Chapter IV: Part 4

“The Feretory, or Capitular Chapel, is immediately behind the altar
and communicates with the sanctuary. Here the magnificent shrine of
St. Swithun, of solid silver gilt and garnished with precious
stones, the gift of King Edgar, used to be kept except on the
festivals of the saint, when it was exposed to view on the Altar,
or before it.

“Many portions of statuary formerly belonging to the Great Screen
and other parts of the building are here carefully preserved. From
the platform behind the reredos may be observed the admirable
connection of Fox’s new with De Lucy’s earlier work.”--(G. W. K.)

The old statue of the bishop, taken from the west front, may also be seen here.

Back of the Reredos again stands the famous Edwardian =Arcade=, with nine canopies (or tabernacles). Beneath it is the ancient entrance, the “=Holy Hole=,” leading into the Crypt.

The presbytery aisles are greatly admired. Here we find beautiful examples of Early English work and many splendid monuments and chantries. Beyond lies the =Lady-Chapel=, with the =Chapel of the Guardian Angels= on the north side and the =Bishop de Langton’s Chantry= on the south.

The Lady-Chapel (1470) was founded by Elizabeth of York, Queen of Henry VII., after the birth of her son, Arthur, as a testimony of her gratitude. The arms of Henry VII., Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales--the feathers divided by roses--are among the ornaments.

A plain slab of grey marble in front of the Lady-Chapel is supposed to mark the =Tomb of Bishop de Lucy=, the builder of all this part of the Cathedral. At the back of the Lady-Chapel a Reredos was placed by Dean Branston in 1876.

Ascending the steps from the transept, we reach the north aisle of the presbytery, and gain a fine view beyond this of the eastern portion of the church, with its splendid chantries and chapels.

With the exception of the extreme east end of the Lady-Chapel, it is all the work of Bishop Godfrey de Lucy (1189-1204), and consequently a very early example of Early English. The design and details are of great beauty. The three aisles or alleys (called procession paths or the _via processionum_) are separated from each other by three arches on each side and terminate eastward in chapels. These aisles were formed in order to facilitate the circulation of processions.

The north chapel (part of De Lucy’s work) is called that of the =Guardian Angels=, from the figures of angels still remaining on the vaulting; the south chapel (De Lucy’s work) was fitted up as a chantry by Bishop Langton, who died in 1500. The woodwork is rich and beautiful and the vault elaborate with carved rebuses on his name.

“The north and south walls, as far as the east walls of the two
side chapels, are De Lucy’s work, and retain his rich Early English
arcade. The eastern compartment on each side, as well as the east
wall, have respectively a large Perpendicular window of seven
lights with transom and tracery of a peculiar kind of
subordination, or rather interpretation of patterns well worth a
careful study. The vault is a complex and beautiful specimen of
lierne-work. The capitals and bases of the vaulting-shafts are
unusual and very beautiful. The carved panelling of the western
half of this chapel, the seats, desk and screen of separation, are
all excellent, and should be noticed. All this Perpendicular work
is due to Prior Hunton (1470-1498) and his successor, Prior
Silkstede (1498-1524). On the vault round the two central keys--one
representing the Almighty, the other the Blessed Virgin--are the
rebuses of the two priors: the letter T, the syllable Hun, the
figure of a ton for Thomas Hunton; the figure 1 and the letters Por
for Prior: the letter T, the syllable silk, the word sted with a
horse below it, the figure 1 with letters as before, for Thomas
Silkstede, prior. The walls of this chapel are covered with the
remains of some very curious paintings illustrating the legendary
history of the Virgin.

“These are all the work of Prior Silkstede, whose portrait, with an
inscription, is still faintly visible over the piscina.”--(R. J.
K.)

Between the pillars of the central aisle are the =Chantries= of =Waynflete= and =Beaufort=. Both were much injured by Cromwell’s troops and have been restored. The delicacy and beauty of Waynflete’s canopy should be noted. The lily, his device, constantly appears. His effigy lies here.

Beaufort appears in his Cardinal’s robes. He was half-brother to Henry IV. and was bishop, statesman, soldier and banker to the royal family. He is said to have burst into tears at the burning of Joan of Arc at Rouen and to have left the scene. However, he persecuted the Lollards. Between these two chantries lies the effigy of a =Thirteenth Century Knight= in chain-mail and cross-legged. It is the only ancient military figure in the cathedral. He is either Sir W. de Foix or Sir Arnold de Gavaston.

Beyond the pier which connects De Lucy’s work with the Presbytery on the north side is the =Chantry of Bishop Gardiner= (1531-1555), the “hammer of heretics,” secretary to Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII.’s ambassador to the Pope regarding his marriage. Bishop Gardiner also married “Bloody Mary” to the King of Spain.

Opposite is =Bishop Fox’s Chantry=, built by Fox himself. It is the most elaborate chantry in the Cathedral. The arches were once filled with stained glass. The Bishop’s emblem, the pelican, appears everywhere. Fox was secretary and Lord Privy Seal to Henry VII. and founder of Corpus Christi, Oxford. This college restored the Bishop’s chantry. Blind several years before his death, Fox used to be led every day to the small oratory attached to his Chantry.

The visitor should study these chantries, beginning with Edington’s in the Nave and ending with Gardiner’s, for they form a continuous record of the growth and development of Perpendicular and Tudor architecture from 1366 to 1555.

“In no English church except Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s, lie
so many men of name. For just as the features of the Cathedral
represent all the successive phases and changes of the art of
building, until it has been styled a ‘School of English
Architecture,’ so it may be said to be the home and centre of our
early history. Long is the roll of kings and statesmen who came
hither and whose bones here lie at rest. Cynegils and Cenwalh, West
Saxon Kings, founders of the church, are here; Egbert was buried
here in 838; Ethelwulf also and Edward the Elder and Edred. The
body of Alfred the Great lay a while in the church, then was
transferred to the new minster he had built, and finally rested at
Hyde Abbey. And, most splendid name of all, the great Cnut was
buried here, as was also his son, Harthacnut, as bad and mean as
his father was great. The roll of kings was closed when Red
William’s blood-dripping corpse came jolting hither in the country
cart from New Forest.”--(G. W. K.)

The two =Transepts= are similar. Both have east and west aisles and both are of two periods. The earlier parts are plain rude Norman, massive and grand in effect. The arches, both of triforium and clerestory, are square-edged like the pier-arches below them. They should be compared with Ely Cathedral, the work of Walkelyn’s brother, Simeon. It is interesting to note that the central towers of both fell,--Walkelyn’s in 1107 and Simeon’s in 1321.

The =North Transept= contains five altars. On the south side against the organ screen is the =Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre=, the walls of which are covered with rude wall-paintings illustrative of the passion of our Saviour.

The =South Transept= is similar to the North transept. In its eastern aisles are two chapels formed by screens of stone tracery work. The south chapel is called =Silkstede’s Chapel=, from Prior Silkstede, whose name, Thomas, is carved on the screen with the monogram M. A. of the Virgin and a skein of silk, his rebus. The beautiful iron-work is of a later period. A plain black marble slab in Prior Silkstede’s Chapel marks the =Tomb of Izaak Walton=, “the prince of fishermen,” who died in 1683.

Entrances from both transepts lead to the crypt.

In the west aisle of the south transept is the =Chapter-House= (formerly the sacristy), above which is the Library. The doorway in the south wall led to the domestic buildings of the monastery.

The =Crypt= is entered from the north transept. It is Norman, dark and massive, and suggestive of a remote age. It is frequently flooded; for the level of the river seems to have risen since the Eleventh Century. Like other crypts, it serves to show the original plan of the Norman Church. It is in three parts: the western, consisting of the substructure of the original choir; a long aisleless chapel of three bays beneath the present retro-choir; and the substructure of Courtenay’s Lady-Chapel built between 1486 and 1492. Beneath the

high altar is the sacred well, the centre of Saxon worship before the Cathedral had an existence.

The =Roofs= of this cathedral also deserve a visit.

“In the roof of the nave may be seen the original Norman shafts
running up above Wykeham’s vault, and in those of the aisles the
Norman arches of the triforium, best developed at the east end of
the nave aisle-roof. The transept roofs show to this day what
Bishop Walkelyn did with Hempage-wood. From the leads of the tower
there is a very striking view over the city and its environs.”--(R.
J. K.)

The =Bells= hang in the great central tower: three are dated 1734, the others 1737, 1742, 1772, 1804 and 1814. The tenor bell was recast in 1892.

Within the Precincts stood the Royal Castle at the time of the Norman Conquest. This was pulled down by Henry de Blois in the Twelfth Century.

CHICHESTER

DEDICATION: THE HOLY TRINITY. A CHURCH SERVED BY SECULAR CANONS.

SPECIAL FEATURES: FIVE AISLES; SPIRE; CAMPANILE.

Chichester (the camp of Cissa) stands at the head of an arm of the English Channel. Its Cathedral is the only one in England that can be seen from the sea.

In 1082 the South Saxon See was removed from Selsey to Chichester. The church of the monastery, dedicated to St. Peter, seems to have been used until Bishop Ralph Luffa (about whom little or nothing is known) founded the existing Cathedral. This was completed in 1108, partly destroyed by fire in 1114 and partly restored by the same Ralph, who died in 1123.

“Chichester Cathedral, though one of the smallest, is to the
student of Mediæval architecture one of the most interesting and
important of our cathedrals. At Salisbury one or two styles of
architecture are represented; at Canterbury two or three; at
Chichester every single style is to be seen without a break from
the Eleventh to the Sixteenth Century. It is an epitome of English
architectural history for five hundred years. Early Norman, late
Norman, late Transitional, early Lancet, late Lancet, early
Geometrical, late Geometrical, Curvilinear, Perpendicular and Tudor
work all appear in the structure side by side. We have many other
heterogeneous and composite cathedrals, but nowhere, except perhaps
at Hereford, can the whole sequence of Mediæval styles be read so
well as at Chichester.”--(F. B.)

Chichester was consecrated in 1148, again suffered from fire in 1186-1187 and was restored and enlarged by Bishop Seffrid II. (1180-1204).

“The fire of 1186 was not as serious as that of Canterbury in 1182,
so that there was no need of rebuilding. Bishop Seffrid, however,
covered the Cathedral with a stone vault and added the necessary
buttresses and flying-buttresses. He also built the Choir, making
great use of Purbeck marble. He removed the Norman apse and built
the aisled retro-choir of two bays.

“This is the architectural gem of the Cathedral. The idea of it
probably came from Hereford, where the retro-choir is a few years
earlier. At Hereford, however, the retro-choir projects
picturesquely and forms an eastern transept. The central piers of
the Chichester retro-choir are remarkably beautiful. They consist
of a central column surrounded by four shafts very widely detached;
columns and shafts are of Purbeck marble. The capitals are
Corinthianesque; their height is proportioned to the diameters of
the column and shafts. This beautiful capital was reproduced a few
years later by St. Hugh at Lincoln. The triforium is of quite
exceptional beauty, as indeed is the whole design. Semicircular
arches occur in the pier arcade and triforium, and some of the
abaci are square; otherwise the design is pure Gothic. Here, as at
Abbey Dore, St. Thomas’s, Portsmouth, Boxgrove and Wells, we see
the transition to the ‘pure and undefiled Gothic’ of St. Hugh’s
choir at Lincoln. In these beautiful churches the ancient
Romanesque style breathed its last.

