Worcester Cathedral

“ PEDESTAL OF THE SHRINE OF BISHOP CANTILUPE.
Plate IV.
{H-23}
The shafts at the angles of all the windows are ringed, and the triangular arches, throughout the transept, are slightly stilted. Such arches are by no means common. They occur, however, in the clerestory on the south side of the nave in Worcester Cathedral, but of later date than this transept, which was possibly imitated by the Worcester architect.
This transept has been carefully and truly “restored,” under the direction of Mr. G. G. Scott. The stone-work has been freed from whitewash and cleaned ”

“ Worcester is one of the most aristocratic looking towns in England, and presents every token of being a wealthy and flourishing place. Its cathedral, an edifice of the beginning of the thirteenth century, has drawn hither many a pilgrim foot even from foreign countries. Our present business, however, is with the works of nature, or with those of art fallen into decay, and their fragments standing amidst the eternal youth of the hills and rivers, like monuments of the insignificance of man. ”

“ She had run to and fro in the dank darkness, beating first upon the door beneath the Convent cloisters, then upon the door, a mile away, leading into the Cathedral crypt.
But the nuns were shut into their cells, beyond the cloister; the good people of Worcester city slept peacefully, not dreaming of the despairing figure running to and fro beneath them—tottering, stumbling, falling, arising to fall again, yet hurrying blindly onwards ”

“ There are traditions of the existence of human skin on doors at Worcester Cathedral, where it is said to have belonged to a robber who stole the sanctus bell from the high altar, and at Hadstock and Copford, East Anglian churches. In these latter cases the Danes are again mentioned. In 1848 all these doors had been removed from their original positions (the old north doors of Worcester being still preserved in the crypt) but Mr. Way succeeded in obtaining fragments of the parchment-like substance from each for microscopic examination. ”

“ Worcester's most conspicuous building is the cathedral, its tower being prominently seen from miles around. Its western front overlooks the Severn, and the ground-plan is an elongated rectangle with small double transepts. The choir and portions of the nave are the original work, most of the remainder being restored. St. Dunstan's successor, Bishop Oswald, built the first cathedral here, and during the progress of the work he met an unexpected check. The ancient chronicler tells us that a large stone became immovable, and despite every exertion could not be brought to its proper place. ”

“ Mr. Collins gives us another proof that "art is long" by his skilful rendering of the beautiful portion of Worcester Cathedral here shown.
At the period of the Roman invasion of England, two British tribes, the Cornavii and Dobuni, were in part ownership of Worcestershire. This British settlement was promptly annexed by the Romans as a military station, and was included in the division called Flavia Cæsariensis. ”

“ It is from one of the tombs in Worcester Cathedral of the early thirteenth century; there are numbers of equally fine ones to be seen on the effigies of priests and bishops in our old parish and cathedral churches all over the country; the older they are, the fuller and softer-looking is the vestment as a rule. ”

“ In these latter days, being more neglected, much dilapidation existed, and important parts of the edifices were threatened with entire destruction. A new spirit of enterprise has been infused into the people, and repairs have been vigorously prosecuted. In some instances, large portions have been refaced on the outside.
In the instance of Worcester Cathedral, the great tower was nearly rebuilt ten years ago. ”

“ The last occasion upon which a stranger was called upon to conduct was in 1842, when, in consequence of the illness of the then organist of Worcester cathedral, the baton was placed in the hands of Mr. Joseph Surman. Until 1859 the first morning of the festival was devoted to the performance of cathedral service by the whole of the performers, but since that time the service has been performed at an early hour by the members of the Three Choirs only, to organ accompaniment, and an oratorio given later in the day. ”

“ Such a transept, “equal in height to the central alley of the presbytery, is only to be found elsewhere in England in the late Norman of Canterbury (c. 1096) , and York (c. 1160) ; and in the Early English of Lincoln (c. 1186) , Salisbury (c. 1220) , Beverley, and Rochester. On the Continent the only known examples of this feature are S. Benoit sur Loire (c. 1080) , and Cluny (c. 1089) , the former of which was doubtless the prototype of the English examples.”—Willis’s Architectural History of Worcester Cathedral. ”

