Part 21

“The Lady-Chapel is of Early English design, and was built about 1266, previous to the present choir. Many alterations were made subsequently, including the removal of the ancient steep and lofty roof and the substitution of a flat roof and the insertion of Perpendicular windows. Most of these additions have been removed and the Early English character restored. The east window of five lights was designed by Scott, and the original form of the roof has been restored. The vault, which is original Early English, has a boss representing the murder of Thomas à Becket. The mosaics were designed by Sir A. Blomfield. Here the consistory court was held at the time of the Reformation, and George Marsh, the Chester martyr, was condemned to be burnt.”--(P. H. D.)

Through a Norman doorway in the north aisle of the choir, we enter the =Cloisters=.

“The south walk is entirely new, having been restored by Scott. The west walk adjoins a fine Early Norman chamber, probably the great cellar of the abbot’s house. The cloisters are Perpendicular work. In the south and west walks there is a double arcade on the cloister-garth side, which contained the _carrels_, or enclosed studies of wainscot, where the monks read or wrote, and on the opposite side are recesses which are not tombs, but _Armaria_ or cupboards, where their books and materials for illuminations were stored. In the Perpendicular period the roof of the cloisters was raised, which was not an advantage, as it caused the aisle windows and those of the refectory to be partly blocked up, and the vaulting cuts into the earlier work. The _Lavatorium_ is near the _Refectory_, an Early English building with Perpendicular windows. It is a noble structure, shorn of some of its length, and now used as a music room. The stone pulpit is remarkably fine, of Early English design, which rivals the famous pulpit of Beaulieu Abbey.”--(P. H. D.)

A doorway in the east walk carries us into the =Vestibule= of the Chapter-House.

In the vestibule (Early English) light graceful piers support the vaulting. The mouldings are very much admired.

The =Chapter-House= is also Early English and ranks high among these very national productions. It dates from about 1240. The east window of five lights is a handsome example of its date.

MANCHESTER

DEDICATION: ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ST. GEORGE AND ST. DENIS. FORMERLY SERVED BY SECULAR CANONS.

SPECIAL FEATURES: CHOIR-STALLS; GORDON WINDOW.

Manchester was built for a parish church and only became a cathedral in 1847. It is a very fine specimen of Perpendicular Gothic of the early Fifteenth Century, though there are some remains of older work here and there. The oldest is the arch leading into the Lady-Chapel. This shows some influences of the Decorated style.

The choir, aisles and chapter-house date from 1422-1458; the nave was built in 1465-1481; Chapel of the Holy Trinity, 1498; Jesus Chapel, 1506; St. James’ Chantry (Ducie Chapel), 1507; St. George’s Chapel, 1508; Ely Chapel, 1515; and Lady-Chapel in 1518. The Cathedral suffered during the Civil Wars and has been much restored.

The exterior is not particularly impressive. The walls are grimy with smoke and there is no emerald sward, nor are there ivy-covered walls.

The one tower (built in 1864-1868) rises above a still more recent =Western porch=, designed by Basil Champneys and ornamented with a parapet and a single crocketed turret, which gives it a very unsymmetrical appearance. The square tower contains a clock in the first stage, soars 140 feet and is finished with a pierced battlement with pinnacles at the corners.

Turning round the corner, we come to the =South porch=, two bays and two stories (modern) and elaborately carved. Next comes the Jesus Chapel; then the octagonal Chapter-House; then the Fraser memorial chapel; and then we turn the corner and come to the Lady-Chapel, unusually small and projecting only about eighteen feet. The windows are Eighteenth Century, though the tracery is Decorated in general character.

Passing the window of the north-choir-aisle and the eastern end of the Derby Chapel, we again turn the corner. The first projection is the Ely Chapel and the next and smaller one is an engine room used for working the organ. The small door next opens into the ante-chapel of the Derby Chapel. Finally we reach the north porch.

“It is a dimly lighted building; this is due chiefly to two causes: first to the fact that it is enormously wide, and the aisle windows are therefore far from the central nave, and secondly to the fact that almost all the windows both of aisles and clerestory are filled with painted glass, in many cases of a deep colour, and rendered still more impervious to light by the incrustation of carbon deposited on their outside by the perpetual smoke of the city. So dark is the church that in the winter months it has generally to be lit with gas all the day long, and even in the summer, in comparatively bright weather, some gas burners will generally be found alight. The mist also of the exterior atmosphere finds its way into the building, and hangs beneath the roof, lending an air of mystery to the whole place, and giving rise to most beautiful effects when the sunlight streams through the clerestory windows. The tone also of the nave arcading and clerestory rebuilt in recent years, of warm, rose-coloured sandstone, is very lovely.”--(T. P.)

