ARCHITECTURE
England
see
also:
Architecture
in
England
ELY CATHEDRAL

Ely Cathedral. The West
Tower (1174-97)
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Ely Cathedral
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Ely Cathedral (in full, The Cathedral
Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely) is the
principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire,
England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a
suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. It is known
locally as "the ship of the Fens", because of its prominent
shape that towers above the surrounding flat and watery
landscape.

Ely Cathedral
History
Most of what is known about the early history of Ely
comes from Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum and
above all from the Liber Eliensis, an anonymous chronicle
written at Ely some time in the 12th century and covering
the history of the Abbey and Cathedral from 673 until the
mid-12th century.
Previous buildings
The first Christian building on the site was founded by
St. Æthelthryth (romanised as "Etheldreda"), daughter of the
Anglo-Saxon King Anna of East Anglia, who was born in 630 at
Exning near Newmarket. She may have acquired land at Ely
from her first husband Tondberht, described by Bede as a
"prince" of the South Gyrwas. After the end of her second
marriage to Ecgfrith, a prince of Northumbria, she set up
and ruled a monastery at Ely in 673, and, when she died, a
shrine was built there to her memory. The monastery is
traditionally believed to have been destroyed in the Danish
invasions of the late 9th century, together with what is now
the city. However, while the lay settlement of the time
would have been a minor one, it is likely that a church
survived there until its refoundation in the 10th century.
A new Benedictine monastery
was built and endowed on the site by Athelwold, Bishop of
Winchester, in 970, in a wave of monastic refoundations
which locally included Peterborough and Ramsey. This became
a cathedral in 1109, after a new Diocese of Ely was created
out of land taken from the Diocese of Lincoln.
The present building
Overview and dimensions
The cathedral is built from stone quarried from Barnack
in Northamptonshire (bought from Peterborough Abbey, whose
lands included the quarries, for 8000 eels a year), with
decorative elements carved from Purbeck Marble and local
clunch. The plan of the building is cruciform
(cross-shaped), with an additional transept at the western
end. The total length is 537 feet (163.7 m), and the nave at
over 75 m long (250 ft) remains the longest in Britain. The
west tower is 66m high (215 ft). The unique Octagon 'Lantern
Tower' is 23 m (74 ft) wide and is 52 m (170 ft) high.
Internally, from the floor to the central roof boss the
lantern is 43 m (142 ft) high.
Abbot Simeon's Cathedral
The present cathedral was started by Abbot Simeon
(1082–1094, brother of Walkelin, the then bishop of
Winchester) under William I in 1083. Building continued
under Simeon's successor, Abbot Richard (1100–1107). The
Anglo-Saxon church was demolished, but some of its relics,
such as the remains of its benefactors, were moved to the
cathedral. The main transepts were built early on, crossing
the nave below a central tower, and are the oldest surviving
part of the cathedral. Construction work continued
throughout the 12th century. The Western transepts and tower
were completed under Bishop Ridel (1174–89) in an exuberant
Romanesque style with a rich decoration of intersecting
arches and complex mouldings.
Early Gothic elements
A Galilee porch was added under Bishop Eustace
(1198–1215) in the Early English Gothic style. It was
originally a two-storey structure (it was opened up into a
single vaulted space in the 18th century) where liturgical
processions could gather before entering the nave. Several
details of its decoration, particularly the 'syncopated
arches' and the use of Purbeck marble shafts, reflect the
influence of St Hugh's Choir at Lincoln Cathedral, built a
few years earlier.
Under Bishop Northwold,
work began on a new eastern end in 1234, replacing the short
Norman chancel with a much grander 10-bay structure.
Northwold's chancel, completed by around 1252, adopted
several of the stylistic elements already used in the
Galilee porch.
Later Gothic elements
In 1321, under the sacrist Alan of Walsingham work began
on a massive (100' long by 46' wide) free-standing Lady
Chapel, linked to the north transept and the north aisle of
the chancel by covered walkways. This new structure was
built in an exuberant 'Decorated' Gothic style. Around most
of the wall surface are sedilia-like niches, flanked by
pilasters of Purbeck marble and covered by sinuous ogee
arches which project forward away from the wall (sometimes
known as 'knodding ogees'). Most wall surfaces are covered
with richly carved vegetal and diaper patterns which were
originally brightly polychromed. An extensive sculpted Life
of the Virgin cycle originally filled the spandrels between
the niches but this was severely damaged by iconoclasts
(either following the Dissolution of the Monasteries or by
Puritans during the English Civil War - historians still
disagree over which).
