Brantingham about 1390. The stained glass with which it is filled
is for the most part ancient and very fine. Much of it dates
apparently from the first half of the Fourteenth Century (temp.
Edward I. and II.) and was removed from the earlier window; the
shields below are those of early bishops and benefactors; the
figures of saints above, most of which are to be recognised by
their emblems, deserve careful notice. Beginning with the lowest
row, and at the left hand, are St. Margaret, St. Catherine, St.
Mary Magdalene, St. Barbara, the Virgin and Child, St. Martin, St.
Peter, St. Paul and St. Andrew. All these figures are under very
rich and varied canopies. The first three and the last three are of
the first period; the others of Brantingham’s time. In the _middle
row_ are St. Sidwell, or Sativola, believed to have been a British
lady of noble birth, and contemporary with St. Winifred of Crediton
(first half of the Eighth Century). Her legend asserts that she was
beheaded by a mower at the instigation of her stepmother, who
coveted her possessions, near a well outside the walls of Exeter.
In the window St. Sativola appears with a scythe in her left hand,
whilst at her right is a well with a stream of water flowing from
it. These emblems may either form a rebus of her name (scythe-well)
or refer to her martyrdom. Beyond St. Sidwell are St. Helena, St.
Michael, St. Margaret, St. Catherine, Edward the Confessor and St.
Edmund. All the figures in this row are of Brantingham’s period.
The three figures in the uppermost row are Abraham, Moses and
Isaiah. These are of the first period. The tone of colour
throughout this window is very fine and solemn. The heraldry in the
upper part of the window is modern. In the north clerestory windows
of the central bay are four headless figures of early Decorated
character. The beautiful running pattern forming the ground on
which they are placed should be noticed.”--(R. J. K.)
In the =north-choir-aisle= is a curious tomb with a cross-legged effigy of
a Fourteenth Century knight in armour with one esquire at his head and
another holding a horse at his feet. This is supposed to be a memorial
to Sir Richard de Stapledon, a brother of the Bishop.
Returning as we came, we pass the =Chantry of St. George=, founded by Sir
Thomas Speke in 1518. It is a mass of rich carving. The effigy of the
founder lies within.
Opposite is =Bishop Oldham’s Chantry=, also a mass of carving, where the
owl in the panels refers to his name (the word _old_ is pronounced
_owld_ in Lancashire, where the Bishop was born). The Bishop’s effigy
lies in a niche in the south wall.
“The Tudor work (1485-1519) is exceptional in importance. It
includes the north entrance and other late portions of the western
screen, two exquisite chapels both built by Bishop Oldham--his own
chantry (St. Saviour’s) on the south side of the retro-choir, the
Speke chantry (St. George’s) on the north--and in addition, Prior
Sylke’s chantry on the north transept. All this work is admirable
in design and execution. In Oldham’s chantry is a charming series
of owls with the scroll _Dam_, a rebus on his name, proceeding from
the beak of each little owl. To Bishop Oldham also (1504-1519) is
due the grand set of stone screens--one of the glories of the
cathedral--no less than ten, which veil all the nine chapels and
Prior Sylke’s chantry, and add fresh beauty to the beautiful
choir.”--(F. B.)
At the extreme end of the east aisle is the =Chapel of St. Mary
Magdalene=, probably the work of Bishop Bronescomb, who died in 1280. The
east window, which resembles that of the opposite chapel of St. Gabriel,
contains some stained glass of the Fifteenth Century. In this chapel a
fine Elizabethan monument to Sir Gawain Carew, his wife and their nephew
Sir Peter should be noticed. It dates from 1589. A staircase here leads
to the roofs of the north-choir-aisle and of the ambulatory. The views
of the Cathedral obtained here are very fine, especially of the
flying-buttresses.
=St. Gabriel’s Chapel= is similar to that of St. Mary Magdalene. Bishop
Bronescomb’s patron saint was St. Gabriel the Archangel, whose feast
was, in consequence, celebrated in Exeter Cathedral with the same
solemnity as those of Christmas and Easter. A monument by Flaxman to
=General Simcoe=, who died in 1806, having distinguished himself at the
head of the Queen’s Rangers during the American war, and a splendid
statue of =Northcote=, the painter, by Chantrey claim attention.
