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One of a pair of oculus windows in the south transept, part of a formerly more extensive scheme of early Victorian glazing (presumably removed to lighten up the interior).
Southwell Minster is a remarkably preserved piece of Romanesque church architecture, dating from between 1108-50. The only English church to retain its full set of three complete Norman towers, the nave and transepts retain their original 12th century appearance, whilst the eastern limb was replaced by the present early Gothic choir in c1230 after its Norman predecessor was found to be too small. The last substantial addition to the building was the fine Decorated chapter house on the north side a few decades later in 1284.
The Minster was originally built as a collegiate church but stripped of this status at the Reformation, becoming merely a parish church (albeit one of the grandest in the country) for several centuries until finally being elevated to cathedral status in 1884 as the seat of the new Nottinghamshire diocese. Though on a more modest scale than most of our great medieval cathedrals, Southwell Minster fits its cathedral status so well that it is hard to imagine it not being built as such, though Southwell itself does seem a surprisingly quiet location for so grand a church, a small rural town that has become England's smallest cathedral city.
Inside the Norman character of the church is preserved in the subdued lighting of the 12th century nave and transepts, whilst east of the crossing, beyond the fine medieval choir screen, all is Gothic in the 13th century choir and aisles, light, airy and lit by tall lancet windows.
Perhaps the most famous part of the building is the octagonal chapter house entered from the north choir aisle via a vestibule. Whilst a gem of medieval architecture in its own right, the building is most renowned for its superb foliate carvings, the finest and most delicately carved to survive from medieval England The technical skill and unusually naturalistic treatment of the carved capitals and spandrels here means the 'Leaves of Southwell' should not be missed by any visitor.
Little remains of the Minster's original furnishing or decoration, following Civil War damage and a major fire caused by lightning strike in the early 18th century (which affected the high wooden ceilings of nave and crossing and the pyramid spires of the west towers, later replaced to their original design). It has however been embellished in more recent years with some outstanding glass including the huge west window installed at the end of the 20th century.
Southwell Minster is a delight to visit, and perhaps the most peaceful of all English cathedrals. For more see the link below:-
Looking up at the dome over the central rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History. Washington, DC.
We were in New York City for the 2017 Photo Expo and decided to check out the $4 BILLION transportation hub called "The Oculus". Formally, it's known as "The World Trade Center Transportation Hub".
Artist: Ueno Masao
Title: Oculus
Basketry Exhibition
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK