church, there being no room for expansion on this side because of the
monastic buildings. The lower walls are original Norman, the upper
Late Norman. A Norman arch, now blocked up, leads to the canons'
vestry on the east. The arches of the triforium are very early, and
are rude and massive. On the west there are three Norman windows
blocked up. Perpendicular tracery has been inserted in some of the
windows. That of the north window is modern. The roof is
Perpendicular, and on one of the bosses are the arms of Cardinal
Wolsey. A conspicuous monument here is that of Bishop Pearson (1686),
the author of the famous work on _the Creed_. The initiation of the
erection of this magnificent memorial of one of the greatest of
English divines was due to an American bishop, Dr. Whittingham of
Maryland. The organ-loft is very rich, and the instrument itself is a
very noble one, and replete with every modern contrivance. Crossing to
the _South Transept_, which until 1881 was the Parish Church of St.
Oswald, we notice its great size when compared with that on the north.
It was undergoing restoration when we last visited the Cathedral. It
has Decorated windows, and Perpendicular in the west aisle. The
monuments in the naves and transepts do not possess many features of
interest, and may be passed over.
[Illustration THE CHOIR]
We now enter the _Choir_, and can admire the modern screen, designed
by Sir G. Scott, and beautifully executed. The choir is remarkable for
the great beauty of the woodwork which it contains, as well as for its
architectural merits. The style is that of the transition between the
Early English and Decorated. The north side differs from the south,
especially in regard to the mouldings. The north side is earlier than
the south, the building having been commenced at the east end of that
side. The mouldings on the north are bold rounds, while those on the
south are shallow and small hollows. The triforium has a series of
elaborately-carved cusped arches, and the clerestory windows are light
and graceful, with geometrical tracery. The vault is modern,
constructed of good English oak. At the east there are figures of the
sixteen prophets, and at the west are angels playing musical
instruments. There are some curious grotesque corbels, from which the
vaulting shafts spring. The carving of the _Choir Stalls_ is equal,
if not superior, to anything in England. These are fourteenth-century
work, and rival the noble stalls of Amiens. They have been restored
with much accuracy and taste. The carving of the dean's stall should
be noticed, as it represents the Jesse tree, surmounted by the
Coronation of the Virgin. That representing Jacob's dream is modern.
The _Misereres_ are extremely interesting and curious, and full of
religious instruction, though often conveyed in the way of sarcastic
reproof. There are forty-eight, of which three are modern. Some of the
most curious are: a pelican feeding her young; St. Werburgh and the
stolen goose; a wife beating her husband; the strategy of the fox;
stag hunt; Richard I. pulling out the heart of a lion; a fox in the
garb of a monk presenting a gift to a nun; various wild men;
wrestlers; unicorn resting its head on a virgin's knee, and numerous
grotesques. The _Throne_ is a handsome modern work, and also the
_Pulpit_, presented by the Freemasons of Cheshire, who restored also
the ancient sedilia, which, tradition states, came from the old Church
of St. John without the city walls. The altar is made of wood grown in
Palestine. The oak of Bashan, olive wood from the Mount of Olives, and
the cedar of Lebanon, are all used, and the carvings represent palm,
vine, wheat, olive, thorn, bulrush, hyssop, myrrh and flax, all of
which are included in the _flora_ of Palestine. The reredos is a
mosaic of the Last Supper. The magnificent candelabra of Italian
_cinque cento_ work are the gift of the late Duke of Westminster. Over
the altar is an arch, through which the window of the Early English
Lady Chapel can be seen, and above is a window with Decorated tracery.
The _North Aisle_ of the choir is interesting. Traces of Norman work
are seen in the base of a massive round pillar at the west entrance,
in the inverted capital of a Norman pier, with an Early Decorated pier
constructed on it, and the Norman apse is marked on the pavement by a
line of dark marble. The canons' vestry is architecturally a very
important building, as it contains work of the eleventh, twelfth,
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The arch in east wall of the
transept is Early Norman; the Norman apsidal termination can be
traced. It was rebuilt in the Early English period, and made to
terminate in a square form, and the doorway from the north aisle is
fourteenth-century work. There is an old chest or reliquary here with
very good iron-work and lock of the thirteenth century. Re-entering
the aisle we can trace the abandonment of the apse and the extension
eastward in the Early English period, as shown in the character of the
vaulting and in the piscina, which belongs to this period. In
Perpendicular times a further extension took place, in order to gain
an entrance to the Lady Chapel. The gates of both aisles are old
Spanish work of 1558, presented by the late Duke of Westminster.
