of the Britons, the Venta Belgarum of the Romans, the Royal city of
Alfred the Great and of William the Conqueror, was a place of vast
importance in the annals of England. Under Cnut it was the capital of
a kingdom stretching across the seas to Scandinavia, and under the
Normans a large part of France was in subjection to it. Here kings
were born and Royal weddings celebrated with great pomp in its grand
Cathedral. If Royal patronage could have preserved the glories of
ancient Winchester, it would have remained the capital of England; but
London was the centre of the commercial activity of the country, and
in the end Winchester was forced to yield supremacy to its more
powerful rival.
Its ecclesiastical history is no less important. A British church here
is said to have been destroyed during the Diocletian persecution (A.D.
266) and restored subsequently and dedicated to St. Amphibalus, the
martyr. Heathendom returned with the Saxons, until they were converted
by St. Berinus, and by the baptism of King Kynegils the triumph of
Christianity was assured. He built a new Cathedral, which was again
rebuilt by Bishop Ethelbold (980) and consecrated by Dunstan, and this
church remained until the Norman builders came with the Conqueror, and
began, under his kinsman, Walkelin, to erect that stately fane which
we are now about to visit.
Winchester is unlike Salisbury, which was, for the most part,
completed in one period of architecture; the former was the work of
several builders at different eras. A large part of the Early Norman
Cathedral remains; the crypt and transepts and the core of the walls
being all Norman work. The eastern aisles and chapels are the work of
Bishop de Lucy (1189-1204), built in the Early English style, during
the troubled reigns of Richard I. and John; the noble nave was begun
by Bishop Edingdon in 1345, and not finished until the time of
Waynflete, in 1496, while the dawn of the Reformation saw the building
of the side aisles of the presbytery and the east part of the Lady
Chapel. The celebrated William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester,
Chancellor of Edward III., the founder of the Colleges of Winchester
and New (Oxford), was the chief architect of the nave.
We approach the Cathedral by an avenue of stately elms, and reach the
west door. The best exterior view is obtained from the north side of
the close. The tower is low massive Norman work, built in the time of
the first Henry, the first tower having fallen, as some said, because
William Rufus, the bad king, was buried beneath it. The west front has
been recently restored. It is evidently Perpendicular work, and was
probably constructed by Bishop Edingdon.
On entering we are struck by the grandeur and impressiveness of this
noble nave: Winchester is the largest Cathedral in England. The whole
church is 556 feet in length, and nearly 400 feet of magnificent
stone-vault is visible from the west doorway. This nave presents some
architectural problems. The style is evidently Perpendicular work of
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but the builders of that
period transformed much of the original Norman work, which still
remains in the piers and walls, into that of the later style. They did
not rebuild, but transformed, adding new mouldings, casing, and
concealing, though not obliterating, the ancient Norman features. We
can trace the work of the successive builders. Bishop Edingdon
entirely rebuilt the west front and extreme west portion. Examine the
two west windows of the north aisle, and compare them with the third,
the work of William of Wykeham, and notice their heavy and less
graceful appearance. Wykeham was responsible for the complete
transformation of the nave, but lived only long enough to complete the
south side. Notice the thickness of the piers. This was caused by
casing the Norman piers with Perpendicular stone-work, and the balcony
above the arches was necessitated by the work of reconstruction.
Wykeham's successor, Cardinal Beaufort (uncle of Henry V., the "rich
Cardinal," as men called him, one of Joan of Arc's judges, but withal
not so base a man as Shakespeare depicts), continued, and Bishop
Waynflete, the founder of Magdalen College, Oxford, completed that
magnificent structure which we now see. On each side of the west door
are bronze statues of Charles I. and James I. by Le Sueur.
On the bosses of the roof we see some armorial bearings; the lily (the
arms of Magdalen College) is the device of Waynflete, and the arms of
Wykeham, Beaufort, John of Gaunt and Richard II. (white hart chained)
are there represented.