“The aisles of the new retro-choir were continued on either side of
the first bay of the Norman Lady-Chapel whose three bays had
probably been remodelled before the fire in Transitional fashion.
The capitals of the Lady-Chapel are of exceptional interest and
importance, as showing experimental foliation which had not yet
settled down into the conventional leafage of early Gothic. The
apse also of the south transept was replaced by a square chapel,
now used as a Library, in the vaulting of which the Norman zigzag
occurs.

“A little later in the Lancet period was built (1199-1245) the
lovely south porch, with small exquisite mouldings, and the
charming foliated capitals and corbels. The difference between
early Transitional, late Transitional and Lancet foliation may be
well seen by examining successively the capitals of the
Lady-Chapel, the triforium of the retro-choir and the south porch.
The north porch is almost equally fine. The vaulting ribs, square
in section, show that the two porches both belong to the very first
years of the Thirteenth Century. Rather later, the sacristy was
built on to the south porch, with a massive vault supported by
foliated corbels.”--(F. B.)

Chichester’s saint was one of its own bishops--Richard de la Wych--who died in 1253. He was canonized in 1261. In 1276, his remains were removed from their first resting-place to the shrine in the south transept opposite the beautiful Early Decorated window (one of the loveliest examples of this style in England). Edward I., his Queen and the Court were present at the Translation. From that time the shrine received many visits from pilgrims.

The central tower was built during the first half of the Fourteenth Century, and the spire was completed at the end of the Fourteenth Century. The campanile was built by Bishop John de Langton (1305-1336). Bishop Sherborne (1507-1536) added the upper portion of the choir-stalls and the decorations of the south transept. These are the ornamentations referred to by Fuller, who quaintly says Bishop Seffrid “bestowed the cloth and making on the church, while Bishop Sherborne gave the trimming and best lace thereto, in the reign of Henry VII.”

In 1643, the Parliamentarian troops broke the organ, defaced the monuments and hacked the seats and stalls, which, of course, necessitated restorations and repairs. Repairs, restorations and alterations were also made from 1843 to 1856, the most important of which was the reconstruction of the central tower and spire under Sir Gilbert Scott. In 1867 the floor of the Lady-Chapel was lowered to its original level and the Gilbert Chapel restored; and during the last half of the Nineteenth Century, the cloister was restored and the roof of the Lady-Chapel, and a new north-western tower designed by Mr. J. L. Pearson.

“The Cathedral stands on the south of West Street, where a fine
view may be had of the whole of the north side of the building and
of the detached Campanile. The Close occupies entirely the
south-west quadrant of the city, being bounded by South and West
Streets and the City Wall. The central tower and spire, rising to a
height of 277 feet, are conspicuous for many miles around, but the
west front is much shut in. Perhaps the most pleasing view is that
seen from the meadows on the south of the city, from which point
the Campanile fits in admirably with the general mass of the
building.”--(J. C.-B.)

This =Campanile=, in which eight bells hang, stands on the north side of the Cathedral, and was built in the Fourteenth Century. It covers a square of 50 feet and consists of two cubes with an octagonal lantern (8 feet).

The =Central Tower= and its delicate =Spire= have had a peculiar history. Exposed to the south-west gales from the Channel, the authorities in the Seventeenth Century had fears for its safety; and, consequently the upper part was taken down and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, who placed within it a pendulum-stage of wood and iron to steady it. This ingenious invention lasted until 1861; and it is said that Wren’s contrivance prevented the spire from toppling over when the collapse occurred.

About 1859 this spire showed signs of weakness, and underpinning was of no avail. On the 21st of February it inclined slightly to the south-west, then seemed to right itself; and then, amid a great cloud of dust, descended perpendicularly into the walls of the tower, doing no harm to the roof of the church. The fall only lasted a few seconds. As this happened in Queen Victoria’s reign, the old Sussex prophecy was fulfiled:

“If Chichester Church steeple fall
In England there’s no King at all.”

The rebuilding was entrusted to Sir Gilbert Scott with a stipulation that the new tower and spire should be exact reproductions of the originals. Scott, however, added six feet to the height.

“The central tower, which is battlemented, with octagonal turrets
at the angles, also battlemented, has in its principal or second
story, two couplets in each face, with a quatrefoil in the head,
each under a pointed arch. The spire is of beautiful design,
octagonal; in each face is a window of two lights, flanked by
pinnacled turrets, crocketed and canopied. Its elegance has
constantly led to its being compared with that of Salisbury, which,
however, differs from it in age and many other particulars, as well
as size. It forms not only the central but the principal feature of
the church, all whose lines are designed to work in with it, a very
perfect effect of unity, as at Salisbury, being attained. It is
locally said that the master built Salisbury and the man,
Chichester.”--(W. J. L.)

The =West Front= is composed of three stories, a gable, porch and two towers. The northern tower is modern, copied from its twin, which is Early English above the third story. The great =West Window= is modern, copied from Fourteenth Century examples. The central porch (Early English) is of the same date and character as the south porch, which opens into the cloisters. The north porch (Early English) lies between the aisle and the north-west tower.

The north wall of the nave has some curious buttresses. In the south transept notice a richly traceried window (Decorated), of seven lights, with a beautiful rose window above. A trefoiled string-course ornaments the parapet in the transept and choir. The =East Window= consists of three lancet windows, with a rose window of seven foliated circles of the choir in the gable; it is flanked by arcaded pinnacles with small spires.

The first view of the interior of Chichester is somewhat severe.

“On entering the nave the eye is at once caught by the five aisles,
a peculiarity shared by no other English cathedral but that of
Manchester, although some parish churches have it on a smaller
scale, as Taunton and Coventry. On the Continent the increased
number of aisles is common, witness Beauvais, Cologne, Milan,
Seville, and seven-aisled Antwerp. Grand effects of light and shade
are produced by these five aisles: remark especially the view from
the extreme north-east corner of the north aisle, looking across
the cathedral. The great depth of the triforium shadows is owing to
the unusual width of this wall passage. The breadth of the nave (91
feet) is greater than that of any English cathedral except York
(103 feet).

“The first two stories of the south-west tower at the end of the
nave deserve examination. The rude, long capitals, and plain
circular arches, probably indicate that it formed a part of the
first church completed by Bishop Ralph in 1108. The nave itself, as
far as the top of the triforium, and the two aisles immediately
adjoining, are the work of the same Bishop (died 1123),--or should
perhaps be described as having formed part of the Norman cathedral
completed in 1148. The clerestory above, and the shafts of Purbeck
marble which lighten the piers, are Seffrid’s additions (died
1204). The vaulting is perhaps somewhat later; and it was because
it was determined, after the burning of 1187, to replace with a
stone vault the wooden roofs to which the frequent fires had been
owing that Seffrid carried up his vaulting-shafts along the face of
the Norman piers, some of which he re-cased. The two exterior
aisles, north and south, were probably added by Bishop Neville
(died 1244), when it became necessary to provide additional room
for chantries and relic shrines. The positions of the various
altars are marked by piscinas and aumbries in the walls. The two,
however, occur together in the south aisle alone; in the north are
aumbries only, an arrangement possibly resulting from the feeling
with which that quarter was always anciently regarded. A certainly
triplicity pervades all this part of the cathedral, which was
dedicated by Bishop Seffrid to the Holy Trinity. The side shafts
are triple throughout. The bearing-shafts of the vaulting are
clustered in threes, and branch out with three triple vaulting-ribs
above. The transitional character of Bishop Seffrid’s work is
especially marked in the clerestory, the inner arcade of which is
pointed, whilst the windows themselves are round-headed.”--(R. J.
K.)

The nave is full of monuments and tablets, some of which are by Flaxman. The one in the =Chapel of the Four Virgins= (north side) is a memorial to Collins the poet. Near it are the two figures of the =Earl of Arundel= and =Maud=, his wife. Arundel was beheaded in 1297. He is represented in full armour and at his feet is a lion.

“The most beautiful monument now remaining in the church is that
which is said to represent Maud, Countess of Arundel (1270). The
modelling of the whole figure and the long flowing lines of her
robes are worthy of careful study. The hands are clasped over the
breast with the forearms bent upwards slightly towards the face. On
each of the long sides of the base supporting the figure are six
elongated quatrefoil panels, containing in all six female figures
and six shields. Between the quatrefoils are winged heads of ten
angelic figures. The blazoning of the shields is entirely gone, and
the brilliant colouring that once covered the entire monument is
only to be traced in a few places. The outer robe still shows

some signs of the rich blue with which it used to be covered. The
face of the figure appears to be badly mutilated, but the damage to
the features has been done principally by an endeavour to preserve
them.”--(H. C. C.)

In the =choir= we find stalls that have been in use since the Fourteenth Century. On the backs of the =choir-stalls= pictures by Bernardi represent Ceadwalla and Henry VIII. confirming privileges to the bishops of their day.

In the =south transept= is a beautiful window, better seen from the Cloisters because the bad glass spoils the effect of the tracery.

At the end of the south side in the =Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene= St. Richard’s head was preserved in a silver reliquary in the aumbry in the north wall.

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene is balanced by the =Chapel of St. Katherine= at the end of the north-choir-aisle. In the =south-choir-aisle=, two curiously carved =Slabs=, representing the _Raising of Lazarus_ and _Martha and Mary meeting Jesus_, are supposed to have been brought from the first Cathedral in Selsey when the See was transferred to Chichester in 1082.

A doorway in the north-choir-aisle leads to the old =Chapel of St. John the Baptist and St. Edmund the King=. The vaulting is unlike any other in the Cathedral. The zigzag, or chevron, occurs upon the moulding of the ribs. A finely carved head appears on the spring of the arch. This chapel is now used as the =Library=.

“At Chichester there were built, one after another, four sets of
chapels--of St. George and St. Clement on the south of the south
aisle, and of St. Thomas, St. Anne and St. Edmund on the north of
the north aisle. The WINDOWS should be studied in the above order;
they form quite an excellent object-lesson of the evolution of
bar-tracery from plate-tracery, itself a derivative from such
designs as that of the east window of the south transept chapel.
When the chapels were completed, the Norman aisle-walls were
pierced, and arches were inserted where Norman windows had been;
and the Lancet buttresses, which had been added when the nave vault
was erected, now found themselves inside the church, buttressing
piers instead of walls. The new windows on the south side were
built so high that the vaulting of the chapels had to be tilted up
to allow room for their heads; externally they were originally
crowned with gables, the weatherings of which may be seen outside.
In St. Thomas’s chapel is a charming example of a simple Thirteenth
Century reredos.”--(F. B.)

Above the south porch there is a small chamber popularly known as the “=Lollards’ Prison=.”

Between the back of the reredos (modern) and the entrance to the Lady-Chapel is the Retro-choir, or presbytery, which many critics consider the chief glory of Chichester.