The _South Aisle_ has passed through somewhat similar vicissitudes,
but "restoration" has removed some of their traces, and it is now
terminated by the apse, the erection of which we recorded when
examining the exterior, and which is conjectured to be an exact
reproduction of the appearance of this end of the Cathedral in the
time of Edward I. The apse has been fitted up as a memorial to Thomas
Brassey, the great contractor.
The _Lady Chapel_ is of Early English design, and was built about
1266, previous to the present choir. Many alterations were made
subsequently, including the removal of the ancient steep and lofty
roof and the substitution of a flat roof, and the insertion of
Perpendicular windows. Most of these additions have been removed and
the Early English character restored. The east window of five lights
was designed by Scott, and the original form of the roof has been
restored. The vault, which is original Early English, has a boss
representing the murder of Thomas à Becket. The mosaics were designed
by Sir A. Blomfield. Here the consistory court was held at the time of
the Reformation, and George Marsh, the Chester martyr, was condemned
to be burnt.
The _Monuments_ in the choir and Lady Chapel are to the memory of Dean
Howson, Bishop Graham (1865), Dean Arderne, an altar tomb to an
unknown person, and the famous shrine of St. Werburgh, of
fourteenth-century work, which is of exquisite design and
construction. It was richly ornamented by figures. There was a great
resort of pilgrims to this shrine in mediæval times. The pavement of
the choir is worthy of attention. It is modern; around the lectern are
the heads of the twelve Apostles, and of the four doctors of the
Church--SS. Ambrose, Augustine, Athanasius and Chrysostom. On the east
end are representations of the Passover, and some fragments of
tesselated pavement are inserted here which came from the Temple at
Jerusalem. The stained glass is all modern. The Cathedral has a rare
treasure of the seventeenth century, a carved narwhal tusk,
beautifully carved by a Flemish artist. It is thus described by the
dean: "The leading subject is the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus
Christ, passing on to the exaltation of the Cross.... A Jesse tree
occupies about 3 feet, and above is seated the Blessed Virgin with the
Holy Child. Higher up is the Cross with the figure of our Saviour,
whose countenance is full of compassion.... St. Michael thrusting down
Lucifer with a cross; the figures of SS. Peter and Paul and the four
Evangelists; St. Anthony of Padua and another monk holding up a cross,
and figures of angels, each holding in uplifted hands a cross."
[Illustration SHRINE OF ST. WERBURGH]
We will now proceed to the _Monastic Buildings_, which are of great
importance. They are situated on the north side of the Cathedral, and
are approached through a Norman doorway in the north aisle. Turning to
the left we see some good Norman arcading. The tombstones of some of
the earlier abbots are seen here. The south walk is entirely new,
having been restored by Scott. The west walk adjoins a fine Early
Norman chamber, probably the great cellar of the abbot's house. The
cloisters are Perpendicular work. In the south and west walks there is
a double arcade on the cloister-garth side, which contained the
_Carrels_ or enclosed studies of wainscot, where the monks read or
wrote, and on the opposite side are recesses which are not tombs, but
_Armaria_ or cupboards, where their books and materials for
illuminations were stored. In the Perpendicular period the roof of the
cloisters was raised, which was not an advantage, as it caused the
aisle windows and those of the refectory to be partly blocked up, and
the vaulting cuts into the earlier work. The _Lavatorium_ is near the
entrance to the _Refectory_, an Early English building with
Perpendicular windows. It is a noble structure, shorn of some of its
length, and now used as a music room. The stone pulpit is remarkably
fine, of Early English design, which rivals the famous pulpit of
Beaulieu Abbey. In the east walk we see the doorway leading to the
_Vestibule_ of the chapter-house. It consists of a cusped arch, and
three small windows are above it; on the centre one the dog-tooth
ornament is used. Both the vestibule and the chapter-house are fine
examples of Early English. In the former light, graceful piers support
the vaulting without capitals, the mouldings being continued along the
piers and vaulting in a very beautiful manner. The _Chapter-House_ is
a noble chamber. Its shape is oblong, and it was built about 1240.
