The Cathedral Church of Holy Trinity Ss. Peter and Paul, Winchester, Hampshire
My last trip to the Isle of Wight, so a quick return to Winchester, armed with my wide angle lens.
Sadly, repairs were being down in the Nave making it look like roadworks, but the rest of the cathedral was splendid, bathed in bright winter sunshine.
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Winchester Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the longest nave and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe.[3]
Dedicated to the Holy Trinity,[1] Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and before the Reformation, Saint Swithun,[4] it is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and centre of the Diocese of Winchester. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.
The cathedral was founded in 642 on a site immediately to the north of the present one. This building became known as the Old Minster. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971.
Saint Swithun was buried near the Old Minster and then in it, before being moved to the new Norman cathedral. So-called mortuary chests said to contain the remains of Saxon kings such as King Eadwig of England, first buried in the Old Minster, and his wife Ælfgifu, are in the present cathedral.[5] The Old Minster was demolished in 1093, immediately after the consecration of its successor.
In 1079, Walkelin, Bishop of Winchester, began work on a completely new cathedral.[6] Much of the limestone used to build the structure was brought across from quarries around Binstead, Isle of Wight. Nearby Quarr Abbey draws its name from these workings, as do several nearby places such as Stonelands and Stonepitts. The remains of the Roman trackway used to transport the blocks are still evident across the fairways of the Ryde Golf Club, where the stone was hauled from the quarries to the hythe at the mouth of Binstead Creek, and thence by barge across the Solent and up to Winchester.[citation needed][No sign of any Binstead Creek on the map]
The building was consecrated in 1093. On 8 April of that year, according to the Annals of Winchester, "in the presence of almost all the bishops and abbots of England, the monks came with the highest exultation and glory from the old minster to the new one: on the Feast of S. Swithun they went in procession from the new minster to the old one and brought thence S. Swithun's shrine and placed it with honour in the new buildings, and on the following day Walkelin's men first began to pull down the old minster."[6]
A substantial amount of the fabric of Walkelin's building, including crypt, transepts and the basic structure of the nave, survives.[7] The original crossing tower, however, collapsed in 1107, an accident blamed by the cathedral's medieval chroniclers on the burial of the dissolute William Rufus beneath it in 1100.[6] Its replacement, which survives today, is still in the Norman style, with round-headed windows. It is a squat, square structure, 50 feet (15 m) wide, but rising only 35 feet (11 m) above the ridge of the transept roof.[8] The Tower is 150 feet (46 m) tall.
After the consecration of Godfrey de Luci as bishop in 1189, a retrochoir was added in the Early English style. The next major phase of rebuilding was not until the mid-14th century, under bishops Edington and Wykeham.[10] Edingdon (1346–1366)[11] removed the two westernmost bays of the nave, built a new west front and began the remodelling of the nave.[12]
Under William of Wykeham (1367–1404) the Romanesque nave was transformed[clarification needed], recased in Caen stone and remodelled in the Perpendicular style,[13] with its internal elevation divided into two, rather than the previous three, storeys.[14] The wooden ceilings were replaced with stone vaults.[13]
Wykeham's successor, Henry of Beaufort (1405–1447) carried out fewer alterations, adding only a chantry on the south side of the retrochoir, although work on the nave may have continued through his episcopy.[15] His successor, William of Waynflete (1447–1486), built another chantry in a corresponding position on the north side. Under Peter Courtenay (Bishop 1486–1492) and Thomas Langton (1493–1500), there was more work. De Luci's Lady chapel was lengthened, and the Norman side aisles of the presbytery replaced. In 1525, Richard Foxe (Bishop 1500–1528) added the side screens of the presbytery, which he also gave a wooden vault.[10] With its progressive extensions, the east end is now about 110 feet (34 m) beyond that of Walkelin's building
King Henry VIII seized control of the Catholic Church in England and declared himself head of the Church of England. The Benedictine foundation, the Priory of Saint Swithun, was dissolved. The priory surrendered to the king in 1539. The next year a new chapter was formed, and the last prior, William Basyng, was appointed dean.[17] The monastic buildings, including the cloister and chapter house, were later demolished, mostly during the 1560–1580 tenure of the reformist bishop Robert Horne.[18][19]
North Transept
The Norman choir screen, having fallen into a state of decay, was replaced in 1637–40 by a new one, designed by Inigo Jones. It was in a classical style, with bronze figures by Hubert le Sueur of James I and Charles I in niches. It was removed in 1820, by when its style was felt inappropriate in an otherwise medieval building. The central bay, with its archway, is now in the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge;[20] it was replaced by a Gothic screen by Edward Garbett, its design based on the west doorway of the nave.[21]
This stone structure was itself removed in the 1870s to make way for a wooden one designed by George Gilbert Scott,[22] who modelled it on the canopies of the choir stalls of the monks (dating from around 1308).[23] Scott's west-facing screen has been much criticised, although the carving is of superlative workmanship and virtually replicates the earlier, albeit finer, carving of the early 14th century east-facing return stalls on to which it backs. The displaced bronze statues of the Stuart kings were moved to the west end of the Cathedral, standing in niches on each side of the central door. Scott's work was otherwise conservative. He moved the lectern to the north side of the quire beside the pulpit, facing west, where it remained for a century before returning to its present central position, now facing east.