In February 1322, possibly
as a result of instabilities caused by the digging of the
foundations for the Lady Chapel, the great Norman crossing
tower collapsed, injuring nobody but damaging the first four
bays of Bishop Northwold's Early Gothic choir. These western
bays of the liturgical choir were rebuilt in a more modern
style. More noticeably, the old crossing tower was replaced
by an innovative octagonal lantern. Although it is supported
on eight massive masonry piers, the lantern itself is
constructed from oak timbers and was designed by William
Hurley, who later became Master Carpenter to the King at
Westminster. Because the crossing was a key part of the
liturgical choir, this rebuilding work took priority over
other activities and the lantern was largely complete by
1340. The windows on the sides of the upper octagon are a
particularly successful way of lighting the centre of the
cathedral. The angels painted below the windows are however
purely Victorian inventions, a product of the restoration
under Thomas Gambier Parry in 1874. When built, the Octagon
was the largest crossing span in northern Europe and remains
Ely Cathedral's most distinctive feature, visible from miles
around across the Fens.
Dating from the early 16th
century is a set of 44 misericords.
Later history
In 1539, during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the
Monasteries, the cathedral suffered only minor damage, but
St Etheldreda's shrine was destroyed. The cathedral was soon
refounded in 1541, although many of the statues in the lady
chapel were severely damaged.
The Bishop of Ely in the
mid 17th century was Matthew Wren and in connection with
this, his nephew Christopher Wren was responsible for a
rather splendid Gothic door, dating from the 1650s, on the
north face of the cathedral.
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Ely Cathedral. Interior
Ely Cathedral. Plan
WELLS CATHEDRAL

Wells Cathedral (1225—1240)

Wells Cathedral.
The west front, completed c. 1250, has about 300 medieval statues;
many of the figures, and their niches, were originally painted and
gilded
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Wells Cathedral
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
Wells Cathedral is a Church
of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the
seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the
adjacent Bishop's Palace.
Built between 1175 and
1490, Wells Cathedral has been described as “the most poetic
of the English Cathedrals”. Much of the structure is in the
Early English style and is greatly enriched by the deeply
sculptural nature of the mouldings and the vitality of the
carved capitals in a foliate style known as “stiff leaf”.
The eastern end has retained much original glass, which is
rare in England. The exterior has a splendid Early English
façade and a large central tower.
The first church was
established on the site in 705. Construction of the present
building began in the 10th century and was largely complete
at the time of its dedication in 1239. It has undergone
several expansions and renovations since then and has been
designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.
Peter Price is the current
Bishop of Bath and Wells having been appointed in 2001; and
John Clarke took over as Dean in September 2004 after
previously being principal of Ripon Theological College at
Cuddesdon, Oxford.

Wells Cathedral
History
Early years
There is archaeological evidence of a late Roman
mausoleum on the site.
The first church was
established here in 705 by King Ine of Wessex, at the urging
of Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne, in whose diocese it lay. It
was dedicated to Saint Andrew. The only remains of this
first church are some excavated foundations which can be
seen in the cloisters. The baptismal font in the south
transept is the oldest surviving part of the cathedral which
is dated to c.700 AD.
Two centuries later, the
seat of the diocese was shifted to Wells from Sherborne. The
first Bishop of Wells was Athelm (circa 909), who crowned
King Athelstan. Athelm and his nephew Saint Dunstan both
became Archbishops of Canterbury. It was also around this
time that Wells Cathedral School was founded.
Present structure
The present structure was begun under the direction of
Bishop Reginald de Bohun, who died in 1184. Wells Cathedral
dates primarily from the late 12th century and early 13th
century; the nave and transept are masterpieces of the Early
English style of architecture. It was largely complete at
the time of its dedication in 1239.
The bishop responsible for
the construction was Jocelyn of Wells, a brother of Bishop
Hugh II of Lincoln, and one of the bishops at the signing of
Magna Carta. Jocelyn's building campaigns also included the
Bishop's Palace, a choristers' school, a grammar school,
hospital for travellers and a chapel. He also built a manor
at Wookey, near Wells. The master mason designer associated
with Jocelyn was Elias of Dereham (died 1246). Jocelyn lived
to see the church dedicated, but despite much lobbying of
Rome, died before cathedral status was granted in 1245. He
died on November 19, 1242, at Wells and was buried in the
choir of Wells Cathedral. He may have been the father of
Nicholas of Wells. The memorial brass on his tomb is
supposedly one of the earliest brasses in England. Masons
continued with the enrichment of the West Front until about
1260.