The Minstrels' Gallery or tribune, erected by Edingdon, is at the
west end of the north aisle, and the oldest piece of iron grill-work
in England of very good design is seen in a neighbouring door. The
font is Norman work, the sculptures representing scenes from the life
of St. Nicholas of Myra, together with doves and the salamander. The
chantry chapels on the south side of the nave are extremely
interesting: (1) Bishop Edingdon's Chantry (1345-1366), (2) William of
Wykeham's Chantry, which is very beautifully designed. We see the
effigy of the distinguished prelate with two angels holding the pillow
under his head, and three monks at his feet praying for his soul. Some
modern statues have been added at the east end and an ingenious
chronogram. In the south aisle there are two monuments by Flaxman
(Henrietta North and Dr. Warton), and one to the once famous Bishop
Hoadley, the founder of the Bangorian controversy, which shows the
Magna Charta by the side of the Bible and the cap of liberty
contending with the pastoral staff. Some heroes of the Crimean War are
also commemorated. There are memorials of Mrs. Montagu, the founder of
the "Blue Stockings," and of Jane Austen.
The pulpit is Jacobean, and was brought here from New College, Oxford.
The screen separating the nave from the choir is modern. The bronze
figures of James I. and Charles I. formed part of an older screen
erected by Inigo Jones. Cromwell's soldiers wrought havoc here as in
many other churches and cathedrals. They broke the windows and
woodwork, desecrated shrines, and paid much attention to this statue
of their king.
On entering the choir we find ourselves immediately beneath the tower,
which, as we have observed, is Late Norman work, and notice the
immense piers which support it. The former tower having fallen, the
builders were determined not to have a similar misfortune, and
therefore built these piers abnormally strong and massive. The ceiling
was erected in the time of Charles I. (1634), and bears medallions of
that ill-fated monarch and his queen. Beyond the tower we see the
piers and arches and clerestory of the presbytery, which belong to the
Late Decorated period. The noble reredos belongs to the fifteenth
century, and has been recently restored, the vacant niches being again
filled with statuary. In the centre is the figure of our Lord upon the
Cross, with the Virgin and St. John. On each side of the altar are SS.
Hedda and Ethelwolf, and in the spandrels of the two doorways some
ancient sculptures of the life of the Virgin. Above are figures of SS.
Swithun and Berinus, and above the doors SS. Benedict and Giles, and
SS. Stephen and Lawrence. In the highest row are SS. Peter and Paul
and the four Latin doctors. There are numerous smaller statues of
kings and prelates. The whole appearance of the screen is very
magnificent.
The woodwork of the stalls is the most perfect in the kingdom, and was
constructed in the closing years of the thirteenth century. The carved
foliage is remarkable for its grace and elegance. Notice the carved
heads and the monkeys and other animals playing amidst the branches.
The _Misereres_ are interesting, and are earlier than the canopies.
The pulpit was presented by one "Thomas Silkstede, prior," whose name
it bears.
In the centre of the presbytery we see the supposed tomb of William
Rufus, who was accidentally killed by an arrow when hunting in the New
Forest. His ashes, however, do not rest beneath this stone, but are
preserved in the chests above the screen, together with the bones of
Canute and some Saxon prelates. Cromwell's soldiers rifled the tomb
and found therein a chalice, which sacred vessel was usually placed in
the coffins of bishops and therefore could not have belonged to the
grave of the red-haired monarch. Bishop Fox (1500-1520) did much for
this part of the Cathedral. He placed the glass in the east window,
which has been much modified. Glass painting at this period had
attained its highest perfection as an art, and in its original
condition this window must have been unrivalled. The stone screens on
each side of the presbytery were also erected by Fox, and six mortuary
chests containing the bones of Saxon kings and bishops are placed upon
them. Amongst the bones of other illustrious men are deposited in a
mingled state the mortal remains of Kynegils, Ethelwolf, the father of
Alfred the Great, Egbert, Canute, and many others. The soldiers of
Cromwell played havoc with these bones of kings, and scattered them
about the Cathedral, hence it is impossible to be certain that these
chests actually contain the mortal remains of those whose names they
bear. The vault of the presbytery is wooden, and the bosses are
interesting.
