Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Gloucester Part 8

The dark tint on the walls represents the Early Norman Crypt.

The second period of Norman work is shown by the double lines round the small shafts at A A, which denote masonry erected some time after, to carry the ribs which strengthen the vaulting.

The parts sectionised were for the most part built in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to carry the walls above--notably s s, as foundations for the choir piers.]

The fourth chapel, which is underneath Abbot Boteler's Chapel, also contains fragments, some of them very beautiful specimens of stonework.

There is also a slab, upon which is to be read the words, _Orate pro aia fris Johis_. This slab was formerly in the south transept, and was (according to Mr Haine's transcription of the slab made thirty years ago) to the memory of John Lempster, who lived in Abbot Froucester's time.

A slab inscribed I STAUNT, which used to be in the cloisters at the entrance to the chapter-house, is also in the crypt. This John de Staunton was akin to Abbot Staunton, who was buried in 1351.

The fifth chapel, which is underneath St. Paul's Chapel, was the chapel through which the Abbot had access to the crypt from the Abbot's cloister. The easternmost portion has some very good vaulting and decoration of the thirteenth century, and contains a very mutilated piscina. The groining of the roof is, unfortunately, falling away by degrees. There are traces of some fine bosses.

The crypt was cleared, drained, and concreted in the course of the restoration that took place during the years 1853-1863.

#Ambulatories of the Choir.#--These aisles have nothing uncommon in their form or arrangement below, but above occurs the great peculiarity of this church. The side aisles and eastern chapels are, in fact, including the crypt, three storeys high, and all vaulted, and the upper range of chapels surrounding the choir is perhaps not to be met with in any other church in Europe.

Near the entrance to the #S. Ambulatory of the Choir# a tomb and bra.s.s to the memory of Rev. John Kempthorn, B.D. (1838) will be found on the right, near the side entrance into St. Andrew's Chapel.

Close to it, upon the floor, is a modern bra.s.s, by Messrs Heaton, b.u.t.ter & Bayne, to the memory of Rev. H. Haines, M.A., who for twenty-three years was second master in the cathedral school. He died in 1872. His book on the Cathedral, which he knew so thoroughly and loved so well, is one of the best guide-books to the building, but, unfortunately, no new edition has been issued since 1884.

Some of the piers in the south ambulatory of the choir will be found to show traces of colour decoration in certain lights. As a whole they retain more Norman work, unaltered, than perhaps any other portion of the building.

Near to the Kempthorn monument is the memorial window to Canon Harvey and his wife, who both died in the year 1889. The gla.s.s is by Kempe.

The second window, also by Kempe, is a memorial to the Rev. H. Law, who was Dean from 1862-1884. The figure drawing in this light will attract notice.

The third window, gla.s.s by Kempe, is a memorial to the Rev. Sir J. H.

Culme Seymour, Bart., who was Canon of Gloucester for fifty-one years, and died in 1880.

#The Triforium of the Choir# is, perhaps, the finest triforium in existence, and is worthy of special examination. "It occupies the s.p.a.ce over the ground floors of the aisles or ambulatory of the choir, and originally extended of a like width round the east end of the Norman Church, but at the time when the fourteenth-century work of the present choir was executed, the whole of the east end of the old Norman choir, with the corresponding part of the triforium, was removed in order to make room for the existing large window, the small east chapel being allowed to remain." (F. S. W.) The original shape of this part of the building will be more clearly seen by reference to the chapel (D), indicated by dotted lines on the plan, and to the extreme east chapel of the crypt. As the means of entrance to this east chapel of the triforium was now gone, the narrow gallery usually called the "Whispering Gallery"

was made, and carried by segmental arches, marked BB, from the south-east to the east chapel, and from the east chapel to that on the north-east. The external appearance of the Whispering Gallery is shown on page 75. The casual observer frequently takes it to be a piece of Norman work, but it is in reality the material of Norman builders very skilfully re-used.

The triforium is reached by the staircases in the western turrets of the two transepts and by arcaded pa.s.sages pa.s.sing under the great windows of the transepts. Excellent views across the transepts are thence to be obtained. Still better views can be got from the corner of the triforium (near the painting of the Last Judgment), both across the organ to the north side of the nave, down the south aisle, and also across the choir.

The first chapel in the triforium contains two brackets with rich canopies, and there is a very well preserved double piscina.

Ball-flowers in two rows will be found in the mouldings of the east window. Remains of two canopies in the jambs of the windows are also to be traced.

The ma.s.sive Norman piers should be carefully studied, as the way in which the later casing work has been applied can be more easily seen in the triforium than elsewhere.

The picture on the west side of this part of the triforium was discovered in 1718, against the then eastern end of the nave, underneath the panelled wainscot at the back of the seats occupied by the clergy when the nave was used for service.

During the last few years it has lost much of its colour; it is painted _in tempera_ on a kind of gesso ground laid on a wooden planking nearly an inch thick. From the size of it--viz. 9 feet 10 inches by 7 feet 7 inches--it was formerly thought to have formed part of the reredos.

Portions of the original frame remain, and they show traces of gilding upon them. The picture has been varnished to preserve it, and, although hung in a wretched situation for light, it is worth more than pa.s.sing attention. Christ is represented in the centre, throned on a rainbow, attended by angels, and having a globe and a cross below Him. His mantle is red, with a jewelled border. On either side of His head are emblems --on the left a lily, emblematic of mercy; and on the right a sword, emblematic of justice. The lily inclines towards the righteous, and the sword points towards the wicked. Below on the left are six apostles, but above these is an angel holding a T cross and the crown of thorns. To balance this, on the right is an angel with a whipping-post, a scourge, and a spear. Over these figures are scrolls, one on the left inscribed "Come, O you blessed ...", and on the right, "Go, O you cursed ..." In the centre, under the globe, is an angel holding an open book, "The boke of cosciens "--_i.e._ the book of conscience. On either side are angels blowing upon trumpets, from which extend scrolls inscribed, "Aryse, you dede. Come to your judgement"; and below this the Resurrection is depicted. An angel (in the centre) is scaring away a horned demon from the soul borne up by the angel. On the right the wicked are being carried off by fiends; on the left the righteous are being led away by angels bearing crosses.