“The design in detail of these two bays is very different in
character from the three in the choir, which are like those in the
nave. The two piers of Purbeck marble are circular, and about them
are grouped four detached shafts of the same material. They are
united only at the base and by the abacus above the capitals, which
are beautifully carved. The main arches in the two bays are not
pointed, but round, like those in the nave and choir; but, unlike
the latter, they have deeply cut mouldings in three orders. The
triforium arcade above, on the north and south sides, has moulded
and carved details of a similar character. Some of the beautifully
carved figure-work still remains in the spandrels between the
subsidiary pointed arches. But the most beautiful piece of design
in all this work is in the arches of the triforium passage across
the east wall, above the entrance to the Lady-Chapel.”--(F. B.)

=St. Richard’s Shrine= stood on a platform in the bay in the presbytery immediately behind the High Altar. This platform was removed at the time of the general restoration in 1861-1867.

The =Lady-Chapel= was once decorated with designs in colour, remains of which are still to be seen. The new =Reredos= is of alabaster. The glass of the window is also modern. Here is the =Tomb of Bishop Ralph=, founder of the original Norman church.

The visitor should walk around the =Cloisters= for the sake of the exterior views of the Cathedral. The south transept window is well seen here. Note the beautiful tracery of the circular window above it. The position of the Cloisters, lying eastward under the Transept and Choir, instead of westward along the Nave, is unusual.

“The cloister which was added in the Fifteenth Century is of a
peculiarly irregular shape, and encloses the south transept within
the paradise. It has been much restored at different times. The
present roof is of tiles and is carried on common rafters. Each has
a cross tie, and the struts are shaped so as to give a pointed arch
form to each one. The old Fifteenth Century wooden cornice still
remains in some sections. The tracery is divided into four
compartments by mullions, and each head is filled with cusped work.
Round the cloister are placed the old houses of the Treasurer, the
Royal Chaplains, and Wiccamical Prebendaries. Above the door
leading to the house of the Royal Chaplains is an interesting
monument of the Tudor Period. It is a panel divided into two
compartments by a moulded stone fragment. Leading out of the south
walk is a doorway, through which the deanery may be seen beyond the
end of a long walled passage known as ST. RICHARD’S WALK. Looking
back northwards, there is fine view of the spire and transept from
the end of this walk.”--(H. C. C.)

In the south-east corner the Cloister passes under the west end of =St. Faith’s Chapel=, founded in the Fourteenth Century.

SALISBURY

DEDICATION: ST. MARY; A CHURCH SERVED BY SECULAR CANONS.

SPECIAL FEATURES: SPIRE; CHAPTER-HOUSE.

Salisbury, on the edge of the great Salisbury Plain, haunted by Ingoldsby’s “Dead Drummer” and not far from weird Stonehenge, is famous for its beautiful Early English Cathedral.

“The visitor who sees it first on a bright day can never forget the
impression it has made on his mind. Unlike the architects of the
so-called ‘Great Gothic Revival,’ the builders of Salisbury put
their trust in proportion. Incidentally they made their details as
elaborate and as perfect as possible; but they were subordinated to
the general effect, and when, during the frightful ravages of the
‘restorers,’ let loose upon the church in the past and present
centuries, many of the best and most precious of these details and
ornaments perished or were renewed, the main building survives,
raising its exquisitely graceful spire into the blue sky, its
thousand pinnacles all pointing upward and gleaming white against
the deep green of the old trees and the emerald turf of the
surrounding close. England can show no fairer sight. ‘How long,’
asked an American visitor, ‘does it take to grow such turf?’ ‘Oh!
not long,’ was the reply; ‘only a couple of centuries.’ One feels
at Salisbury that whether the answer was given there or at Oxford,
of no place could it be more true. Though, when we look near
enough, we can see that fresh and white as is the general effect,
the masonry of Salisbury is of great antiquity, except of course
where it has been restored; and antiquity adds another charm, for
Salisbury was the first complete cathedral built after the
Romanesque tradition had died out, as St. Paul’s is the first built
after it had been revived. In other cathedrals there are fragments
of the same style, and they are always the most

beautiful features of the whole building. We can recall the western
porch at Ely, and the Angel Choir at Lincoln, and the chapter-house
at Southwell; but, here, at Salisbury, we have the whole vast
cathedral, all in the same supreme style, every part fitting into
its place, and adding its contribution to the general effect, never
in contrast but always in harmony until the effect is attained.
What that is may be read in countless books of travel or criticism.
Salisbury Cathedral, like the Parthenon and all other--there are
not many--buildings which tempt one to call them poems in
stone--produces a different feeling in the minds of all who see
it.”--(W. J. L.)

Salisbury was built on a site unoccupied by a former church. The “Bishop’s Stool” had long been at Old Sarum on Salisbury Plain, a fortified castle and cathedral; but the castle became too important and Bishop Poore and his canons removed the See in the early part of the Thirteenth Century. An old legend says that the site of the new Cathedral was determined by an arrow shot by an archer from the ramparts into the green vale below.

The first stone was laid for the Pope, who had consented to the removal of the church from Old Sarum; the second, for Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, then with young Henry III. in Wales; the third, for Bishop Poore; the fourth was laid by William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury; and the fifth, by the Countess Ela, his wife. When the King returned from Wales many of his courtiers visited Salisbury, “and each laid his stone, binding himself to some special contribution for a period of seven years.”

The building was undertaken by Elias of Dereham, clerk of the works; and his successors were Nicholas of Portland and Richard of Fairleigh. The latter completed the spire in 1375.

The Cathedral was consecrated in 1258, by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of Henry III. and his Queen.

The Cloisters and Chapter-House were built in the Thirteenth Century and the Spire (which seems, however, to have formed part of the original plan) in the Fourteenth.

