Philip A. Robson

“ The borders and other ornaments are rich and varied in colour; and considering that the east end of the presbytery is somewhat dimly lit, it was unquestionably desirable that the designs of the mosaics should be firm in drawing. The heads are perhaps the best part, which is no small achievement, being as a rule the worst executed. The effect of the mosaics, with their shimmer of gold, and solemn figures lighting up the dark wall of the sanctuary, is by no means bad, and, moreover, they harmonise with the deep hues of the surrounding stonework. ”

“ Freeman and Jones, the historians of the cathedral, that when ancient alterations had become stereotyped as a part of an historical monument, all change in them not included under the term restoration is set down as to be in itself reprehended, only to be justified by special circumstances, the burden of proving whose existence rests, in every case, with the innovator. ”

“ It consists of a series of arches, with a hollow ornamented by Gower’s four-leaved flower, carried down on octagonal shafts, which rest on corbels of considerable variety about two feet down the wall. Above the arcade is a corbel-table carrying a projecting battlemented cornice. The battlements have extremely narrow embrasures and loopholes. The sills of the arcade are steeply slanted outwards, and the jambs show the old shape of the roof and finish with a neat weathered projection. Great richness is obtained above the arcade from the various coloured stones employed. ”

“ The arches, one on each side, which divide the chapel from the aisles, command admiration for the justness of their proportions and the purity of their detail, being well moulded, and having shafts with good capitals and bases; the stone screens also with which they are fitted up increase the effect of elegant{61} richness. It is much to be regretted that they should remain exposed to the effect of the weather, even comparatively sheltered as they are by the main body of the cathedral. ”

“ A large arched piscina can be seen on the south wall inside, and at the east corner a double-bodied grotesque. In the north-east angle is the belfry turret, which terminates in a very pleasing broached spire; but the porch, which occupied the angle between the chapel and the domestic buildings, is all destroyed.
Of the Domestic Buildings to the north-west less remains than of any other part. The well of the palace is to be seen in a crypt, and a fine example of a stone chimney-place with brackets, like the one in the library of the cathedral, is also worthy of notice. ”

“ The chapel has served as a chapter-house, library, and vestry, and on its south side has a very beautiful double piscina, in character purely Early English. The trefoiled heads are characteristically moulded and the spandrils richly carved, one with stiff-leaved foliage, another with a bird and foliage, and the third represents a fight between a man and a devil which is trying to devour another man. ”

“ The ceiling of the south aisle, which until lately was open, showing the rough timbers above, has been panelled in completion of the ancient design. The parapet and pinnacles have also been repaired.
The walls internally of the nave and south aisle and the piers and arches have been cleaned, restored, and pointed.
The north transept has been groined in oak, carrying out the design which had been commenced in stone. The modern roof, which was truncated and of very slight timbers, has been strengthened, and the pitch carried up to fit the fifteenth century gable. ”

“ The South Chapel Aisle.—On coming through the east door of the south choir aisle we enter the Chapel of King Edward the Confessor, and we notice on the right a Decorated recess said to have contained the monument of a priest; but the great buttresses, which meet the eye looking east, are only temporary supports and in no sense form part of the original design. Opposite the Decorated recess is the tomb of a knight (8) , but unfortunately this has been badly treated at the hands of the buttress builders. ”

“ TOMB OF A PRIEST, N. SIDE OF N. CHAPEL.
his feet resting on a dog and his hands clasped. The head rests on a canopy of a spherical triangle crocketed. Freeman (p. 120) notes that a similar canopy occurs elsewhere in the cathedral, also in a small tomb in the chancel of Carew Church, and in an external tomb at Nangle in Pembrokeshire. But it is the main arch or canopy of the tomb that is its chief glory, and, strangely enough, the part least noticed by previous writers. The subtlety and delicacy of the mouldings is worth careful examination. ”