“ Worcester Cathedral—Coaching to Malvern—Great and Little Malvern—Tewksbury—Wars of the Roses—Bredon—Sunday at Kemerton—May’s Hill—The Cuckoo—Gloucester—The Church at Highnam—Architectural beauty of Gloucester Cathedral—Effect in twilight. ”

“ Early English (1200-1250) —Lady Chapel, crypt. (1282-1287) —North transept. Decorated (1300-1360) —Walls and windows of aisles, choir transepts, upper part of tower, stalls and throne. Perpendicular (1400-1530) —Cloisters, windows in south transept, north porch, Audley and Stanbery Chantries. Modern—West front, triforium and clerestory of nave, east front, library.
[216]
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL Worcester has many points of interest outside its Cathedral. All round the city is historic ground. It was the battlefield of Briton, Roman, Saxon, Dane and Norman. ”

“ Happily, the Severn covers but a few hundred yards in its passage from the racecourse to the city of Worcester itself, and so excited were the crowd over the fall and appearance of our air-ship that we contrived to slip away quite unobserved, to glide under the bridge that cut off Worcester from its suburbs, and to float past the cathedral, close to which stand the grey, old monastic ruins. ”

“ Between the years 1788 and 1797 he expended a sum of £20,000 on this cathedral; shortening the nave by one entire bay; destroying the Norman triforium and clerestory, which he replaced by others of his own device; and constructing the present west front, which it is to be hoped will not be permitted to exist much longer. In 1841, at the request of the late Bishop Musgrave, a report on the actual condition of the cathedral was drawn up by Professor Willis ”

“ In the left (northern) wall of the Sanctuary is a niche made of stones from Worcester and Ely Cathedrals, England. On the upper surface of the stone bracket forming the shelf of the niche is carved “Ely 1320.” The stones from the Lady Chapel of Worcester Cathedral were given to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine by Canon George William Douglas of New York who procured them from Canon J. M. Wilson, Archdeacon of Worcester. [47] On the stones on either side of the recess is carved:
“These Stones from ‖ the Cathedral ‖ of Christ and ‖ St. ”

“ In its present form, therefore, the minster shows examples of the Early English Decorated, and early and late Perpendicular styles. The most striking features of the exterior are the noble west façade in the Decorated and the imposing central tower in the Perpendicular style.
Gloucester Cathedral stands on a site consecrated to religious purposes since the seventh century. The church was raised to cathedral dignity in 1541, having previously been included in the diocese of Worcester. In its present form the body of the church is the work of Abbot Serlo at the end of the eleventh century ”

“ Its stubborn retention by the Parliamentary party in a Royalist country, and its defence by Massey, entitles it to rank with Royalist Worcester as among the most conspicuous centres of strife in that distressing conflict. But strangers nowadays only visit Gloucester to see the Cathedral—an expedition well worth the making. Belonging to the middle group of cathedrals in size, this one is chiefly celebrated for its beautiful tower and cloisters, both of the Perpendicular period. ”

“ Such scenes are very frequent on the misereres of the old cathedrals and collegiate churches. Thus, in the stalls at Worcester Cathedral, there is a droll figure of a man seated before a fire in a kitchen well stored with flitches of bacon, he himself occupied in attending to the boiling pot, while he warms his feet, for which purpose he has taken off his shoes. In a similar carving in Hereford Cathedral, a man, also in the kitchen, is seen attempting to take liberties with the cook maid, who throws a platter at his head. A copy of this curious subject is given in cut No. ”

“ Close to these cloistral steps a burial-place,
That every foot might fall with heavier tread,
Trampling upon his vileness. Stranger, pass
Softly!—To save the contrite, Jesus bled.
[Pg 202]
FOOTNOTES:
[565] This, and the following sonnet on the tradition of Oker Hill, first published in The Keepsake of 1829, appeared in the 1832 edition of the Poetical Works.—Ed.
[566] The stone is in the cloisters of Worcester Cathedral, at the north-west corner of the quadrangle, just below the doorway leading into the nave of the cathedral. It is a small stone, two feet, by one and a half. ”

