Chapter VIII: Part 8

“The nave, which is separated from the aisles by eight massive
Norman piers (part of the original church), of which the capitals
are worthy of notice, has somewhat suffered by restorations at the
hands of Wyatt. The triforium, the clerestory, the vaulting of the
roof and the western wall and doorway are all his work; and it must
not be forgotten that he shortened the original nave by one entire
bay. Walking to the west end, from which the best general view is
to be obtained, one is impressed by the striking effect of the
great Norman piers and arches and the gloom of the choir beyond.
Through the noble circular arches, which support the central tower
and the modern screen on the eastern side of it, we see the eastern
wall of the choir, pierced above by three lancet windows and below
by a wide circular arch receding in many orders. A central pillar
divides this lower arch, two pointed arches springing from its
capital, and leaving a spandrel between them, which is covered with
modern sculpture. In the far distance may be distinguished the east
wall of the Lady-chapel and its brilliant lancet lights. Throughout
the Cathedral the Norman work is remarkable for the richness of its
ornament as compared with other buildings of the same date, such as
Peterborough or Ely.

“The main arches of the nave are ornamented with the billet and
other beautiful mouldings and the capitals of both piers and shafts
are also elaborately decorated. The double half shafts set against
the north and south fronts of the huge circular piers are in the
greater part restorations.

“Over each pier-arch there are two triforium arches imitated from
the Early English of Salisbury. They are divided by slender
pillars, but there is no triforium passage. During the Late
Decorated period the nave-aisles were practically rebuilt, the
existing walls and windows being erected upon the bases of the
Norman walls, which were retained for a few feet above the
foundations. The vaulting of the roofs of the nave-aisles and the
roof of the nave itself were coloured under the direction of Mr.
Cottingham.”--(A. H. F.)

In the second bay of the south aisle stands an ancient =Font= of late Norman design, decorated with figures of the Apostles, on a base with four demi-griffins or lions. Among the monuments in the nave is an alabaster =Effigy of Sir Richard Pembridge=, in plate and mail armour with his greyhound. He died in 1375. Here are also the =effigy= and =tomb= of =Bishop Booth= (died 1535), who built

the north porch. The handsome iron grille in front of the tomb is of the same date.

The =Central Tower= rests on massive piers with Norman arches. The entire space is open from the floor of the Cathedral to the wooden floor of the bell-chamber, painted beneath in blue and gold. From this floor hangs a corona of wrought iron, coloured like the screen. The tower contains a fine peal of ten bells.

Through the north arch of the tower we pass into the =North Transept=, said to be the work of Peter of Savoy, who became Bishop of Hereford. He was called Bishop Aquablanca from his birthplace near Chambéry. He died in 1268 intensely hated. The original Norman north transept was pulled down about 1260 for this new one, rebuilt

“on a design which is perhaps the most original, as it certainly is
one of the most beautiful in the history of English Gothic
architecture. To the north and west were built enormous windows,
with tracery of cusped circles, quite exceptional in their
elongation, more like late German than English work. On the east
side was built an aisle of exquisite beauty. Its arches, almost
straight-sided--its triforium windows, a ring of cusped circles set
under a semicircular arch--its clerestory windows, spherical
triangles, enclosing a cusped circular window--the composition of
the triforium--the north and west windows--are quite unique, except
so far as they were copied in later work in the city and
neighbourhood. At the south end of the aisle is the exquisite TOMB
of Bishop Peter Aquablanca (died 1268); no doubt built in his
lifetime. The tomb is as unique as the transept, and chiefly
resembles it in design. The inference is that Bishop Aquablanca
built the transept. The credit of it, however, is constantly given
to his successors, apparently on account of his private vices. But
saints as well as sinners have liked to leave memorials behind them
in stone; and, moreover, Aquablanca had his good points. To this
day four thousand loaves are distributed every year out of funds
which he bequeathed. It is recorded, too, that of a fine which was
imposed on the citizens for encroachments on his episcopal rights,
he remitted one half and handed over the other for works on the
cathedral.”--(F. B.)

Aquablanca was succeeded by Thomas Cantilupe, as much loved as the former was hated. Dying on a homeward journey from Rome, in 1282, his bones were removed from the flesh by boiling and carried to Hereford to be placed in the Lady-Chapel. Forty years later he was canonized. Many miracles were effected at his shrine, removed to the transept in 1287. King Edward I. sent sick falcons to be cured and people thronged with large offerings. We shall soon see all that is left of the =Cantilupe Shrine=.

“The Norman arches opening to the aisles of the nave and choir
resemble those which correspond to them on the south side of the
church. The transept beyond them was, as we have seen, entirely
rebuilt, and is one of the most remarkable examples of the period
remaining in England. The unusual form of its arches, and its pure,
lofty windows, are sufficiently impressive now; but their effect
must have been wonderfully increased when the windows were filled
with glass displaying the history and miracles of the sainted
Bishop, and when the shrine itself was standing on its pedestal
within the eastern aisle, rich with the gold and jewels offered by
the numerous pilgrims who knelt daily before it.

“The west side of the transept (which is of two bays beyond the
aisle passage) is entirely filled by two very lofty windows of
three lights each. The heads of the narrow lights are sharply
pointed; and the tracery above is formed by three circles enclosing
trefoils. These windows are set back within triangular-headed
arches. On the north side is a double window of the same character
divided by a group of banded shafts. The triple lights on either
side of these shafts, and the foiled circles above them, precisely
resemble the windows on the west side of the transept.

“The vaulting springs from clustered shafts, the corbels supporting
which, on the east side, are beautiful and singular, and resemble
bunches of reeds, terminating in a small open flower. The small
heads below these corbels, at the intersection of the main arches,
should also be noticed.

