left to carry the lofty Perpendicular arches and exquisitely vaulted
roof. The Perpendicular lining and panelling disguise the fact that the
interior is really Norman.
“The nave gains a special grandeur by the vaulting shafts rising
from the very floor so that the eye follows them upwards tardily,
as if they were more lofty than they actually are, to the capitals
whence the groined roof springs. The aisle windows have a beauty
worthy of careful notice.
“A striking yet beautiful peculiarity is that Winchester nave,
setting an example followed generally in Perpendicular churches,
has no proper triforium--a balcony close above the nave arches
taking its place. Owing to the thickness of the Norman masonry this
arrangement was unavoidable.
“The seven westerly piers on the south side retain the Norman
stone-work faced with new mouldings. Norman arches remain behind
the triforium wall; Norman shafts may be seen above the vaulting;
and Norman flat buttresses are traceable outside between the
southerly clerestory windows.”--(G. W. K.)
The Nave of Winchester, therefore, presents one of the most curious
examples of transformation from one style of architecture to another;
for here we have a perfect specimen of the Fourteenth and
[Illustration: WINCHESTER: NAVE, WEST]
[Illustration: WINCHESTER: FONT]
Fifteenth Centuries, yet it is from the ground to the roof the original
Norman building begun by Walkelyn. The extreme western part was rebuilt
by Edington, who began the transformation of the Nave from the Norman to
the Perpendicular, and continued by his successor William of Wykeham
(1366-1404).
At Wykeham’s death in 1404 the south side of the Nave was finished and
the north begun. The work was continued and finished by his successors,
Cardinal Beaufort and Bishop Waynflete (1404-1486). The arms on the
bosses of the vault of the nave are those of Wykeham, Cardinal Beaufort
and John of Gaunt (the latter’s father); the chained white hart is the
device of Richard II. and the lily that of Bishop Waynflete.
Students may compare the Nave of Winchester with the Choir of
Gloucester, which is also Norman in plan, “overlaid with a veneer of
masonry in the Pointed Style.” The Gloucester Choir is, however, of
later date, and instead of showing an amalgamation of the two styles, as
at Winchester, the Pointed is added to the Round-arched style.
The curious black basaltic stone =Font= was probably the gift of Bishop
Henry de Blois (1129-71), and some antiquarians think that it was
brought from Constantinople during the Second Crusade. The carvings
represent St. Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of children, and much
honoured by the Normans.
“Within the walls the most striking object of interest is
undoubtedly the famous Norman font of black basaltic stone, which
was probably placed in the church in the days of Walkelyn; it
portrays in bold if rude relief the life and miracles of St.
Nicholas of Myra. Next after the font may perhaps be noted the
fine carved spandrels, Fourteenth Century work, of the
choir-stalls, with the quaint _misereres_ of the seats; then Prior
Silkstede’s richly carved pulpit of the Fifteenth Century, and the
very interesting and valuable Renaissance panels of the pews, put
in by William Kingsmill, last prior and first dean, in 1540. The
chantries and tombs in this church are of unusual beauty and
interest.”--(G. W. K.)
At the west end of the north aisle a square stone gallery called the
tribune is part of Edington’s work. It was used as a =Minstrels’ Gallery=
on great occasions.
The nave =Pulpit= was a gift from New College, Oxford, in 1885.
In the north aisle there is a monumental brass in memory of =Jane Austen=,
the authoress, and near the south-west door are fixed the flags of the
97th Regiment and memorials of the Crimean War. The west window of the
south aisle is filled with stained glass to their memory.
On the south side of the Nave and in the second bay from the Choir is
=Bishop Edington’s Chantry=. It was somewhat altered when the piers
against which it stands were transformed from Norman to Perpendicular.
This is the first of a number of very fine chantries, the most
interesting of which is that of =William of Wykeham=, which occupies the
entire space between two piers of the Nave on the south side in the
fifth bay from the west end.
This chapel was built by Wykeham on the site of an altar dedicated to
the Virgin, where he used to worship when a boy.
“The design of William’s chantry is very beautiful; and it is one
of the best remaining specimens of a Fourteenth Century monumental
chapel. The foundation of the altar is still visible. The Bishop’s
effigy, the comeliness of which, it has been suggested, may have
induced Anthony Wood to describe him as having been of ‘a courtly
presence,’ reposes on an altar-tomb in the centre, arrayed in cope
and mitre. The pillow at the head is supported by two angels. At
the feet three monks are represented offering up prayers for the
repose of the departed soul. They are said, but questionably, to
represent Wykeham’s three assistants in the cathedral
works--William Wynford, his architect; Simon de Membury, his
surveyor of the works; and John Wayte, controller.”--(R. J. K.)
