this altar in infancy by his parents. After he became king he continued
his “favourable regard to the place.” His brother, Alfred, whose eyes
were put out by Earl Godwin, died and was buried in Ely. Ely was the
last stronghold of Hereward; and it took the monks a long time to make
their peace with the Conqueror. In order to raise enough money to
purchase forgiveness they were forced to sell almost every article of
gold and silver that they owned. Thurston, the last Saxon abbot
(1066-1072), remained in charge of the monastery until his death. When
Simeon, prior of Winchester, and brother of Walkelyn, Bishop of
Winchester, was made abbot in 1081, it was deemed necessary to build a
more sumptuous church. Simeon contributed a great part of his large
fortune. He began with the transepts; and built the central tower, often
called “Simeon’s Tower.”
Richard (1100-1107), a Norman, and relative of the king, finished the
east end in 1106. Two bays of the nave next to the tower were also his
work, and he continued Simeon’s Tower. During Richard’s rule the remains
of St. Etheldreda, St. Sexburga, St. Ermenilda, and St. Withburga, the
first four abbesses, were re-buried before the high altar.
In 1109 Ely was made a cathedral; but nothing seems to have been done to
the building until Bishop Riddell (1174-1189) “carried on the new work
and Tower at the west end of the church, almost to the top.”
Eustache (1198-1215), one of the bishops appointed to excommunicate King
John, built the celebrated =Galilee Porch= at the west end. He contributed
large sums out of his private fortune.
Hugh Norwold, or Northwold (1229-1254), built the six eastern bays of
the presbytery, and the palace. Again were the remains of St.
Etheldreda, St. Sexburga, St. Ermenilda, and St. Withburga removed to
this part of the church, and the Cathedral was dedicated in 1252. King
Henry III. and Prince Edward were present. When Bishop Norwold died
(1254), he was buried at the feet of St. Etheldreda. His monument was
removed to the north side of the presbytery, third arch from the east.
John Hotham (1316-1337) built the choir. It was during his bishopric
that the Tower fell, and he provided for the building of the wrecked
western bays.
The Fourteenth Century brings us to the greatest of all the Ely
builders, the supreme artist and architect, Alan de Walsingham,
sub-prior, sacrist, and finally prior. In 1321 he began the =Lady-Chapel=,
which was finished in 1349. Its position is
[Illustration: ELY: WEST TOWERS]
[Illustration: ELY: CHOIR, EAST]
peculiar--north-east of the north transept. Its site was chosen in all
probability because St. Etheldreda’s shrine occupied the sacred east
end. Walsingham’s great work, however, is the celebrated =Octagon=.
On the eve of St. Ermenilda’s Day, February 12, 1322, just after the
monks had finished matins, the central tower fell and destroyed three
bays of the choir. There was no wicked king in this case to blame for
the calamity, as was the case with the similar tower built by Simeon’s
brother at Winchester (see pages 55-56).
“No one could possibly have been found in the whole kingdom better
qualified to cope with the great disaster that took place at Ely in
1322 than the officer of the house who had the special custody of
the fabric. The originality and skill with which he designed and
carried out the noble work that takes the place of the central
tower, which is without a rival in the architecture of the whole
world, are beyond all praise. The exquisite work in the Lady-Chapel
would in itself have been sufficient to establish Walsingham’s
reputation as an architect of the very highest order of merit; but
it would have revealed nothing, if it stood alone, of the
consummate constructive genius which he displayed in the conception
of the octagon.
“The building was begun as soon as the space was cleared. The
stonework was finished in 1328, little more than six years after
the tower fell. The woodwork of the vaulting and lantern took
longer time; but this also was quite complete in 1342. Walsingham
had become prior in the previous year. The weight of the lantern,
it need hardly be said, is not borne, though it looks like it from
below, by the vaulting that we see. There is a perfect forest of
oak hidden from sight, the eight great angle posts being no less
than 3 feet 4 inches by 2 feet 8 inches in section.
“With such a man as Walsingham on the spot we cannot be wrong in
assigning to him the authorship of all the architectural designs
that were carried out in his lifetime. It is believed--for the
date is not exactly known--that he died in 1364. Besides the
Lady-Chapel and Octagon, he must have designed the singularly
beautiful bays of the presbytery between the Octagon and
Northwold’s work. The exquisite way in which the main
characteristics of the Early English work are adapted to the
Decorated style demands our highest admiration. The arrangement of
the three western bays on each side is exactly like Northwold’s
work, while the additional grace and beauty of ornamentation mark
the advance in taste that distinguished the Decorated period.