“The eastern aisles, lighted by three very beautiful windows, each
of three lights, with three quatrefoils in the tracery, are set
back within wider arches, as is the case with the windows in the
main transept. In this aisle, in a line with the central pier, is
the pedestal of the _Cantilupe Shrine_. This is a long
parallelogram, narrowing toward the lower end, and is entirely of
Purbeck marble. It has two divisions; the lower closed, like an
altar-tomb, the upper a flat canopy, supported on small open
arches. Upon this rested the actual shrine, containing the relics
of the saint. Cantilupe was Provincial Grand Master of the Knights
Templars in England; and round the lower division of the pedestal
are fifteen figures of Templars in various attitudes, placed in the
recesses of a foliated arcade. All are fully armed, in chain-mail,
with surcoat, shield and sword. All are seated, and tread on
various monsters, among which are dragons and swine, muzzled. The
spandrels in this arcade, and the spandrels between the arches in
the upper division, are filled with leafage of the first Decorated
period, retaining some of the stiff arrangement of the Early
English, but directly copied from nature. In the lower spandrels it
is arranged in sprays; in the upper it is often laid in rows of
leaves, among which occur oak, maple and trefoil. The whole of this
work will repay the most careful examination. (It should be
compared with the foliage of the capitals of the shafts surrounding
the central pier of the aisle, which is far more stiff and
conventional). On the top of the lower division of the pedestal was
a brass of the Bishop, of which the matrix alone remains.

“The position of the shrine in this transept may be compared with
that of St. Frideswide at Oxford, and with that of St. Richard de
la Wych at Chichester. All had an altar immediately adjoining the
shrine, which was dedicated to the saint, and at which the
offerings of pilgrims were made. In these cases, however, the usual
position of a great shrine--at the back of the high altar--was, for
some special reason, departed from. At Hereford, this position of
highest honour was probably occupied by the shrine of St.
Ethelbert.”--(R. J. K.)

Close by is the interesting =monument= of =Bishop d’Aquablanca=, just by the north-choir-aisle. This Early English monument was once richly coloured.

The effigy of this foreign priest--Peter of Savoy--lies under a canopy supported by delicate shafts of Purbeck marble, the gables surmounted by floriated crosses, the central cross bearing a figure of the Saviour. The richly canopied =tomb= under the great north window bears the effigy of =Bishop Thomas Charlton=, treasurer of England in 1329 (died 1369).

Under the north-west-window is the canopied =tomb of Bishop Swinfield= (1283-1317). His effigy disappeared long ago, and some unknown figure lies there. The ball-flower is conspicuous in the mouldings of the canopy and behind the tomb there is a mutilated carving of the _Crucifixion_, surrounded by vine-leaves and tendrils, quite similar to the leafage of the Cantilupe Shrine. In a neighbouring recess decorated with the ball-flower lies the effigy of an unknown lady of the Fourteenth Century.

The =North-choir-aisle= is entered through the original Norman arch. In the north wall of this aisle in a series of arched recesses (Decorated) lie the effigies of various ecclesiastics. Beyond the first one, =Bishop Geoffry de Clive= (died 1120), a door opens upon the turret staircase leading to a typical monastic =Library=, containing more than 2,000 volumes, MSS. and ancient deeds, the accumulations of eight centuries. These are kept in eighty old oak cupboards and the ancient books are chained.

Descending and passing to the corner of the north-east transept we come to =Bishop Stanbery’s Chantry=, a rich example of late Perpendicular, with two windows on the north side. The ceiling is richly groined. The capitals at the corners of the chapel are very grotesque. Opposite the chantry, on the north side of the choir, is the alabaster effigy of Bishop Stanbery (died 1474).

In the wall of the aisle above is a =Decorated window=. The glass is in memory of =Dr. Musgrave=, Archbishop of York, previously Bishop of Hereford. The subject is St. Paul, the story of whose life is continued in the windows of the chantry.

Immediately beyond, the =north-east-transept= opens. It is Early Decorated, retaining some Norman characteristics. In the centre rises an octagonal pier which helps to carry the quadripartite vaulting, which has good bosses of leafage. This pier gives a peculiar character to this transept. The windows are Early Decorated.

The =South transept= retains much that is Norman, although it was altered during the Perpendicular period, when two huge windows were cut into the walls. Perpendicular panelling surrounds that in the south wall. The lierne vaulting is also of the same date. The east wall has five series of Norman arcades. Two Norman windows in the clerestory contribute light.

The =Denton tomb=, with its effigies in alabaster showing traces of colour, dates from 1576.

The =organ=, in the first archway on the south side of the choir, was the gift of Charles II. It has been twice enlarged.

Effigies of bishops fill the four Decorated arched recesses on the south wall of the =south-choir-aisle= and on the north wall, under an arch opening to the choir, is the tomb of =Bishop De Lorraine=, or =Losinga= (died 1095). Here is also the monument and tomb to =Bishop Mayhew=, of Magdalen College (1504-1516); some old windows restored by Warrington; and the famous =Map of the World=, one of the most valuable relics of mediæval geography in existence. It was designed about 1314 by Richard of Haldingham, a Lincolnshire monk. It was discovered more than a hundred years ago under the floor of Bishop Audley’s Chapel.

The =South-east-transept=, between the retro-choir and the chapter-house, opens into the latter. The style is in the main Decorated, though the window tracery is later quite Flamboyant. One single octagonal pillar separates it from its eastern aisle. From this transept a lovely view of the Lady-Chapel can be enjoyed.

The peculiar darkness of the =Choir= is due to the arrangement of the transepts, which prevents the admission of light except from the clerestory.

“The main arches of the choir are of three orders, and spring from
massive composite piers, with broad, square bases. The capitals of
the semi-detached shafts are enriched with leafage and grotesque
heads. The _triforium_ in each bay consists of one wide Norman arch
circumscribing two smaller, divided by a central shaft, and
springing on either side from two massive semicircular piers, with
small capitals. Both outer and inner arches spring from these
piers. The capitals of the central shafts have square abaci, and
are enriched. The tympana of the outer arches are covered with
scallop, leaf and billet ornament. At the base of the triforium
runs a square string-course, enriched with minute carving. The
lozenge ornament prevails round the main arches of the choir, as
does the zigzag round those of the nave.

“Broad square pilasters, with semi-detached shafts at their angels,
fill the spaces between the piers. They terminate at the spring of
the triforium arches in double triangular headings, with crocketed
sides and finials of leafage. These headings are Early English, of
the same date as the clerestory and vaulting; and between each pair
rises a group of so-called vaulting-shafts, with capitals of
leafage, terminating at the base of the clerestory; and connected
(under the actual base of the clerestory) by a band of open
flowers. The clerestory consists of one lofty pointed arch in each
bay, divided by a central; on either side is a smaller trefoiled
arch. The windows, of two lights, with a quatrefoil in the heading,
are placed at the back of the wall-passage, and form in effect a
double plane with the large inner arches. They are filled on each
side with indifferent stained glass. The choir vaulting is plain
quadripartite, with bosses of leafage at the intersections.”--(R.
J. K.)

The =Choir-stalls= are Decorated. Some of the =Misereres= are quaint. The =Bishop’s Throne= dates from the Fourteenth Century. The Cathedral also possesses an ancient episcopal chair, which, it is said, King Stephen sat in when he visited Hereford.

Within a great Norman arch of five orders stands the modern =Reredos=, at the back of which rises a great pier from which spring two pointed arches. The spandrel, or Tympanum, is covered with modern sculpture--the Saviour in Majesty and the Evangelists; and below a statue of King Ethelbert, who was said to have been buried in the first Saxon church somewhere about this spot.

From the =Retro-choir= we pass into the =Vestibule= of the Lady-Chapel, the walls of which are broken with transitional Norman window openings,--pointed arches with massive mouldings. The foliage of the capitals is Early English.

Five steps (necessitated by the height of the crypt below) lead up to the =Lady-Chapel=, very rich Early English, dating from the first half of the Thirteenth Century. It is 24 × 45 feet and of three bays. On the north side each bay contains two large windows; on the south side, the third bay is filled by the Audley Chapel.

“The very rich clustered shafts and arches of the side windows
should be especially noticed. The capitals of the shafts are Early
English leafage; and there are small heads at the intersections and
crowns of the arches. A circle enclosing a quatrefoil pierces the
wall above these windows. The vaulting is plain quadripartite, and
springs from shafts which descend upon a base raised slightly above
the pavement. The modern pavement of the Lady-chapel is laid with
red and green tiles in large square panels. The whole design is
broad and good in outline; and is somewhat richer at the altar end,
which is raised on one step.”

Ferguson has remarked that

“Nowhere on the Continent are such combinations to be found as the
Five Sisters at York, the east end of Ely, or such a group as that
which terminates the east end of Hereford.”

Many of its features were hidden until the restorations and repairs were undertaken in 1841.

“The glorious EAST-WINDOW consists of five narrow lancets recessed
within arches supported by clustered shafts, the wall above being
perforated with five quatrefoil openings, of which the outside ones
are circular and the centre three are oval. It was as a memorial to
Dean Merewether, to whom the cathedral owes so much, that the
stained glass designed by Cottingham was placed in the east
windows in the narrow lancets that he loved so dearly. It
represents scenes in the early life of the Virgin and the life of
Christ, the last being the supper in the house of Mary and Martha.
In the side windows the visitor should especially notice the rich
clustered shafts and arches, the Early English capitals and the
ornamentation of the arches. The double PISCINA and AUMBRY south of
the altar are restorations necessitated by the dilapidated state of
the originals.”--(A. H. F.)

In the central bay on the north side lies the effigy of =Sir Peter de Grandison= (died 1358) under a canopy of open tabernacle work. The armour is very interesting. Once the effigy was supposed to be Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford. On the same side lies =Joanna de Bohun=, Countess of Hereford (died 1327). Her effigy is a splendid study in costume. She left a large estate to the Cathedral.

A black marble slab, with brass, marks the resting-place of =Dean Merewether= (died 1850). =Dean Berew=, or =Beaurieu=, in the south wall of the vestibule, is one of the best specimens of sculpture in the Cathedral. He died in 1462.

It was not every bishop who could build two chantries; but =Bishop Audley= (1492-1502) built himself a charming Tudor chapel, two stories high, projecting from the south side of the Lady Chapel, a circular staircase giving access to the upper room. He intended it for his tomb; but as he was translated to Salisbury in 1502, he had the trouble of building another one there, in which he was buried.

“The lower chamber is shut off from the Lady-chapel by a screen of
painted stone with open-work panelling in two stages. The chapel is
pentagonal in plan, and has two windows, while a third opens into
the Lady-chapel through the screen. The ceiling is vaulted, and
bears evidence of having in former times been elaborately painted.

“There are five windows in the upper chamber and the groined roof
is distinctly good. The boss in the centre represents the Virgin
crowned in glory. On other parts of the ceiling are the arms of
Bishop Audley and those of the Deanery, as well as a shield bearing
the letters R. I. The upper part of the chantry, which is divided
from the Lady-chapel by the top of the screen which serves as a
kind of rail, may have been used as an oratory; but no remains of
an altar have been found. On the door opening on the staircase is
some good iron-work, and Bishop Audley’s initials may be noticed on
the lock. Standing by the door of this chapel, the visitor has a
lovely view westward: two pillars rising in the roof and across the
top of the reredos; to the right, the Norman arches of the north
transept and further on still the nave.”--(A. H. F.)

From the south side of the Lady-Chapel we enter the =Crypt= by steps leading down from an Early English porch. It is 50 feet long, and consists of a nave and aisles. Because the crypt was used as a charnel-house, it is called _Golgotha_. It is lighted by plain lancets.

There are only a few fragments of old glass in the windows, some of the best (early Fourteenth Century) is in one of the lancets on the south side of the Lady-Chapel. The subjects are Christ surrounded by symbols of the Four Evangelists; Lamb and flag; Angel and Marys at the Sepulchre; Crucifixion; Christ carrying the Cross.

A window in the north-east transept contains Fourteenth Century glass, restored by Warrington in 1864: St. Katherine; St. Michael; St. Gregory; and St. Thomas of Canterbury. In the south-east transept a similar window exhibits St. Mary Magdalene; St. Ethelbert; St. Augustine; and St. George. The many memorial windows do not call

for special attention. One, however, in the north transept, erected to Archdeacon Lane =Freer=, is to be noticed on account of the tracery. It is one of the largest in England of the period of Edward I.

From the south-east transept we enter a narrow passage, the =Vicars’ Cloister=, that leads to the College of Vicars-Choral (1396). It is a picturesque quadrangle with an inner cloister (Perpendicular, about 1474).

The Bishop’s Palace lies south, between the Cathedral and the river Wye.

WORCESTER

DEDICATION: THE BLESSED VIRGIN, ST. PETER AND THE HOLY CONFESSORS,
OSWALD AND WULSTAN. FORMERLY THE CHURCH OF A BENEDICTINE MONASTERY.

SPECIAL FEATURES: NAVE; CHOIR-STALLS; TOMB OF KING JOHN; CHANTRY OF
PRINCE ARTHUR; ARCADE ACROSS TRANSEPTS AND LADY-CHAPEL; CRYPT.

The Cathedral of Worcester is severe and plain; but its very severity appeals to some critics, as do the general lines of the entire edifice.

“The beautiful proportions of the great tower harmonise so well
with the general plan and mass of the rest of the fabric that
although it has no pride of place like Durham or Lincoln, it still
dominates the whole city and vicinity in a great and unmistakable
manner. The flat meadow-land of the Severn valley in this part of
the county, unbroken westward up to the very foot of the Malvern
hills, gives the Cathedral on this side the importance of the chief
feature in many miles of landscape. And as one approaches from the
eastward, over the slight eminences on which the battle of
Worcester was chiefly fought, a glimpse of the tower is the
earliest evidence of the existence of the city.”--(E. F. S.)

The history of Worcester Cathedral begins with Oswald, a Benedictine monk, consecrated Bishop of Worcester by Dunstan in 961. Oswald’s cathedral, finished in 983, was destroyed by the Danes in 1041, and rebuilt in 1084-1089 by Wulstan, a monk of Worcester, who became Bishop in 1062. Wulstan placed his church a little to the south of the first one. His crypt still remains,--the most famous crypt in England. Wulstan’s tomb was miraculously preserved when a fire burned parts of the cathedral in 1113, eight years after his death. Miracles were performed and cures effected. Finally in 1203 Wulstan was canonized.

When King John died in 1216, he was buried before the High Altar between the tombs of Oswald and Wulstan.

The Cathedral was dedicated in 1218 in the presence of King Henry III. and bishops, abbots, priors and nobles from all parts of the kingdom.

The church suffered from fires and storms; and the central tower fell in 1175. Rebuilding was frequently a necessity; and, therefore, many styles are to be found throughout the fabric.

Repairs were undertaken between 1702 and 1712, when the choir was paved and when it is supposed that the spires on the corners of the presbytery, transepts and nave were added.

An important series of repairs and restorations were undertaken by Wilkinson from 1748 to 1756. At this period

“the north end of the nave transept was rebuilt, the stone pulpit
removed from the nave to the choir, and the latter re-paved with
blue and white stone. The old right-of-way through the cathedral
was replaced by a more proper and convenient passage round the west
end; and many gravestones were removed from the floors of the side
aisles of the choir, and from the nave, which were re-paved with
white stone. The Jesus Chapel was opened to the nave and the font
therein erected.

“The great flying buttresses at the east end were erected between
1736 and 1789. The great west window was rebuilt in 1789, and that
of the east end in 1792. In 1812 a new altar-screen and
choir-screen were built, and the tall pinnacles taken down after
1832.

“In 1857 began the great restoration of the cathedral under the
auspices of Mr. Perkins, the architect to the dean and chapter,
whose work was continued and amplified by Sir Gilbert Scott, who
was employed after 1864.

“The results of this restoration, probably the most complete and
far-reaching undergone by any British cathedral, include the
exterior and interior of the tower, the pavements throughout the
building; the decoration of the choir and Lady-chapel; all the
windows, and almost the whole of the furniture and fittings,
including a new reredos, choir-screen, organ and pulpit. The
restored cathedral was reopened, with a magnificent choral service
on the 8th of April, 1874. Since that date many additions have been
made, splendid evidences of the survival of the old local
patriotism; for almost everything is due to the munificence of
local donors.”--(E. F. S.)

The chief feature is the central =Tower=, supposed to have been completed in 1374. It has been restored carefully.

“It is of two stages. The first has two lancets on each side,
within an arcade of seven bays. Each of the upper stages has two
louvred windows surmounted by crocketed canopies, and ornamented by
three large sculptured figures in niches, of the whole twelve of
which, six are modern. The whole is crowned by an open rail, or
parapet, with six spirelets on either side and a crocketed pinnacle
at each corner.”--(E. F. S.)

The =West End= contains one large modern window of eight lights with a wheel window above. The gable, with three small lancet windows, is surmounted by a cross and flanked by two buttresses topped by pinnacles. The doorway in the west front is also modern (1857-1873); but parts of the old Norman doorway have been inserted.