Behind the reredos is the feretory or place for the shrines of patron
saints, with a stone platform at its east end on which formerly stood
the shrines of St. Swithun[6] and St. Berinus.
[Illustration WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL]
Pilgrims used to pass in procession before these shrines along the
stone passage. A collection of fragments of carved work is shown here.
We now visit the north transept and find ourselves in the earliest
portion of the Cathedral, built by Bishop Walkelin in the old Norman
style. The windows were inserted in the Decorated period, and the
ceiling belongs to the last century. The transepts have aisles on the
east and west sides and also at each end, over which is a gallery.
This is not common in England. At St. Alban's there is a similar
arrangement, and in several Normandy churches. The Norman work of the
transepts is of two periods. The earlier part by Walkelin (1070-1098)
is distinguished by the smaller piers and plain groined vaulting; the
later (1107) by the ribbed vaulting and larger piers. When we visit
Ely Cathedral we shall notice the similarity of design, the transepts
of that building having been erected by Simeon, Walkelin's brother.
Under the organ-loft is the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. Notice the
curious mural paintings representing the Passion of our Lord which
date from the thirteenth century, and the Decorated canopies built
against the Norman piers.
We now enter the north aisle of the presbytery and proceed to the
extreme eastern portion of the Cathedral. Here seven chantries and
chapels are seen which record the memory of illustrious prelates. "How
much power and ambition under half-a-dozen stones! I own I grow to
look on tombs as lasting mansions, instead of observing them for
curious pieces of architecture," wrote Walpole. Almost all the east
end was built by Bishop Godfrey de Lucy (1189-1204) at the beginning
of the Early English period and is of exquisite design. The north
chapel is called that of the Guardian Angels, and is so named from
figures of angels in the vaulting. There is a bronze figure of the
Earl of Portland here, the treasurer of Charles I. Notice the figure
holding a heart. It represents Bishop Ethelmar, half-brother of Henry
III., who died in Paris but directed that his heart should be conveyed
to this Cathedral.
The Lady Chapel has work of divers periods--north and south walls
Early English (De Lucy), east wall and window with small eastern parts
of north and south walls Perpendicular (Prior Hunton, 1470-1498, and
Prior Silkstede, 1498-1524). The rebuses of these two priors on the
vault are curious: T. _Hun_ and a ton (Thomas Hunton), and 1 and _Por_
for Prior; T. _Silk_ and a horse (Thomas Silkstede). Mural paintings
by the latter prior representing the legends of the Virgin adorn the
walls. The panelling is the work of Bishop Fox.
The south chapel (Early English) is the Chantry of Bishop Langton, who
died of the plague in 1500, just before he was translated to the
Archbishopric of Canterbury. The woodwork of the stalls is very
beautiful. The pikes of Cromwell's soldiers wrought havoc here, and we
notice that just above the height they could reach with their weapons
the woodwork is uninjured. Mediæval artists were fond of puns and
rebuses, and here we have Langton's name represented by a _long_ (or
musical) note with a _ton_, and a _vine_ and _ton_ for Winton or
Winchester. Winton is also represented by a dragon coming from a ton,
referring to Solomon's warning against the wine that is red which
biteth like a serpent, etc. An object of much interest is preserved
here--Queen Mary's chair upon which she sat when she was married to
Philip of Spain in the Lady Chapel. On that occasion there was much
feasting and rejoicing in Winchester, though the nation liked not the
Spanish marriage, and much ill came to England through that
ill-starred connection. De Lucy's tomb in the centre of the
retro-choir looks upon the noble work which he built for his beloved
Cathedral. On the north of the central aisle is the Chantry of
Waynflete, the founder of Magdalen College, Oxford; on the south that
of Cardinal Beaufort. Both were much injured by the soldiers. Between
these is the effigy of a knight in armour, Sir A. de Gavaston, the
father of the favourite of Edward II.
Notice the wall at the back of the feretory, with its beautiful
tabernacle work of Decorated period, under which images once stood.