“ The work resembles the leafage of the Cantilupe Shrine, and is possibly by the same hand. In a recess decorated with the ball-flower under the arch opening to the vestibule of the Lady-chapel, is the effigy of an unknown lady, (fourteenth century,) dug up outside the church during the restorations. Against the walls of the transept are ranged some coffin slabs, with floriated and enriched crosses, found at different times and in various parts of the cathedral. ”

“ At Salisbury, Wells, Lincoln and Worcester a single massive shaft supports the vault.
In examining a cathedral we must remember that many changes have taken place since the first stone was laid. If the monks were fortunate enough to have a full treasury, they kept up with the architectural styles. They would pull down the old nave, or choir, or transepts, and erect new buildings, lower the pitch of{xii} the roof, add a new porch or door, or insert new windows in the ancient walls. Fires were frequent and lightning and winds often played havoc with towers and spires. ”

“ The putting of the fine new organ into the cathedral at Worcester was a great event, and brought many organists to play there at various times. I went to hear them all. The services at the cathedral were over later on Sunday than those at the Catholic church, and as soon as the voluntary was finished at the church I used to rush over to the cathedral to hear the concluding voluntary. Eventually I succeeded my father as organist at St. George's. We lived at that time in the parish of St. Helen's, in which is the mother church of Worcester, which had a peal of eight bells. ”

“ The most important public buildings are the cathedral, the shire-hall, the guild-hall, the county prison, the city library, the Worcester museum, the corn exchange, the music-hall, and a city grammar school, founded by Queen Elizabeth. A cathedral, dedicated to Saint Peter, was founded as early as the seventh century. In 1084 Bishop Wulfstan laid the foundation of a new cathedral, which was not completed till 1216. ”

“ Grecian art and philosophy with Roman statesmanship have furnished the basis of modern civilization, as the Gospel of our Lord has furnished the inspiration—even as we see exemplified in the evolution of the heaven-aspiring Christian cathedral. ”

“ The arrangement of the shafts is not quite so bold and various as in some other Early English work—the choirs of Ely and Worcester, for example.
The capitals are finely carved, though small. Those in the north transept are rather richer than those in the south. ”

“ In an inventory of 1538 the "Bishop's Chapel" at St. Saviour's is styled "the little Chapel of our Lady," which perhaps indicates that there was an altar to the Virgin in the retro-choir. Two Lady Chapels in one church are not unknown, as, e.g., at Canterbury Cathedral, where there was one in the north-west transept, now called "the Dean's Chapel," and another in the crypt under the high altar. ”

“ The modern restoration is indicated by a cross (patée) carved on the central buttress on this side of the Cathedral, which marks the stone laid by King Edward VII on 24th July, 1900, when His Majesty was Prince of Wales.
The West Front is chiefly remarkable as presenting a dead wall where we usually expect to find the grand entrance. It is a debated question among antiquaries and architects whether the first Norman church ever had a doorway in this front; and the question has not got beyond conjecture as to the Early English church which superseded it in the thirteenth century. ”

“ They are now tightly packed in a case, exactly as they were discovered, for their better protection against relic hunters, whose ideas of property, when it happens to be of a portable kind, are a constant source of anxiety to the vergers.
Our progress along the north wall is here interrupted by the projecting transept, which touches the wooden fence separating the Cathedral from private property. Neither the north end of this transept, nor the north side of the "Lady Chapel," is to be seen from the exterior. ”

“ This small building was destroyed in 1830, as interfering with the approach to new London Bridge, when the body of Bishop Andrewes was transferred to its present place in the retro-choir.
In the eighteenth century the interior was altered in various details, with the object of bringing it into harmony with the current notions of ecclesiastical beauty, and the classical forms which architecture had assumed. In the year 1703 a new altar-piece, in the Corinthian style, was erected in front of Bishop Fox's fine stone screen, which it completely concealed. ”