On the north side, the =North Porch= (24 feet long and 8 feet broad) consists of two bays. The front was restored. The sculptured figures in the canopied niches are Christ and the Twelve Apostles. Above these is a row of saints and then Perpendicular battlements. An exterior turret and staircase lead to the rooms above it, occupied by the porter. Two bays, each with a window, follow; then comes the Jesus Chapel; then one more bay; and then the north-transept, with its gable, cross and pinnacles; then four more bays; then the choir; then three more bays; and, finally, the Lady-Chapel. The south side is similar, with the exception of the projecting Chapel of St. John.

Pinnacles are a striking feature on all sides of the edifice.

On entering we are struck with the long vista, for the closed choir-screen, found in so many English cathedrals, is conspicuously absent. The proportions of the =Nave= are justly admired. It

“consists of nine bays, of which the two westernmost are of widely
different character and date from the remaining seven. Its breadth,
including the aisles, is 78 feet, its length 170 feet, and its
height 68 feet; which dimensions may be compared with those of
Salisbury, 82 feet, 229 feet 6 inches, and 81 feet; and of Wells,
82 feet, 161 feet, and 67 feet, respectively. The two western
severies are of great interest. The pier arches are pointed, but
rise from Late Norman capitals; the triforium stages have each two
three-light round-headed windows, of which the centre one is
considerably the highest, surmounted with zigzag ornament and
decorated with characteristic lozenges, the whole enclosed within a
pointed moulding. The clerestory has, in each bay, a central
round-headed light, with Norman ornament above it, flanked by blank
pointed windows, considerably smaller.

“On the north side, the whole of the walls of the five eastern
bays, and the pier arches of the next two towards the west belong
to the Decorated period, and may be dated between 1317 and 1327.
The remainder of the two latter bays and the whole of the seven
eastern bays of the south side are very early Perpendicular. Willis
considers that this work was probably begun in the middle of the
fourteenth century, and completed by the date of the vaulting of
the nave, 1377, which would establish it as one of the earliest
specimens of Perpendicular work in the country. The triforium
arcade consists of two pointed arches, each subdivided again into
two; and the clerestory has a large central light, with a smaller
light on either side in each bay. On the north side these are the
ordinary pointed arches of the Decorated period; on the south the
lateral arches are straight sided, and the central arch only has a
small curve on joining the vertical piers. Similar arches, but a
century earlier in date, occur in the north transepts of Hereford
and of Rochester Cathedrals.”--(E. F. S.)

The vaulting was finished in 1377. The glass of the windows is modern, as is also the handsome =pulpit=, designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, Italian in style and made of alabaster and grey and green marble.

The monuments and tombs call for no special description, with the exception of the altar-tomb of =John Beauchamp=, fourth bay from the east. It dates from the early Fifteenth Century and is panelled in five compartments with coloured armorial bearings. The knight lies here in full armour, with pointed basinet, sleeveless jupon and baldric. His lady beside him is in the costume of the period. Her head rests on a swan and a dog lies at her feet.

The =North aisle= (1317-1327) is Decorated. Beyond the north porch, we come to =Jesus Chapel=, enclosed by a stone screen (Perpendicular) and containing a wooden altar with a full-size Madonna and Child.

The =North transept= is a mixture of Norman and Perpendicular. It consists of two bays; and in the north-west corner is the circular stair-turret. The =South transept= is similar to the north, and has, likewise, a stair-turret in the south-west corner.

The west window is of Perpendicular tracery. A fine Norman arch, partly closed by a Perpendicular screen, marks the entrance to the Chapel of St. John. Both transepts are aisleless. The =South aisle= of the nave is Norman and Transitional. The Font is modern.

The =Choir= was begun in 1224. The eastern transepts were added at the same time. A little of the old Norman work betrays itself here and there. No one seems to know why Bishop Godfrey de Giffard (1268-1301) placed gilded brass rings around the columns, unless it was for the sake of adding extra strength.

“The beauty of the pier-arches and those of the triforium, relieved
so handsomely by the black shafts of Purbeck marble bearing Bishop
Giffard’s brass rings, and by the finely proportioned spandrels of
each bay, is by no means to be under-estimated.

“The choir is of five bays, including the eastern crossing, which
is of greater width than the others. The pier-arch mouldings are of
two patterns, one very similar to those of the choir and presbytery
at Salisbury, having one of the ribs flanked by a double range of
dog-tooth. The piers themselves, as well as those in the
Lady-chapel, are octagonal, and have detached Purbeck shafts,
eleven of which are fixed with a narrow course of marble embracing
the shaft in the manner of a ring; and the remaining eight with
brass rings; the two processes being used symmetrically, so that
shafts similarly fixed stand opposite to each other.

“The triforium consists of two large arches in each bay, subdivided
again into two. During the restoration the pillars, which had been
whitewashed, were restored to their original rich black colour, and
the rings which bind them made visible. The sculptures in the
spandrels are restorations by Boulton. The inner wall of the
triforium walk is decorated with a finely-proportioned arcade,
which adds greatly to the general effect. The clerestory has a
triplet of pointed lights in each bay, the centre one being
considerably higher than those at the side, although they rise from
pillars of equal height. The vault of the roof springs, in each
severy, from a single shaft terminated with a foliated capital; it
is simple in character, and was probably completed before the end
of the first half of the thirteenth century. The elaborate pavement
of Devonshire marble and encaustic tiles is modern.”--(E. F. S.)

The =Choir-stalls= (restored) date from 1379. The thirty-seven _miserere_ seats represent Biblical, mythological and contemporary figures.