The =Nave= is wider than it is long. With its double aisles it measures 114 feet; its length is only 85 feet. The choir is about the same proportion. The Lady-Chapel, at the extreme east, is very small. The sides of the nave and choir are still further extended by chapels, partitioned off by screens. On the south side of the nave we have first =St. George’s Chapel= (founded in 1508) and =St. Nicholas’s Chapel= (founded in 1186, before the present church was built); and on the north side the space once occupied by the =Holy Trinity Chapel= (1498) and =St. James’s Chapel= (1507).

“This church differs from most of our cathedral and abbey churches in having no triforium.[8] And the clerestory is not lofty, so that the church is rather low for its width, though the height of the arches of the main arcade prevents this being felt. The roofs of the aisles are all modern, but that of the nave, though extensively repaired, has much of the original work in it, and, with the exception of a few bosses, the choir roof is old. All the roofs are of timber; in the nave the intersections of the main beams are covered by beautiful bosses carved out of the solid wood. On either side, at the points from which the main cross beams spring, is a series of angelic figures splendidly carved in wood: those on the south side playing stringed instruments, those on the north side wind instruments.

“The pillars of the main arcade of the nave are modern work built in imitation of the original ones. They are light and graceful, and, like many other pillars of fifteenth century date, are formed of shafts of which only half have separate capitals, the other mouldings running round the arch. The spaces between the arches are elaborately carved with heraldic shields.”--(T. P.)

In the nave we find the one interesting window in the Cathedral (the most eastern one in the Ducie Chapel), a memorial to =General Gordon= killed at Khartoum in 1888. It consists of five lights. Gordon is in the centre, his hand on the head of a native boy. Natives and angels occupy the other lights.

Towards the east end of the nave stands the

modern pulpit and then an ancient rood-screen with three wide openings and double doors.

Passing through the screen, we enter the =Choir=, sometimes called the =Radcliffe Choir=, because members of this family were buried here.

The =Choir-stalls= date from the early Sixteenth Century and resemble those in Ripon Cathedral and Beverley Minster.

“There are twelve stalls on either side, and three on each side of the entrance through the rood-screen facing east. The stalls are furnished with _misereres_, which, in common with many others both in England and on the Continent, represent all manner of quaint subjects, monsters, animals, hunting scenes, etc.

“The carved elbows of the stalls and the end of the book desks are also worthy of careful examination, especially the Eagle and Child and general carving of the Dean’s Stall, which is a marvel of beautiful workmanship, and said by high authorities to be unequalled.

“Between the stalls the floor is one step higher than that of the nave, and at the east end of the stall, there is a further rise of two steps as we pass into the presbytery. Here, on the south side, we see the bishop’s throne--modern work, carved with a view to be in harmony with the stalls, but comparing unfavourably with them in execution. There is a rise of two more steps into the sanctuary, and the altar itself is raised two steps higher; this gives a good effect. Behind the altar is an elaborately carved wooden reredos of modern work, richly painted and gilt.”--(T. P.)

A fine ancient screen runs across the arch at the opening of the =Lady-Chapel=.

Along the south side of the south-choir-aisle we first come to the vestry, then to the =Jesus Chapel= (now a library), separated from the aisle by a handsome screen of the Sixteenth Century. Then we reach the fine entrance to the =Chapter-House=, beneath a large arch. At the end is the =Fraser= =Chapel=, with an altar cenotaph to the second Bishop of Manchester, James Fraser (died 1885), buried elsewhere.

On the north aisle of the choir the space is occupied by the =Derby Chapel=, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was the private chapel of the Stanley family, to which the Earls of Derby belong. It was begun by James Stanley (1485-1509), who became Bishop of Ely. He died in 1515 and was buried near the =Ely Chapel=, where the original tomb and brass are still to be seen.

CARLISLE

DEDICATION: THE HOLY TRINITY. FORMERLY SERVED BY AUGUSTINIAN CANONS.

SPECIAL FEATURES: CHOIR AND EAST WINDOW.

In the ancient town of North Cumberland--the famous border town appearing so frequently in ballads as “Merry Carlisle”--the Cathedral shares the honours with the Castle. Both date from about 1092.

When William Rufus II. rebuilt and fortified Carlisle, he left one Walter, a Norman priest, as governor. He began to build a church and priory, but died in the meantime and Henry I. continued the work. The church was dedicated in 1101; the monastery of Augustinians was founded in 1121; and the Cathedral established in 1133. It was built in the Norman style, a nave with aisles, transepts and a tower at the intersection of the latter. The architect was Hugh, once abbot of Beaulieu. The Norman choir was taken down early in the Thirteenth Century and rebuilt in the Early English style. Two fires--especially the one in 1292--wrought much damage. About the middle of the Fourteenth Century the choir was completed in the Decorated style, and the magnificent East window was also inserted at this time. Robert Bruce took up his quarters in the Cathedral after the Battle of Bannockburn (1314). In 1392 the north transept suffered from fire. Bishop Strickland (1400-1419) restored it and rebuilt the central tower, adding to it a wooden spire. Henry VIII. disestablished the monastery and formed a Cathedral.