King John was
excommunicated between 1209 and 1213. During this time, work
on the cathedral was suspended. In this period, building
technology advanced so that bigger blocks of masonry could
be moved and incorporated into the walls. The effect of this
technological advance can be seen on the walls of the
cathedral; at a particular point in the building's walls,
the blocks of stone can be seen to increase in size.
By the time the building
was finished, including the Chapter House (1306), it already
seemed too small for the developing liturgy, in particular
the increasingly grand processions. A new spate of expansive
building was therefore initiated with Bishop John
Drokensford starting the proceedings by heightening of the
central tower and beginning a dramatic eight-sided Lady
chapel at the far east end, finished by 1326. Thomas of
Whitney was the master mason.
Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury
followed, continuing the eastward extension of the quire,
and the retro-quire beyond with its forest of pillars. He
also built Vicars' Close and the Vicars' Hall, to give the
men of the choir a secure place to live and dine, away from
the town with all its temptations. He enjoyed an uneasy
relationship with the citizens of Wells, partly because of
his imposition of taxes, and felt the need to surround his
palace with crenellated walls and a moat and drawbridge.
The appointment of William
Wynford as master mason in 1365 marked another period of
activity. He was one of the foremost architects of his time
and, apart from Wells, was engaged in work for the king at
Windsor and at New College, Oxford and Winchester Cathedral.
Under Bishop John Harewell, who raised money for the
project, he built the south-west tower of the West Front and
designed the north west, which was built to match in the
early 15th century. Inside the building he filled in the
early English lancet windows with delicate tracery.
In the 14th century, the
central piers of the crossing were found to be sinking under
the weight of the crossing tower, so the "scissor arches"
(inverted strainer arches that are such a striking feature)
were inserted to brace and stabilize the piers as a unit.
Tudors and civil war
By the reign of Henry VII the cathedral building was
complete, with an appearance much as today. Following the
dissolution of the monasteries in 1541 the income of the
cathedral was reduced; as a result medieval brasses were
sold off, and a pulpit was placed in the nave for the first
time. Between 1551 and 1568, in two periods as Dean, William
Turner established a Herbal garden, which has been recreated
between 2003 and 2010.
Elizabeth I gave both the
Chapter and the Vicars Choral a new charter in 1591 which
created a new governing body, consisting of the dean and
eight residentiary canons. This body had control over the
estates of the church as well as complete authority over its
affairs, but removed its right to elect its own dean.
The stability which the new
charter brought came to an end with the onset of the civil
war and the execution of Charles I. Local fighting led to
damage to the fabric of the cathedral including stonework,
furniture and windows. The dean at this time was Dr. Walter
Raleigh, a nephew of the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. He was
imprisoned after the fall of Bridgwater to the
Parliamentarians in 1645, brought back to Wells and confined
in the deanery. His jailer was the local shoe maker and city
constable, David Barrett, who caught him writing a letter to
his wife. When he refused to surrender it, Mr Barrett ran
him through with a sword, from which he died six weeks
later, on 10 October 1646 and he was buried in the choir
before the dean's stall. No inscription marks his grave.
During the Commonwealth of
England under Oliver Cromwell no dean was appointed and the
building fell into disrepair. The bishop was in retirement
and some clergy were reduced to performing menial tasks or
begging on the streets.
1660-1800
In 1661 when Charles II was restored to the throne,
Robert Creyghtone, who had served as the king's chaplain in
exile, was appointed as the dean and later served as the
bishop for two years before his death in 1672. His
magnificent brass lectern, given in thanksgiving, can still
be seen in the cathedral. He donated the great west window
of the nave at a cost of £140.
Following Creyghtone's
appointment as Bishop Ralph Bathurst, who had been president
of Trinity College, Oxford, chaplain to the king, fellow of
the Royal Society, took over as the dean. During his long
tenure restoration of the fabric of the cathedral took
place. During the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, puritan
soldiers damaged the West front, tore lead from the roof to
make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and the
furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the
nave. The work of restoration had to start all over again
under Bishop Thomas Ken who was appointed in that year and
served until 1691. He was one of seven bishops imprisoned
for refusing to sign King James II's "Declaration of
Indulgence", which would have enabled Catholics to resume
positions of political power, but popular support led to his
acquittal. He later refused to take the oath of allegiance
to William and Mary because James II had not formally
abdicated. Thomas Ken and others (known as the Non-Jurors;
the older meaning of "juror" is "one who takes an oath",
hence "perjurer" as "one who swears falsely") refused and
were put out of office. He was forced to retire to Frome.