The =Reredos=, behind the High Altar, composed of alabaster, inlaid with coloured marbles, lapis lazuli, agates and malachite, is modern. The =Bishop’s Throne= is also modern; but the richly carved =Pulpit= of white stone dates from about 1630. It bears the arms of England, France, Scotland and Ireland.

In the centre of the choir in front of the altar steps stands the =Tomb of King John=. When John died in the Castle of Newark in 1216, his body was brought to Worcester Cathedral and buried before the High Altar. In 1797 the tomb was opened. The effigy, now gilded, is the earliest royal effigy in England. It dates from the early Thirteenth Century and is probably a good likeness of the Magna Charta king. Bloxam’s description in 1862, gives an idea of its original appearance:

“The effigy was originally the cover of the stone coffin in which
the remains of that monarch were deposited in the Chapel of the
Virgin, at the east end of the cathedral. The altar tomb is of a
much later period, probably constructed early in the sixteenth
century, when the tomb of Prince Arthur was erected.... The sides
of this tomb are divided into three square compartments by panelled
buttresses; each compartment contains a shield bearing the royal
arms within a quatrefoil richly cusped; the spandrels are also
foliated and cusped.... It is, however, the effigy of the king,
sculptured in the early part of the Thirteenth Century, and
probably the earliest sepulchral effigy in the cathedral, to which
our chief attention should be drawn. This effigy represents him in
the royal habiliments; first, the tunic, yellow, or of cloth of
gold, reaching nearly to the ankles, with close-fitting sleeves, of
which little is apparent. Over the tunic is seen the dalmatic, of a
crimson colour, with wide sleeves edged with a gold and jewelled
border, and girt about the waist by a girdle buckled in front, the
pendant end of the girdle, which is jewelled, falling down as low
as the skirt of the dalmatic. Of the yellow mantle lined with green
little is visible. On the feet are black shoes, to the heels of
which are affixed spurs. On the hands are gloves, jewelled at the
back; the right hand held a sceptre, the lower portion of which
only is left; the left grasps the hilt of the sword. On the head is
the crown; there are moustaches and beard, and the light-brown hair
is long. On either side of the head is the figure of a bishop
holding a censer, perhaps intended to represent St. Oswald and St.
Wulstan, between whose tombs the king was interred in the Chapel of
the Virgin.”

On the south side of the sanctuary we find the =Chantry of Prince Arthur=, son of Henry VII., who died at Ludlow Castle in 1502. This is the most famous piece of work in the Cathedral, and one of the best examples of Tudor architecture in existence. It was erected in 1504, and

“consists of six bays of open tracery divided by panels of canopied
niches containing figures and heraldic bearings surmounted by a
battlemented rail and pinnacles. Within is a richly groined roof,
with unusual flying supports, east and west. At the east end are
the mutilated remains of a rich stone reredos, containing a figure
of our Lord, and others hardly recognisable, which was above the
altar formerly placed here. At the west end is a small figure of
Henry VII. seated.

“The tomb itself of the Prince stands in the centre of the chantry.
It is singularly plain, in contrast to the richness of its
surroundings, almost the only ornament being the arms of England
and France within panels on the sides. Around the top runs a
painted inscription, obviously a late substitute for a brass which
has been removed, to this effect: ‘Here lyeth buried prince Arthur,
the first begotten sonne of the righte renowned Kinge henry the
Seventhe, whiche noble Prince departed oute of this transitory life
ate the Castle of Ludlowe, in the seventeenth yeere of hys father’s
reign, and in the yeere of our Lorde god on thousande fyve hundred
and two.’”--(E. F. S.)

The =Chapel of St. John=, projecting from two bays of the south-choir-aisle, is on the site of a Norman chapel. The Norman arch at the west end is its finest feature. It has three windows filled with modern glass and a piscina in the south wall.

The =Eastern transepts= demand careful attention.

“The design of the walls ... is extremely beautiful. Two lofty
triplets of lancet lights are placed the one above the other. The
lower triplet has a gallery in front of it immediately above the
arcaded wall, and at the same level as the sill of the adjacent
side aisle windows. The upper triplet has a similar gallery at the
level of the triforium. Rich clustered shafts rise from the lower
gallery in two orders; the inner order carries molded arches to
correspond with the heads of the lower triplet; the shafts of the
outer order rise from the lower gallery up to the impost of the
upper triplet, grouping themselves with the shafts that stand in
front of the upper triplet, and uniting in one group of capitals at
the impost, where they carry a range of three arches with deep rich
mouldings. Thus the entire composition represents a gigantic window
of six lights.”--(W.)

One of the finest features of the Cathedral is the arcade that runs along the whole extent of the eastern transepts and across the Lady-Chapel.

“This is a series of trefoil headed arcades of three mouldings,
resting on slender Early English shafts, each spandrel having been
filled with carvings which take high rank among the best of the
English school of the Thirteenth Century. They have now been, to a
great extent, restored (by Boulton), and many, including all at the
east end, are entirely new. The best of the old ones are figured by
Aldis; and the most interesting, whether entirely ancient or partly
restored, are as follows, starting from the west wall of the
south-eastern transept:

“Two crusaders fighting a lion. A centaur. An angel weighing a
soul, and the devil pulling down the scale. Devils roasting a soul
in hell. The Jaws of Death. A body borne to burial. Expulsion of
Adam and Eve. An angel leading a righteous soul to heaven. The dead
rising from coffins. Christ enthroned. The archangel blowing the
last trump. An angel holding a cross.

“_South Aisle._--Two monks building. A queen instructing an
architect. Two monks discussing plans. A devil with bird’s claws,
riding on a man’s shoulders. The Crucifixion.

“_Lady-Chapel._--Centaur and crusader. Prophets and Bible subjects
(modern), grotesque.

“_North Aisle._--Bishop offering a model of the cathedral at an
altar (perhaps Bishop Henry de Blois, d. 1236). The Annunciation.
The Visitation. The Nativity.