During the Civil War the Puritan soldiers were quartered in the Cathedral and did much damage.

They pulled down two-thirds of the Norman nave in order to get stones with which to repair the fortifications. At the rising of Charles Edward, “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” in 1745, his soldiers captured Carlisle and used the Cathedral for their headquarters; and when the Duke of Cumberland arrived, the church was again used as barracks and many of the Jacobites were confined in its walls.

Carlisle is a fine place to study all the styles of Early English in simple, pointed, geometric and flowing. It is famed for its wonderful East Window and the superb Choir, one of the finest in England.

“A good view is obtained from the castle. The usual approach is from the east end, whence we observe the grand east window with its beautiful Late Decorated tracery. It is flanked by buttresses, with niches and crocketed pinnacles. In the niches are statues of SS. Peter, Paul, James and John. A foliated cross crowns the gable and on each side are four similar crosses. In the gable is a triangular window, having three trefoils, and below is a niche with a figure of the Virgin. The Central Tower, built by Bishop Strickland (1400-1419) on the old Norman piers, is too small for the huge choir and lacks dignity. Formerly it was crowned with a wooden spire, but this has been removed. There is a turret set at the north-east angle, and in the north side is a niche with the figure of an angel. The lower part of the choir is Early English, with the exception of a Perpendicular window at the west, and a Decorated one in the east bay. The clerestory is Late Decorated, and the windows have flowing tracery. The ball-flower ornament is extensively used in the cornice. The sculpture at Carlisle is worthy of notice. Carved heads and curious gargoyles abound. The North Transept is

nearly all modern. It was rebuilt by Strickland in the Fifteenth Century, and again rebuilt when the church was restored. There is, however, an Early English window in the west wall. On the east side there was formerly a chapel, which has not survived the repeated alterations. The greater part of the Nave was taken down by Cromwell’s soldiers. What is left is of unmistakable Norman character. There is some modern imitation work, and late architectural detail. Most of the windows are modern, and also the doorway. The south side is similar to the north. The South Transept preserves the old Norman walls. On the south is a modern doorway with a window over it. On the east is St. Catherine’s Chapel, a Late Early English or Early Decorated building. The south side of the choir is similar to the north, and presents Early English details of construction. The monastic buildings once stood on the south side of the church but they have been pulled down with the exception of the fratry and gatehouse, the stone being used for repairing the fortifications of the city by Puritan soldiery. The refectory, or fratry, was rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century, and is now used as a chapter-house. There is a fine reader’s pulpit here. The gateway was erected by Prior Slee in 1527. The Deanery is a fine old house, and was formerly the prior’s lodging. It was rebuilt in 1507.”--(P. H. D.)

The =Nave= is Norman, but of the eight bays only two now remain. The piers are low, the arches semicircular, and it appears that later hands carved the Early English foliage on the capitals. The triforium shows plain round-headed arches. The clerestory has three arches in each bay, resting on shafts with carved capitals. The west end is modern. Sir Walter Scott was married here in 1797.

The =North Transept= was rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century and the north end again in modern times. The large window is modern and Decorated in style. An Early English window in the west end is a good example of plate-tracery. The roof is modern; the arch of the choir aisle, Decorated. Norman piers support the =Tower=, to which Bishop Strickland added additional columns, Perpendicular with foliated capitals. The crescent and fetterlock on the capital of the eastern arch are emblems of the Percy family; the rose and scallop shell on the western side, of the Dacres and Nevilles.

The =South Transept= is only one bay: The arch into the choir-aisle is Norman with zigzag ornaments and cushion capitals. Another Norman arch opens into =St. Catherine’s Chapel=, now a vestry. It was founded by John de Capella, a wealthy citizen. The beautiful screen is Late Decorated.

The =Choir= consists of eight pointed arches: it is 138 feet long and 72 feet high.

“We now enter the choir by the door in the organ-screen. This is one of the finest in England--spacious, lofty, well-proportioned and rich in all its details. The arches of the main arcade are Early English, as the mouldings and dog-tooth ornament testify. These remained after the fire of 1292 and were retained. The piers are Early Decorated and were evidently built to support the arches after the fire. The capitals were carved later in the Late Decorated period, when the upper parts of the choir, triforium, clerestory, roof and east end were rebuilt. The builders were probably Bishops Welton and Appleby (1353-1395). When the choir was rebuilt in Early English times, the architect determined to enlarge it, and as the monastic buildings on the south prevented any expansion in that direction, the south piers of the choir retained their old position, while the north were moved further northward, and a new north aisle added. Thus the choir and the tower and nave are not quite symmetrical, and there is a blank wall at the north-west end of the choir which is thus accounted for. The details of the architecture of the choir merit close attention, especially the sculpture. Small figures of men, animals and monsters are mingled with the foliage. There are some admirable representations of the seasons, beginning with the second capital on the south, counting from the east end. There is a very fine timber roof, constructed about the middle of the Fourteenth Century. The scheme of colour decoration is, unfortunately, not original.”--(P. H. D.)