The Cathedral Church of Holy Trinity Ss. Peter and Paul, Winchester, Hampshire
My last trip to the Isle of Wight, so a quick return to Winchester, armed with my wide angle lens.
Sadly, repairs were being down in the Nave making it look like roadworks, but the rest of the cathedral was splendid, bathed in bright winter sunshine.
-------------------------------------------
Winchester Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the longest nave and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe.[3]
Dedicated to the Holy Trinity,[1] Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and before the Reformation, Saint Swithun,[4] it is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and centre of the Diocese of Winchester. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.
The cathedral was founded in 642 on a site immediately to the north of the present one. This building became known as the Old Minster. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971.
Saint Swithun was buried near the Old Minster and then in it, before being moved to the new Norman cathedral. So-called mortuary chests said to contain the remains of Saxon kings such as King Eadwig of England, first buried in the Old Minster, and his wife Ælfgifu, are in the present cathedral.[5] The Old Minster was demolished in 1093, immediately after the consecration of its successor.
In 1079, Walkelin, Bishop of Winchester, began work on a completely new cathedral.[6] Much of the limestone used to build the structure was brought across from quarries around Binstead, Isle of Wight. Nearby Quarr Abbey draws its name from these workings, as do several nearby places such as Stonelands and Stonepitts. The remains of the Roman trackway used to transport the blocks are still evident across the fairways of the Ryde Golf Club, where the stone was hauled from the quarries to the hythe at the mouth of Binstead Creek, and thence by barge across the Solent and up to Winchester.[citation needed][No sign of any Binstead Creek on the map]
The building was consecrated in 1093. On 8 April of that year, according to the Annals of Winchester, "in the presence of almost all the bishops and abbots of England, the monks came with the highest exultation and glory from the old minster to the new one: on the Feast of S. Swithun they went in procession from the new minster to the old one and brought thence S. Swithun's shrine and placed it with honour in the new buildings, and on the following day Walkelin's men first began to pull down the old minster."[6]
A substantial amount of the fabric of Walkelin's building, including crypt, transepts and the basic structure of the nave, survives.[7] The original crossing tower, however, collapsed in 1107, an accident blamed by the cathedral's medieval chroniclers on the burial of the dissolute William Rufus beneath it in 1100.[6] Its replacement, which survives today, is still in the Norman style, with round-headed windows. It is a squat, square structure, 50 feet (15 m) wide, but rising only 35 feet (11 m) above the ridge of the transept roof.[8] The Tower is 150 feet (46 m) tall.
After the consecration of Godfrey de Luci as bishop in 1189, a retrochoir was added in the Early English style. The next major phase of rebuilding was not until the mid-14th century, under bishops Edington and Wykeham.[10] Edingdon (1346–1366)[11] removed the two westernmost bays of the nave, built a new west front and began the remodelling of the nave.[12]
Under William of Wykeham (1367–1404) the Romanesque nave was transformed[clarification needed], recased in Caen stone and remodelled in the Perpendicular style,[13] with its internal elevation divided into two, rather than the previous three, storeys.[14] The wooden ceilings were replaced with stone vaults.[13]
Wykeham's successor, Henry of Beaufort (1405–1447) carried out fewer alterations, adding only a chantry on the south side of the retrochoir, although work on the nave may have continued through his episcopy.[15] His successor, William of Waynflete (1447–1486), built another chantry in a corresponding position on the north side. Under Peter Courtenay (Bishop 1486–1492) and Thomas Langton (1493–1500), there was more work. De Luci's Lady chapel was lengthened, and the Norman side aisles of the presbytery replaced. In 1525, Richard Foxe (Bishop 1500–1528) added the side screens of the presbytery, which he also gave a wooden vault.[10] With its progressive extensions, the east end is now about 110 feet (34 m) beyond that of Walkelin's building
King Henry VIII seized control of the Catholic Church in England and declared himself head of the Church of England. The Benedictine foundation, the Priory of Saint Swithun, was dissolved. The priory surrendered to the king in 1539. The next year a new chapter was formed, and the last prior, William Basyng, was appointed dean.[17] The monastic buildings, including the cloister and chapter house, were later demolished, mostly during the 1560–1580 tenure of the reformist bishop Robert Horne.[18][19]
North Transept
The Norman choir screen, having fallen into a state of decay, was replaced in 1637–40 by a new one, designed by Inigo Jones. It was in a classical style, with bronze figures by Hubert le Sueur of James I and Charles I in niches. It was removed in 1820, by when its style was felt inappropriate in an otherwise medieval building. The central bay, with its archway, is now in the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge;[20] it was replaced by a Gothic screen by Edward Garbett, its design based on the west doorway of the nave.[21]
This stone structure was itself removed in the 1870s to make way for a wooden one designed by George Gilbert Scott,[22] who modelled it on the canopies of the choir stalls of the monks (dating from around 1308).[23] Scott's west-facing screen has been much criticised, although the carving is of superlative workmanship and virtually replicates the earlier, albeit finer, carving of the early 14th century east-facing return stalls on to which it backs. The displaced bronze statues of the Stuart kings were moved to the west end of the Cathedral, standing in niches on each side of the central door. Scott's work was otherwise conservative. He moved the lectern to the north side of the quire beside the pulpit, facing west, where it remained for a century before returning to its present central position, now facing east.