Finally summing up the characteristics of this glorious fane:
“Whatever else the student and lover of Gothic architecture omits,
he must not omit to visit Exeter. He will find it fresh and
different from anything he has seen before. Its unique plan,
without central or western towers, the absence of obstructive
piers at the crossing, the consequently uninterrupted vista, the
singleness and unity of the whole design, the remarkable system of
proportions, based on breadth rather than height, the satisfying
massiveness and solidity of the building, inside and outside, and
at the same time the airiness and lightness of the interior, the
magnificence of its piers of marble, the delightful colour-contrast
of marble column and sandstone arch, the amazing diversity of the
window tracery, the exquisite carving of the corbels and bosses,
the abundant and admirable Tudor work, the wealth of chantries and
monuments, the superb sedilia, screen and throne, the _misereres_,
the vaults, the extraordinary engineering feats from which its
present form results, the originality of the west front and of the
whole interior and exterior, place Exeter in the very forefront of
the triumphs of the Mediæval architecture of our country.”--(F. B.)
WELLS
DEDICATION: ST. ANDREW.
SPECIAL FEATURES: WEST FRONT; EAST END; INVERTED ARCHES IN NAVE;
CHAPTER-HOUSE; CARVINGS OF CAPITALS; CHAIN-GATE.
The site of this beautiful cathedral had long been sacred to the Britons
on account of its wells, or springs, when the early Christians on coming
to Glastonbury placed these waters under the protection of St. Andrew.
King Ina’s house of secular canons was established here in 704, not far
from the older Glastonbury, which, according to legend, was established
by Joseph of Arimathea. At the beginning of the Tenth Century, a new
bishopric was founded by Edward the Elder for the province of Somerset;
and the Abbot of Glastonbury was made Bishop of Wells.
“Seen from a distance, the picturesque group of towers and
pinnacles derives increased effect from the beauty and variety of
the surrounding landscape. On one side rises the long ridge of the
Mendips, with its rocky outliers; whilst in the southern distance
the lofty peak of Glastonbury Tor lifts itself above the marches,
marking the site of what was generally believed, throughout the
Middle Ages, to have been the earliest Christian church in Britain,
if not the first in Christendom. The Cathedral itself seems to
nestle under its protecting hills; and the waters of the Bishop’s
moat, sparkling in the sunshine, indicate the spring or great well
which led King Ina to establish his church here, and which had
perhaps rendered the site a sacred one as well in the days of the
Druids as in those of that primitive British Christianity which
disappeared before the heathendom of the advancing Saxons.
“From whatever direction the visitor enters the Close, he must pass
under one of the three gatehouses built by Bishop Beckington
(1443-1464), all of which display his shield of arms and his
rebus,--a beacon inflamed issuing from a tun or barrel. Over the
Chain-Gate passes the gallery which connects the Vicars’ College
with the Cathedral. The gate, called the Penniless Porch, opens to
the Market-place; but the Cathedral will be best approached for the
first time through Browne’s gate, at the end of Sadler-street. From
this point an excellent view of the west front is obtained, rising
at the end of a broad lawn of greensward, bordered with trees. The
Cathedral close of Wells is scarcely so picturesque as those of
Salisbury or of Winchester. It is more open, however, and its
short, bright turf contrasts very effectively with the grey stone
of the buildings which encircle it and with the grand old church
itself. This, with the exception of its pilasters of Purbeck, is
built throughout with stone from the Doulting quarries, about nine
miles from Wells.”--(R. J. K.)
During the rule of Robert (1135-1166) discord and jealousy between the
men of Bath and Wells rose to such a pitch that it was determined the
bishops should in future be styled “of Bath and Wells” and elected by an
equal number of monks and canons from the abbey and collegiate church.
Bishop Robert rebuilt and repaired the Saxon cathedral which had fallen
into decay. Robert’s work has entirely perished. The next builders were
Bishop Reginald Fitz-Jocelyn (1171-1191) and Bishop Jocelin of Wells
(1206-1242), who rebuilt the Cathedral as we see it to-day. Jocelin was
able to consecrate parts of it in 1239.
Jocelin, the great “maker of Wells,” bishop from 1206 to 1242, and his
brother, Hugh (afterwards Bishop of Lincoln), were natives of Wells;
here Jocelin served as canon and Hugh as archdeacon. Both were rich.
Hugh, who lavished money upon Lincoln, also gave much to Jocelin for
Wells. Jocelin spent his entire fortune upon his beloved Cathedral. This
Jocelin must not be confused with the earlier Reginald Fitz-Jocelyn,
bishop from 1171 to 1191.
“The part which he built, there can be little doubt, included the
three western bays of the choir (which then formed the presbytery),
the transepts, north porch and the eastern bays of the nave. That
is to say, on entering the church, one is looking upon Reginald’s
work, and not Jocelin’s; for, although the rest of the nave was
completed by Jocelin, it was done in accordance with Reginald’s
original plan. It is of great importance to remember this fact,
since until recently the nave, with the other parts just mentioned,
was attributed by Professor Willis, Professor Freeman, and most
authorities to Jocelin.”--(P. D.)
Jocelin also built the famous west front and began the Bishop’s Palace.
In 1248 an earthquake did some damage to the central tower, and repairs
were at once undertaken. The canons generously contributed funds which
were augmented by the help of a local saint. Bishop William Bytton,
nephew of the bishop of the same name (who lies in St. Catherine’s
Chapel), died in 1274; and his remains soon began to cure the toothache.
His tomb in the south-choir-aisle was visited by sufferers, and the
famous western capitals in the transept doubtless refer to their cures.
For the next fifty years and more, much was done to the Cathedral by the
energetic John de Godelee, dean from 1306 to 1333, who finished the Lady
Chapel in 1326.
In 1318 the canons voluntarily offered a fifth of their salaries to
raise the central tower, which was carried up three more stages and
finished in 1321; and in 1325 they began new stalls, each canon having
agreed to pay for his own stall. In 1337 and 1338 the whole church was
thrown into dismay on account of fractures in the tower; for the tower
appears to have sunk deeply into the earth, owing to pressure on the
arches. All the masonry was disturbed; and in order to remedy this
trouble, the curious double arches were inserted, to help support the
strain. The original arches were also patched up and filled in with
great blocks of stone and strengthened in various ways.
Much was due to Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury (1329-1363), who was buried
before the High Altar in the Choir he had founded. He also finished the
Palace begun by Jocelin. Bishop Harewell, who died in 1386, gave
two-thirds of the cost of the south-west tower called by his name; and
the executors of Bishop Bubwith finished the northwest tower that bears
his name.
Bishop Beckington built the lovely gateways, and Dean Gunthorpe (died
1498), the Deanery.
The eastern walk of the Cloister and the Library above date from between
1407 and 1424; and the western and southern Cloister walks, between 1443
and 1464.
“Late researches have shown that Bishop Reginald began the present
church and that the Early English work should be divided into four
periods: (1) The three western arches of the choir, with the four
western bays of its aisles, the transepts and the four eastern bays
of the nave, which are Reginald’s work (1174-1191), and so early as
to be still in a state of transition from the Norman. It is a
unique example of transitional building, and Willis calls it ‘an
improved Norman, worked with considerable lightness and richness,
but distinguished from the Early English by greater massiveness and
severity.’ The characteristics of this late Twelfth Century work
are bold round mouldings, square abaci, capitals, some with traces
of the classical volute, others interwoven with fanciful imagery
that reminds us of the Norman work of Glastonbury; while in the
north porch, which must be the earliest of all, we even find the
zigzag Norman moulding. (2) The rest of the nave, which was
finished in Jocelin’s time--that is to say, in the first half of
the Thirteenth Century--preserves the main characteristics of the
earlier work, though the flowing sculptured foliage becomes more
naturalistic, and lacks the quaint intermingling of figure
subjects. (3) The west front, which is Jocelin’s work, and alone
can claim to be of pure Early English style. (4) The chapter-house
crypt, which is so late as to be almost Transitional, though,
curiously enough, it contains the characteristic Early English
dog-tooth moulding which is found nowhere else except in the west
window. From this, we reach the Early Decorated of the staircase,
the full Decorated of the chapter-house itself, the later Decorated
of the Lady-Chapel, the transitional Decorated of the presbytery,
and the full Perpendicular of the western towers. Much of the
masonry in the transepts, choir, choir aisles, and even in the
eastern transepts, bears the peculiar diagonal lines which are the
marks of Norman tooling. This does not, of course, prove that any
part of Bishop Robert’s church is standing, for mediæval builders
were notoriously economical in using up old masonry, but it does
show that there are more remains of his work in the building than
was generally supposed.”--(P. D.)
The Cathedral was much damaged during the Reformation and also during
Monmouth’s rebellion in 1685, when the Duke’s followers stabled their
horses in it and enjoyed a barrel of beer on the high altar.