“_North Transept._--Old Testament subjects. A bishop. A monk
chastising a novice.”--(E. F. S.)

The tracery of the windows in the choir aisles and the Lady-Chapel is modern, patterned on Early English models. The entire east wall is modern. The window consists of five lights in two tiers. The glass dates from 1860 and represents the _Crucifixion_ and the _Ascension_.

In the south aisle of the Lady-Chapel we notice one of the finest effigies in the building. It is a Fourteenth Century lady, whose left hand holds the cord of her cloak. A little dog lies at her feet. It is interesting to compare this with another unknown effigy of a lady of the Thirteenth Century in the north aisle of the Lady-Chapel. The left hand holds a glove.

In front of the altar and on the floor of the Lady-Chapel are the effigies of =Bishop William de Blois= (died 1236) and his successor =Bishop Walter de Cantelupe= (died 1265). The latter is in higher relief than the former and was originally set with gems. In the north aisle we must also note the large effigy of =Sir James de Beauchamp=, in complete armour with surcoat and long shield of Henry III.’s reign. Beneath the reredos lies the richly robed figure of =Hawford=, Dean of Worcester in 1553-1557. On the south side lies =William, Earl of Dudley=, in white marble on arches of alabaster. The Lady-Chapel is of the same date as the choir.

From the south transept of the nave we enter the famous =Crypt=, which dates from 1084. It was built after that of Winchester (1079) and before those of Gloucester (1089) and Canterbury (1096). Three rows of pillars form four walks, with an outer aisle of two rows of pillars. It was surrounded by several chapels, but only the southern chapel is now accessible. The pillars are admired for their grace and lightness, when illuminated. It suggests the Mosque of Cordova. In comparing the crypts of Winchester, Gloucester, Canterbury, and Worcester, Willis says:

“The height of all these crypts is nearly the same; so that at
Winchester and Gloucester the arches are flattened into ellipses,
the pillars are low and squat, and the crypts appear as sepulchral
vaults; while at Worcester, where the arches are semicircular and
the pillars more slender, the crypt is a complex and beautiful
temple.”

The =Cloisters= form an irregular quadrangle enclosing a lovely green garth, 83 feet square. The roof of the walks is richly vaulted. The glass in the windows in the south alley depicted the history and miracles of St. Wulstan, but the glass was destroyed by the Puritans.

Beyond the south walk is the =Refectory=, a handsome building of red sandstone, dating from about 1372. It is now used as a class-room of the Cathedral School founded by King Henry VIII. The monks’ lavatory occupies two bays in the north alley.

From the west walk we enter the =Chapter-House=, originally a Norman building of the Eleventh Century. It was repaired about 1400, when the Norman windows and vaults were supplanted by those we now see. The present Chapter-House

“consists of ten bays, with a Perpendicular vaulted roof rising
from a central Norman Column. Each bay contains a light traceried
window, of which two are entirely, and two half, blocked up. Below
these is a series of slightly hollowed niches in grey, blue and
yellow stone in alternate courses, resting on three courses of
rough red masonry. These niches have slight traces of ancient
fresco painting; they are surmounted by an arcade of intersecting
circular arches containing smaller arches. Similar ornamentation is
to be found in the chapter-houses at Bristol and Rochester, and in
the external wall of Ernulf’s crypt at Canterbury.”--(E. F. S.)

LICHFIELD

DEDICATION: ST. CHAD AND ST. MARY. A CHURCH SERVED BY SECULAR
CANONS.

SPECIAL FEATURES: SPIRES; WEST FRONT; NAVE; LADY-CHAPEL; HERKENRODE
GLASS.

Lichfield is famed for its three beautiful spires, the only church in England with this distinguishing feature. They are locally known as “Ladies of the Vale,” or “Ladies of the Valley.”

The central spire, which always groups so charmingly with the two that rise above the west front, dates from the Restoration, and is an imitation of the western ones. Its predecessor, destroyed during the Civil Wars, was supposed to have been rebuilt about 1250. The two western spires are said to have been built by Roger de Norbury (1322-1359), but the north-west one was rebuilt in Perpendicular times in imitation of the earlier style. The south-west, or =Jesus Tower=, also the belfry, got its name from the Jesus Bell, given by Dean Heyward in 1477, and destroyed during the Civil Wars. The Jesus is a little higher than the other tower. Both spires are octagonal. At intervals they are broken by windows.

“Of all the cathedral churches of England, Lichfield may be said to
be the most lovely. Other cathedrals are larger--indeed, this is
one of the smallest;--many are grander, or more magnificent; but
for simple beauty, for charm, for delicacy of construction and
appearance, Lichfield may rightly claim to take the foremost place.
Peterborough, when we stand inside the west door and look down its
line of enormous piers, fills us with awe at its immensity and

strength; a feeling which is perhaps a little impaired by the
present position of its stalls. Salisbury appeals to us with its
perfect simplicity and symmetry, and York with its unequalled
grandeur and splendour; but after viewing all the cathedrals of
England, it is Lichfield which is most likely to be remembered
among them for something which may be most aptly called charm. What
can be more delightful than the view which confronts the traveller
who, approaching from the town, pauses to look across the sparkling
water of the pool at the three graceful spires standing out amid a
wealth of green trees and shrubs? Truly a picture to be long
remembered.

“The cathedral stands in a close which was once surrounded by
strong walls with bastions and a moat. Nature had supplied the moat
on the south side, and the Cathedral Pool, as it is now called, is
still there. The artificial moat has been drained, but its course
can be easily traced running round the bishop’s palace, and its
water has been replaced by lovely gardens and gravel walks. Some
bits of the old wall remain, the north-east bastion in the palace
gardens and a turret on a house at the south corner: the ‘beautiful
gates’ of Bishop Langton are gone; but in the Vicars’ Close at the
west of the cathedral are two small irregular courtyards with
houses so old that we feel sure that their wooden beams and plaster
were there when the Royalists of the neighbourhood housed
themselves within the fortified close.