“The history of no English cathedral is so clear and so readily
traceable as that of Salisbury. It was the first great church built
in England in what was then the new or pointed style (Early
English); of which it still remains, as a whole, one of the finest
and most complete examples. The Abbey Church of Westminster,
commenced in 1245, and completed to the east end of the choir in
1269, is the only great building of this age in England which can
be considered finer than Salisbury; and it is probable that Henry
III. was induced to undertake the rebuilding of Westminster from
admiration of the rising glories of the new Wiltshire cathedral,
which he had several times visited. On the Continent, the great
rival of Salisbury is Amiens; commenced in the same year (1220) and
completed, nearly as at present, in 1272.

“The usual alterations took place in Salisbury Cathedral at the
Reformation, when much of the painted glass is said to have been
removed by Bishop Jewell. Although desolate and abandoned, it
escaped material profanation during the Civil War, and workmen were
even employed to keep it in repair. On the Restoration, a report of
the general condition of the cathedral was supplied by Sir
Christopher Wren, and certain additions for the strengthening of
the spire were made at his recommendation. The great work of
destruction was reserved for a later period and more competent
hands. Under Bishop Barrington (1782-1791) the architect Wyatt was,
unhappily, let loose upon Salisbury; and his untiring use of axe
and hammer will stand a very fair comparison with the labours of an
iconoclast emperor, or with the burning zeal of an early Mohammedan
caliph. He swept away screens, chapels and porches; desecrated and
destroyed the tombs of warriors and prelates; obliterated ancient
paintings; flung stained glass by cartloads into the city ditch;
and levelled with the ground the Campanile--of the same date as the
Cathedral itself--which stood on the north side of the churchyard.
His operations at the time were pronounced ‘tasteful, effective and
judicious.’ The best point of view is from the north-east, which
Rickman has pronounced ‘the best general view of a cathedral to be
had in England, displaying the various portions of this interesting
building to the greatest advantage.’ The Cathedral is built (and
roofed) throughout with freestone obtained from the Chilmark
quarries, situated about twelve miles from Salisbury towards
Hendon, and still worked. The stone belongs to the Portland beds of
the oölite. The pillars and pilasters of the interior are of
Purbeck marble. The local rhyme in which the cathedral is
celebrated may here be quoted; it is attributed by Godwin, who
gives a Latin version of it, to a certain Daniel Rogers:

“‘As many days as in one year there be,
So many windows in this church you see.
As many marble pillars here appear
As there are hours through the fleeting year.
As many gates as moons one here does view,
Strange tale to tell, yet not more strange than true.’

The great point to which the attention of the stranger is at once
drawn is, of course, the grand peculiarity of Salisbury, the
‘silent finger’ of its _spire_. This is the loftiest in England,
rising 400 feet above the pavement (Chichester said, but very
doubtfully, to have been built in imitation of it, is 271 feet in
height; Norwich 313 feet) and its summit is 30 feet above the top
of St. Paul’s.”--(R. J. K.)

Dean Stanley said that Westminster is all-glorious within and Salisbury, all-glorious without.

“Much has been written on the beauty of the Cathedral church of
Salisbury, the chastity of its style and the purity of its detail.
The east end may be said to display the utmost refinement of the
Early English era. Every subordinate feature is so perfectly
disposed, so admirably carried out and adapted to its purpose, so
necessary to the full effect of the whole, so simple and yet so
rich, that nothing, even by the most critical, can be found wanting
there or considered _de trop_. The northern side is scarcely less
perfect; the simple lancet openings of its eastern transept, the
more fully developed quatrefoils of the central gable and the still
more advanced northern porch beyond these, all mark the progress of
construction. At the intersection rises the still later tower and
spire, the final limb of the whole, on an embattled lower stage of
earlier date. It is rich to the utmost limit. Every ballflower,
every projecting shaft and moulding sparkles for itself and casts
its own diminutive shadow upon its fellow, entirely relieving the
wall-surface of that flatness which is and must be the fault in
every view purporting to suggest its elegance. The church stands
alone; like a model of itself; in its entirety perhaps the most
stately of which we can boast.”--(A. A.)

In the close, which is about half a square mile, there are three gates: the South, or =Harnham=; the East, or =St. Anne’s=; and the North, or =Close Gate=, built about 1327.

“The first thing to be noticed in Salisbury is the ample breadth of
the space in which its cathedral stands, the beauty of which space
is enhanced by rows and avenues of magnificent trees; so that it is
difficult to conceive a more appropriate enclosure in which to find
‘the most chaste of English’ churches. Salisbury covers no less
than eight acres of ground.

“Entering from the High Street, the visitor finds himself almost in
another township. A street lined with houses conducts to the
Cathedral lawn, where from the north-eastern extremity the full
proportions of the church may be comprehended. The whole north side
of the close is thus open. On the east we find another gateway and
the entrance to the Palace; on the other side the Choristers’
Green, in itself another little close. The west is occupied by a
group of interesting and extremely handsome houses of various
dates. Here are the Deanery, standing in its own grounds opposite
the Cathedral façade; the King’s House, a long, many-gabled mansion
of the early Fifteenth Century, with mullioned windows and a
vaulted porch, the occasional resting-place of the English monarchs
on their passage through Salisbury; and the Wardrobe, distinguished
by its heavy roof, its projecting double gables, and the immense
square windows, back and front, through which the evening sun
penetrates with a curious half-ghostly gleam. These form the most
effective line of buildings of the enclosure, which at this least
trim but not the less picturesque side, terminates at the Harnham
Gate.”--(A. A.)

