Chapter V: Part 5

In the south-choir-aisle is =Jacob’s Dream= in memory of the Duke of Albany and there are also two of the proposed six angel-windows--=Angeli Ministrantes= and the =Angeli Laudantes=--designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and made by William Morris. These are considered among the best examples of glass-painting since the Middle Ages.

The =Chapter-House= is a very fine type of an English chapter-house of the Thirteenth Century, when geometrical tracery was in vogue. It probably dates from the reign of Edward the First.

“The architecture is somewhat later in style than that of the
cloisters, and if it be not, as its admirers claim, the most
beautiful in England, it has few rivals. Like Westminster, Wells
and other English examples, except York and Southwell, it has a
central pillar, from which the groining of the roof springs
gracefully in harmonious lines. A raised bench of stone runs round
the interior. At its back forty-nine niches of a canopied arcade
borne on slight Purbeck marble shafts marked out as many seats.
They are apportioned as follows: those at each side of the entrance
to the Chancellor and Treasurer respectively, the rest to the
Bishop, Dean, Archdeacons and other members of the chapter.

“The plan of the building is octagonal, about fifty-eight feet in
diameter and fifty-two feet in height. Each side has a large
fan-light window with traceried head. Below these windows and above
the canopies of the seats is a very remarkable series of
bas-reliefs. The bosses of the roof are somewhat elaborately
carved: one north of the west doorway has groups of figures on it,
apparently intended to represent armourers, musicians, and
apothecaries, possibly commemorating guilds who were benefactors to
the building; the others have foliage chiefly with grotesque
monsters. On the base of the central

pillar is a series of carvings taken probably from one of the many
books of fables so popular in the Middle Ages. These were
reproduced from the originals, which are preserved in the
cloisters.”--(G. W.)

The vaulted roof is re-painted in accordance with the original.

The =Cloisters= are on the south-west side of the Cathedral, their western wall being on a line with the west front. These fine covered walks, the largest in England (181 feet long), surround a great sward (140 feet square), where a group of dark cedars contrasts beautifully with the grey walls. The style is late Thirteenth Century. The windows formed of double arches with quatrefoils united at the main head with a large six-foiled circle are much admired.

EXETER

DEDICATION: ST. PETER. A CHURCH SERVED BY SECULAR CANONS.

SPECIAL FEATURES: SCREEN ON WEST FRONT; MISERERES; BISHOP’S THRONE;
MINSTRELS’ GALLERY; LADY-CHAPEL; EAST WINDOW.

“As the last cathedral church we visited, namely Salisbury, may be
taken as the most complete example of Early English work, so Exeter
in its present state is the best specimen of the Decorated style
that is to be met with in England. For though, unlike Salisbury, it
was not built afresh from the ground, yet under Bishops Quivil,
Bitton, Stapledon and Grandisson, between the years 1280 and 1369,
the fabric was so entirely remodelled that it may be regarded as
practically a new building; and since the work of remodelling began
about the time that the Early English style was passing into the
Decorated, and was completed before the time when the Perpendicular
had superseded the Decorated, it naturally is characterised by the
features of that style which flourished during the first half of
the Fourteenth Century. Much indeed of the work found at Exeter is
the very finest that the Fourteenth Century produced.”--(T. P.)

As early as the reign of Athelstan a Benedictine monastery, dedicated to St. Peter, existed at Crediton and was much injured by the Northmen in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. When the Sees for Devon and Cornwall were removed from Crediton to Exeter in 1050, the old church of St. Peter was chosen for the new Cathedral. Of the Saxon church, however, nothing remains. William Warelwast (1107-1136), the third bishop after the Conquest, began the new church about 1112, in the “marvellous and sumptuous” architecture of the Normans. During its erection it suffered from fire when Stephen besieged Exeter in 1136. Of this building the two transept towers remain. Bishop Peter Quivil built the greater part of the present Cathedral before 1291; Bishop Stapledon, who was murdered by the Londoners at the “great cross in Chepe” in 1326, the eastern part of the Choir, the sedilia and the choir-screen; Bishop Grandisson finished the Nave about 1350 and the west front, in all probability, a little later; and Bishop Brantingham, the Cloisters. The Lady-Chapel was built during the episcopates of Bronescomb and Quivil, and the chapels of St. Mary Magdalene and of St. Gabriel the Archangel, north and south of the Lady-Chapel, are the work of Bishop Bronescomb.

Many of the ancient decorations and arrangements were either removed, or defaced, by Queen Elizabeth’s “visitors,” who, in 1559, were appointed to compel the general observance of the Protestant formularies. During the Commonwealth the Cathedral was divided into two portions by a brick wall so that an Independent preacher named Stuckeley, one of Cromwell’s chaplains, could preach in “West Peter’s,” and a Presbyterian, named Ford, in the Choir, or “East Peter’s,” as the Puritans now named these portions of the Cathedral.

The finest view is perhaps from Waddlesdown, about four miles from Exeter. Taking a view of the exterior,

“The visitor should especially remark the Norman towers, the
cresting of the roof, the flying-buttresses and the north porch.
The Norman towers, in connection with the long unbroken roof,
should perhaps be regarded as constituting the specialty of Exeter.
At all events, the peculiarity of their present position is so
great and so striking as at once to attract attention; and the
question of their place in the original Norman church is one of
very considerable interest. Each tower consists of six stages, the
two lowest of which are plain: the other four have blind arcades
and circular window openings, the details and arrangements of which
vary in the two towers. At the angles are square buttresses, which
rise above the uppermost story. The south tower is Norman
throughout; that on the north was altered by Bishop Courtenay for
the reception of the great bell from Llandaff, and its final stage
is Perpendicular. The _fleur-de-lis_ cresting of the roof is of
lead (with which the whole of the roof is covered), and its form is
very graceful and effective. The flying-buttresses derive a very
grand effect from the fact that the aisle-roofs slope outwards, and
not, as usual, inwards. Resulting also from this peculiarity are,
the great height of the aisles on the exterior, and an unusual
development of the clerestory, without any intervening space
between it and the aisle-roofs; and within the nave, the absence of
the triforium; the place of which is, however, indicated by the
blind arcade above the piers. The north porch with its triple
canopy is part of Grandisson’s work, and very beautiful.”--(R. J.
K.)

