Norwich Cathedral

Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the diocese of Norwich. It is administered by its dean and chapter, and there are daily Church of England services. It is a Grade I listed building.

Construction of the building was begun in 1096 at the behest of the first bishop of Norwich, Herbert de Losinga. When the crossing tower was the last piece of the Norman cathedral to be completed; measuring and wide, the cathedral was the largest building in East Anglia. The cathedral close occupied a tenth of the total area of the medieval city.

The present structure of Norwich Cathedral is primarily Norman, being made of flint and mortar and faced with a cream-coloured Caen limestone. The cathedral was damaged by rioters in 1272; repairs were completed in 1278. The cloisters, begun in 1297, are the fourth largest cloisters in England. The present spire—the second tallest in England at —is a stone structure built in 1480 that replaced one made of wood. In about 1830, the south transept was remodelled by the architect Anthony Salvin. A new hospitality and education facility by Hopkins Architects was opened by Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2010.

Norwich Cathedral once had the earliest astronomical clock in England. The cathedral's bosses are one of the world's greatest mediaeval sculptural treasures, having survived the iconoclasm of the Tudor and English Civil War periods.

History

Early years

In the year 672, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, divided the Kingdom of East Anglia into two dioceses: one covering Norfolk with its episcopal see at Elmham; the other covering Suffolk with its see at Dunwich. During much of the 9th century, because of the Danish incursions, there was no bishop at Elmham; in addition the see of Dunwich was extinguished and East Anglia became a single diocese once more. Following the Norman Conquest, sees were moved to more secure urban centres, that of Elmham being transferred to Thetford in 1072, and finally to Norwich in 1094.

Seat of the bishop

Building of the new cathedral was begun in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, Norwich's first bishop.

Modern works

In 2004 the new refectory (winner, National Wood Awards 2004), by Hopkins Architects and Buro Happold, opened on the site of the original refectory on the south side of the cloisters. Work on the new hostry, also by Hopkins Architects, started in April 2007 after the 'Cathedral Inspiration for the Future Campaign' had reached its target of £10 million. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 4 May 2010. The new hostry has become the main entrance to the cathedral. Space has been provided within the hostry for temporary art exhibitions.

Helter-skelter

In July 2019, a high helter-skelter was constructed inside the cathedral, partly for the purpose of attracting more visitors and also giving people a better vantage point for viewing the roof bosses. Reaction to the installation of the slide was mixed, Gavin Ashenden, former chaplain to the Queen, described it as "poisoning the medicine" a church offered. In August 2019, Jonathan Meyrick, the Bishop of Lynn, gave a sermon and sang Words by the Bee Gees from halfway down.

Ministry

Norwich Cathedral has been the seat of the Bishop of Norwich since 1094. The governing chapter is made up of the dean, the Canon Precentor, the Canon Librarian & Vice-Dean, the Canon for Mission & Pastoral Care, and six lay members. The current bishop is Graham Usher, who was installed in the cathedral in 2019. The current Dean of Norwich is Andrew Braddock, who was installed at the cathedral on 28 January 2023.

Other staff include the organist and master of music and his assistant, the Liturgy and Music Administrator, the librarian and curator, the Retail Manager, the Sacrist, the Broderers' Guild Workshop Supervisor, and the Secretary to the Friends of Norwich Cathedral.

Architecture

Dates, styles and architects

[[File:NC1.svg|thumb|400px|Plan of Norwich Cathedral:

]]

Building of the cathedral started from the east end in 1096, with the nave being completed by around 1120. The entire cathedral was completed by 1145, when the crossing tower was built. The cathedral is constructed using limestone sourced from Lincolnshire, Barnack and Caen, flint, and mortar. The present spire, a stone structure that replaced one made of wood and covered with lead, was added in 1480.

Following the riots of 1272, repairs to the building were completed in 1278. Some of the windows were replaced with ones in the Gothic style during the 13th century.

The cloisters was begun in 1297 and finally finished in 1430 after the Black Death had plagued the city. The system of building remained the same over this period, though the details, in particular the tracery of the openings facing the cloister garth, did change. Following the destruction caused by the collapse of the spire, the clerestory of the choir was rebuilt in the Perpendicular style.

In the 15th century, the cathedral's flat timber ceilings began to be replaced with stone vaults; the nave was vaulted under Walter Hart (bishop, 1446–1472), the choir and the Bauchun Chapel (on the east side of the south transept) under James Goldwell (bishop, 1472–1499) and the transepts after 1520. The system of vaulting is of a tierceron vault with Lierne ribs forming patterns of lozenges and stars along the ridge. The vaulting was carried out in a spectacular manner with hundreds of ornately carved, painted and gilded bosses studding the liernes.

Plan

Measuring and wide at completion, Norwich Cathedral was the largest building in East Anglia. The ground plan remains entirely as it was in Norman times, except for that of the easternmost chapel. The cathedral has an unusually long nave of 14 bays. The transepts are without aisles and the east end terminates in an apse with an ambulatory. From the ambulatory there is access to two chapels of unusual shape, the plan of each being based on two intersecting circles. This allows more correct orientation of the altars than in the more normal kind of radial chapel.

Exterior

thumb|Norwich Cathedral tower (detail)

The tower, the most ambitious of all the Norman towers to have survived in England, is decorated with geometrical circles, lozenges and interlaced arcading.

The spire is of brick faced with stone, supported on brick squinches built into the Norman tower. At high, the spire is the second tallest in England; only that of Salisbury is taller at .

Norwich Cathedral has the second largest cloisters in England, only exceeded by those at Salisbury Cathedral. It has two-storeys, the only example of its kind in England and nearly 400 carved stone ceiling bosses.

Interior

The eastern end of the cathedral, near to the sanctuary, is in the form of an apse The tribune (the vaulted area within the apse) is unusually tall, and contains piers with large capitals.

Norwich no longer has its rood screen, which would have been used to support the great crucifix. It was located one bay west of the pulpitum (the screen that separated the nave from the choir). The aisles are vaulted in stone, but lack ribs.

The Anglican cathedrals at Norwich, Salisbury, and Ely are the only ones that have no ring of bells. The astronomical clock at Norwich Cathedral was one of the earliest mechanical timekeepers made in England.

Catedral, Norwich, Inglaterra, 2022-11-19, DD 77-79 HDR.jpg | The east end and apse

Norwich Cathedral, south aisle (looking west).jpg | The south aisle, looking west

Norwich Cathedral Nave 1, Norfolk, UK - Diliff.jpg | The nave

Catedral, Norwich, Inglaterra, 2022-11-19, DD 104-106 HDR.jpg | Ceiling

</gallery>

Art works and treasures

Stained glass

The medieval stained glass windows in the cathedral, which was largely destroyed during the English Reformation, sustained further damage during the English Civil War. The glass in the west window was designed by George Hedgeland, and was installed in 1854.

Other features

The copper baptismal font, standing on a moveable base in the nave, was fashioned from bowls previously used for making chocolate in the Norwich Rowntree's factory, and was given to the cathedral after the factory closed in 1994. Since 2013, the Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey (NMGS) has recorded a large amount of medieval graffiti, including organ music inscribed on two four-line staves, on the interior stone surfaces of the cathedral.

Music

Organ and organists

Norwich Cathedral's organ is one the largest in the UK. It was built by local builder Norman and Beard in 1899, but was later damaged in a fire in April 1938. A Cymbelstern with six bells and a rotating star was added to the organ in 1969. In 2017 the dean, the Very Rev Dr Jane Hedges, revealed that the cathedral was planning to spend £2 million on rebuilding the organ and supporting its existing choirs. In 2022–23 the Durham-based company of Harrison & Harrison carried out a major rebuild of the organ, which was inaugurated in November 2023.

Most of the records of the organists at Norwich Cathedral have survived. The earliest organist recorded is Adam the Organist, who was employed in 1333. Notable organists have included the composers Thomas Morley, and Heathcote Dicken Statham.

Cathedral choirs

thumb|The cathedral choir in 2004

Norwich Cathedral's choirs are directed by the Master of the Music, Ashley Grote. There are places for around 20 boys aged from 7 to 13, attend Norwich School and its Lower School, with at least half of their school fees being paid by the Norwich Cathedral Endowment Fund.

Girls were introduced to the choir in 1995. There are places for 24 girls, aged from 11 to 18, who are drawn from across Norfolk. They sing evensong once a week (alternately on their own and with the men) and at least one Sunday Eucharist a term.