“The close is not large, and of course, as Lichfield is a cathedral
of the old establishment, there are no monastical buildings, no
ruined cloisters. On the north side the ground rises rapidly in a
grassy slope to a terrace, behind which are some of the canons’
houses. Opposite the north transept is the deanery, a substantial
red brick house in the style of the middle of the last century;
next to it, and farther east, is the bishop’s palace.”--(A. B. C.)

Lichfield was built in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries and is, therefore, almost entirely in the styles of Early English and Decorated. The Early English may be studied in the transepts which were begun first; Early Decorated in the nave; and fully developed Decorated in the Lady-Chapel and Presbytery.

There is a curious similarity between the building of Lichfield and York:

“The Norman Cathedral of York was built in 1080, and that of
Lichfield at an uncertain date. Between 1154-1181, Archbishop Roger
substituted for the original chancel at York a long, square-ended
choir, with the aisle carried behind the end. At Lichfield, during
the same period, the large chapel was built at the end of the
Norman apse; and about the beginning of the Thirteenth Century the
whole Norman eastern termination was, as at York, replaced by a
long, square-ended choir with the low aisles behind. Next, at York
the Norman transepts were rebuilt in Early English: the south
transept, 1230-1241; followed by the north transept, 1241-1260.
Also at Lichfield the Norman transepts were rebuilt in Early
English, beginning with the south and ending with the north. The
Early English work of this cathedral is shown by the licenses to
dig stone to have been in progress in 1235 and 1238. York nave and
Lichfield were next rebuilt in Early Decorated--the first in
1291-1324. Lastly, at Lichfield, the elongation of the eastern part
was begun at the extreme east, beyond the existing choir by the
Lady-chapel, in late Decorated under Bishop Langton, 1296-1321, and
followed by taking down the choir, and continuing the same work on
its site westward. The works at York followed in the same order,
but forty or fifty years later, by first erecting the presbytery
outside the existing choir, and then taking down the latter and
continuing the work of the presbytery to form the new choir. The
plans of the two cathedrals rival each other in the simplicity of
their proportions.”--(W.)

Nothing definite is known of the early history of this Cathedral, as all records were destroyed during the Civil Wars. In all probability there was the same old story of a Saxon church in the Seventh Century succeeded by several other churches until the Norman Cathedral was built, probably like Peterborough, only smaller.

This, of course, fell a victim to the change of fashion, and was pulled down gradually as the new building--the one we know to-day--arose. The first thing that was done was the building of a new choir (Early English) from the central tower to the seventh bay of the present choir. Some of this was destroyed at a later period. The sacristy and adjoining room were also built. Then, about 1220, the south transept was begun, then the nave, north transept and west front, with the two towers.

Walter de Langton (1296-1321) began the Lady-Chapel; and while this was being built the Early English presbytery was pulled down and rebuilt in the Decorated style, to be uniform with the Lady-Chapel. The old clerestory of the choir was also rebuilt in the same style. Walter de Langton also built the Bishop’s Palace, which was destroyed in 1643, bridged the Cathedral Pool, and erected a splendid shrine to St. Chad, which cost £2,000. This stood behind the high altar in the eastern bay of the retro-choir, with an altar to this saint on its west.

St. Chad, or Ceadda (669-672), was the patron saint of Lichfield, who, when Bishop of Mercia, chose Lichfield as his seat and thus founded the diocese; and he built a small church near St. Chad’s Well. His service was short and he died in 672.

Miracles were immediately performed at his shrine in Stowe Church; but his remains were removed to the Cathedral. St. Chad’s Head was placed in a separate chapel (see page 213).

When Henry VIII. despoiled the shrine he found a great horde of treasures--jewels, golden and silver crosses, chalices, maces, and copes, and other vestments had accumulated in great number. In the Fourteenth Century a document mentions “the head of Blessed Chad, in a certain painted wooden case; also an arm of Blessed Chad; also bones of the said saint in a certain portable shrine.”

Lichfield suffered greatly during the Civil Wars. The Royalists hoisted the king’s flag on the central steeple and defied the Roundheads led by Lord Brooke. The Cathedral was besieged in March, 1643; and on the second day of that month, which happened to be St. Chad’s Day, Lord Brooke was killed by a shot fired by a son of Sir Richard Dyott, called “Dumb Dyott,” because he was deaf and dumb. This was regarded as a miracle. A contemporary letter notes:

“We have had the honour in these parts to bring my Lord Brooke to a
quiet condition. That enemy of our Church (March 2) was slain in
his quarrel against our Church, by the God of our Church, with a
shot out of the Cathedral, by a bullet made of Church lead, through
the mouth which reviled our Church; and (if this be worth your
reading) this Cathedral was dedicated to the memory of an old Saxon
holy man (called Ceadda, commonly Chad); the blow of death came
from St. Chad’s Church upon St. Chad’s Day.”

The Cathedral remained in a ruinous condition for a year or more after the Restoration. Then Bishop Hackett (1661-1671) went to work to clear away the rubbish and make repairs. In eight years’ time the Cathedral was ready for a new dedication.

Perpendicular tracery was inserted in some of the windows in the Fifteenth Century, when the Cathedral was at the height of its beauty.

The present =West Front= is a restoration of the beautiful work of the Middle Ages.

In 1820 the west front was completely covered with cement which concealed all its beauty until 1877, when the authorities began to remove it. Only five of the original statues remained and it was decided to fill all the 113 niches. Tradition said the long row of figures over the doors represented the Saxon and English kings with St. Chad in the centre; but the others were unknown. They are now as follows: