Read Ebook: Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Norwich A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Episcopal See by Quennell C H B Charles Henry Bourne

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#The North Transept#, and generally the north side of the cathedral, are more conveniently examined from the gardens of the bishop's palace, whence this portion of the exterior of the cathedral can best be seen.

The details of the fabric on the north side are essentially the same as those described to the south side of cathedral; though here the work has been less restored, and consequently is of more interest to the student. The original Norman chapel, now used as a store-house, projects eastward from the north transept; a corresponding feature occurred in the south transept, but has long since vanished.

"Before the late times the combination sermons were preached, in the summer time, at the Cross in the Green Yard where there was a good accommodation for the auditors. The mayor, aldermen, with their wives and officers, had a well-contrived place built against the wall of the Bishop's palace, covered with lead, so that they were not offended by rain. Upon the north side of the church, places were built gallery wise, one above another, where the dean, prebends and their wives, gentlemen, and the better sort, very well heard the sermon: the rest either stood or sat in the green, upon long forms provided for them, paying a penny or half-penny a-piece, as they did at S. Paul's Cross in London. The Bishop and chancellor heard the sermons at the windows of the Bishop's palace: the pulpit had a large covering of lead over it, and a cross upon it; and there were eight or ten stairs of stone about it, upon which the hospital boys and others stood. The preacher had his face to the south, and there was a painted board of a foot and a half broad and about a yard and a half long hanging over his head, before, upon which were painted the names of the benefactors towards the Combination Sermon which he particularly commemorated in his prayer...."

THE INTERIOR

Norwich Cathedral is justly celebrated for the beauty of its interior. Entering from the upper close by the north aisle door, and then taking a position immediately under the great west window, facing east, there is before one the long perspective of the Norman nave, the choir and presbytery, while overhead comes the later vault, telling richly by contrast with the severe plainness of the earlier work below. The extreme length of the cathedral is about 407 feet. The nave, always long in Norman churches, is here over 200 feet from the west door to the choir screen. Although some critics object to the position of the organ on this same screen, there can be no doubt that, not only is it a most admirable position for the instrument acoustically, but also that its presence here does not detract from the general effect of the interior. From the west end of the nave, as a dark silhouette against the eastern apsidal windows, or as an object in the middle distance, it helps the spectator to realise the length of the cathedral. A certain sense of mystery and something undiscerned adds to the charm of an interior, and the organ here helps, with the screen, to enshrine the eastern arm and most sacred portion of the building, and interrupts the vista for the sake of which disastrous sacrifices have been made in many of our cathedral churches.

#The Nave# consists of seven double bays; in all, fourteen compartments from the west end to the tower crossing.

It will be noticed that, in the plan , a square of the nave, occupying longitudinally the space of two bays of the aisles, is indicated by the dotted lines; also a main pier is marked as Y and a subsidiary pier as z.

The bases of the shafts have been Perpendicularised, probably when the vault was added, and the Norman character of the lateral shafts spoilt by scraping.

The billet enrichment on the main arches, and the chevron or zig-zag on those of the triforium, have been looked upon as indicating that this part of the building--the five western bays of nave--is later than the presbytery, the arches there lacking this ornament. But as these are quite the earliest forms of ornament used by the Norman builders, their occurrence here at Norwich cannot prove much. It is better perhaps to reserve judgment, and be content with merely stating the facts and the more generally accredited theories as to the age of the western part of the nave.

The subsidiary circular columns in the fifth bay of the nave from the west end should be noticed. A small enriched shaft in the clerestory of the north transept is here illustrated. This very beautiful style of treatment was common to the Norman builder, with the Romanesque, and the Romans before them.