Bishop Hotham undertook the whole expense of rebuilding this
portion of the cathedral. He did not live to see it completed, as
he died in 1337, but he left money for the purpose.”--(W. D. S.)
Walsingham, though elected bishop by the monks, was not confirmed by the
Pope. However, when they placed the brass over his resting-place in
front of the choir they represented “The Flower of Craftsmen” (_Flos
operatorum_ was his epitaph), with mitre and crozier.
Ely suffered less than many churches during the Puritan wars.
The most important work of late years has been the restoration of the
octagon and lantern, as originally designed by Alan de Walsingham.
The great =West Tower= (Early English and Decorated) was built before the
Galilee Porch, about the last year of the Twelfth Century. It is
surmounted by an octagon with a window of three lights in each face. An
octagonal turret ornaments each corner. Windows and arcades mark each
story. A fine view of it is obtained from the south side.
The =Galilee Porch= is one of the finest examples of Early English in
existence and is only surpassed by Bishop Hugh’s Choir at Lincoln.
“Each side externally, is covered with lancet arcading in four
tiers. In the upper tier the lancets are trefoiled with dog-tooth
in the moulding; in the next lower tier the lancets are
cinquefoiled, with two sets of dog-tooth. The lancets in the west
face are all cinquefoiled, and the three lower tiers have trefoils
in the spandrels. Nearly all are highly enriched with dog-tooth;
while the mouldings of the west door have conventional foliage as
well. The lancets here are deeper than on the sides of the porch,
and were probably designed to hold figures. Of the three large
lancets in the west window the central one is slightly more lofty
than the others.
“The interior of the porch is even more beautiful; the profusion of
ornamentation on the inner doorway and the exceeding gracefulness
of the double arcades in the sides are quite unsurpassed. Both
doorways are divided by a shaft and both have open tracery of
exceptional beauty above.”--(W. D. S.)
In addition to this feature, Ely has the unique =Octagon=, a good view of
which is obtained from the north-west. It is beautifully proportioned
and beautifully decorated with windows of exquisite tracery.
“The way in which the octagon and lantern combine in producing a
perfectly harmonious composition is in great part due to two points
of difference, points which very few observers detect. These are,
firstly, that the lantern is a regular octagon, having all its
sides equal, in this respect being unlike the stone octagon beneath
it; and, secondly, that the eight faces of the lantern are not
parallel to the eight faces of the octagon. The new windows of the
lantern are similar to the large ones below, but are not mere
copies of them. The upper stage of the lantern, above the roof as
seen from within, was once a bell-chamber; its lights are not, and
never have been, glazed. The whole of the lantern is of wood,
covered with lead. Two flying-buttresses rise from the corners of
the nave and transept aisles to the corbel table of the clerestory
range. There are also eight elegant flying-buttresses, one to each
of the angles of the lantern. These are part of the new work, the
originals having long disappeared.”--(W. D. S.)
The north-western part of the north transept fell in 1699, and was
rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, nephew of Bishop Wren, then in office.
The north end of the transept contains Norman windows, and above them
are two Perpendicular windows, each of three lights. In the east wall of
the transept the lower lights are Decorated; the upper windows are the
original Norman.
Next we come to the =Lady-Chapel=, the east window of which (seven lights)
was inserted by Bishop Barnet (1366-1373), who also “beautified five of
the windows in the presbytery.” The west window (eight lights) is of a
little later date. In the side walls of the Lady-Chapel are five large
windows, the tracery of which is very beautiful.
The =East End= is a superb illustration of Early English, although
slightly altered from its original state by the introduction of the
windows in the chapels of Alcock and West, and a plain wall for the
original windows in the south aisle.
Flying-buttresses support the roof of the presbytery and choir. The
Perpendicular window of seven lights attracts our notice in the south
end of the south transept.
The entrance to the Cathedral from the south opens from the eastern end
of the cloisters and is called the =Monks’ Door=.
The ornamentation is very rich. One spiral column is especially fine.
