Despenser Retable, Norwich Cathedral
The Despenser Retable in St Lukes Chapel is one of the rarest survivals of English medieval art, a complete five-panel altarpiece of late 14th century date hidden for centuries after the Reformation by being used as the underside of a table!
This especially beautiful piece now resides in St Luke's Chapel off the south ambulatory and is in remarkably good condition, with only a small strip along the top of each panel lost (restored in the central panel).The colours are delightfully vibrant, and give a sense of the huge volume of such wonderful things that once enlivened churches across the land, denied us by our turbulent religious history.
Images from a brief revisit to one of my favourite places, Norwich Cathedral, scene of some of my earliest memories and what inspired my interest in church architecture at an early age. There had been some changes since my last visit, with the new hostry building (an empty ruin previously) to the west of the cloister now serving as the main entry for visitors. The weather/lighting could have been better, alas!
Norwich Cathedral is one of England's finest buildings and greatest cathedrals; It is one of the most complete examples of Romanesque architecture in the country (arguably the least altered Norman cathedral), has the second tallest spire in Britain and it's vaulted ceilings contain the largest collection of carved medieval roof bosses anywhere.
Surprisingly for so grand a building it is relatively inconspicuous from the city itself, standing on low ground and concealed within the old Cathedral Close, an enclave of tradition and relative peace apart from the noise of the city beyond it's gates. It's monastic past is much in evidence, particularly the magnificent cloisters, the largest and some of the finest in the country.
As stated most of the building dates from the 12th century and therefore exudes that solid Norman aesthetic, massively built but still graceful and beautiful. The central tower is unusually designed with arcading and windows beneath a double row of oculi, the tapering spire above it is a 15th century addition, aside from this the only major alterations to the ancient fabric externally are the tall 14th century clerestorey and flying buttresses of the choir and the gothic enlargement of various nave and aisle windows, principally the great perpendicular west window that takes up most of the west facade.
The interior is predominantly Norman too, except for the elaborate gothic vaulted ceilings that cover nave, choir and both transepts with a uniform design (originally these higher celings would have been of wood, stone vaults were added in the late medieval period to protect against fire, a job they performed well when the transept roofs were hit by incendiary bombs in World War II). These vaults display an unrivalled collection of narrative roof bosses, carved and coloured with Old & New Testament scenes (mainly in the nave and transepts, the choir bosses are mostly decorated with the emblem of their donor, Bishop Goldwell).
The cathedral has surprisingly few major monuments and sculptures compared to most of it's peers, but does have more exceptional medieval art in it's 14th & 15th century painted altarpieces, the most important being the Despenser Retable in the south east chapel, a unique survivial, hidden from danger during the Reformation & Civil War by being converted to the underside of a table. Further altarpieces here are formed of salvaged panels from redundant city churches. The medieval choir stalls also survive with a full set of carved misericords.
The stained glass by contrast is mostly Victorian and quite mixed (very little medieval glass survives). Striking modern glass by Keith New and John Hayward was installed in the north transept to commemorate the Millennium.
The cloisters to the south of the nave are one of my favourite places, all four walks are covered by yet more vaulted ceilings with over 400 more carved and repainted bosses (lower down and much easier to study than those inside the main body of the cathedral) spanning the long period of the cloister's construction throughout the 14th & !5th centuries.
Norwich Cathedral is special to me as being the subject of my earliest memories, recalling having been taken around the cathedral and cloisters as a 3 year old, which left a vivid impression on me and lead me to pursue an interest in church art and architecture years later, ultimately towards my present career in stained glass. Norwich Cathedral will always therefore have a touch of that nostalgic magic to me.
For more details see the Cathedral website below:-
www.cathedral.org.uk/historyheritage/Default.aspx
For more images and details see below:-
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichcathedral/norwichcathedr...
Despenser Retable, Norwich Cathedral
The Despenser Retable in St Lukes Chapel is one of the rarest survivals of English medieval art, a complete five-panel altarpiece of late 14th century date hidden for centuries after the Reformation by being used as the underside of a table!
This especially beautiful piece now resides in St Luke's Chapel off the south ambulatory and is in remarkably good condition, with only a small strip along the top of each panel lost (restored in the central panel).The colours are delightfully vibrant, and give a sense of the huge volume of such wonderful things that once enlivened churches across the land, denied us by our turbulent religious history.
Images from a brief revisit to one of my favourite places, Norwich Cathedral, scene of some of my earliest memories and what inspired my interest in church architecture at an early age. There had been some changes since my last visit, with the new hostry building (an empty ruin previously) to the west of the cloister now serving as the main entry for visitors. The weather/lighting could have been better, alas!
Norwich Cathedral is one of England's finest buildings and greatest cathedrals; It is one of the most complete examples of Romanesque architecture in the country (arguably the least altered Norman cathedral), has the second tallest spire in Britain and it's vaulted ceilings contain the largest collection of carved medieval roof bosses anywhere.
Surprisingly for so grand a building it is relatively inconspicuous from the city itself, standing on low ground and concealed within the old Cathedral Close, an enclave of tradition and relative peace apart from the noise of the city beyond it's gates. It's monastic past is much in evidence, particularly the magnificent cloisters, the largest and some of the finest in the country.
As stated most of the building dates from the 12th century and therefore exudes that solid Norman aesthetic, massively built but still graceful and beautiful. The central tower is unusually designed with arcading and windows beneath a double row of oculi, the tapering spire above it is a 15th century addition, aside from this the only major alterations to the ancient fabric externally are the tall 14th century clerestorey and flying buttresses of the choir and the gothic enlargement of various nave and aisle windows, principally the great perpendicular west window that takes up most of the west facade.
The interior is predominantly Norman too, except for the elaborate gothic vaulted ceilings that cover nave, choir and both transepts with a uniform design (originally these higher celings would have been of wood, stone vaults were added in the late medieval period to protect against fire, a job they performed well when the transept roofs were hit by incendiary bombs in World War II). These vaults display an unrivalled collection of narrative roof bosses, carved and coloured with Old & New Testament scenes (mainly in the nave and transepts, the choir bosses are mostly decorated with the emblem of their donor, Bishop Goldwell).
The cathedral has surprisingly few major monuments and sculptures compared to most of it's peers, but does have more exceptional medieval art in it's 14th & 15th century painted altarpieces, the most important being the Despenser Retable in the south east chapel, a unique survivial, hidden from danger during the Reformation & Civil War by being converted to the underside of a table. Further altarpieces here are formed of salvaged panels from redundant city churches. The medieval choir stalls also survive with a full set of carved misericords.
The stained glass by contrast is mostly Victorian and quite mixed (very little medieval glass survives). Striking modern glass by Keith New and John Hayward was installed in the north transept to commemorate the Millennium.
The cloisters to the south of the nave are one of my favourite places, all four walks are covered by yet more vaulted ceilings with over 400 more carved and repainted bosses (lower down and much easier to study than those inside the main body of the cathedral) spanning the long period of the cloister's construction throughout the 14th & !5th centuries.
Norwich Cathedral is special to me as being the subject of my earliest memories, recalling having been taken around the cathedral and cloisters as a 3 year old, which left a vivid impression on me and lead me to pursue an interest in church art and architecture years later, ultimately towards my present career in stained glass. Norwich Cathedral will always therefore have a touch of that nostalgic magic to me.
For more details see the Cathedral website below:-
www.cathedral.org.uk/historyheritage/Default.aspx
For more images and details see below:-
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichcathedral/norwichcathedr...