There is a fine east window of five lights; and windows of three
lights are on the north and south sides, and have detached shafts. The
glass is modern, and represents the chief persons associated with the
history of the Cathedral. Here is stored the library, which is not
rich in treasures of bibliography. There is a fair collection of the
Fathers and liturgical works, a book which belonged to Bishop Pearson
and Higden's _Polyolbion_.
DIMENSIONS
Length, 355 ft.; length of nave, 145 ft.; width of nave, 75 ft.;
height, 78 ft.; height of tower, 127 ft.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING DATES
Norman (1093-1140)--north wall of north aisle and doorways, part
of north-west tower, north transept, part of canons' vestry, cellar in
monastic buildings; Early English (1266-1300)--Lady Chapel, choir,
part of north choir aisle, chapter-house, refectory; Decorated
(1300-1400)--Abbey Gate, south and lower part of north nave, windows
of south aisle, part of south transept; Perpendicular (1472-1500)--
tower, upper part of north of nave, east of north choir aisle, west
front, south porch, part of south transept and some windows; Choir
recased (1689-1707).
* * * * *
St. John's Church is well worthy of a visit. It has an important
history, and was once the Cathedral of the first Norman bishop. It is
mainly of Norman construction. The massive piers are very early
(1067-1105), the triforium and clerestory are Transitional. A good
history of the church has been written by the Rev. Cooper Scott.
LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL
Liverpool is a very modern see, the bishopric having been formed in
1880. It has at length been possible to take steps to found a
Cathedral, and many architectural problems have to be solved by the
citizens with regard to the site and the style of the new church. We
trust that these will be solved satisfactorily, and that the Cathedral
of Liverpool will be made worthy of the city. If wealth can accomplish
this great achievement, there should be no difficulty in this place.
The Church of St. Peter is at present used as the Cathedral, but it
has no feature of either architectural or historical interest.
MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Other objects of interest rather than those of history or architecture
usually attract the stranger to Manchester. The great centre of modern
industry, the city that brings the sea to its walls, that finds
employment for tens of thousands, where the pulse of life beats
fast--that is the Manchester we all know. But there is another
Manchester of quiet and sedate ways, which is not devoid of history,
which we will endeavour to read amidst the din and turmoil of this
hive of industry. It is difficult to imagine that the parish "was
originally a wild, unfrequented tract of woodland, inhabited merely by
the boar, the bull, and the wolf, and traversed only by the hunters of
the neighbouring country." Under Agricola, Manchester became a Roman
station. Camden tells of Roman inscriptions, and many other Roman
remains have been found. Edwin of Northumbria came here, and Paulinus
brought Christianity and thousands were baptised by him. Two Saxon
churches were built, St. Michael's and St. Mary's. Ina and his queen,
Ethelburga, sojourned here. The Danes ravaged it, and Edward the Elder
re-edified the town in 924. We find that Canute came here, and the
historian of the town derives Knot, or Knut, Mill from his name. The
Conqueror gave the manor to Roger de Poictiers, but it appears to have
been regranted to the Greslie family. It is unnecessary to follow the
history of the manor and barony. In 1235 Manchester is said to have
had a Deanery, and Peter de Greleigh (Greslie) held the Rectory in
1261. Hugh de Manchester, a favourite of Edward I., went on an
embassage to Philip of France to recover certain lands for his king.
Other distinguished rectors were William de Marchia (1284), afterwards
Bishop of Bath and Wells, and William de Langton, afterwards Bishop of
Lichfield, the builder of the beautiful Lady Chapel of that Cathedral;
Otto de Grandisson, Geoffrey de Stoke, afterwards Dean of St. Paul's,
London. In 1373 Thomas de la Warre was presented to the living, and he
obtained Royal licence in 1422 to found a collegiate church,
consisting of one warden, eight fellows, four clerks and six
choristers. The parishioners cheerfully agreed to build the new
church. John Huntingdon, the first warden, built the choir, and
several leading families, the Radcliffes, Stanleys, Traffords, Byrons
and Strangeways erected chantries. The college was founded at the same
time as the residence of the warden and fellows. The right of
sanctuary was granted to the collegiate church, the sanctuary men
bearing a cross on their hand. The college has a chequered career. In
the reign of Edward VI. it was dissolved and its possessions seized.
