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
[Illustration: HEREFORD: CHOIR]
[Illustration: WORCESTER: SOUTH-WEST]
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.
[Illustration: WORCESTER: NAVE, EAST]
[Illustration: WORCESTER: CHOIR, EAST]
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.”