The arch is trefoiled with cusps, having circular terminations with star
ornament, and in the spandrels are quaint, crouching monks, each
holding a pastoral staff. Two twisted dragons writhe above.
At the west end of the north alley of the cloisters we come to the
=Prior’s Door=, a fine specimen of late Norman. In the tympanum is a
carving in high relief of the Saviour.
Entering through the West we have a full view of the Cathedral, the
vista fortunately not broken, for the open screen permits the gaze to
wander the whole length to the east end. The massive Perpendicular
arches here were built beneath the Norman ones to secure stability for
the big tower that we have just examined.
The =Nave= is one of the most perfect specimens of late Norman. It is very
similar to that of Peterborough. Ely, however, offers no suggestion of
the transition of the next style, as does Peterborough. The Ely nave is
supposed to have been finished before 1173, a little before
Peterborough’s, and after that of Norwich. It contains twelve bays and
measures 208 feet. The piers are of alternate design. In front of each a
shaft runs up to the roof. As we follow this with our eyes we see that
the ceiling is painted with Biblical subjects; but these pictures need
not detain us, as they are modern. The billet moulding decorates the
string-course above the main arcade. Most of the capitals are cushion.
The =Octagon= is the gem of the whole Cathedral.
“Few visitors will perhaps be disposed to examine any of the
objects of interest in the cathedral before an inspection of the
beauties of this magnificent erection, the first sight of which,
from one of the smaller arches towards the aisles, is a thing never
to be forgotten. There is not one of the many able artists and
architects who have written about the Octagon that has not spoken
of it as being without rival in the whole world; and the admiration
that was expressed fifty and more years ago would have been far
greater, and the enthusiasm more profound, had the writers seen it
in its present state of perfect restoration. No description can do
adequate justice to the grandeur of the conception or to the
brilliancy of the execution of this renowned work.
“The four great arches rise to the full height of the roof; that to
the east, indeed, is higher than the vaulted roof of the choir and
presbytery, the intervening space being occupied with tracery of
woodwork on painted boards, the Saviour on the Cross being painted
in the middle. The wooden vaulting of the Octagon springs from the
capitals on the same level as those of the great arches. The four
small arches to the aisles are of course no higher than the roofs
of the aisles: above these, on each side, are three figures of
apostles, under canopies with crockets. The figures are seated, and
each holds an emblem, by which it can be seen for whom the figure
is intended. It may be noticed (in the central figure on the
south-west side) that St. Paul, not St. Matthias, is put in the
place of Iscariot. The hood-moulds of the arches are terminated by
heads, of which six are portraits. King Edward III. and Queen
Philippa are at the north-east, Bishop Hotham and Prior Crauden at
the south-east, Walsingham and his master-mason (so it is believed)
at the north-west; those to the south-west are mere grotesques.
Above the seated figures on each side is a window of four broad
lights, filled with stained glass. The eight chief vaulting shafts
rise from the ground as slight triple shafts; they support, a
little above the spring of the side arches, large corbels, which
form bases for exquisitely designed niches, and through these
spring more shafts reaching to the vault. On each of the corbels is
a boldly carved scene from the career of St. Etheldreda; they
commence at the north-west arch. The subjects (two to each arch)
are as follows:
“North-west arch: St. Etheldreda’s second marriage. Her taking the
veil at Coldingham.
“North-east arch: Her staff taking root. Her preservation in the
flood at St. Abb’s Head.
“South-east arch: Her installation as Abbess of Ely. Her death and
burial (two scenes).
“South-west arch: One of her miracles. Her translation.
“In order to understand these wonderful sculptures more fully we
refer to the _Liber Eliensis_ which describes Etheldreda as
hurrying away from Coldingham with two ladies, Sewenna and Sewara,
and as reaching a rocky place on the coast where they were
overtaken by the king, but the three ladies crossed the Humber and
proceeded south, dressed as pilgrims. One night, while the queen
slept, her staff, placed in the ground, burst into leaf and flower.
On this spot a church was built and dedicated to St. Etheldreda.
When the three pilgrims arrived in the Isle of Ely, they were
joined by Wilfrid, the archbishop of York, who induced Etheldreda
to take the veil. The miracle referred to in the south-west arch
shows St. Etheldreda and St. Benedict appearing to a monk named
Brytstan, who was charged with seeking refuge in a monastery in
order to escape punishment for robberies of which he had been
guilty. The miracle was told to Queen Matilda, who freed
Brytstan.”--(W. D. S.)