Under Mary it was re-established, together with the chantries in the
church. In the time of Elizabeth the college had prolonged disputes
with the town, the clergy were beaten by the populace, and one of them
stabbed, and the plate and ornaments stolen. In 1578 the charter was
renewed. A famous warden was Dr. Dee, who is well known as a dealer in
magical arts, and his successor, Murray, was not a very learned
divine; when preaching before James I. from the text, "I am not
ashamed of the Gospel of Christ," the monarch said the Gospel of
Christ might well be ashamed of him. In 1617 a gallery was erected in
the church, which was much dilapidated and the income impoverished. In
the time of the Civil War, Richard Heyrick was warden and sided with
the Parliament, the Independents setting up a meeting-house at the
college. Manchester underwent a siege during the war, and in 1649 the
chapter-house and chest were broken into by soldiers and the deeds
carried off to London, where it is thought that they perished in the
great fire. The college was dissolved. Heyrick was a veritable "Vicar
of Bray," and embraced all the opinions in turn of all the parties in
that troublous period. The collegiate buildings were in much decay
during the Commonwealth period, when Humphrey Chetham, one of the
worthiest of benefactors, conceived the idea of converting them into a
school and library, and left a large sum of money for this purpose.
Chetham's Hospital is quite the most interesting building in the city,
which has retained few of its ancient edifices. Lancashire folk were
very faithful to the House of Stuart, and in both the rebellions of
1715 and 1745 Manchester took part. The young Pretender was proclaimed
here King James III., and the "Manchester Regiment" was formed to
fight in the prince's cause, and subsequently many lost their heads,
some being stuck upon the Exchange. The Diocese of Manchester was
formed in 1847, and has only had three bishops--James Prince Lee,
Fraser, and the present Bishop Moorhouse, formerly Bishop of
Melbourne.
THE EXTERIOR
Manchester smoke soon causes stone-work to assume a venerable
appearance, and although much of the Cathedral is new, its first
appearance is one of an ancient edifice. Manchester is a modern see,
founded in 1847, but its church, as we have seen, dates back to a very
respectable antiquity and has many features of special interest. It
stands out well amidst the surrounding mass of modern buildings, of
shops and railway stations, and seems to raise the thoughts of all who
behold its beauties above the buying and selling in this busy mart of
human enterprise.
The present generation of merchants of Manchester and the Cathedral
authorities have done much for their Cathedral, and striven to make it
worthy of its name and position as the Mother Church of the diocese,
and all the resources of modern art have been lavished on the
building. We shall see this better in the interior. The exterior also
shows that very much has been done in building and decoration. There
is first the new _West Porch_, which has just been finished with a
statue of Queen Victoria in the niche over the doorway. Just as the
burghers of the Middle Ages loved to enrich their churches with the
triumphs of architectural art, so do the modern merchants of
Manchester strive to adorn their Cathedral with elaborate handiwork.
This new piece of work is richly carved. The style follows that of the
Cathedral and is mainly Perpendicular. There is rich panel work, an
open-work battlemented parapet, and a richly-crocketed pinnacle crowns
a turret on the south side. The door itself is a very handsome piece
of work. On each side of the main porch there are rooms. The _Tower_
stands at the west end above the porch. There is a good west window in
the lowest stage with an ogee label richly crocketed. Above is the
clock. In former days this clock was not noted for keeping correct
time. An old gentleman was observed each morning setting his watch by
it. "Excuse me," said a bystander, "that clock is five minutes late."
"Sir," he replied, "I have set my watch by that clock for forty years,
and right or wrong, I shall go by it for the rest of my life." At each
corner of the tower there are three pinnacles. The windows of the
church, we observe, as we pass to the south, are all Perpendicular,
but there is a pleasing variety in the tracery. The _South Porch_ has
a parvise, and was built by Mr. James Jardine, a distinguished citizen
of Manchester, in 1891. On this side there are several chapels--the
Brown Chapel, St. George's, St. Nicholas or Trafford Chapel, Jesus
Chapel, the chapter-house with its pyramidal roof, the Fraser Chapel,
a new building erected in memory of Bishop Fraser. The battlemented
parapet on this side of the church is modern. On the east side is a
tiny Lady Chapel with a Decorated east window, which has been
reproduced from the earlier design. Proceeding onwards we notice the
Ely Chapel, the Derby or John the Baptist's Chapel, the St. James's
Chapel, and that dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The _North Porch_ is
similar in character to that on the south, and was erected in memory
of James Craven in 1888.
THE INTERIOR