#The Choir Screen# crosses the nave between the subsidiary piers to the sixth bay. Of the original work erected by Bishop Lyhart, 1446-72, the sub-structure of the present screen is the only portion remaining. Traces of two altars, one on either side of the doorway, can still be seen; these were originally dedicated to St. William of Norwich and St. Mary. These altars were enclosed in chapels formed by screens coming forward to the extent of half the bay, and stopped against the main nave piers on either side--the double vaulting shafts on the face of which are stopped by corbels, carved as heads, at about the height that the chapels would have reached. They were vaulted over, and above came the rood loft and organ. The rood loft was damaged by the Puritans, and probably removed after the Restoration. Dean Crofts, in 1660, set up a new organ.

In Britton's "Norwich," 1816, the upper stage of the choir screen is shown divided into square panels, occurring vertically over the lower stage; the screens to the chapels before referred to having been destroyed. In 1833 Salvin remodelled the choir, and turned his attention to the choir screen: the organ was placed in its present position, and cased with the frame of that instrument which Dean Crofts had set up in 1660; and the overhanging vault to the screen was added.

The carved bosses here at Norwich, occurring at the intersection of the ribs, are worth careful study. Those who care to go into the matter in the fullest detail should consult Dean Goulburn's book published in 1876, which not only gives an admirable history of the fabric and the See, but enters fully into the detail and symbolic meaning of each of the 328 bosses.

In this list, compiled from that volume, mention is made only of those bosses on the main longitudinal rib of the vault; it is hoped that this method will enable the visitor to readily enter into the meaning of any group of bosses, by providing a keynote to the whole. The subjects are taken from Bible history, and each epoch is usually grouped around some central incident figured on the main longitudinal ribs. In each bay No. 4 is the large central boss.

#The Easternmost Bay.--No. 1.#

The Creation of Light. A Figure of the Almighty. A White Hart. The Temptation. A White Swan. The Death of Cain.

#The Second Bay.--No. 2.#

Cain driven out as a Fugitive. Noah building the Ark. Noah's Drunkenness. The Ark on the Waters. Meaning indefinite. Noah planting the Vine.

#The Third Bay.--No. 3.#

The Building of the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel shown as Feudal Fortress. Abraham entertaining an Angel. Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Jacob deceiving Isaac. Isaac blessing Esau.

#The Fourth Bay.--No. 4.#

Sarah at the Door of Abraham's House. Jacob going to Padan-Aram. Jacob wrestling with the Angel. Jacob pilling the Green Poplar Rods. Jacob's Ladder. Jacob making the Covenant with Laban.

#The Fifth Bay.--No. 5.#

Jacob sending Joseph to his Brethren. Joseph journeying to his Brethren. Joseph stripped of his Coat of Many Colours. Joseph cast into the Pit. Joseph sold to the Ishmaelite Merchants. Joseph set up over the Egyptians.

#The Sixth Bay.--No. 6.#

Joseph selling corn. Moses in the Ark of Bulrushes. The Angel appearing to Moses in the Burning Bush. The Overthrow of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. The Ark of the Covenant. Samson rending the Lion.

#The Seventh Bay.--No. 7.#

Samson taking the Gates of the City of Gaza. David smiting Goliath. David cutting off Goliath's Head. David crowned. David charging Solomon. Solomon enthroned.

#The Eighth Bay.--No. 8.#

Solomon enthroned. The Annunciation. The Presentation in the Temple. The Nativity. The Visitation. Herod decreeing the Massacre of the Innocents.

#The Ninth Bay.--No. 9.#

The Flight into Egypt. Christ in the midst of the Doctors. The Marriage in Cana of Galilee. The Baptism of Our Lord. The Raising of Lazarus. The Supper in Bethany.

#The Tenth Bay.--No. 10.#

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem. Circular Hole for Descent of Thurible. Our Lord sending forth the Disciples. The Last Supper. Disciples preparing for the Foot-washing. Our Lord washing Peter's Feet.

#The Eleventh Bay.--No. 11.#

Our Lord in Gethsemane. Christ crowned with Thorns. Christ led to Pilate. Christ before Pilate. Christ Blindfolded. Christ Betrayed.