In the left-hand bottom corner are angels and inscriptions. "Before man lyfe and death. In all thy workes remebre thy last, and never wilt thou offend." In the top corner on the left is represented the New Jerusalem.

The architecture is cla.s.sic in character.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SOUTH-EAST VIEW OF CATHEDRAL SHOWING WHISPERING GALLERY.

_S. B. Bolas & Co., Photo]_

St. Peter and an angel are standing close to a gate into which the righteous are entering. A choir of angels with musical instruments are above.

In the bottom corner on the right the mouth of h.e.l.l is represented, into which the lost are being thrust by attendant demons. There is a grim figure inside a globe, possibly intended for the Prince of this world, seizing a soul by the hair. At the bottom are other fiends helping to torture the unhappy lost.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TRIFORIUM OF THE CHOIR, LOOKING EAST.

_Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo.]_ ]

Sir G. Scharf, in _Archaeologia_, vol. x.x.xvi., says that the picture is English, and is of great importance. He thinks it was painted during the latter years of the reign of Henry VIII. or during that of Edward VI., and points out that it is an epitome of the famous altar-piece at Dantzig, painted in 1467. It is remarkable that in this picture the Virgin and St. John the Baptist, who are usually a.s.sociated in pictures with the Saviour, are altogether omitted.

The second, or south-eastern chapel, contains many interesting remains of coloured tiles, old carving, some being linenfold panels. There are also some finely-carved pilasters, which once formed part of the Queen Anne reredos, put up by Dean Chetwood about 1710. This reredos was taken down in 1807, and was for many years in the old church at Cheltenham.

When, however, the church at Cheltenham fell into the hands of the restorer, parts of the carved work were brought back to Gloucester.

Pa.s.sing towards the Whispering Gallery, the flying b.u.t.tresses inserted to support the walls of the clerestory, which were weakened by the insertion of the great east window of the choir, 1347-1350, should be noticed.

The #Whispering Gallery#, to which the ordinary visitor pays more attention than anything else in the building, has remarkable acoustic properties. A whisper (the lower in tone the better) can be easily and distinctly heard at the other end of the gallery, and to this peculiarity the following lines, by Maurice Wheeler (head-master of the King's School, 1684-1712) have reference:

"Doubt not but G.o.d, who sits on high, Thy secret prayers can hear, When a dead wall thus cunningly Conveys soft whispers to the ear."

Lord Bacon seems to have thought over the subject of the gallery, and his remarks are here quoted: "I suppose there is some vault, or hollow, or isle behind the wall, and some pa.s.sage to it, towards the farther end of that wall against which you speak, so as the voice of him that speaketh slideth along the wall, and then entereth at some pa.s.sage, and communicateth with the air of the hollow, for it is preserved somewhat by the plain wall: but that is too weak to give a sound audible till it has communicated with the back air."

The gallery is a pa.s.sage of Norman work, very much altered and re-used.

It is 74 feet long, 3 feet wide, 6-1/8 feet high, and is carried on segmental arches from the east end of the south triforium to the west wall of the Lady Chapel, and from thence in the same way to the north triforium. On page 75 will be seen the appearance of the little bridge thus made.

In pa.s.sing through the gallery access is obtained to a chapel on the right, which is immediately over the entrance vestibule to the Lady Chapel. From this chapel a very good general view of the Lady Chapel can be obtained. The bosses in the roof show to greater advantage, and it is possible to see more of the colour that remains on the walls.

This chapel is smaller than the others in the triforium, and was reduced in size when the west end of the Lady Chapel was built. The altar slab is original Norman work, and has three or four [Symbol: Cross] inscribed in it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SOUTH AMBULATORY OF THE CHOIR.

_S. B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]

The pieces of old gla.s.s formerly in this chapel have disappeared, and modern ornamental quarries and medallions, by Hardman, have taken their place.

The fourth chapel has nothing of note in it beyond the window tracery.

The fifth chapel, or the one nearest to the north transept, contains a double piscina, in very good preservation.

The triforium contains a few monuments, chiefly those that have been removed from the nave. Bishop Benson's monument was formerly on the face of the b.u.t.tress that pa.s.ses through St. Andrew's Chapel.

The triforium seems a better resting-place than the crypt for monuments which are rejected from the nave and elsewhere. It is to be hoped that in the years to come no restorer will lay hold upon the monuments in the Lady Chapel and transepts, and consign them to oblivion in the neighbouring garden of the deanery. This was done in Dean Law's time, and may in part be the reason why the cathedral is so poor in specimens of monuments of the Queen Anne period.

The #South-East Chapel#, which is dedicated to St. Philip, contains some interesting features. The arches are of a distinctly "pointed"

character, and there are remains of the two bases of pillars which supported the stone altar slab.

This chapel was restored in memory of Sir C. W. Codrington, Bart., M.P., who died in 1864. Various incidents in the life of St. Philip have been painted on the vaulting by Burlison & Grylls, but the paintings have suffered somewhat from damp. The window, which is by Clayton & Bell, is of no special interest, and represents saints, princ.i.p.ally British, and striking incidents in the life of each in the panel under each of the figures.

Near the piscina, at the base of a pier, will be found some dog-tooth moulding. This is repeated on the other side of the chapel, but not on the corresponding pier.