Many people are at first disappointed with their first view of the =West Front= and more particularly of the =Screen= with its noble array of statues. The impression that it produces has been well described by W. D. Howells, who writes on his visit to Exeter:

“To the first glance it is all a soft gray blur of age-worn
carving, in which no point or angle seems to have failed of the
touch which has blent all archaic sanctities and royalties of the
glorious screen in a dim sumptuous harmony of figures and faces.”

Now let us examine it more in detail.

“The west front, usually regarded as the latest work of Bishop
Grandisson, who died in 1369, is of very high interest; and
although it cannot compete with those of Wells or Lincoln (both of
earlier date), may justly claim great beauty as an architectural
composition. It recedes in three stories, the lowest of which is
formed by the sculptured screen; the second contains the great west
window, on each side of which is a graduated arcade; and in the
third, or gable, is a triangular window surmounted by a niche,
containing a figure of St. Peter, the patron saint of the
cathedral. The SCREEN deserves the most careful examination. It is
pierced by three doorways, and surrounded by a series of niches, in
which are the statues of kings, warriors, saints and apostles,
guardians, as it were, of the entrance to the sanctuary. These
figures are arranged in three rows. From pedestals crowned with
battlements spring angels, each of whom supports a triple pilaster,
with capitals. The statues on these capitals, forming the second
row, are for the most part those of kings and knights; above the
canopies which surmount them appears the third row, chiefly saints
and apostles. The positions of the angels are admirably varied.

“The two statues with shields of arms in niches above the upper row
are certainly those of Athelstan and Edward the Confessor, the
Saxon king who expelled the Britons from Exeter, and the founder of
the existing bishopric. In all these figures the general
arrangement of the hair as well as the fashion of the crowns and of
the armour, are those of the reign of Edward III., in which the
work was probably completed.

“The platform above the screen no doubt served, as in many foreign
cathedrals, as a station from which the church minstrels and
choristers might duly welcome distinguished persons on their
arrival; and from which the bishop might bestow his benediction on
the people. The three doorways are much enriched. Round that in the
centre, within the porch, is a moulding of carved foliage which
deserves notice. On the central boss of the groining is a
representation of the Crucifixion. The recess within the south
doorway contains two sculptures, The Appearance of the Angel to
Joseph in a Dream and The Adoration of the Shepherds. Both, like
the figures on the screen, have suffered not a little from time,
and the assaults of Cromwell’s Puritans.”--(R. J. K.)

Exeter is distinguished among English cathedrals in not having a central tower. This gives the exterior a unique appearance and the interior gains by the absence of tower piers to block the view. Exeter has, therefore, the most open and impressive vista of any English cathedral. The screen being low, the whole design is immediately comprehended. It has been compared to the Cathedral of Bourges.

In our walks through Exeter it may be well to remember that Quivil’s architect determined to see what he could do with lowness and breadth.

“Everything should be broad and low, outside as well as inside.
Look at the east end of the choir--its two arches broad and low;
above it the great window--broad and low. Nowhere but at Exeter do
you find these squat windows with their truncated jambs; here they
are everywhere--in the aisles, in the clerestory, in choir,
chapels, transepts and nave; even in the great window of the
western front: broad and low windows everywhere. Still more
original is the external realisation of the design; central tower
and spire, western towers and spires, alike are absent. Long and
low, massive and stable stretches out uninterruptedly the long
horizontal line of nave and choir. Breadth gives in itself the
satisfactory feeling of massiveness, steadfastness and solidity;
and this is just what is wanting in the all-too aërial work of
Salisbury and Beauvais; vaulted roofs at a dizzy height resting on
unsubstantial supports and sheets of glass. But the Exeter
architect has emphasised this satisfactory feeling of stability
still further. The window tracery is heavy and strong; the vault is
barred all over with massive ribs; in the piers there are no
pretty, fragile, detached shafts; the massive clustered columns
look as if they were designed, as they were, to carry the weight of
a Norman wall.”--(F. B.)

The heaviness was counteracted by transparency: the arrangement of the windows flood the Cathedral with light; for the aisle and clerestory are almost a continuous sheet of glass.

“Another distinctive feature in Exeter as in Salisbury, is that the
architect produces his effect mainly by architectural means--is not
driven to rely on sculpture. All the principal capitals have
mouldings not foliage. Only in the great corbels of the vaulting
shafts and in the bosses of the vault does he permit himself
foliage and sculpture. Wonderful carving it is; the finest work of
the best period, when the naturalistic treatment of foliage was
fresh and young. Very remarkable these corbels are, with their
life-like treatment of vine and grape, oak and acorn, hazel leaf
and nut. Unfortunately the corbels, and still more the bosses, are
so high up that their lovely detail is thrown away; and they are
out of scale.

“And the patterns of the window tracery are wonderfully diverse. It
is not, as in Lichfield nave or King’s College Chapel, where every
window is like its neighbour; when you have seen one, you have seen
all. Here, all down each side of the church every window differs.
In dimensions, in general character, they agree; in details they
differ; each window is a fresh delight; we have, what even in
Gothic architecture we rarely get--diversity within
simplicity.”--(F. B.)

First we examine the splendid =Nave=.