“ On the north side, facing the nave is a peculiarly flat and shallow arcade in three bays, which formed a kind of reredos to the altar of the Holy Cross—the piscina being on the north. On the oblique side, facing north-west is a doorway with a semi-octagonal arch leading to the roof and organ loft. ”

“ The interior of the west front has been as nearly as possible restored to its former state, but has now no triforium passage. There are a couple of tiers of windows over the original west entrance. All the lights are round-headed and are set in a Norman rear-arch.
Some of the nave piers still show traces of polychromatic decoration. On the north and south sides, on the easternmost pier but one, are the remains of some frescoes, as also on the middle pier of the south arcade. But Bishop Field’s white-wash of 1630, which was removed about 1830 under the careful superintendence of the Ven. ”

“ The details of the arcade are of an interesting character. The piers are alternately round and octagonal (irregular) , with attached shafts at the cardinal points. Towards the aisles the shafts are clustered, being intended for vaulting. The plinths are more varied than is usual, but the tongue of foliage, which is a favourite method of ornamenting the space caused by the change from the square to the round or octagonal, is here conspicuous by only one example, and that a timid one on the south side. ”

“ On the south side towards the east is one of special beauty, where one sees how the carver has treated the Norman cushion cap as a boss on which to let his fancy play. The arches are of exceptional richness and elaborately moulded towards the nave—in fact, just as little of the Romanesque character as is consistent with the Norman arch is retained. The westernmost arches, being narrower in span than the others, are skilfully kept the same in height by being pointed, and the details differ ”

“ The roof is of excellent fan-tracery, consisting of two bays, running north and south, with a small portion of panelled barrel vaulting at each end. It rises from shafts, of which the{62} central ones at each end are corbelled off. The eastern one would have interfered with the altar of the chapel, the western with the doorway [62] which then opened behind the high altar, and whose arch may still be traced.” The angel which acts as a corbel over the Transitional recess is very finely conceived and carved, as also are the bosses of sculpture on the screens. ”

“ The walls, pillars, arches, &c., of the eastern arm, are now put into a thorough state of repair; and the beauty of the interior will be greatly increased by the munificence of the Rev. John Lucy, of Hampton Lucy, in Warwickshire, who, as a memorial of Bishop Lucy, a member of the ancient family to which he belongs, has undertaken to fill the upper tier of windows in the east end with stained glass, and the lower tier (blocked up by Bishop Vaughan’s Chapel) with Venetian enamel mosaic work, the opaque co-relative of stained glass, though a much more costly form of art. ”

“ It has three low rounded arches, the centre being the widest, and over each was a chamfered quatrefoil, and between these were two rather high niches. A string runs round the each opening, but does not run along the base of the quatrefoils. Quite recently stones were to be seen in the pavement hollowed by continual friction with the knees of the pilgrims. Undoubtedly this shrine suffered when the presbytery arcade was walled up owing to the collapse of the aisle roofs, but now that all is dry and in good repair the three saints might well be repainted. ”

“ The Rood Screen.—The elaborate rood-screen, which separates the nave and choir, projects into the nave nearly half a bay. A daïs [14] of three steps in height occupies the remainder of the bay. The entrance to the choir is vaulted in two bays, and there are some very unusual flying groin-ribs, which are shown in the illustration. The work is unmistakably that of Bishop Gower (1328-1347) , and was perhaps the completion of the Decorated scheme which he inaugurated throughout the fabric. On the sunny south side the tomb of the Bishop gains by contrast with the heavy arch-shadow. ”

“ The Sedilia are of a pleasing Perpendicular design, with a cornice in oak of a peculiar white colour, which leads one to suppose that they were once coloured. The canopy work and coved cornice are better in detail and general design than those of the stalls. The buttresses which divide the seats are pierced with tracery, and are surmounted with crocketed pinnacles. ”

“ It is not quite clear whether the jupon, which falls in a fringe round the hips, is meant to have sleeves, or whether the figure has a hauberk with short sleeves, those of the tunic appearing beneath them. The hands are clasped; there is a richly decorated belt and sword; the legs have complete plate armour, with genouillères; the feet have spurs, and rest on a lion.”
In a corresponding position in the north choir aisle is another very similar tomb (No. 11) , evidently of a member of the same family, probably by the same designer. ”

“ Finally, when Bishop Vaughan added his chapel behind the east end the lower lancets were walled up. During the Civil War the lead was stripped from the aisle roofs and the main{40} arcades of the presbytery were filled up by walling, and the huge props to the roof were inserted which appear in Freeman’s view. The eastern windows are deeply recessed, and the banded shafts have caps of stiff-leaved foliage, and angels form the termination to the hood-moulding. ”

“ It cannot have been from any want of ability, and we incline to the belief that it was the result of a genuine desire to make the new work harmonise with that in the nave and, by re-using a certain amount of old material, to relieve a possibly not overflowing exchequer of a larger disbursement. In the fifteenth century the steep-pitched roof of cradle-pattern, marks of which remain on the tower, was removed, the gable lowered, and the walls at each side raised about six feet. A roof of very flat pitch (as now) and the Perpendicular east window were added. ”

“ This piscina is interesting, apart from its beauty, as showing that the Early English architects could work purely in that style when they desired, and that in all probability their use of Transitional detail was prompted by their artistic sense and desire to make their work harmonise with their predecessors’. The vaulting rises from octagonal shafts with round flowered caps, and the bosses at the crossing of the ribs are elaborate. One contains the head of our Lord, and another a similar subject, but the Head censed by angels. ”

“ Under the easternmost window in this aisle is the effigy of a vested priest with raised hands. The recess is Decorated, and has a foliated canopy which is remarkable as being the only instance of ball-flower in the church except that in the Decorated stage of the tower. In the westernmost bay (No. 21) is a much worn tomb of an ecclesiastic holding a book in his right hand.{79}
The easternmost bay of the north side of the presbytery (No. 13) is occupied by the monument to Thomas Lloyd, Treasurer (d. 1613) . ”

“ In 1862 Scott was requisitioned by Bishop Thirlwall to examine the fabric and make a report on its proposed complete restoration, and in 1869 he was able, in his second report, to announce the satisfactory repair of the tower. This work was one of extreme difficulty, as will be seen from the Appendix (see p. 97) . The church was then for the first time properly drained; and the next parts to be taken in hand by Scott were the Choir, Presbytery and their aisles, and after that De Leiâ’s original Transitional work, at a cost of about £40,000. ”

“ By the employment of vast pendants, which at the sides take the form of overlapping capitals to the small shafts already mentioned, the ceiling appears to be supported by a system of segmental arches effecting a threefold longitudinal division of the roof, and crossed by a similar range springing from the walls. Of course these arches in reality support nothing, but are in fact borne up by what appears to rest on them. ”

“ VIEW LOOKING N. IN ANTE-CHAPEL TO LADY CHAPEL.
This chapel is roofed with a neat Perpendicular vault and lit with a poor Perpendicular window, and a couple of depressed arches (i.e., with their springing below the capitals) open into the Lady Chapel. An enormous buttress, however, is an unsightly necessity to prevent the wall above these arches falling eastwards. Our view (page 67) is taken from the east, looking west, and shows one of these arches and, on the south side, the fine Decorated tomb of Bishop Martyn. ”

“ A strong horizontal line is carried east and west, close above the Norman hood-moulding, which, combined with the great width of the nave and the huge span of the arches, conduces towards the feeling of stuntedness already noticed in the exterior.
The deeply recessed clerestory of round-headed windows is curiously amalgamated with the triforium of couplets having pointed arches ”

“ Internally they form a continuous arcade, supported on little clusters of light shafts, while externally—the lights being narrow, and the piers between them wide—the latter are occupied each by a double niche, a fellow to which flanks either jamb, so that while the arcade within consists of four arches, that without is formed of four groups of arches, making twelve in all—four being windows and eight niches. ”