There is a nave of nine bays, a space under the tower, a choir opening
eastward of it and two transepts (each of four bays) with aisles opening
north and south. The choir from the screen to the high altar occupies
six bays; a retro-choir of two bays lies behind the altar; and beyond it
again is an apsidal Lady-Chapel. The west front has been much admired,
but some critics consider it too heavy for the short towers that abut on
it. The windows of the nave and transepts are Decorated. The windows of
the choir are more ornate, although in the same style, and those of the
Lady-Chapel are still more so. The central tower (Perpendicular) is
entirely covered with panelling. There is no spire. On the south side
large cloisters open from the south-western tower and from the western
aisle of the south transept; but there are only three walks, there being
none on the north side. The Chapter-House is approached from the north
side of the choir by a short passage and a flight of steps: a crypt lies
under it. A beautiful porch, with parvise, opens into the sixth bay of
the north aisle. From the eastern aisle of the north transept the
Chain-Gate passes to the Vicars’ College, a double row of picturesque
houses, dating from 1360.
“The Chain-Gate, in its association with the Chapter-House and the
Vicars’ Close, is unique. The incline of the steps, easily to be
distinguished from without, gives the corner a character quite its
own. And the entrance to the Green by this gate, with the Cathedral
on one side, balanced by the varied gables and roofs of the houses
opposite, is particularly striking. The exterior of the
Chapter-House comes into full view; the great central tower stands
boldly up against the sky; the eastern gable presents its curious
apex, and the Lady-Chapel below stands like a thing separate from
the rest. Beyond, and under the Chain-Gateway, an arch admits to
the Vicars’ Close--a charming street, lined on either side with
diminutive dwelling-houses, once the separate residences of the
vicars choral. At the top of the close is a small Perpendicular
chapel with a library above. The interior is profusely--almost
grotesquely--decorated in a manner to remind one to some extent of
those strange little oratories so frequently met with in other
parts of Europe. But to many it will possess a certain charm,
despite its florid adornments, not often realised in this country.
The Vicars’ Hall, a considerable portion of which is of the
Fourteenth Century, with additions of a tower and other features,
probably by Bishop Beckington, stands at the bottom of the street
and communicates through the gallery of the Chain-Gate with the
Chapter-House staircase, and thus with the cathedral. By this
gallery the choristers passed into the church.”--(A. A.)
The celebrated =West Front=
“consists of a centre, in which are the three lancets of the
western window and above them a gable receding in stages, with
small pinnacles at the angles; and of two wings or western towers,
projecting beyond the nave, as at Salisbury. The upper part of
these towers is of Perpendicular character. That to the north-west
was completed by Bishop Bubwith (1407-1424), whose statue remains
in one of the niches: that to the south-west was the work of Bishop
Harewell (1366-1386). Both these towers, fine as are their details,
have a somewhat truncated appearance; and it is probable that the
original Early English design terminated at the uppermost band of
sculpture. The three western doors are of unusually small
dimensions, perhaps in order to leave ample room for the tiers of
figures which rise above them. Six narrow buttresses at the angles
of which are slender shafts of Purbeck marble, supporting canopies,
divide the entire front into five portions. The whole of the
statues which fill the niches are of Doulting stone.”--(R. J. K.)
Many visitors are at the first sight disappointed at the mutilated and
archaic expression of the figures; but they have commanded the greatest
admiration ever since old Fuller wrote: “The west front of Wells is a
masterpiece of art indeed, made of imagery in just proportion, so that
we may call them _vera et spirantis signa_. England affordeth not the
like.”
The =West Front= should be considered as a great screen intended for the
display of statuary rather than as the west termination of the nave. The
stone population, numbering about three hundred life-size or colossal
figures, is only equalled by that of Rheims and that of Chartres. All
critics agree that these statues, so notable for their graceful
draperies and spiritual expressions, rank with the contemporary
masterpieces of Italy and France. They are thought to have been made by
Italian sculptors at the time when Niccola Pisano was reviving sculpture
in Italy under the inspiration of classical models. The kings, queens,
princes, knights and nobles wear the costume of the Thirteenth Century.
The other figures are prophets, angels, martyrs and “the holy church
throughout the world.”
Unlike the monumental west fronts of France, with their splendid porches
and doors, the doors of Wells have been compared to “rabbit-holes on a
mountain-side.”
The western towers projecting beyond the aisles of the nave give
additional breadth to the west front. The arrangement resembles that of
Rouen. The two towers are very similar. Both have two belfry windows on
each side and a stair turret on the outer western angle. The spires were
never added.
The =Central Tower= is Early English to the level of the roof, and the two
upper stages are Decorated. From its summit a beautiful view is to be
enjoyed.
The =North Porch= (Norman) is the oldest part
[Illustration: WELLS: WEST FRONT]
[Illustration: WELLS: NORTH PORCH]
of the church. Some architects consider it the finest piece of
architecture at Wells.
“The entrance is doubly recessed and has the zigzag ornament among
its mouldings, an indication, if not of its early construction, at
least of lingering Norman traditions among its builders. These
mouldings deserve the most careful attention. The outer or
dripstone, is formed of a very beautiful combination of Early
English foliage. Square panels on either side of the arch contain
figures of mystic animals, one of which is a cockatrice. The gable
above has a blind arcade, in the centre of which a small triplet
gives light to a parvise chamber. From the buttress at the angles
rise slender spire-capped pinnacles. The buttresses themselves are
flat and narrow.
“The interior of the porch is divided into two bays, and its walls
are lined with a double arcade, the upper row of arches being more
deeply recessed than the tower. The vault springs from a central
group of triple shafts. The sculptures of the capitals on the east
side possibly represent the death of King Edmund the Martyr (A.D.
870),--bound to a tree as a mark for the Danish arrows and
afterwards beheaded. The figures are well designed, and full of
life and character. The double doorway leading into the nave
displays, like the exterior arch, the Norman zigzag.”--(R. J. K.)
On entering the =Nave= the visitor is at once struck by the noble
proportions, the impression of great length, the broad horizontal band
of the triforium, and the wealth of spirited and varied carving of the
capitals and corbels; but the most striking feature of all is the great
inverted, or double, arch that struts across the central piers forming a
St. Andrew’s Cross, by which name it is generally known, and giving a
grotesque (we are almost tempted to say Chinese) appearance.
“Undoubtedly the first thing that the stranger notices in Wells
Cathedral, and the last that he is likely to forget, is the
curious contrivance by which the central tower is supported. Of the
three pairs of arches (the upper arch resting inverted upon the
lower) which stretch across the nave and each of the transepts,
that in the nave is seen at once, and lends a unique character to
the whole church. At first these arches give one something of a
shock, so unnecessarily frank are they, so excessively sturdy, so
very English, we may think. They carry their burden as a
great-limbed labourer will carry a child in a crowd, to the great
advantage of the burden and the natural dissatisfaction of the
crowd. In fact, they seem to block up the view, and to deform what
they do not hide.
“That is the first impression, but it does not last for long.
Familiarity breeds respect for this simple, strong device, which
arrested the fall of the tower in the Fourteenth Century, and has
kept its walls ever since in perfect security, so that the great
structure has stood like a rock upon the watery soil of Wells for
nearly seven centuries, with its rents and breaks just as they were
when the damage was first repaired. The ingenuity, too, of these
strange flying-buttresses becomes more and more evident; the
‘ungainly props’ are seen to be so worked into the tower they
support, that they almost seem like part of the original design of
the first builders. One discovers that it is the organ, and not the
arches, that really blocks the view, and one marvels that so huge a
mass of masonry can look so light as to present, with the great
circles in the spandrels where the arches meet, a kind of pattern
of gigantic geometrical tracery. Indeed I think no one who has been
in Wells a week could wish to see the inverted arches removed.
“To appreciate the work fully, it should be looked at from some
spot, such as the north-east corner of the north transept, whence
the three great pairs of arches can be seen together. The effect
from here is very fine, especially when the nave is lighted up and
strong shadows are cast. The extreme boldness of the mouldings, the
absence of shafts and capitals and of all ornament, give them a
primitive vigour, and their great intermingling curves, which
contrast so magnificently with the little shafts of the piers
beyond, seem more like a part of some great mountain cavern than a
mere device of architectural utility.”--(P. D.)
The general effect of the Nave is that of length rather than height,
largely due to the continuous arcade of the triforium which leads the
eye irresistibly eastwards, and the comparatively restricted height of
the Cathedral has been increased by bold vaulting, and by the way the
lantern arches fit into the vault. A little study will show the visitor
the separation between the late Twelfth Century work of Reginald de
Bohun, or Fitz-Jocelyn, and the Thirteenth Century work of Jocelin.
These differences lie in the masonry and the carved heads and the
capitals.