Raising our eyes to the =Tower= and =Spire=, we note:

“The Early English portion, however, terminates with the first
story, about eight feet above the roof; the two additional stories
and the spire above them date from the reign of Edward III. The
walls of the upper stories of the tower are covered with a blind
arcade, richly canopied, and pierced for light with double windows
on all four sides. Above each story is a parapet with
lozenge-shaped traceries, which are repeated in the three bands
encircling the spire. At each angle of the tower is an octagonal
stair-turret, crowned with a small crocketed spire. The great
spire, itself octagonal, rises from between four small
richly-decorated pinnacles. Its walls are two feet in thickness
from the bottom to a height of twenty feet; from thence to the
summit their thickness is only nine inches. The spire is filled
with a remarkable frame of timber-work, which served as a scaffold
during its erection. While making some repairs in 1762, the workmen
found a cavity on the south side of the capstone in which was a
leaden box, enclosing a second of wood which contained a piece of
much decayed silk or fine linen, no doubt a relic (possibly of the
Virgin, to whom the cathedral is dedicated) placed there in order
to avert lightning and tempest.”--(R. J. K.)

Entering by the west door we look down the =Nave=.

“The interior is indeed very fine. It could hardly help being fine;
a nave so spacious and so proportioned could under no circumstances
be a failure. It is immensely high and as long in proportion. The
proportion of height to span (2½ to 1) is better than in most
English churches. The harmony of the design--practically the same
from east to west and from north to south--is unique in England,
and is most impressive. The charming way, too, in which the
architect has contrived that we should have a vista of another
miniature church in the Lady-Chapel--a cathedral within a
cathedral--is worthy of all commendation. But, as in Lincoln nave,
to the eye every support is alarmingly insufficient for the work it
has to do; the piers are too tall and slender, the walls too thin
and pierced with too many openings. The triforium is a most
unfortunate design: in harmony neither with the arcade below, nor
with the clerestory above; its outer arches ugly in themselves and
discordant with every other arch in the church; nor could it be
expected that its dark marble shafts would tell against a dark
background--black on black. Add to this the dreadfully new look of
everything--partly due to the very perfection of the masonry,
partly because Scott has been here--and the overpowering glare: one
almost feels as if one were in the Crystal Palace.”--(F. B.)

The most interesting tomb in the nave is that of =William Longespée=, the first Earl of Salisbury, son of Henry II. and Fair Rosamond, who died at his castle of Old Sarum in 1226.

“The effigy is entirely in chain-mail, covering the mouth as well
as the chin in an unusual manner. Over the mail is the short
cyclas, or surcoat. On the earl’s shield are the six golden
lioncels also borne by his grandfather Geoffrey, Count of Anjou.
Longespée acquired the earldom of Salisbury through marriage with
its heiress, the Countess Ela. He took an active part in public
affairs throughout the reign of John; joined the Earl of Chester in
an expedition to the Holy Land, and was present at the battle of
Damietta in 1221, where the Christians were defeated. He fought
much in Flanders and in France; was present on the King’s side at
Runnymede; and was one of the witnesses to the Great Charter.”--(R.
J. K.)

The curious monument of the =Boy Bishop= was removed to its present position about 1680, when it was found buried under the seating of the choir. It is Early English and represents an effigy of the boy in bishop’s robes and mitre, holding a crozier in his left hand. The boy-bishop was elected by the choir-boys in many of the English cathedrals on St. Nicholas’s Day (Dec. 6) and he held office until Holy Innocents’ Day (Dec. 28), during which time he was practically bishop. Law provided that if a boy-bishop died during his term of power, he was to be buried in his vestments and with all the pomp of an episcopal funeral; and, therefore, we must conclude that this boy died during his short rule.

From the nave we enter the =North Transept=,

“passing under the wide Perpendicular arch, which (as at Canterbury
and Wells) was inserted early in the Fifteenth Century by way of
counter-thrust against the weight of the central tower, under which
the central piers had already given away to some extent, as will be
at once perceived. It is owing to this settlement of the piers that
the spire is out of the perpendicular. The triforium and clerestory
of the nave are carried round the transept; the triforium on the
north side, being replaced by two-light window of very elegant
character. The clerestory window above, with its slender pilasters,
and graceful flow of lines, deserves especial notice. Each transept
has an eastern aisle divided by clustered piers into three bays.
The screens which formerly enclosed the chapel in each of these
bays were swept away by Wyatt. A staircase in the angle of the
transept leads upward to the tower, which may be ascended by
staircases in each of its flanking turrets. The top of the tower is
called the Eight Doors, from the double doors on each side, through
which the visitor will obtain magnificent views over the town and
surrounding country. The first story of the tower is of Early
English date, and originally formed a lantern, open to the nave. It
is surrounded by an arcade of slender pilasters. The ascent of the
spire--which is a formidable undertaking--is made internally by a
series of slender ladders as far as a little door about forty feet
below the vane, and from that point the adventurous climber has to
scale the outside by means of hooks attached to the walls. The
interior is filled with a timber frame consisting of a central
piece with arms and braces.”--(R. J. K.)

The =South Transept= is a counterpart of the north transept. The windows at the south end are filled with stained-glass. The glass in the upper lights is Early English.

The lierne vault above the central tower arches is Perpendicular. From here we enter the =Choir=, passing under a screen of wrought metal (modern). In the second arcade on each side of the =choir= is placed the new and divided organ built by Willis.

“The Choir and Presbytery are very similar to the nave in the main
features of their design. The piers show a different plan, which
provides for eight shafts of Purbeck marble to each. The inner
mouldings of the arches exhibit the dog-tooth ornamentation of
their period. The triforium and clerestory differ slightly from the
corresponding parts of the nave. In each of the last two bays of
the presbytery the triforium has five small cinquefoil arches. At
the east wall of the choir above the reredos is an arcade of five
simply-pointed arches, below a triplet window in the gable, which
is filled with stained glass, given by the Earl of Radnor in 1781,
and representing _The Brazen Serpent_, after a design by Mortimer.