The choir has 12 men, six of whom are choral scholars; the others are professional singers. The quarter chimes were composed by Precentor Medley.

Bells

thumb|Audio recording of Norwich Cathedral bells at 11am

thumb|upright=0.5|Brasyer's [[merchant mark]]

The cathedral church's five bells are hung in the central tower; four are engraved with the medieval merchant mark of Brasyers of Norwich. The bells, which are tuned to a minor key, were used for the regular services, whilst an additional group of five so-called 'greater' bells were hung in a detached bell tower; these were used to celebrate important religious festivals. They were heavier than those hung in the cathedral church.

As with similar large churches, the tower was close to the entrance of the lay citizens' cemetery, and was surrounded by craft shops. It is possible that the bell tower was built to enable the citizens of Norwich to hear the bells being rung during a festival or a funeral. The tower was targeted during the Norwich riots of 1272, who captured it and fired arrows and missiles down upon their enemies. After being rebuilt using limestone during the 1310s, and a lead spire was added. The location of the building, which was demolished by 1569, was lost until 1956, when masonry was accidentally exposed after the area was dug up for a new water main.

The cathedral's mediaeval records state that one of the central tower bells was named 'Blessed Mary', and that.the largest bell in the tower was called 'Lakenham'. The locations of two other named bells, called 'Stratton' and 'Stockton', are unknown.

{|class="wikitable"

! Number

! Name

! Date

! Maker

! Inscription

! Diameter

|1st || rowspan=5|One named "Blessed Mary" || medieval || Brasyers || ||

|2nd ||medieval || Brasyers || ||

|3rd ||1635 || John Brend || – ||

|4th || medieval || Brasyers || ||

|5th ||1469 || Brasyers || ||

Library

The library at Norwich Cathedral is located on the first floor of the Cloister. It contains books that date back the 15th century. It hosts courses run by the Norwich Centre for Christian Learning.

The Close

thumb|The western end of the [[cathedral close]]

The precinct, or cathedral close, is enclosed within the limits of the former monastery. It is bordered by the Tombland area (the Anglo-Saxon market place) and the Wensum. It contains buildings from the 15th to the 19th centuries, including the remains of an infirmary. The close has an area of and is notable for being located within the city's defensive walls. In medieval times it occupied a tenth of the total area of the city.

The grounds also house many of the buildings of Norwich School, as well as statues of the leading military and political figure, the Duke of Wellington and the British Naval officer Admiral Nelson, and the grave of the British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed for helping Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I.

There are two gates leading into the cathedral grounds, both on Tombland. The Ethelbert Gate takes its name from a Saxon church that stood nearby. The original gate was destroyed in the riot of 1272, and its replacement was built in the early 14th century. It has two storeys, the upper originally a chapel dedicated to Saint Ethelbert and decorated with flushwork. In 1420 the soldier and administrator Sir Thomas Erpingham, benefactor to the city, had the gate which bears his name built, sited opposite the west door of the cathedral and leading into the close.

In the arts and popular culture

thumb|[[James Sillett, Norwich Cathedral (1832), Norfolk Museums Collections]]

Documentaries

The cathedral and other churches in the diocese were featured in the 1974 BBC documentary A Passion for Churches, presented by the English poet and writer John Betjeman. In 2012, the cathedral and the adjacent Bishop's Palace were featured in the BBC Four documentary The Medieval Mind: How to Build a Cathedral. The cathedral was featured in the 2016 BBC Four documentary The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich.

Use as a location

Norwich Cathedral was used as a location for the 1971 BBC Christmas ghost story The Stalls of Barchester, based on the story by M. R. James. It was also used as a location for the 2013 film Jack the Giant Slayer, and in the 2017 feature film Tulip Fever.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

A history of the choristers of Norwich Cathedral by Anne Page (self published)
Information about the misericords at Norwich by Alison Stones and the University of Pittsburgh
Photographs of each of the misericords at Norwich from www.misericords.co.uk (self-published)
Information about the cathedral's bells from the Norwich Diocesan Association of Ringers
The Stained Glass of Norwich's Anglican Cathedral - information and images from Norfolk Stained Glass (self-published)