Bishop Kidder who succeeded
him was killed during the Great Storm of 1703, when two
chimney stacks in the palace fell on the bishop and his
wife, asleep in bed. This same storm wrecked the Eddystone
lighthouse and blew in part of the great west window in
Wells.
Victorian era and
restoration
In the middle of the 19th century, a major restoration
programme was needed. Under Dean Goodenough the monuments
were removed to the cloisters and remaining medieval paint
and whitewash was removed in an operation known as 'the
great scrape'. Anthony Salvin, took charge of the extensive
restoration of the quire. The wooden galleries were removed
and new stalls with stone canopies were placed further back
within the line of the arches. The stone screen was pushed
outwards in the centre to support a new organ. Since then a
rolling programme of improvement to the fabric has been
continued.
The cathedral hosted the funeral of Harry Patch, the last
British Army veteran of the First World War, who died in
July 2009 at the age of 111.
Original records
Three early registers of the dean and chapter of Wells -
the Liber Albus I (White Book; R I), Liber Albus II (R III),
and Liber Ruber (Red Book; R II, section i) - were edited by
W. H. B. Bird for the Historical Manuscripts Commissioners
and published in 1907. These three books comprise, with some
repetition, a cartulary of possessions of the cathedral,
with grants of land dating back as early as the 8th century,
well before the development of hereditary surnames in
England; acts of the dean and chapter; and surveys of their
estates, mostly in Somerset.
Architecture
The interior of the cathedral is based on three aisles,
with stress being placed on horizontal, rather than vertical
lines. A unique feature in the crossing are the double
pointed inverted arches, known as owl-eyed strainer arches.
This unorthodox solution was found by the cathedral mason,
William Joy in 1338, to stop the central tower from
collapsing when another stage and spire were added to the
tower which had been begun in the 13th century. The capitals
in the south west arm of the transept include depictions
such as a bald-headed man, a man with toothache, a
thorn-extractor, and a moral tale: fruit thieves being
caught and punished.
The west façade, is 100
feet (30 m) high and 150 feet (46 m) wide with niches for
more than 500 medieval figure sculptures of which 300
survive. Between 1975 and 1986 the west front underwent a
major cleaning and restoration programme, including Silane
coating and Lime treatment for many of the statues.
The West front is composed
of a yellow stone, inferior oolite, of the middle Jurassic
period which came from the Doulting Stone Quarry about 8
miles (13 km) to the East.
Stained glass
Wells Cathedral contains one of the most substantial
collections of medieval stained glass in England.
Many of the windows were
damaged by soldiers in 1642 and 1643. The oldest surviving
are two windows on the west side of the Chapter House
staircase date from 1280–90, and two windows in the south
choir aisle which are from 1310–1320. The Lady Chapel range
is from 1325–1330, and includes images of local saint
Dunstan, however the east window underwent extensive repairs
by Thomas Willement in 1845. The choir east window is a fine
Jesse Tree, which includes significant silver stain, and is
flanked by two windows each side in the clerestory, with
large figures of saints, all of which are from 1340–1345.
The 1520 panels in the chapel of St Katherine are attributed
to Arnold of Nijmegen and were acquired from the destroyed
church of Saint-Jean, Rouen, the last panel was bought in
1953. The large triple lancet to the nave west end was
glazed at the expense of Dean Creyghton at a cost of £140 in
1664 and repaired in 1813. The central light was largely
replaced to a design by Archibald Keightley Nicholson
between 1925–1931. The main north and south transept end
windows are by Powell, and were erected in the early 20th
century.
Fittings and monuments
The cathedral contains architectural features and
fittings some dating back hundreds of years, and tombs and
monuments to bishops and noblemen.
The brass lectern in the
Lady Chapel is from 1661 and has a moulded stand and foliate
crest. In the north transept chapel is a 17th century oak
screen with columns, formerly part of cow stalls, with
artisan Ionic capitals and cornice, which is set forward
over chest tomb of John Godelee. There is a bound oak chest
from the 14th century which would have been used to store
the Chapter Seal and key documents. The Bishop's Throne
dates from 1340, and has a panelled, canted front and stone
doorway, and a deep nodding cusped ogee canopy over it, with
3 stepped statue niches and pinnacles. The throne was
restored by Anthony Salvin around 1850. Opposite the throne
is a 19th century pulpit, which is octagonal on a coved base
with panelled sides, and steps up from the north aisle. The
round font in the south transept is from the former Saxon
cathedral, it has an arcade of round-headed arches, on a
round plinth and a cover made in 1635 cover with heads of
putti round sides. The Chapel of St Martin is a memorial to
every Somerset man who fell in World War I.
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The ceiling of Wells Cathedral.
Wells Cathedral. Plan, showing the four massive piers of the crossing
(centre),
the octagonal chapter house (top) and the extended east end (right)
PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL

Peterborough Cathedral. West Front (facade)

Peterborough Cathedral
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Peterborough Cathedral
From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
Peterborough Cathedral,
properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St
Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral – the seat of
the Bishop of Peterborough, England, and is dedicated to
Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look
down from the three high gables of the famous West Front.
Founded in the Anglo-Saxon period, the architecture is
mainly Norman, following a rebuilding in the 12th century.
With Durham and Ely Cathedrals, it is one of the most
important 12th century buildings in England to have remained
largely intact, despite extensions and restoration.
Peterborough Cathedral is
known for its imposing Early English Gothic West Front
(façade) which, with its three enormous arches, is without
architectural precedent and with no direct successor. The
appearance is slightly asymmetrical, as one of the two
towers that rise from behind the façade was never completed,
but this is only visible from a distance, while the effect
of the West Front upon entering the Cathedral Close is
overwhelming.

Peterborough Cathedral
History
Anglo-Saxon origins
The original church, known simply as "Medeshamstede",
was founded in the reign of the Anglo-Saxon King Peada of
the Middle Angles in about 655 AD, as one of the first
centres of Christianity in central England. The monastic
settlement with which the church was associated lasted at
least until 870, when it was supposedly destroyed by
Vikings.
In the mid 10th century
monastic revival (in which churches at Ely and Ramsey were
also refounded) a Benedictine Abbey was created and endowed
in 966, principally by Athelwold, Bishop of Winchester, from
what remained of the earlier church, with "a basilica
[church] there furbished with suitable structures of halls,
and enriched with surrounding lands" and more extensive
buildings which saw the aisle built out to the west with a
second tower added. The original central tower was, however,
retained. It was dedicated to St Peter, and came to be
called a burgh, hence the town surrounding the abbey was
eventually named Peter-burgh. The community was further
revived in 972 by Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.
This newer church had as
its major focal point a substantial western tower with a "Rhenish
Helm" and was largely constructed of ashlar. Only a small
section of the foundations of the Saxon church remain
beneath the south transept but there are several significant
artefacts, including Saxon carvings such as the 'Hedda
Stone', from the earlier building.
In 2008, Anglo-Saxon grave
markers were reported to have been found by workmen
repairing a wall in the cathedral precincts. The grave
markers are said to date to the 11th century, and probably
belonged to "townsfolk".
Norman and medieval
architectural evolution
Although damaged during the struggle between the Norman
invaders and local folk-hero, Hereward the Wake, it was
repaired and continued to thrive until destroyed by an
accidental fire in 1116. This event necessitated the
building of a new church in the Norman style, begun by Abbot
John de Sais on 8 March 1118 (Old Style). By 1193 the
building was completed to the western end of the Nave,
including the central tower and the decorated wooden ceiling
of the nave. The ceiling, completed between 1230 and 1250,
still survives. It is unique in Britain and one of only four
such ceilings in the whole of Europe It has been
over-painted twice, once in 1745, then in 1834, but still
retains the character and style of the original. (The
painted nave ceiling of Ely Cathedral, by contrast, is
entirely a Victorian creation.)
The church was largely
built of Barnack limestone from quarries on its own land,
and it was paid annually for access to these quarries by the
builders of Ely Cathedral and Ramsey Abbey in thousands of
eels (eg 4,000 each year for Ramsey). Cathedral historians
believe that part of the placing of the church in the
location it is in is due to the easy ability to transfer
quarried stones by river and then to the existing site
allowing it to grow without being relocated.
Then, after completing the
Western transept and adding the Great West Front Portico in
1237, the medieval masons switched over to the new Gothic
style. Apart from changes to the windows, the insertion of a
porch to support the free-standing pillars of the portico
and the addition of a ‘new’ building at the east end around
the beginning of the 16th century, the structure of the
building remains essentially as it was on completion almost
800 years ago. The completed building was consecrated in
1238 by Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, within whose
diocese it then fell.
The Great West Front, the
defining image of Peterborough Cathedral, is unrivalled in
medieval architecture due to the trio of arches it displays.