“The first view of the NAVE is rich and striking. Its present
length is 140 feet. The view looking east is intercepted by the
organ, which is placed above the screen at the entrance to the
choir; but the general impression, notwithstanding a want of
height, is that of great richness and beauty. The roof especially,
springing from slender vaulting shafts, studded with delicately
carved and varied bosses, and extending unbroken to the east end of
the choir, is exceeded in grace and lightness by no other of the
same date in the kingdom and by few on the Continent. The carved
bosses, all of which retain traces of colour, represent foliage,
animals (near the centre of the nave is a sow with a litter of
pigs), grotesque figures, heraldic shields, subjects from early
‘bestiaries’ and romances, such as the centaur with a sword, and
the knight riding on a lion toward the eastern end, heads of the
Virgin and Saviour, the Passion and Crucifixion, and in the centre
of the second bay, the murder of Becket. Grandisson wrote a life of
the great Archbishop, which remains in MS., but was very popular in
its day. The episcopal figure on the adjoining boss may either
represent Becket or Grandisson himself. Clustered pillars of
Purbeck marble (contrasting well with the lighter stone from
Silverton and Bere) of which the walls and roof are constructed,
separate the nave from the aisles and divide it into seven
compartments or ‘bays.’

“The corbels between the arches, which support the vaulting shafts
of the roof, are, perhaps, peculiar to this cathedral, and should
be especially noticed. They are wrought into figures, twisted
branches and long sprays of foliage, and afford excellent examples
of the very best period of naturalism. Every leaf is varied and the
character of the different kinds (here for the most part oak and
vine) is admirably retained. The second corbel on the south side of
the nave exhibits the Virgin treading on an evil spirit, and
carrying the Divine Infant. Above is her coronation. The
easternmost nave-corbels display on the north side Moses with his
hands supported by Aaron and Hur; and on the south the risen
Saviour, with cross and banner. The brackets at the foot of these
corbels are crowned heads; and possibly represent Edward I. and
Edward II., the first beardless as usual, the other more defaced.
The second corbel on the north side represents St. Cecilia, with a
somewhat grotesque angel listening to her music.

“A blind arcade, taking the place of the triforium, deeply recessed
and arranged in groups of four arches under each bay, runs above
the nave arches; and in the central bay on the north side projects
the Minstrels’ Gallery, an arrangement for the accommodation of
musicians on high festivals, which occur in this perfection nowhere
else in England. There are, indeed, other examples at Wells and at
Winchester, but of far less interest and importance. Each of the
twelve niches into which its front is divided contains the figure
of a winged angel playing on a musical instrument and surmounted by
a rich canopy. The instruments beginning from the west are, a
cittern, bagpipes, flageolet, crowth or violin, harp, an unknown or
unseen instrument (the fingers are put close to the mouth),
trumpet, organ, guitar, wind instrument, tambour and cymbals. The
two corbelled heads below, supporting niches, are possibly those of
Edward III. and Philippa. The manner in which the hands and arms
are raised above the heads is unusual. Above the arcade and
minstrels’ gallery is the clerestory, along which a gallery is
pierced in the thickness of the wall.

“The windows of the nave, all of the best and purest (geometrical)
Decorated, are said to exhibit a greater variety of tracery than
can be found in any other building in the kingdom. They are
arranged in pairs, on opposite sides of the cathedral; so that no
two side by side will be found to resemble each other. The varied
and graceful patterns of the lead-work should also be noticed. The
stained glass in the great west window is, for the most part,
modern and worthless (it dates from 1766) injuring the beauty of
the window itself by its entire want of harmony and meaning. The
ruby glass in this window is said to be some of the latest that was
manufactured in England before M. Bontemps revived the art.”--(R.
J. K.)

Walking back to the west end, we stop to examine the =Chantry of St. Radegunde=,

“constructed in the thickness of the screen by Bishop Grandisson
for the place of his own sepulture. His tomb formerly existed here,
but it was destroyed by Elizabeth’s visitors and the high-born
prelate’s ashes scattered ‘no man knoweth where.’”--(R. J. K.)

Opening from the first bay of the Nave is the small =Chapel of St. Edmund=, of earlier date than the Nave. In the fifth bay, on the same side, is the =North Porch=. In the last bay on the south side is an Early English doorway that formerly opened into the cloisters; and between the first two buttresses on the south side a finely carved consecration cross attracts our notice.

The Pulpit dates from 1684.

The =Transepts=, one bay each, occupy the space under the towers. East of the =North transept= is the =Chapel of St. Paul=, built by Quivil and now used as a vestry. In the corner we find the tomb and chantry of =Sylke=, a sub-chanter, who founded this chantry in 1485 and was buried in it in 1508. His effigy lies here. Against the east wall are memorials to the soldiers of the 20th, or East Devon Regiment who fell in the Crimean War. Here is also the famous clock which has two dials. It is supposed to date from the reign of Edward III.

A door below the clock opens to the stairs into the =North tower=, in which is hung the =Great=, or =Peter Bell=, the second largest bell in England. It weighs 12,500 pounds.

“The Peter bell was crazed on Nov. 5, 1611, most probably from a
too violent ringing in commemoration of the Gunpower Plot, and was
recast in 1676. Its diameter at the mouth is 6 feet 3 inches; its
height nearly 4 feet 8 inches. It is, of course, never rung, but
the hours are struck on it by an enormous hammer. The visitor who
happens to be in the tower at the time of striking will experience
a new sensation,--the humming of the great mass of metal lingers
for many minutes among the huge beams and rafters. A superb view of
the city surrounded by trees and gardens, of the river and of its
junction with the sea at Exmouth, is obtained from the top of the
tower, the upper part of which (of Perpendicular character) was
raised and adapted by Bishop Courtenay for the reception of Great
Peter, which he brought from Llandaff.”--(R. J. K.)

The =South Transept= is a counterpart of the north, and the =Chapel of St. John the Baptist=

(also Quivil’s work) corresponds with St. Paul’s opposite. In the Tower are eleven bells, ten of which are rung in peal. They date from the Seventeenth Century. Between this Transept and the Chapter-House lies the =Chapel of the Holy Ghost=, formerly used as a baptistery. It is Norman. The Chapter-House, opening from what is still called the =Cloisters= (although the cloisters were demolished during Cromwell’s rule), was begun in the Thirteenth Century and finished in the Fifteenth.

When Bishop Grandisson dedicated the =High Altar=, Dec. 18, 1328, he wrote to the Pope that the Cathedral, then half finished, would be superior in its kind to any church in France or England.

“High as this praise was, the beauty of the vaulted roof and the
extreme grace of the details are proofs that it was scarcely
exaggerated. The roof bosses and corbels are of the same character
as those in the nave; but the latter are even more admirable in
design, and far more varied in foliage. Maple, oak, ash, the
filbert with its clusters of nuts, and the vine with fruit and
tendrils, could hardly be reproduced more faithfully. On the corbel
above the organ-screen, on the north side, is a Coronation of the
Virgin and on that beyond it a Virgin and Child with censing
angels.”--(R. J. K.)

The =Choir=, Decorated, is very fine:

“We approach the choir, entered by a door in the beautiful screen
supporting the organ. This was the old rood-screen, on which
formerly stood the rood, or figure of our Lord on the Cross. It was
erected in the Fourteenth Century.

“The bosses of the vaulted roof are worthy of especial examination,
so remarkable are they for the delicacy of the carved foliage. The
choir has been carefully restored in recent years, and the stalls,
pulpit and reredos are modern and were designed by Sir Gilbert
Scott. Notice the old misereres, which are very remarkable and
probably the oldest and most curious in England. The foliage
denotes the Early English period and they were probably designed by
Bishop Bruere (1224-1244). Notice the mermaid and merman on the
south side, the elephant, knight slaying a leopard, a minstrel,
etc. The lofty bishop’s throne was erected by Stapledon, and is
said to have been taken down and hidden away during the Civil War
period. The painted figures represent the four great
bishops--Warelwast, Quivil, Stapledon and Grandisson. The sedilia
by Stapledon are very fine. Notice the carved lions’ heads and the
heads of Leofric, Edward the Confessor and his wife Editha. The
east window is Early Perpendicular, inserted by Bishop Brantingham
in 1390, and contains much old glass.”--(P. H. D.)

The =miserere seats= (Thirteenth Century) are curious and beautiful. They are probably the earliest in England.

“They are fifty in number and their subjects are of the usual
character,--foliage, grotesques, animals (among which is an
elephant) and knights in combat, whose heater shields, flat helmets
and early armour are especially noticeable. Remark, on the _south_
side of the choir a mermaid and a merman holding some circular
instrument between them, the elephant mentioned above and a knight
sitting in a boat drawn by a swan, an illustration of the romance
of the _Chevalier au Cygne_. On the north side a knight attacking a
leopard, a monster on whose back is a saddle with stirrups, a
minstrel with tabor and pipe, a knight thrusting his sword into a
grotesque bird and a mermaid holding a fish. The Early English
character of the foliage, as well as its graceful arrangement,
should be noticed throughout.”

“On the south side, the superb BISHOP’S THRONE towering almost to
the roof. This was the gift of Bishop Bothe (1465-1478). It is said
to have been taken down and hidden during Monmouth’s
Rebellion.”--(R. J. K.)

“The Bishop’s Throne (A.D. 1316), intended for his Lordship with a
chaplain on either side; ‘a magnificent sheaf of carved oak, put
together without a single nail, and rising to a height of 57 feet.
The lightness of its ascending stages almost rival the famous
_sheaf of fountains_ of the Nuremberg tabernacle. The cost of this
vast and exquisitely carved canopy (about twelve guineas) is
surprisingly small, even for those days. The carved work consists
chiefly of foliage, with finials of great beauty, surmounting
tabernacled niches, with a sadly untenanted look, however, for lack
of their statuettes. The pinnacle corners are enriched with heads
of oxen, sheep, dogs, pigs and monkeys.’ Next came what is perhaps
the most exquisite work in stone in England, as the throne is
unparalleled in woodwork--the SEDILIA; the seats of the priest to
the east and to the west of him, those of the Gospeller and
Epistoler. The sedilia have been preferred even to the shrine of
Beverley and the Lady-Chapel of Ely. ‘The canopy of the seat
nearest the altar,’ says Mr. Garland, ‘deserves particular
attention. It is adorned with a wreath of vine leaves on each side,
which meet at the point and there form a finial; and never did
Greek sculptor of the best age trace a more exact portrait of the
leaf of the vine, nor design a more graceful wreath, nor execute
his design with a more masterly finish.’ It is regrettable that the
carving of the sedilia is attributed to a Frenchman.”--(F. B.)

Of the high altar and reredos, perhaps the most magnificent in Europe, carved at the same period, not a fragment remains.

The two most important tombs in the choir are those of =Bishop Lacey=, who died in 1455, and =Walter de Stapledon=, who was murdered in London in 1326. Lacey has but a plain slab at which many miracles are said to have been done. Bishop Stapledon lies under a Perpendicular canopy, a fine figure holding a crozier with his left hand and a book with his right. Under the canopy is a figure of the Saviour, and at its side the small figure of a king crowned and wearing a scarlet robe, supposed to be Edward II. Bishop Stapledon’s body was removed from London to Exeter Cathedral by the Queen’s command and interred with great magnificence.

From the choir two chapels open. On the north, =St. Andrew’s=, very early Decorated, is exactly like the opposite one, =St. James’s=. Beneath the latter is the ancient =Crypt=. Both chapels have chambers above them.