“The choir still bears traces of Wyatt’s destruction. He removed
the original reredos behind the high altar and the screen before
the Lady-Chapel, so that both, with the low eastern aisle, were
thrown into the choir. He shifted the high altar from the choir to
the extreme east end of the Lady-Chapel, sacrificing several
chantries and tombs to do so. Views of the cathedral after his
reign of terror fail to show any gain to compensate for so much
loss; the extreme length is not apparently an advantage, while the
bare look of the interior seems decidedly intensified by the
increased vista that he was so delighted to obtain, and for which,
with a light heart, he effaced the silent records of dead
centuries. The decorations of the roof of the choir and presbytery
are reproductions of the original series of paintings, dating, it
is thought, from the Thirteenth Century. The subjects are the
prophets and saints, Christ and the four Evangelists and the twelve
months.”--(G. W.)

On the north side of the choir is =Bishop Audley’s Chantry=, built by the bishop in 1520, four years before his death. It is late Perpendicular and resembles the chantry of Bishop Fox at Winchester. The fan-tracery of the roof was originally coloured. In the corresponding bay on the south side is the chantry founded by =Walter, Lord Hungerford=, in 1429. It was removed from the nave in 1778.

The =Choir-Stalls= are composed of pieces of various dates with some additions by Sir Christopher Wren and canopies by Wyatt. The =Reredos= is modern, the gift of Earl Beauchamp in memory of his ancestor, whose chantry Wyatt destroyed. It was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott.

Many of the Earls of Pembroke and their wives are buried near the choir.

In the =South-choir-aisle= an interesting monument to =Bishop Davenport=, probably one of the translators of the Bible, is of white marble with black Corinthian pillars. Near it is the tomb of =Sir Richard Mompesson= and his wife. He is in armour and Katherine in a black robe with gold flowers. The black Corinthian columns with vine leaves and grapes in green and gold twisted around them are striking. Near the south transept, still in the choir-aisle, is the altar-tomb of =Bishop Mitford= (1407), with carved shields. On the cornice with the lilies, birds are holding in their beaks scrolls with the words _Honor Deo et gloria_.

In the floor of the north-east-choir-aisle is the =brass= to =Bishop Wyvill=, generally regarded as one of the most wonderful existing examples. Bishop Wyvill (1329-1375) recovered for this See the castle of Sherborne and the chase of Bere. The brass, therefore, represents the contested castle with keep and portcullis. At the door of the first ward the bishop appears, bestowing his benediction on his champion, who stands at the gate of the outer ward with battle-axe and shield. The rabbits and hares before the castle refer to the chase of Bere, within Windsor Forest.

=Bishop Giles de Bridport= (died 1262) lies opposite William of York’s tomb, between the choir-aisle and the eastern-aisle of the transept. His monument is one of the most important and interesting in the Cathedral.

“All the details of this remarkable monument deserve the most
careful examination. The effigy, at the head of which are small
figures of censing angels, lies beneath a canopy, supported north
and south by two open arches with quatrefoils in the heads. Each
arch is subdivided by a central pilaster, and springs from
clustered shafts, detached. A triangular hood-moulding, with
crockets and finials of leafage, projects above each arch; and
between and beyond the arches pilasters rise to the top of the
canopy, supporting finials of very excellent design. The whole
character of the tomb is most graceful, but an especial interest is
given to it by the reliefs with which the spandrels of the arches
are filled, and by the small sculptured figures on various parts of
the monument. The subjects, beginning on the south side, have been
thus interpreted. The first, a female figure with an infant and
attendants, represents the birth of the future bishop: in the three
next spandrels are his confirmation; either his own education or
his instruction of others; and, possibly, his first preferment. The
shield hung from a tree in this compartment, bears Az., a cross,
or, between 4 bezants, no doubt his own arms. On the north side of
the monument are the bishop doing homage for his see--a procession
with a cross-bearer, perhaps referring to the dedication of
Salisbury Cathedral--the bishop’s death and the presentation of his
soul for judgment. Little or nothing is known of the life of Bishop
Bridport.”--(R. J. K.)

At the end of the north aisle of the Lady-Chapel and at the end of the south aisle, directly opposite, are two monuments that will interest the visitor. The first is a medley of obelisks, globes, spheres and the Four Cardinal Virtues and effigies of =Sir Thomas Gorges= and his widow, maid-of-honour to Queen Elizabeth. The second is a gorgeous tribute to =Edward, Earl of Hertford=, son of the Protector Somerset and of his wife, Catherine, Lady Jane Grey’s sister. The effigies are praying; the Earl is in armour. The whole piece is gilded and coloured.

Very little ancient glass remains in Salisbury.

“The fragments that survived were collected some fifty years since,
and placed in the nave windows, and in parts of some of the others.
The most important are in the great west triple lancet, wherein the
glass ranges in date from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Century. Mr.
Winston, in his Paper read in 1849 before the Archæological
Institute and printed in the Salisbury volume for that year,
considered that the earliest fragments are from a Stem of Jesse
about 1240 and some medallions about 1270. He describes two of the
ovals that are on each side of the throned bishop, a prominent
figure in the lower half of the central light, one of the Christ
enthroned, the other of the Virgin. The two medallions below them
he believes represent Zacharias in the Temple and the Adoration of
the Magi. The later glass now in the same window may be either
Flemish work brought hither from Dijon, or possibly partly from
Rouen, and partly from a church near Exeter. It has been
conjectured that in the south lancet the figures represent SS.
Peter and Francis, in the central one the Crucifixion, the
Coronation of the Virgin and the Invention of the Cross, and in the
north light the Betrayal of Christ and St. Catherine. In two of
the side windows of the nave are the arms of John Aprice
(1555-1558) and Bishop Jewell (1562).”--(G. W.)