The names of the worthies appear below. "The Holy Hole" formerly led
to the crypt but has now been closed. On the north side of this wall
is Bishop Gardiner's Chantry, who was the leader of the Roman Catholic
party at the Reformation and was styled the "Hammer of Heretics." He
took a leading part in the Marian persecutions. On the south side is
the Chantry of Bishop Fox (1500-1528), the founder of Corpus Christi
College, Oxford, who bore the pelican as a device.
The south wall of the south aisle of the presbytery is Late
Perpendicular work. Another instance of heart burial is recorded on
the wall opposite, that of Bishop Nicholas of Ely (1280), and an
inscription tells of the burial of Richard, son of William the
Conqueror, who was killed while hunting in the New Forest.
We now enter the south transept, the architectural features of which
are similar to those of the north transept. Silkstede's Chantry should
be visited. This worthy prior loved a rebus, and here carved a skein
of _silk_ to represent his name, also the letters THOMAS appear on the
screen, the MA being formed differently from the rest to represent his
patroness, MARY the Virgin. Isaac Walton's tomb is here, the author of
the _Angler_. There are some good mural paintings. The monument of
Bishop Wilberforce forms a conspicuous object in the transept.
Adjoining Silkstede's Chapel is the Venerable Chapel, with a fine
screen. On the west side are the chapter-room and the old treasury.
Passing through the chamber on the south we enter the slype.
[Illustration The Cathedral West Front.]
The library has some treasures, notably a Vulgate of the twelfth
century and some valuable MSS. The crypt is entirely Norman work,
except the east part, which is Early English. The cloisters and old
chapter-house were destroyed in 1563. The Deanery was formerly the
home of the prior; its entrance belongs to the time of Henry III.,
and the hall within the house to the fifteenth century. Over the
dean's stables is a long room which was probably the guest-house for
pilgrims; rude carvings can be seen on the beams of the roof probably
made by the pilgrims.
DIMENSIONS
Total length, 556 ft.; length of nave, 262 ft.; width of nave and
aisles, 88 ft.; height of vault, 78 ft.; area, 53,480 sq. ft.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING DATES
1079-1093--Transepts, crypt and cores of piers and wall; 1120--central
tower rebuilt; 1202--retro-choir and eastern chapels; 1320--presbytery
rebuilt; 1360--west front and two bays of nave; 1394-1486--nave
reconstructed; 1487--east end of Lady Chapel; 1520--alterations in
presbytery by Bishop Fox.
Other objects of interest in Winchester--
The _School_, founded by William of Wykeham; the _Hospital of St.
Cross_, founded by Henry de Blois in 1136; _Hyde Abbey_, the
resting-place of the body of Alfred the Great; the _County Hall_, with
the so-called Round Table of King Arthur; _Wolvesey Castle_, the
ancient episcopal palace.
[Illustration PLAN OF WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL]
FOOTNOTE:
[6] St. Swithun became bishop in 837; he was "a diligent builder of
churches in places where there were none before, and a repairer of
those that had been destroyed before." In modern times his name is
best known as a weather prophet; according to the tradition that if it
is fine or wet on St. Swithun's day (July 15th) the same weather will
last for the next forty days. The legend arose from the moving of his
body from the lowly grave in the churchyard to its golden shrine in
the Cathedral being delayed on account of continued rain.
CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL
Chichester, like most of our cathedral cities, has a long history
dating back to the time of the Romans. The Roman town stood on the
line of the road now known as Stane Street, and seems to have been a
populous place where trade was carried on, and not merely a military
station. A marble slab discovered in 1713 (preserved at Goodwood)
bears an inscription which tells us much of the Roman city and runs as
follows: _Neptuni et Minervæ templum pro salute domus divinæ ex
auctoritate Tih. Claud. Cogidubni r. leg. aug. in Brit. collegium
fabror. et qui in eo a sacris sunt d. s. d. donante aream Pudente
Pudentini fil_. Much has been made of this inscription, that there was
a temple here dedicated to Neptune and Minerva, that there was a large
body of craftsmen who built this temple, and that Chichester was the
seat of King Cogidubnus mentioned by Tacitus as possessing independent
authority in Britain.