Beyond the Choir, the ambulatory, or procession-path (Early Decorated), with =Speke’s Chantry= on the left or north and =Bishop Oldham’s= on the right or south, leads to the =Lady Chapel=. This was built by Quivil, and is remarkable for its beautiful foliage carvings, old reredos, graceful openings to the chantries on either side and magnificent east window.

“Quivil first transformed the Lady-Chapel; to him are due the
shafts, sedilia, double piscina, and the vaulting, the
rib-mouldings of which are of earlier character than those of the
choir; and the windows, which closely resemble those of Merton
College, Oxford, which we know was commenced in 1277. In the centre
of the Lady-Chapel Bishop Quivil is buried; he died in 1291. The
chapels on either side may have been remodelled or partly
remodelled by Bronescombe; but the east windows are later in style,
and are Quivil’s. The piers hereabout are very interesting. Those
of the Lady-Chapel looking into the side chapels are composed of
four columns. The north-east and south-east piers of the choir have
clusters of eight shafts instead of four; while in the pier between
them the cluster of eight is developed into a cluster of sixteen
columns. Finally notice that these piers are set diamond-wise, with
four flat faces, and the angles to the north, west, south and
east.”--(F. B.)

In the centre of the pavement is the tombstone of =Bishop Peter Quivil= (died 1291), author of the present plan of the cathedral. Other effigies of bishops are interesting works of art, but those of =Sir John= and =Lady Doddridge= are very curious. Sir John (died 1628), one of James I’s judges of the King’s Bench, was called “the sleepy judge,” because he always sat on the bench with closed eyes; but more interesting is Lady Doddridge, who wears a rich dress brocaded with roses and carnations and also a remarkable ruff and headdress.

Under the arches opening from the Lady-Chapel to the side chapels are tombs of =Bishops Bronescomb= and =Stafford=. Bishop Bronescomb’s effigy (1280), on the south side, is a fine piece of carving. Stafford’s opposite (1419) is of alabaster, and it is famous for the rich tabernacle-work above the head.

We have been long attracted by the lovely =East window=. Now we can see the details.

“The east window is early Perpendicular and was inserted by Bishop
Brantingham about 1390. The stained glass with which it is filled
is for the most part ancient and very fine. Much of it dates
apparently from the first half of the Fourteenth Century (temp.
Edward I. and II.) and was removed from the earlier window; the
shields below are those of early bishops and benefactors; the
figures of saints above, most of which are to be recognised by
their emblems, deserve careful notice. Beginning with the lowest
row, and at the left hand, are St. Margaret, St. Catherine, St.
Mary Magdalene, St. Barbara, the Virgin and Child, St. Martin, St.
Peter, St. Paul and St. Andrew. All these figures are under very
rich and varied canopies. The first three and the last three are of
the first period; the others of Brantingham’s time. In the _middle
row_ are St. Sidwell, or Sativola, believed to have been a British
lady of noble birth, and contemporary with St. Winifred of Crediton
(first half of the Eighth Century). Her legend asserts that she was
beheaded by a mower at the instigation of her stepmother, who
coveted her possessions, near a well outside the walls of Exeter.
In the window St. Sativola appears with a scythe in her left hand,
whilst at her right is a well with a stream of water flowing from
it. These emblems may either form a rebus of her name (scythe-well)
or refer to her martyrdom. Beyond St. Sidwell are St. Helena, St.
Michael, St. Margaret, St. Catherine, Edward the Confessor and St.
Edmund. All the figures in this row are of Brantingham’s period.
The three figures in the uppermost row are Abraham, Moses and
Isaiah. These are of the first period. The tone of colour
throughout this window is very fine and solemn. The heraldry in the
upper part of the window is modern. In the north clerestory windows
of the central bay are four headless figures of early Decorated
character. The beautiful running pattern forming the ground on
which they are placed should be noticed.”--(R. J. K.)

In the =north-choir-aisle= is a curious tomb with a cross-legged effigy of a Fourteenth Century knight in armour with one esquire at his head and another holding a horse at his feet. This is supposed to be a memorial to Sir Richard de Stapledon, a brother of the Bishop.

Returning as we came, we pass the =Chantry of St. George=, founded by Sir Thomas Speke in 1518. It is a mass of rich carving. The effigy of the founder lies within.

Opposite is =Bishop Oldham’s Chantry=, also a mass of carving, where the owl in the panels refers to his name (the word _old_ is pronounced _owld_ in Lancashire, where the Bishop was born). The Bishop’s effigy lies in a niche in the south wall.

“The Tudor work (1485-1519) is exceptional in importance. It
includes the north entrance and other late portions of the western
screen, two exquisite chapels both built by Bishop Oldham--his own
chantry (St. Saviour’s) on the south side of the retro-choir, the
Speke chantry (St. George’s) on the north--and in addition, Prior
Sylke’s chantry on the north transept. All this work is admirable
in design and execution. In Oldham’s chantry is a charming series
of owls with the scroll _Dam_, a rebus on his name, proceeding from
the beak of each little owl. To Bishop Oldham also (1504-1519) is
due the grand set of stone screens--one of the glories of the
cathedral--no less than ten, which veil all the nine chapels and
Prior Sylke’s chantry, and add fresh beauty to the beautiful
choir.”--(F. B.)

At the extreme end of the east aisle is the =Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene=, probably the work of Bishop Bronescomb, who died in 1280. The east window, which resembles that of the opposite chapel of St. Gabriel, contains some stained glass of the Fifteenth Century. In this chapel a fine Elizabethan monument to Sir Gawain Carew, his wife and their nephew Sir Peter should be noticed. It dates from 1589. A staircase here leads to the roofs of the north-choir-aisle and of the ambulatory. The views of the Cathedral obtained here are very fine, especially of the flying-buttresses.

=St. Gabriel’s Chapel= is similar to that of St. Mary Magdalene. Bishop Bronescomb’s patron saint was St. Gabriel the Archangel, whose feast was, in consequence, celebrated in Exeter Cathedral with the same solemnity as those of Christmas and Easter. A monument by Flaxman to =General Simcoe=, who died in 1806, having distinguished himself at the head of the Queen’s Rangers during the American war, and a splendid statue of =Northcote=, the painter, by Chantrey claim attention.

Finally summing up the characteristics of this glorious fane:

“Whatever else the student and lover of Gothic architecture omits,
he must not omit to visit Exeter. He will find it fresh and
different from anything he has seen before. Its unique plan,
without central or western towers, the absence of obstructive
piers at the crossing, the consequently uninterrupted vista, the
singleness and unity of the whole design, the remarkable system of
proportions, based on breadth rather than height, the satisfying
massiveness and solidity of the building, inside and outside, and
at the same time the airiness and lightness of the interior, the
magnificence of its piers of marble, the delightful colour-contrast
of marble column and sandstone arch, the amazing diversity of the
window tracery, the exquisite carving of the corbels and bosses,
the abundant and admirable Tudor work, the wealth of chantries and
monuments, the superb sedilia, screen and throne, the _misereres_,
the vaults, the extraordinary engineering feats from which its
present form results, the originality of the west front and of the
whole interior and exterior, place Exeter in the very forefront of
the triumphs of the Mediæval architecture of our country.”--(F. B.)

WELLS

DEDICATION: ST. ANDREW.

SPECIAL FEATURES: WEST FRONT; EAST END; INVERTED ARCHES IN NAVE;
CHAPTER-HOUSE; CARVINGS OF CAPITALS; CHAIN-GATE.

The site of this beautiful cathedral had long been sacred to the Britons on account of its wells, or springs, when the early Christians on coming to Glastonbury placed these waters under the protection of St. Andrew. King Ina’s house of secular canons was established here in 704, not far from the older Glastonbury, which, according to legend, was established by Joseph of Arimathea. At the beginning of the Tenth Century, a new bishopric was founded by Edward the Elder for the province of Somerset; and the Abbot of Glastonbury was made Bishop of Wells.

“Seen from a distance, the picturesque group of towers and
pinnacles derives increased effect from the beauty and variety of
the surrounding landscape. On one side rises the long ridge of the
Mendips, with its rocky outliers; whilst in the southern distance
the lofty peak of Glastonbury Tor lifts itself above the marches,
marking the site of what was generally believed, throughout the
Middle Ages, to have been the earliest Christian church in Britain,
if not the first in Christendom. The Cathedral itself seems to
nestle under its protecting hills; and the waters of the Bishop’s
moat, sparkling in the sunshine, indicate the spring or great well
which led King Ina to establish his church here, and which had
perhaps rendered the site a sacred one as well in the days of the
Druids as in those of that primitive British Christianity which
disappeared before the heathendom of the advancing Saxons.

“From whatever direction the visitor enters the Close, he must pass
under one of the three gatehouses built by Bishop Beckington
(1443-1464), all of which display his shield of arms and his
rebus,--a beacon inflamed issuing from a tun or barrel. Over the
Chain-Gate passes the gallery which connects the Vicars’ College
with the Cathedral. The gate, called the Penniless Porch, opens to
the Market-place; but the Cathedral will be best approached for the
first time through Browne’s gate, at the end of Sadler-street. From
this point an excellent view of the west front is obtained, rising
at the end of a broad lawn of greensward, bordered with trees. The
Cathedral close of Wells is scarcely so picturesque as those of
Salisbury or of Winchester. It is more open, however, and its
short, bright turf contrasts very effectively with the grey stone
of the buildings which encircle it and with the grand old church
itself. This, with the exception of its pilasters of Purbeck, is
built throughout with stone from the Doulting quarries, about nine
miles from Wells.”--(R. J. K.)

During the rule of Robert (1135-1166) discord and jealousy between the men of Bath and Wells rose to such a pitch that it was determined the bishops should in future be styled “of Bath and Wells” and elected by an equal number of monks and canons from the abbey and collegiate church. Bishop Robert rebuilt and repaired the Saxon cathedral which had fallen into decay. Robert’s work has entirely perished. The next builders were Bishop Reginald Fitz-Jocelyn (1171-1191) and Bishop Jocelin of Wells (1206-1242), who rebuilt the Cathedral as we see it to-day. Jocelin was able to consecrate parts of it in 1239.

Jocelin, the great “maker of Wells,” bishop from 1206 to 1242, and his brother, Hugh (afterwards Bishop of Lincoln), were natives of Wells; here Jocelin served as canon and Hugh as archdeacon. Both were rich. Hugh, who lavished money upon Lincoln, also gave much to Jocelin for Wells. Jocelin spent his entire fortune upon his beloved Cathedral. This Jocelin must not be confused with the earlier Reginald Fitz-Jocelyn, bishop from 1171 to 1191.

“The part which he built, there can be little doubt, included the
three western bays of the choir (which then formed the presbytery),
the transepts, north porch and the eastern bays of the nave. That
is to say, on entering the church, one is looking upon Reginald’s
work, and not Jocelin’s; for, although the rest of the nave was
completed by Jocelin, it was done in accordance with Reginald’s
original plan. It is of great importance to remember this fact,
since until recently the nave, with the other parts just mentioned,
was attributed by Professor Willis, Professor Freeman, and most
authorities to Jocelin.”--(P. D.)

Jocelin also built the famous west front and began the Bishop’s Palace.

In 1248 an earthquake did some damage to the central tower, and repairs were at once undertaken. The canons generously contributed funds which were augmented by the help of a local saint. Bishop William Bytton, nephew of the bishop of the same name (who lies in St. Catherine’s Chapel), died in 1274; and his remains soon began to cure the toothache. His tomb in the south-choir-aisle was visited by sufferers, and the famous western capitals in the transept doubtless refer to their cures.

For the next fifty years and more, much was done to the Cathedral by the energetic John de Godelee, dean from 1306 to 1333, who finished the Lady Chapel in 1326.

In 1318 the canons voluntarily offered a fifth of their salaries to raise the central tower, which was carried up three more stages and finished in 1321; and in 1325 they began new stalls, each canon having agreed to pay for his own stall. In 1337 and 1338 the whole church was thrown into dismay on account of fractures in the tower; for the tower appears to have sunk deeply into the earth, owing to pressure on the arches. All the masonry was disturbed; and in order to remedy this trouble, the curious double arches were inserted, to help support the strain. The original arches were also patched up and filled in with great blocks of stone and strengthened in various ways.

Much was due to Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury (1329-1363), who was buried before the High Altar in the Choir he had founded. He also finished the Palace begun by Jocelin. Bishop Harewell, who died in 1386, gave two-thirds of the cost of the south-west tower called by his name; and the executors of Bishop Bubwith finished the northwest tower that bears his name.

Bishop Beckington built the lovely gateways, and Dean Gunthorpe (died 1498), the Deanery.

The eastern walk of the Cloister and the Library above date from between 1407 and 1424; and the western and southern Cloister walks, between 1443 and 1464.

“Late researches have shown that Bishop Reginald began the present
church and that the Early English work should be divided into four
periods: (1) The three western arches of the choir, with the four
western bays of its aisles, the transepts and the four eastern bays
of the nave, which are Reginald’s work (1174-1191), and so early as
to be still in a state of transition from the Norman. It is a
unique example of transitional building, and Willis calls it ‘an
improved Norman, worked with considerable lightness and richness,
but distinguished from the Early English by greater massiveness and
severity.’ The characteristics of this late Twelfth Century work
are bold round mouldings, square abaci, capitals, some with traces
of the classical volute, others interwoven with fanciful imagery
that reminds us of the Norman work of Glastonbury; while in the
north porch, which must be the earliest of all, we even find the
zigzag Norman moulding. (2) The rest of the nave, which was
finished in Jocelin’s time--that is to say, in the first half of
the Thirteenth Century--preserves the main characteristics of the
earlier work, though the flowing sculptured foliage becomes more
naturalistic, and lacks the quaint intermingling of figure
subjects. (3) The west front, which is Jocelin’s work, and alone
can claim to be of pure Early English style. (4) The chapter-house
crypt, which is so late as to be almost Transitional, though,
curiously enough, it contains the characteristic Early English
dog-tooth moulding which is found nowhere else except in the west
window. From this, we reach the Early Decorated of the staircase,
the full Decorated of the chapter-house itself, the later Decorated
of the Lady-Chapel, the transitional Decorated of the presbytery,
and the full Perpendicular of the western towers. Much of the
masonry in the transepts, choir, choir aisles, and even in the
eastern transepts, bears the peculiar diagonal lines which are the
marks of Norman tooling. This does not, of course, prove that any
part of Bishop Robert’s church is standing, for mediæval builders
were notoriously economical in using up old masonry, but it does
show that there are more remains of his work in the building than
was generally supposed.”--(P. D.)

The Cathedral was much damaged during the Reformation and also during Monmouth’s rebellion in 1685, when the Duke’s followers stabled their horses in it and enjoyed a barrel of beer on the high altar.

There is a nave of nine bays, a space under the tower, a choir opening eastward of it and two transepts (each of four bays) with aisles opening north and south. The choir from the screen to the high altar occupies six bays; a retro-choir of two bays lies behind the altar; and beyond it again is an apsidal Lady-Chapel. The west front has been much admired, but some critics consider it too heavy for the short towers that abut on it. The windows of the nave and transepts are Decorated. The windows of the choir are more ornate, although in the same style, and those of the Lady-Chapel are still more so. The central tower (Perpendicular) is entirely covered with panelling. There is no spire. On the south side large cloisters open from the south-western tower and from the western aisle of the south transept; but there are only three walks, there being none on the north side. The Chapter-House is approached from the north side of the choir by a short passage and a flight of steps: a crypt lies under it. A beautiful porch, with parvise, opens into the sixth bay of the north aisle. From the eastern aisle of the north transept the Chain-Gate passes to the Vicars’ College, a double row of picturesque houses, dating from 1360.

“The Chain-Gate, in its association with the Chapter-House and the
Vicars’ Close, is unique. The incline of the steps, easily to be
distinguished from without, gives the corner a character quite its
own. And the entrance to the Green by this gate, with the Cathedral
on one side, balanced by the varied gables and roofs of the houses
opposite, is particularly striking. The exterior of the
Chapter-House comes into full view; the great central tower stands
boldly up against the sky; the eastern gable presents its curious
apex, and the Lady-Chapel below stands like a thing separate from
the rest. Beyond, and under the Chain-Gateway, an arch admits to
the Vicars’ Close--a charming street, lined on either side with
diminutive dwelling-houses, once the separate residences of the
vicars choral. At the top of the close is a small Perpendicular
chapel with a library above. The interior is profusely--almost
grotesquely--decorated in a manner to remind one to some extent of
those strange little oratories so frequently met with in other
parts of Europe. But to many it will possess a certain charm,
despite its florid adornments, not often realised in this country.
The Vicars’ Hall, a considerable portion of which is of the
Fourteenth Century, with additions of a tower and other features,
probably by Bishop Beckington, stands at the bottom of the street
and communicates through the gallery of the Chain-Gate with the
Chapter-House staircase, and thus with the cathedral. By this
gallery the choristers passed into the church.”--(A. A.)

The celebrated =West Front=

“consists of a centre, in which are the three lancets of the
western window and above them a gable receding in stages, with
small pinnacles at the angles; and of two wings or western towers,
projecting beyond the nave, as at Salisbury. The upper part of
these towers is of Perpendicular character. That to the north-west
was completed by Bishop Bubwith (1407-1424), whose statue remains
in one of the niches: that to the south-west was the work of Bishop
Harewell (1366-1386). Both these towers, fine as are their details,
have a somewhat truncated appearance; and it is probable that the
original Early English design terminated at the uppermost band of
sculpture. The three western doors are of unusually small
dimensions, perhaps in order to leave ample room for the tiers of
figures which rise above them. Six narrow buttresses at the angles
of which are slender shafts of Purbeck marble, supporting canopies,
divide the entire front into five portions. The whole of the
statues which fill the niches are of Doulting stone.”--(R. J. K.)

Many visitors are at the first sight disappointed at the mutilated and archaic expression of the figures; but they have commanded the greatest admiration ever since old Fuller wrote: “The west front of Wells is a masterpiece of art indeed, made of imagery in just proportion, so that we may call them _vera et spirantis signa_. England affordeth not the like.”

The =West Front= should be considered as a great screen intended for the display of statuary rather than as the west termination of the nave. The stone population, numbering about three hundred life-size or colossal figures, is only equalled by that of Rheims and that of Chartres. All critics agree that these statues, so notable for their graceful draperies and spiritual expressions, rank with the contemporary masterpieces of Italy and France. They are thought to have been made by Italian sculptors at the time when Niccola Pisano was reviving sculpture in Italy under the inspiration of classical models. The kings, queens, princes, knights and nobles wear the costume of the Thirteenth Century. The other figures are prophets, angels, martyrs and “the holy church throughout the world.”

Unlike the monumental west fronts of France, with their splendid porches and doors, the doors of Wells have been compared to “rabbit-holes on a mountain-side.”

The western towers projecting beyond the aisles of the nave give additional breadth to the west front. The arrangement resembles that of Rouen. The two towers are very similar. Both have two belfry windows on each side and a stair turret on the outer western angle. The spires were never added.

The =Central Tower= is Early English to the level of the roof, and the two upper stages are Decorated. From its summit a beautiful view is to be enjoyed.

The =North Porch= (Norman) is the oldest part

of the church. Some architects consider it the finest piece of architecture at Wells.

“The entrance is doubly recessed and has the zigzag ornament among
its mouldings, an indication, if not of its early construction, at
least of lingering Norman traditions among its builders. These
mouldings deserve the most careful attention. The outer or
dripstone, is formed of a very beautiful combination of Early
English foliage. Square panels on either side of the arch contain
figures of mystic animals, one of which is a cockatrice. The gable
above has a blind arcade, in the centre of which a small triplet
gives light to a parvise chamber. From the buttress at the angles
rise slender spire-capped pinnacles. The buttresses themselves are
flat and narrow.

“The interior of the porch is divided into two bays, and its walls
are lined with a double arcade, the upper row of arches being more
deeply recessed than the tower. The vault springs from a central
group of triple shafts. The sculptures of the capitals on the east
side possibly represent the death of King Edmund the Martyr (A.D.
870),--bound to a tree as a mark for the Danish arrows and
afterwards beheaded. The figures are well designed, and full of
life and character. The double doorway leading into the nave
displays, like the exterior arch, the Norman zigzag.”--(R. J. K.)

On entering the =Nave= the visitor is at once struck by the noble proportions, the impression of great length, the broad horizontal band of the triforium, and the wealth of spirited and varied carving of the capitals and corbels; but the most striking feature of all is the great inverted, or double, arch that struts across the central piers forming a St. Andrew’s Cross, by which name it is generally known, and giving a grotesque (we are almost tempted to say Chinese) appearance.

“Undoubtedly the first thing that the stranger notices in Wells
Cathedral, and the last that he is likely to forget, is the
curious contrivance by which the central tower is supported. Of the
three pairs of arches (the upper arch resting inverted upon the
lower) which stretch across the nave and each of the transepts,
that in the nave is seen at once, and lends a unique character to
the whole church. At first these arches give one something of a
shock, so unnecessarily frank are they, so excessively sturdy, so
very English, we may think. They carry their burden as a
great-limbed labourer will carry a child in a crowd, to the great
advantage of the burden and the natural dissatisfaction of the
crowd. In fact, they seem to block up the view, and to deform what
they do not hide.

“That is the first impression, but it does not last for long.
Familiarity breeds respect for this simple, strong device, which
arrested the fall of the tower in the Fourteenth Century, and has
kept its walls ever since in perfect security, so that the great
structure has stood like a rock upon the watery soil of Wells for
nearly seven centuries, with its rents and breaks just as they were
when the damage was first repaired. The ingenuity, too, of these
strange flying-buttresses becomes more and more evident; the
‘ungainly props’ are seen to be so worked into the tower they
support, that they almost seem like part of the original design of
the first builders. One discovers that it is the organ, and not the
arches, that really blocks the view, and one marvels that so huge a
mass of masonry can look so light as to present, with the great
circles in the spandrels where the arches meet, a kind of pattern
of gigantic geometrical tracery. Indeed I think no one who has been
in Wells a week could wish to see the inverted arches removed.

“To appreciate the work fully, it should be looked at from some
spot, such as the north-east corner of the north transept, whence
the three great pairs of arches can be seen together. The effect
from here is very fine, especially when the nave is lighted up and
strong shadows are cast. The extreme boldness of the mouldings, the
absence of shafts and capitals and of all ornament, give them a
primitive vigour, and their great intermingling curves, which
contrast so magnificently with the little shafts of the piers
beyond, seem more like a part of some great mountain cavern than a
mere device of architectural utility.”--(P. D.)