The =Screen= separating the choir from the Octagon was designed by Scott.
It is of oak, delicately carved in geometric patterns, and bearing a
cross on the cresting that runs along the top. The gates are brass.
The first three bays of the choir were begun about 1240; the last six,
forming the presbytery, were finished in 1340. The space of a hundred
years thus lies between them.
“In the juxtaposition of these two magnificent specimens of the
Early English and Decorated periods of architecture there is an
opportunity of comparison which on such a scale occurs nowhere
else. It is to be remembered that in neither case is the treatment
of the upper part quite in accordance with the usual practice of
the period. When the presbytery was being built there were still
standing east of the central tower the four original bays of the
Norman choir. These, it may be assumed, were very similar in
character to those in the nave. There would, beyond question, have
been in each bay large triforium arches, each with a couple of
subordinate arches; and a single window in the clerestory with a
blank arch on each side. Bishop Northwold’s work was purposely made
to correspond with these bays as far as Early English work could do
so; and when after the fall of the tower it became necessary to
rebuild the choir, Bishop Hotham in like manner made his Decorated
work correspond with the Early English presbytery. The choir is, as
would be expected, richer in detail as well as more elaborate in
design; and it would be difficult to find in England anything to
surpass the tracery of the clerestory windows and triforium arches,
the beautiful cusped inner arches of the clerestory range, the open
parapets at the base of the two stages, or the long corbels,
covered with foliage, that support the vaulting shafts. In the
choir the clerestory windows have four lights each; in the
presbytery are triplets. The old colouring has been renewed
throughout. On the north side of the choir the three bays are
precisely alike; but on the south there is a variation in the
tracery of the western triforium arch. There are also shields of
arms (of the See of Ely and of Bishop Hotham) in the spandrels of
the triforium and arch below; and the shaft between this arch and
the next is enlarged at the top into a base for a statue (probably
of St. Etheldreda); while level with the string above is a very
fine large canopy (called by the workmen ‘the table’), which is
like nothing else in the cathedral. The clerestory windows also on
the south have different tracery.
“The difference between the two styles of architecture is well
marked in the groining of the roof, the Decorated portion being
much more elaborate. Some of the bosses are very remarkable: one
has St. Etheldreda with pastoral staff; one has the coronation of
the Virgin Mary; one has the foundress bearing the model of a
church, in which (as Dean Stubbs has pointed out) both arms of the
western transept are represented, so that it is a fair inference
that at the time this roof was constructed the whole of the western
transept was standing.
“Between the choir and presbytery there rise the massive Norman
piers built as the entrance to the apse; and these are the only
remains of the Norman church east of the octagon.”--(W. D. S.)
The magnificent =Choir-Stalls=, with their beautiful canopies, are thought
to be Walsingham’s work. They are considered the finest Decorated stalls
in existence. The misereres show wonderful carvings.
The =Reredos=, of alabaster, designed by Scott, stands in the centre of
the screen of stone that runs along the whole of the presbytery, the
lower part of which is a diaper pattern and the upper portion an open
arcade of six arches (Early Decorated style).
“The east end of Ely is the grandest example of the grouping of
lancets.... Ely is also undoubtedly the head of all east ends and
eastern limbs of that class in which the main body of the church is
of the same height throughout, and in which the aisles are brought
out to the full length of the building.”--(E. A. F.)
At the end of the north-choir-aisle we come to the =Chapel of Bishop
Alcock= (died 1500), Bishop of Ely from 1486 to 1500. He was a great
architect, built the great hall in the Bishop’s palace at Ely and also
this very ornate chapel. It dates from 1488. The roof is composed of
fan-tracery, with a large pendant; and the walls are covered with
canopies, tabernacles, crockets, niches, panels and other decorations
with lavish display. The figures have gone from the niches. A cock on a
globe--Alcock’s rebus--occurs on the stone-work very frequently.
At the end of the south-choir-aisle we find the corresponding =Chapel of
Bishop West= (died 1533). This is similar in style to the Alcock chapel,
but less ornate.
Several bishops are buried in this chapel. Though we may care little or
nothing for the careers of the dignitaries who lie there, or who are
perpetuated by monuments, we find among the tombs some fine examples of
sculpture and ornament of the past.