#The Twelfth Bay.--No. 12.#

Christ taken to the House of the High Priest. Christ nailed to the Cross. The Soldiers casting Lots. The Crucifixion. The Entombment. Christ in Hades.

#The Thirteenth Bay.--No. 13.#

Soldiers watching the Holy Sepulchre. The Resurrection. Three Apostles. The Ascension. The Virgin praying. The Day of Pentecost.

#The Fourteenth Bay.--No. 14.#

A Miracle of Exorcism. The Jaws of Hell. The Drunkard's Doom. The Last Judgment. St. Peter. The Holy Trinity. Bishop Lyhart, the Builder of the Vault.

It is probable that the hole in the nave vault at Norwich was used for a similar purpose; and its position would seem to agree with such use, situated as it is about midway between the west end and where the front of the mediaeval rood loft occurred.

#The West Window#, added, as we have already noted by Bishop Lyhart, to light the vault, resembles that of Westminster Hall in the lines of its tracery; the glass by Hedgeland constitutes a memorial to Bishop Stanley .

#West Door.#--The original Norman arch remains over the doorway on the inside.

#The North Aisle of Nave#, the Norman windows of which were entirely replaced by Decorated ones, is covered by plain quadri-partite vaults. In the triforium over, as previously noted in description of exterior, the side walls were raised, the original Norman windows blocked up and Perpendicular ones placed over, the roof being at the same time raised on the outside to the necessary height, and made of a shallower pitch; this is clearly noticeable from the triforium walks.

In the easternmost bays, two windows were raised still more to gain additional light for the choir.

#The South Aisle of Nave# corresponds with the north, and is covered with a plain quadri-partite vault, with the exception of the seventh and eighth bays from the west; these were converted by Bishop Nykke into a chapel enclosed by screens, and are marked on the plan as E.E. The Norman vaults were here removed and the late Perpendicular ones constructed in their stead; the windows appear to be of still later date, but are supposed to have been, and most probably were, inserted at this period.

#Monuments in Nave.#--The nave suffered severely at the hands of the Puritans, who destroyed many of the early tombs and effigies. Especially noticeable is the lack of brasses; all these have disappeared, with the exception only of one in the Jesus Chapel. Another singularity is that the burial-place of most of the bishops who are known to have been interred in the cathedral is quite uncertain. The best of them seem to have been content with a plain slab and inscribed brass; only Nykke, of infamous memory, left so gorgeous a chapel behind to perpetuate it.

Bishop Hall, in his "Hard Measure," gives a sketch of vivid historical interest of the sacrilege committed during the Puritan rebellion, and when, in 1643, the cathedral was in the possession of the fanatics. "Lord, what work was here, what clattering of glasses, what beating down of Walls, what tearing up of Monuments, what pulling down of Seates, what wresting out of Irons and Brass from the Windows and Graves. What defacing of Armes, what demolishing of curious stone work, that had not any representation in the World, but only of the cost of the Founder and skill of the Mason, what toting and piping upon the destroyed Organ pipes, and what a hideous triumph on the Market day before all the Countrey, when, in a kind of Sacrilegious and profane procession, all the Organ pipes, Vestments, both Copes and Surplices, together with the Leaden Crosse which had been newly sawne down from over the Green-Yard Pulpit, and the Service books and singing books that could be had, were carried to the fire in the publick Market place; A leud wretch walking before the Train, in his Cope trailing in the dirt, with a Service book in his hand, imitating in an impious scorne the tune, and usurping the words of the Letany; neer the Publick Crosse, all these monuments of Idolatry must be sacrificed to the fire, not without much Ostentation of a zealous joy."

#Monuments in North Aisle of Nave.#--In the fifth bay of the nave arcade is the altar tomb of Sir Thomas Wyndham and his four wives. This was originally in the Lady Chapel, then, for a time, the Jesus Chapel, and about 1869 moved to its present position.

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