The =Choir= is entered through a screen of stonework, by Garbett,
decorated with figures of James I. and Charles I., taken from an older
screen by Inigo Jones. The figure of Charles I. was much injured by the
Parliamentary troops who stabled their horses in the cathedral. It was
made by Hubert Le Seur, a pupil of John of Bologna and much employed by
Charles I.
The Choir consists of the old choir of the monks under the tower and of
the presbytery beyond it. This portion of the cathedral is of various
dates: the tower is late Norman; the piers, arches and clerestory of the
presbytery are Decorated (about 1350); the screen enclosing it is
Perpendicular (the work of Bishop Fox about 1524); the vaulting of the
presbytery (also the work of Bishop Fox); and the ceiling under the
tower, dates from 1634.
The visitor is struck by the enormous piers of the =Tower=, rebuilt after
1107 when Walkelyn’s tower, under which William Rufus was buried, fell.
Many thought “that the fall of the tower was a judgment for his sins.”
“Early in the Twelfth Century occurred the fall of the tower of
this Cathedral, celebrated from the peculiar circumstances with
which it was accompanied, which are thus described by William of
Malmsbury, who was living at the time:--‘A few country men conveyed
the body [of the King, William Rufus], placed on a cart, to the
cathedral of Winchester, the blood dripping all the way. Here it
was committed to the ground _within the tower_, attended by many of
the nobility, but lamented by few. The next year (1097) the tower
fell; though I forbear to mention the different opinions on this
subject, lest I should seem to assent too readily to unsupported
trifles; most especially that the building might have fallen
_through imperfect construction_, even though he had never been
buried there.’ That this was really the case, the building itself
affords us abundant evidence, and proves that even the Normans at
this period were still bad masons and very imperfectly acquainted
with the principles of construction. The tower which was rebuilt
soon after the fall is still standing, and the enormous masses of
masonry which were piled together to support it, and prevent it
from falling again, show such an amazing waste of labour and
material as clearly to prove that it was the work of very unskilful
builders.”--(J. H. P.)
The tower was originally intended to serve as a lantern; but was ceiled
over in the reign of Charles I. In the centre is a medallion of the Holy
Family, the date 1634, and medallions of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria.
The very narrow arches opening to the transepts should be noticed.
The =Choir Stalls= are magnificent.
“The stalls which extend from the eastern tower-piers to the first
pier of the nave, are of oak, as black as ebony, and probably
exhibit the very finest woodwork of their date and style (which is
the best) in the Kingdom. They are early Decorated (Geometrical)
work and their canopies and gables bear considerable resemblance to
those of the tomb of Edmund Crouchback in Westminster Abbey. This
would place their date about 1296. The beauty and variety of the
carvings are wonderful. There is no repetition; and the grace and
elegance, as well as the fidelity, with which the foliage is
represented, are nowhere to be surpassed. The human heads are full
of expression; and the monkeys and other animals sporting among the
branches have all the same exquisite finish. The mode in which the
cusps of the circles in the canopies are terminated, is worthy of
attention; and in short, at this period of the revival of
wood-carving, no better examples could be found for study and
imitation. The _misereres_ below are of early character and
interesting. Their date is rather later than those (Early English)
in Exeter Cathedral--the most ancient in the Kingdom. The desks and
stools in front of the upper range bear the initials of Henry
VIII., Bishop Stephen Gardiner, and Dean Kingsmill and the date
1540. The rich pulpit on the north side bears the name of its donor
‘Thomas Silkstede, prior’ on different parts of it.”--(R. J. K.)
The =Presbytery= is Early English, the work of Bishop Lucy (1189-1204). It
has a central alley of three bays. The arcading is very graceful. The
presbytery is closed at the sides by screens of stone tracery, most of
them erected by Bishop Fox, and bear his motto, _Est Deo Gratia_. Upon
these screens stand six mortuary chests (also the work of Bishop Fox)
containing the bones of the West Saxon Kings and bishops removed from
the crypt of the old Saxon cathedral into Walkelyn’s church by Bishop
Henry de Blois and placed in leaden sarcophagi. The chests are of wood,
carved, painted and gilded in the Renaissance Style, which was being
introduced into England in Fox’s time.
“The vaulting of the presbytery (of wood) is the work of Bishop Fox
(1500-1520), and displays on its bosses, a mass of heraldry besides
(at the east end) the various emblems of the Passion together with
a number of faces representing Pilate and his wife, Herod, Annas
and Caiaphas, Judas, Malchus with the sword of Peter dividing his
ear, Peter himself and many others. All are curious and are best
seen from the gallery below the east window.
“The east window of the choir is filled with Perpendicular glass, a
little earlier than 1525, the work of Bishop Fox, whose arms
impaled with those of the sees he held (Exeter, Bath and Wells,
Durham and Winchester) and his motto _Est Deo Gratia_ are
introduced in it.”--(R. J. K.)
Winston thinks that the only part of the glass in its original position
consists of the two figures occupying the two southernmost of the lower
lights and all the tracery lights except the top central one and the
three immediately below it.
“The top central light is filled principally with some glass of
Wykeham’s time and all the rest of the window with glass of Fox’s
time, removed from other windows. In point of execution it is as
nearly as perfect as painted glass can be. In it the shadows have
attained their proper limit. It was at this period that glass
painting attained its highest perfection as an art.”--(C. W.)
Beyond the tower-piers in the presbytery a plain tomb of Purbeck marble
was once the resting-place of =William Rufus=, killed in the New Forest in
1100 and first buried, as we have seen, under the Tower. His bones were
removed in the Twelfth Century by his nephew Bishop Henry de Blois and
are now mingled with those of Canute, Queen Emma and two Saxon bishops
in one of the mortuary chests on the screen of the Presbytery.
The piers and arches of the Presbytery are Decorated, dating from 1320
and 1350.
At the High Altar of the Choir Queen Mary was married to Philip of Spain
in July, 1554, by Bishop Gardiner. In Philip’s train were Alva, the
future scourge of the Low Countries, and Egmont, his famous victim. The
chair in which the bride sat is preserved in the Chapel of the Guardian
Angels.
At the back of the altar rises the magnificent =Reredos=, dating from the
latter end of the Fifteenth Century. In 1899 the final restoration of
the screen was completed by filling a niche that had been vacant for
three centuries. The altar-rails are of the time of Charles I. A
representation of the _Incarnation_ hangs over the altar placed there in
1899, when Benjamin West’s _Raising of Lazarus_ was removed to the South
Transept.
“The Reredos is said to have been commenced by Cardinal Beaufort
and completed by Bishop Fox and Prior Silkstede. It is an excellent
specimen of Perpendicular work, executed in a fine, white soft
stone; its elaborately canopied niches, pierced and crocketted
pinnacles, pilaster buttresses, and centre projecting canopy, are
surmounted at a height reaching nearly to the corbels, with a
triple frieze of running leaves, Tudor flowers and quatrefoils.
This Reredos is of the same type as those at Christ Church Priory
and St. Alban’s, but its dimensions are greater and better
proportioned. Its restoration is carried out with remarkable
fidelity to the original work. The back is closely panelled in the
upper part, and the lower part is richly decorated. No description
could do justice to the beauty and effect of the whole work. Milner
describes its exquisite workmanship as being as magnificent as this
or any other nation can exhibit. The central part was restored as a
memorial to the late Archdeacon Jacob.”--(G. W. K.)
On either side of the altar a door opens to the space behind the
Reredos, which in early days was the =Feretory=, a place for the =feretra=,
or shrines of the patron saints.
“The Feretory, or Capitular Chapel, is immediately behind the altar
and communicates with the sanctuary. Here the magnificent shrine of
St. Swithun, of solid silver gilt and garnished with precious
stones, the gift of King Edgar, used to be kept except on the
festivals of the saint, when it was exposed to view on the Altar,
or before it.
“Many portions of statuary formerly belonging to the Great Screen
and other parts of the building are here carefully preserved. From
the platform behind the reredos may be observed the admirable
connection of Fox’s new with De Lucy’s earlier work.”--(G. W. K.)
The old statue of the bishop, taken from the west front, may also be
seen here.
Back of the Reredos again stands the famous Edwardian =Arcade=, with nine
canopies (or tabernacles). Beneath it is the ancient entrance, the “=Holy
Hole=,” leading into the Crypt.
