Chapter 10

"Some ten years since a Goth, by some untoward chain of circumstances, possessed sufficient influence with his brethren in the Chapter to induce that body to whitewash the church, and by way of ornament, and with a view to compensate for the loss of the original paintings on the groining of the choir destroyed by the whitewash, the said gentleman had the archivolt mouldings and all the lines of the building which were in relief, tastefully coloured in yellow ochre. The name of the perpetrator of this outrage on good taste and good feeling it is unnecessary to add, as he will never plan or design any further embellishment to the cathedral, but if any of his coadjutors in the daubing and smearing line have survived him, and still possess influence, I tremble for the effects of the present repair.

"The curious chantry of St. Richard, an object of veneration among Catholics even to our own days, and the elegant stone screen of the roodloft, have been literally plastered with whitewash, the rich sculptured bosses being converted into apparently unshapely lumps of chalk, and the flat spaces within the heads of the Norman arches of the nave, which are sculptured with scales and flowers, are almost reduced to a plane surface.... The removal of this rubbish would be a work of time; it should be gradually and effectually performed arch by arch, or its removal may carry away with it many of the sculptures it may conceal. This will certainly be the case if any London architect, with a contractor at his heels, sets about a thorough repair to be completed in a given time....

"The more ancient injuries which the appearance of the cathedral had sustained were, in the first instance, occasioned by the erection of a breastwork in front of the triforium, which concealed the bases and half the shafts of the columns; this might now be easily removed as the object of its erection, to protect from accident the spectators of the ancient processions, has ceased to exist. Since the Reformation a great portion of the nave has been fitted up with pews, the congregation adjourning from the choir to the nave to hear the sermon. I need not point out the injury the nave sustains in appearance from this cause and many points of perspective, highly picturesque, which would arise from the singular duplication of the aisles of this church are entirely lost through the existence of the sermon place."

On the south side of the nave is the entrance to the irregularly built cloisters; here are several monuments and a good view of the interesting details of the exterior of the cathedral. The Bishop's Palace is at the west end; it has an Early English chapel in which is an interesting fresco of the Virgin and Child. At the south-east angle of the cloister is the Chantry of St. Faith dating from the early fourteenth century.

The Bell Tower, which is an unique feature of the Cathedral, dates from the late fifteenth century; it was built to relieve the central tower of the main building from the weight of the eight bells, most of them ancient, with quaintly worded and spelt inscriptions. The Arundel screen has been placed within the tower, but special permission must be obtained to see this.

The old documents in the Cathedral muniment room are quaint reading, especially in these post-war days; here are a few items taken at random from an old book of accounts:--

Payd Thomas the broderer for his labors in amendyng of dyverse cooppes vestments and other ornaments of the church workynge thereabouts by the space of IIII wyks after Chrystmas VI s

For hys comones so longe IIII s

Payd unto Wolsey the masson for amendynge of the tumbe in our Lady Chapell that was broken uppe when the Commissionars were here from the Councell to serch the same XV d

(This was possibly the shrine of St. Richard.)

Payd to Mother Lee for apparellinge of XV mens albes XIIII d

unto hyr for a dosen of childrens albes IIII d

unto hyr for the makinge of a towell I d

Payd unto Thomas Nowye for pollynge and shavinge of the chorusters crounes for VI quarters ending at our Ladye in Lente VIII s

In 1553 Lambart Barnard the painter received an annual payment of £3 6s. 8d. for his works in the church "in arte suae facultate sua pictoria" (_sic_).

This Barnard was probably a relative of Bernhardi.

The surroundings of the Cathedral on the south side are very pleasant and the second visit should be made by way of the Canon Lane Gate in South Street. On the right is the Vicar's Close and, farther on, the Deanery (1725). The passage called St. Richard's Walk gives a particularly beautiful view of the Cathedral.

Chichester Cross is the next object of general interest. It was built by Bishop Story in 1500 and received rough treatment from Waller's men. On the east side is a bronze bust of Charles I. The clock was presented by Dame Elizabeth Farringdon in 1724 as "an hourly memento of her goodwill to the city"; it has not, however, added to the beauty of the cross. The central column is surrounded by a stone seat which bears witness to the generations who have used it as a resting place. The stone lantern which crowns the whole dates from the eighteenth century.

We may now proceed up North Street, passing on the right St. Olave's Church. A quantity of Roman materials have been found in the walls, and some authorities declare the south door to be actual Roman work; it is undoubtedly the oldest building in the town. The Council House is at the corner of Lion Street; here may be seen the Pudens Stone already described.

At the end of Lion Street stands St. Mary's Hospital. This was originally a convent founded in 1158; for some unknown reason the nuns were evicted in the following century, since then it has been an almshouse, probably the oldest foundation of its kind in the county. It supports eight poor persons who live in tiny two-roomed dwellings round the sides of the great hall. At the end of this is the Decorated chapel separated from the remainder of the building by an open screen. The main portion of the building is Early English and a great deal of timber has been used in the construction. Visitors should enter without waiting for permission, and one of the courteous ladies will, if required, show the chapel. The whole makes a quaint and pleasing picture, quite unique in its way.

We may continue along St. Martin's Lane northwards to the Guildhall, no longer used as such. This was originally the chapel of the Grey Friars. It has a very fine Early English window; the sedilia should also be seen. The building was for many years used as a court of justice; its future is still uncertain.

The city walls are not far distant; though not continuous, considerable portions have been laid out as public promenades. They are for the most part constructed of flints and undoubtedly have a Roman base. Some lines of fortifications about a mile north of the walls, locally called the "Broyles," are supposed to be Roman works, possibly in connexion with the military station or garrison.

Returning to the city's centre at the Cross, St. Andrew's Church in East Street may be visited; this has a Roman pavement at a depth of about five feet. The poet Collins is buried within the church. Note the slab on the outside wall which up to the present has kept its secret from archaeologists.

A very interesting museum in South Street contains a quantity of local finds. Particular note should be made of the pottery removed from a British tomb at Walberton; also of the curious old lantern called the "moon," formerly carried in municipal processions after dark.

The "Pallant," a corruption of Palatinate, was once an ecclesiastical peculiar; it consists of four streets between South and East Streets. In West Street is the Prebendal school at which Selden commenced his education. This street has a very fine specimen of seventeenth-century architecture, built by Wren and dated 1696. There are several good old residences of about this date in South Street.