The cluster of spires behind it, including what is an
unprecedented four towers, evolved through more practical
reasons. This was caused by the retaining of the earlier
Norman front towers which, when the gothic front was added,
became obsolete. Rather than demolish them and rebuild new
stretches of the wall where these older towers stood, they
were retained and had cornices and other gothic decor added
whilst another two towers were then built in front of them
to create a continuous frontage.
The Norman tower was
rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style in about 1350-1380
(its main beams and roof bosses survive) with two tiers of
Romanesque windows combined into a single set of Gothic
windows, with the turreted cap and pinnacles removed and
replaced by battlements. Between 1496 and 1508 the
Presbytery roof was replaced and the 'New Building', a
rectangular building built around the end of the Norman
eastern apse, with Perpendicular fan vaulting (probably
designed by John Wastell, the architect of King's College
Chapel, Cambridge and the Bell Harry Tower at Canterbury
Cathedral), was added.
Monastic life
From the mid-12th century monk, Hugh Candidus, we have a
detailed record of the contents of the Abbey's reliquaries ,
which included two pieces of swaddling clothes which wrapped
the baby Jesus, pieces of Jesus' manger, a part of the five
loaves which fed the 5,000, a piece of the raiment of St
Mary, a piece of Aaron's rod, and relics of St Peter, St
Paul and St Andrew - to whom the church is dedicated.
Most famous, however, was
the supposed arm of St Oswald, which disappeared from its
chapel, probably during the Reformation, despite a
watch-tower having been built for monks to guard its
reliquary), and various contact relics of Thomas Becket,
brought from Canterbury in a special reliquary by its Prior
Benedict (who had witnessed Becket's assassination) when he
was 'promoted' to Abbot of Peterborough.
All of these created an
aura of great importance around what is today Peterborough
Cathedral, making it at the zenith of its wealth just before
the Reformation the sixth largest monastery in England in
terms of income with 120 monks at it and departments
including an Almoner, an Infirmarian, a Sacristan and a
Cellarer.
Tudor
In 1541, following Henry VIII's Dissolution of the
Monasteries, the relics were lost but the church survived by
not being sold off and instead being selected as the
cathedral of the new Diocese of Peterborough. This may have
been related to the fact that Henry's former queen,
Katherine of Aragon, had been buried there in 1536. Her
grave can still be seen and is nowadays honoured by visitors
and often decorated with flowers and pomegranates (her
symbol). It carries the legend "Katharine Queen of England",
a title she was denied at the time of her death.
In 1587, the body of Mary,
Queen of Scots, was also buried here after her execution at
nearby Fotheringhay Castle, but it was later removed to
Westminster Abbey on the orders of her son, King James I of
England.
Civil War to present
The cathedral was vandalised during the English Civil
War in 1643 by Parliamentarian troops. As was common at the
time, almost all the stained glass and the medieval choir
stalls were destroyed, and the high altar and reredos were
demolished, as were the cloisters and Lady Chapel. All the
monuments and memorials of the Cathedral were also damaged
or destroyed.
Some of the damage was
repaired during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1883,
extensive restoration work began, with the interior pillars,
the choir and the west front being completely rebuilt under
the supervision of John Loughborough Pearson, and new
hand-carved choir stalls, cathedra (bishop's throne), choir
pulpit and the marble pavement and high altar being added. A
stepped level of battlements was removed from the central
tower, reducing its height slightly.
In the early evening of 22
November 2001 the cathedral was hit by a fire started
deliberately amongst plastic chairs stored in the North
Choir Aisle. Fortunately the fire was spotted by one of the
vergers allowing a swift response by emergency services. The
timing was particularly unfortunate as a complete
restoration of the painted wooden ceiling was nearing
completion. The oily smoke given off by the plastic chairs
was particularly damaging, coating much of the building with
a sticky black layer. The seat of the fire was close to the
organ and the combination of direct damage from the fire,
and the water used to extinguish necessitated a full-scale
rebuild of the instrument, putting it out of action for
several years.
An extensive programme of
repairs to the west front began in July 2006 and will cost
in excess of half a million pounds. This work is
concentrated around the statues located in niches which have
been so badly affected by years of pollution and weathering
that, in some cases, they have only stayed intact thanks to
iron bars inserted through them from the head to the body.
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Peterborough Cathedral. The nave. The hanging crucifix or
rood designed by George Pace in 1975, the figure of Christ is by Frank
Roper.
Peterborough Cathedral. Plan
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