The presbytery aisles are greatly admired. Here we find beautiful
examples of Early English work and many splendid monuments and
chantries. Beyond lies the =Lady-Chapel=, with the =Chapel of the Guardian
Angels= on the north side and the =Bishop de Langton’s Chantry= on the
south.
The Lady-Chapel (1470) was founded by Elizabeth of York, Queen of Henry
VII., after the birth of her son, Arthur, as a testimony of her
gratitude. The arms of Henry VII., Elizabeth and the Prince of
Wales--the feathers divided by roses--are among the ornaments.
A plain slab of grey marble in front of the Lady-Chapel is supposed to
mark the =Tomb of Bishop de Lucy=, the builder of all this part of the
Cathedral. At the back of the Lady-Chapel a Reredos was placed by Dean
Branston in 1876.
Ascending the steps from the transept, we reach the north aisle of the
presbytery, and gain a fine view beyond this of the eastern portion of
the church, with its splendid chantries and chapels.
With the exception of the extreme east end of the Lady-Chapel, it is
all the work of Bishop Godfrey de Lucy (1189-1204), and consequently a
very early example of Early English. The design and details are of great
beauty. The three aisles or alleys (called procession paths or the _via
processionum_) are separated from each other by three arches on each
side and terminate eastward in chapels. These aisles were formed in
order to facilitate the circulation of processions.
The north chapel (part of De Lucy’s work) is called that of the =Guardian
Angels=, from the figures of angels still remaining on the vaulting; the
south chapel (De Lucy’s work) was fitted up as a chantry by Bishop
Langton, who died in 1500. The woodwork is rich and beautiful and the
vault elaborate with carved rebuses on his name.
“The north and south walls, as far as the east walls of the two
side chapels, are De Lucy’s work, and retain his rich Early English
arcade. The eastern compartment on each side, as well as the east
wall, have respectively a large Perpendicular window of seven
lights with transom and tracery of a peculiar kind of
subordination, or rather interpretation of patterns well worth a
careful study. The vault is a complex and beautiful specimen of
lierne-work. The capitals and bases of the vaulting-shafts are
unusual and very beautiful. The carved panelling of the western
half of this chapel, the seats, desk and screen of separation, are
all excellent, and should be noticed. All this Perpendicular work
is due to Prior Hunton (1470-1498) and his successor, Prior
Silkstede (1498-1524). On the vault round the two central keys--one
representing the Almighty, the other the Blessed Virgin--are the
rebuses of the two priors: the letter T, the syllable Hun, the
figure of a ton for Thomas Hunton; the figure 1 and the letters Por
for Prior: the letter T, the syllable silk, the word sted with a
horse below it, the figure 1 with letters as before, for Thomas
Silkstede, prior. The walls of this chapel are covered with the
remains of some very curious paintings illustrating the legendary
history of the Virgin.
“These are all the work of Prior Silkstede, whose portrait, with an
inscription, is still faintly visible over the piscina.”--(R. J.
K.)
Between the pillars of the central aisle are the =Chantries= of =Waynflete=
and =Beaufort=. Both were much injured by Cromwell’s troops and have been
restored. The delicacy and beauty of Waynflete’s canopy should be noted.
The lily, his device, constantly appears. His effigy lies here.
Beaufort appears in his Cardinal’s robes. He was half-brother to Henry
IV. and was bishop, statesman, soldier and banker to the royal family.
He is said to have burst into tears at the burning of Joan of Arc at
Rouen and to have left the scene. However, he persecuted the Lollards.
Between these two chantries lies the effigy of a =Thirteenth Century
Knight= in chain-mail and cross-legged. It is the only ancient military
figure in the cathedral. He is either Sir W. de Foix or Sir Arnold de
Gavaston.
Beyond the pier which connects De Lucy’s work with the Presbytery on the
north side is the =Chantry of Bishop Gardiner= (1531-1555), the “hammer of
heretics,” secretary to Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII.’s ambassador to
the Pope regarding his marriage. Bishop Gardiner also married “Bloody
Mary” to the King of Spain.
Opposite is =Bishop Fox’s Chantry=, built by Fox himself. It is the most
elaborate chantry in the Cathedral. The arches were once filled with
stained glass. The Bishop’s emblem, the pelican, appears everywhere. Fox
was secretary and Lord Privy Seal to Henry VII. and founder of Corpus
Christi, Oxford. This college restored the Bishop’s chantry. Blind
several years before his death, Fox used to be led every day to the
small oratory attached to his Chantry.
