are fortunate enough to be entered by several ancient gates. The one on the south, =St. Ethelbert’s Gate= (Early Decorated), was built in the Thirteenth Century, after the riots and fire of 1272. The =Gate House= (Perpendicular), on the north, is the entrance to the Bishop’s Palace.

Opposite the west front we find the =Erpingham Gate=, built about 1420, by Sir Thomas Erpingham, whose figure stands in the niche over the wide arch. It is a greatly admired piece of Perpendicular work.

The =West Front= (Perpendicular) clearly defines the width of the nave and the aisles on either side. Over the centre door is the large west window of nine lights, often compared to the window of Westminster Hall. Above is a gable, surmounted by a cross. The doors date from 1436, and the west window from Bishop Lyhart’s time (1446-1472). There are no towers here; for the pinnacles placed on the side turrets in 1875 are not deserving of this name.

“The Tower and Spire stand at the intersection of the choir and
transepts, covered with vertical shafts on the face of each. The
tower is Norman buttress, which is finished by a crocketed
pinnacle. Between these buttresses are horizontal bands of design:
the lowest, a Norman arcade of nine arches, three of which are
pierced as windows; then, above this, a smaller wall arcade with
interlaced arches; and then, above again, the principal feature, an
arcading of nine arches, three pierced for windows, and the others
filled with wall tracery of diamonds and circles; then, between
this last and the battlemented parapet, occur five vertical panels,
each comprising two circles, the upper pierced for a window. Above,
soaring upward, rises the later crocketed spire. The rest of the
tower was finished during the reign of Henry I., and is a beautiful
specimen of the work of that time; the stonework was almost
entirely refaced in 1856. The tower was crowned by a wooden spire
from 1297; this was blown down in 1361, damaging the presbytery so
badly that the clerestory had to be rebuilt. The wooden spire was
constructed probably at the same time, and the present Early
Perpendicular turrets were added. The spire was again in 1463
struck by lightning, and again falling eastward, went through the
presbytery roof. The present spire was then constructed in stone by
Bishop Lyhart (1446-72), and was finished by his successor, Bishop
Goldwell (1472-99), who added the battlements.

“It will hardly be necessary to enlarge on the beauty of this spire
of Norwich, as the dominant feature, seen from the south-east,
rising above the curved sweep of the apse, and strongly buttressed
by the south transept, it stands up, clearly defined against the
western sky, and points upward, significant and symbolical at once
of the ends and aspirations of the church below.

“The eastern arm, or presbytery, takes its history from the tower.
Here, as in the nave, the original triforium windows are blocked
up, and a range of Perpendicular work superimposed on the old.
Above and beyond this, supported between each bay by
flying-buttresses, comes the transitional Decorated to
Perpendicular clerestory, higher than the original Norman
clerestory remaining to the nave. At the base of each
flying-buttress are figures of saints. The roof and Norman
clerestory were damaged by the falling tower in 1361, but were
rebuilt by Bishop Percy, 1355-69. This work is transitional
Decorated to Perpendicular. The presbytery was then re-roofed with
a framed timber construction, which was consumed by the falling of
the burning spire, struck by lightning in 1463. The present stone
vault was added in its place by Bishop Goldwell, 1472-99. This
necessitated the addition as well of flying-buttresses to take the
thrust of the vault.

“The battlementing to the presbytery also was added at the same
time as the flying-buttresses.

“It will also be noted that here, as in the nave, an addition was
made in the way of a range of later ‘Perpendicular’ windows
superimposed over the original Norman triforium, which was blocked
up.”--(C. H. B. Q.)

The south transept projects under the central tower.

Next follows the =Chapel of St. Mary the Less= (Fourteenth Century) projecting southward, then the circular =Chapel of St. Luke= (Norman), very peculiar in form, with two rows of arcading.

The north side is well viewed from the =Bishop’s Gardens=. It differs little from the south side, except in the fact that it has been less restored. The chapel corresponding with the Chapel of St. Luke is the =Jesus Chapel=, and is also circular. Here we find Perpendicular windows inserted in the Norman work.