The =East Window= is one of the finest Decorated windows in existence. The stone-work is not new, but it is believed to be an exact reproduction of the original. It is composed of 86 distinct pieces of stone and is struck from 263 centres. There are nine lights. The glass of the upper portion is ancient, dating from the reign of Richard II. The pictures are the Resurrection, the Final Judgment and the New Jerusalem. Hell is shown with all the terrors familiar to the Mediæval mind. The modern glass below represents scenes from the life of Christ.

The =Stalls= are Late Perpendicular and are beautifully carved. The fine tabernacle-work is dated about 1433. The _misereres_ represent the usual grotesque monsters, such as dragons, griffins and fables in which the crafty fox is prominent. A Fifteenth Century brass to Bishop Bell (1495) on the floor of the choir deserves notice.

A Renaissance screen partitions off the north-choir-aisle. Here we notice the Early English arcade and the windows with two lights, dog-tooth ornament and deep mouldings. The last bay eastward is Late Decorated; the last bay westward contains a Perpendicular window.

In the north wall two Early English sepulchral recesses are unique because of their chevron moulding. The effigy lying in one of them is supposed to be Silvester of Everdon (1254). The stalls in the =North-choir-aisle= are ornamented with very strange paintings of the Fifteenth Century illustrating the lives of St. Anthony and St. Cuthbert, with descriptive verses.

The =South-choir-aisle=, with a similar screen to the opposite one, also contains painted stalls representing the life of St. Augustine. It resembles the north-choir-aisle.

The narrow =Retro-choir= is of the same date as the big window.

The lower part of the Choir is Early English with the exception of the Perpendicular window in the west bay and a Decorated one in the east bay. The clerestory is Late Decorated, the windows noticeable for their flowing tracery. Everywhere the ball-flower ornament abounds, and carved heads and weird gargoyles are omnipresent.

The south side resembles the north with the exception of St. Catherine’s Chapel, a Late Early English, or Early Decorated construction. The monastic buildings have disappeared with the exception of the =Refectory=, rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century, now used as the =Chapter-House=, and the gateway built in 1527. The fine old =Deanery=, formerly the prior’s house, was rebuilt in 1507.

DURHAM

DEDICATION: ST. CUTHBERT. FORMERLY THE CHURCH OF A BENEDICTINE MONASTERY.

SPECIAL FEATURES: GALILEE CHAPEL; CHAPEL OF THE NINE ALTARS; NEVILLE SCREEN; JOSEPH’S WINDOW.

Durham is the most beautifully situated of all English cathedrals. It is perched upon a rocky and wooded eminence above the Wear River, and with the castle by its side makes a noble picture. When seen from the opposite side of the river the west end of the Cathedral is very charming; for the Galilee Chapel, the western towers and gable, the tall central tower and the roof of the nave show variety of line and mass. The Galilee Chapel completely hides the western doorway; but above it rises the big window of 1346, the semicircular arch and the small gable between the twin towers.

Durham Cathedral owed its existence to St. Cuthbert (one of the three great English saints), and was fortunate enough to possess his shrine. Therefore, it is well to recall his life before visiting the church. St. Cuthbert was born about 635, and in Ireland, according to tradition. He is first heard of as a shepherd-boy in Northumbria, where, in 651, while watching his flocks by night, he had a vision of the heavens opening and angels carrying thither the soul of St. Aidan, the pious bishop of Lindisfarne. He decided to become a monk and entered the monastery of Melrose, where he became prior. After a few years he went to Lindisfarne, and also became prior there. In 676 he became an anchorite on Farne Island, where he died, March 20, 687. The fame of St. Cuthbert increased after his death and his anniversary was a great festival in the English Church. Many churches in the north were dedicated to him. His body rested quietly in Lindisfarne for two hundred years, but in 875, when the Danes were ravaging Northumbria, the pious monks of Holy Island, bearing the body on their shoulders, fled inland and found a temporary resting-place in Chester-le-Street, half-way between Newcastle and Durham. In 995 they transferred the body of St. Cuthbert to Ripon; but in the same year removed it to Durham.

Legend says that after the monks left Chester-le-Street, St. Cuthbert appeared and announced that he desired to rest at Dun-holm. The monks wandered about in search of this place. Finally they heard a woman asking another if she had seen her lost cow. The other answered: “It’s down in Dun-holm.” The monks remembering that Dun-holm meant hill-meadow, carried the body of St. Cuthbert into the lonely field.