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Gloucester Cathedral
The present Cathedral
was started in about 1089 by a monk called Serlo from Mont St Michael in France.
The building was consecrated in 1100 though work did continue for some years to
come. The great East window is the largest Medieval window in Europe.
A central tower was built approx 1450 to replace the Norman one. The tower
stands 225 feet high and is one of the glories of Gloucester, seen for miles
around. The first appearance is of a Gothic Cathedral, but further close
inspection will reveal its Norman structure. The cloisters are amongst the
finest in England and are the earliest fan vaulted cloister still in existence.
They were built in the 14th Century and contain a magnificent lavatorium in the
North range and study carrels in the South range. The Kings school is very
much a part of the foundation, where the Cathedral Choristers are educated.
Music is very much a part of the tradition of Gloucester and is the venue every
3 years for the three choirs festival. Tewkesbury Abbey
Their
is evidence that Monks were settled in the town by 715 and built a small church
in the meadows by the river. The present Abbey is Norman built between
1090 & 1121 by Robert Fitzhamon a kinsman of William the Conqueror. The
Abbey prospered for over 400 years before being handed over to King Henry VIII
in 1540. The townspeople to their horror, about to see their abbey being
destroyed rallied round and raised the enormous sum (16th Century standards ) of
£453 to purchase the church for their own use. The Abbey's tower is the
largest and finest surviving Norman central tower anywhere in the world, 46 feet
square and 148 feet high. The West front is dominated by the Great Norman
recessed arch 65 feet high. The massive wooded doors of the North porch
are almost certainly the original circa 1121. It is the second largest
parish church in England. The Abbey is 311 feet East to West, it is held
up by 14 great Norman columns, which are the tallest in England, 31 feet high
and 6 feet in diameter. The 7 choir windows contain the original 14th
century glass, in the centre of the choir is a brass plate which marks the
burial place of Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales, who was killed at the
Battle of Tewkesbury. The chapels around the Abbey celebrate some of the
families who have been associated with it during its long and somewhat turbulent
history. Christchurch, Oxford
Quite unique, a
Cathedral serving the Diocese of Oxford and a College Chapel serving Christ
Church College. It was made a Cathedral by King Henry VIII in 1545 after
cardinal Wolsey had made it a Chapel of the College in 1525. The building
however dates back to the 12th Century when it was a priory of Augustianain
Cannons. The first recorded church on the site was in the 8th Century.
The spire incidentally, constructed during the 13th Century was the first in
England the lovely Gothic chancel added in the year 1500. A superb
collection of stained glass windows still exists dating back the 14th Century
with the oldest being the magnificent Becket window in the South transept (a
rare example of 14th Century glass in situ). St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford
St. John the Baptist Church, Cirencester One of the
oldest Parish Churches in England and has been used as a place of worship for
over a thousand years. St. Mary's Church, Prestbury St. John Church, Burford |
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