For instance, that of =Bishop Louth= (died 1298), under the first arch of
the presbytery in the south-choir-aisle, is a fine example of Early
Decorated.
In the last arch, before reaching Bishop West’s Chapel, the tomb of
=Bishop Hotham= (died 1337) calls for attention.
Under the four arches of the presbytery on the north, between the stalls
and the altar, is that of =Bishop Redman= (died 1505), a very fine
specimen of enriched Perpendicular work.
Next is the effigy of =Bishop Kilkenny= (died 1256), a fine example of
Early English.
In the next arch a large Decorated structure of two stories, believed by
Scott to have been built by Walsingham as the base for the =Shrine of St.
Etheldreda=, was formerly known as Bishop Hotham’s shrine.
In the arch north of the altar is the tomb of the builder of the
presbytery, =Bishop Northwold= (died 1254), who is represented in full
vestments.
It is only natural that the transepts should show similarity with those
of Winchester, consecrated in 1093, seven years before Simeon of
Winchester came to Ely. He began his work, as we have seen, here, and
got up as far as the triforium. The clerestory was added by his
successor. Alterations took place at later periods, and now both
triforium and clerestory are almost identical with those in the nave.
In the south transept Perpendicular windows of
[Illustration: ELY: EAST END AND LADY-CHAPEL]
[Illustration: ELY: LADY-CHAPEL]
three lights have replaced the western windows of the triforium. Two
large Perpendicular windows ornament the north end and a curious window
of seven lights adorns the south. Galleries, arches, and arcades afford
exceedingly interesting study.
On the east of the north transept are three chapels, one of which has
been restored for private devotion. Old paintings of the Martyrdom of
St. Edmund on the roof have given it the name of =St. Edmund’s Chapel=.
The screen in front dates from about 1350.
From the north transept we enter the =Lady-Chapel=.
“Notwithstanding the cruel mutilation of the sculpture all round
this chapel, it can be seen that for perfection of exquisite work
there is no building of the size in this country worthy for one
moment to be compared with this in its unmutilated state. Its
single defect strikes the beholder at once: the span of the roof is
too broad and the vaulting too depressed for the size of the
chapel. The windows on the north have been restored. The end
windows, which are of great size, are of later date; that to the
east has a look of Transition work about it. The building was
finished in 1349, and the east window was inserted by Bishop
Barnet, _circa_ 1373. The great beauty of the interior consists in
the series of tabernacle work and canopies that run round all the
four sides below and between the windows. The heads of the canopies
project. In the tracery beneath, at the head of the mullion, was a
statue. The delicate carving of the cusps and other tracery is
varied throughout. On the spandrels were incidents connected with
the history of the Virgin Mary (mainly legendary) and of Julian the
Apostate; and though in no single instance is a perfect uninjured
specimen left, yet enough remains, in all but a few cases, for the
original subjects to be identified. All was once enriched with
colour, and many traces remain; and in various parts of the windows
there are fragments of stained glass. Most of the monumental
tablets which once disfigured the arcade below the windows have
been happily removed into the vestibule. The arches and canopies at
the east end are arranged differently from those on the sides. In
the roof, which reminds us of the contemporary roof in the choir,
are some carved bosses, not large, but singularly good. Among the
subjects can be recognised a Crucifixion, with half-figures beside
the cross; Adam and Eve; the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth, holding
between them a book inscribed ‘Magnificat’; the Annunciation, with
‘Ave Maria Gratia plena’; the Ascension, indicated by the skirt and
feet of the Saviour and five heads of apostles; the Coronation of
the Virgin; and the Virgin in an aureole.”--(W. D. S.)
NORWICH
DEDICATION: THE HOLY TRINITY. CHURCH OF A BENEDICTINE MONASTERY.
This Cathedral was begun in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, the bishop
appointed by William Rufus, who had received his education in Normandy,
and who became prior of Fécamp. No earlier church stood on the site. It
was dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
“The characteristics of the cathedral are--its long nave, which is
typical of the Norman church; its glorious apsidal termination,
encircled by a procession path, which recalls the plan of a French
cathedral; and the form of this, with the remains of its old
bishops’ chair centrally placed, and with the westward position, of
the throne at Torcello and other Italian churches, of the basilican
type of plan.