The visitor should study these chantries, beginning with Edington’s in
the Nave and ending with Gardiner’s, for they form a continuous record
of the growth and development of Perpendicular and Tudor architecture
from 1366 to 1555.
“In no English church except Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s, lie
so many men of name. For just as the features of the Cathedral
represent all the successive phases and changes of the art of
building, until it has been styled a ‘School of English
Architecture,’ so it may be said to be the home and centre of our
early history. Long is the roll of kings and statesmen who came
hither and whose bones here lie at rest. Cynegils and Cenwalh, West
Saxon Kings, founders of the church, are here; Egbert was buried
here in 838; Ethelwulf also and Edward the Elder and Edred. The
body of Alfred the Great lay a while in the church, then was
transferred to the new minster he had built, and finally rested at
Hyde Abbey. And, most splendid name of all, the great Cnut was
buried here, as was also his son, Harthacnut, as bad and mean as
his father was great. The roll of kings was closed when Red
William’s blood-dripping corpse came jolting hither in the country
cart from New Forest.”--(G. W. K.)
The two =Transepts= are similar. Both have east and west aisles and both
are of two periods. The earlier parts are plain rude Norman, massive and
grand in effect. The arches, both of triforium and clerestory, are
square-edged like the pier-arches below them. They should be compared
with Ely Cathedral, the work of Walkelyn’s brother, Simeon. It is
interesting to note that the central towers of both fell,--Walkelyn’s
in 1107 and Simeon’s in 1321.
The =North Transept= contains five altars. On the south side against the
organ screen is the =Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre=, the walls of which are
covered with rude wall-paintings illustrative of the passion of our
Saviour.
The =South Transept= is similar to the North transept. In its eastern
aisles are two chapels formed by screens of stone tracery work. The
south chapel is called =Silkstede’s Chapel=, from Prior Silkstede, whose
name, Thomas, is carved on the screen with the monogram M. A. of the
Virgin and a skein of silk, his rebus. The beautiful iron-work is of a
later period. A plain black marble slab in Prior Silkstede’s Chapel
marks the =Tomb of Izaak Walton=, “the prince of fishermen,” who died in
1683.
Entrances from both transepts lead to the crypt.
In the west aisle of the south transept is the =Chapter-House= (formerly
the sacristy), above which is the Library. The doorway in the south wall
led to the domestic buildings of the monastery.
The =Crypt= is entered from the north transept. It is Norman, dark and
massive, and suggestive of a remote age. It is frequently flooded; for
the level of the river seems to have risen since the Eleventh Century.
Like other crypts, it serves to show the original plan of the Norman
Church. It is in three parts: the western, consisting of the
substructure of the original choir; a long aisleless chapel of three
bays beneath the present retro-choir; and the substructure of
Courtenay’s Lady-Chapel built between 1486 and 1492. Beneath the
[Illustration: WINCHESTER: CHOIR, EAST]
[Illustration: WINCHESTER: WEST FRONT]
high altar is the sacred well, the centre of Saxon worship before the
Cathedral had an existence.
The =Roofs= of this cathedral also deserve a visit.
“In the roof of the nave may be seen the original Norman shafts
running up above Wykeham’s vault, and in those of the aisles the
Norman arches of the triforium, best developed at the east end of
the nave aisle-roof. The transept roofs show to this day what
Bishop Walkelyn did with Hempage-wood. From the leads of the tower
there is a very striking view over the city and its environs.”--(R.
J. K.)
The =Bells= hang in the great central tower: three are dated 1734, the
others 1737, 1742, 1772, 1804 and 1814. The tenor bell was recast in
1892.
Within the Precincts stood the Royal Castle at the time of the Norman
Conquest. This was pulled down by Henry de Blois in the Twelfth
Century.
CHICHESTER
DEDICATION: THE HOLY TRINITY. A CHURCH SERVED BY SECULAR CANONS.
SPECIAL FEATURES: FIVE AISLES; SPIRE; CAMPANILE.
Chichester (the camp of Cissa) stands at the head of an arm of the
English Channel. Its Cathedral is the only one in England that can be
seen from the sea.
In 1082 the South Saxon See was removed from Selsey to Chichester. The
church of the monastery, dedicated to St. Peter, seems to have been used
until Bishop Ralph Luffa (about whom little or nothing is known) founded
the existing Cathedral. This was completed in 1108, partly destroyed by
fire in 1114 and partly restored by the same Ralph, who died in 1123.