| Chester Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
 East end of the cathedral | |
  Chester Cathedral Location in Chester | |
| 53°11′31″N2°53′26″W / 53.1919°N 2.8906°W /53.1919; -2.8906 | |
| Location | St Werburgh Street, Chester,Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | chestercathedral.com |
| History | |
| Dedication | Christ and theBlessed Virgin Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Richard Lenginour (1272–1314);[1] Nicholas de Derneford (?)(1316–31);[1] William Rediche(?) (1461–90s);[1] Seth and George Derwall (1495–1530s);[1] Thomas Harrison, George Gilbert Scott |
| Style | Romanesque,Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 355 ft (108 m)[2] |
| Nave width | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Nave height | 78 ft (24 m) |
| Tower height | 127 ft (39 m) |
| Administration | |
| Province | York |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Mark Tanner |
| Dean | Tim Stratford |
| Canon(s) | Rosie Woodall (Vice Dean and Canon for Spirituality and Worship) Anthony Lees-Smith (Canon Missioner) Richard Walker (Canon Diocesan) |
| Laity | |
| Organist(s) | Philip Rushforth, Master of the Choristers and Organist Dan Mathieson (Head of Music Outreach and Assistant Organist) |
Chester Cathedral is aChurch of Englandcathedral and themother church of theDiocese of Chester. It is located in the city ofChester,Cheshire,England. The cathedral, formerly theabbey church of aBenedictine monastery dedicated to SaintWerburgh, is dedicated to Christ and theBlessed Virgin Mary. Since 1541, it has been the seat of thebishop of Chester.
The cathedral is a Grade Ilisted building, and part of a heritage site that also includes the formermonastic buildings to the north, which are also listed Grade I. The cathedral's construction dates from between the 10th century[3] and the early 16th century, having been modified a number of times throughout history, a typical characteristic of English cathedrals; however, the site itself may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times. All the major styles of English medieval architecture, fromNorman toPerpendicular, are represented in the present building.[1][4]
The cathedral and former monastic buildings were extensively restored during the 19th century (amidst some controversy), and a free standing bell tower was added in the 20th century. In addition to holding services for Christian worship, the buildings are a major tourist attraction in Chester and the cathedral is used as a venue for concerts and exhibitions.
The city of Chester was an importantRoman stronghold. There may have been a Christianbasilica on the site of the present cathedral in the lateRoman era,[5] while Chester was controlled byLegio XX Valeria Victrix.[6] Legend holds that the basilica was dedicated toSaint Paul andSaint Peter.[7] This is supported by evidence that inSaxon times the dedication of an early chapel on this site was changed from Saint Peter to Saint Werburgh.[8] In 958 KingEdgar granted land to the Minster of St Werburgh in Chester.[9]
During theEarly Middle AgesBarloc of Norbury, aCatholicCelticsaint andhermit,[10] wasvenerated at Chester Cathedral with afeast day on 10 September. He is known to history mainly through thehagiography of theSecgan manuscript;[11] he also occurs in a litany in MS Tanner 169* of theBodleian Library,Oxford.[12]
In 907 Chester was refortified against the threat from theVikings, and shortly afterwards the minster was founded or refounded, and Werburgh's remains were transferred there fromHanbury, probably byÆthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians.[13] Thecollegiate church, as it was then, was restored in 1057 byLeofric, Earl of Mercia, andLady Godiva. This church was razed to the ground around 1090, with the secular canons evicted, and no known trace of it remains.[14]
In 1093 aBenedictineabbey was established on the site byHugh Lupus,Earl of Chester, with the assistance ofSt Anselm and other monks fromBec in Normandy. The earliest surviving parts of the structure date from that time.[15] The abbey church was not at that time the cathedral of Chester; from 1075 to 1082 the cathedral of the diocese was the nearby church ofSt John the Baptist, after which thesee was transferred toCoventry.[16] In 1538, during thedissolution of the monasteries, the monastery was disbanded and the shrine of Saint Werburgh was desecrated.[17] In 1541 St Werburgh's abbey became a cathedral of theChurch of England, by order ofHenry VIII. At the same time, the dedication was changed to Christ and the Blessed Virgin. The lastabbot of St Werburgh's Abbey, Thomas Clarke, became the firstdean of the new cathedral, at the head of a secularchapter.[18]
Although little trace of the 10th-century church has been discovered, save possibly some Saxon masonry found during a 1997 excavation of the nave,[19] there is much evidence of the monastery of 1093. This work in theNorman style may be seen in the northwest tower, the northtransept and in remaining parts of the monastic buildings.[17] The abbey church, beginning with the Lady Chapel at the eastern end, was extensively rebuilt inGothic style during the 13th and 14th centuries. At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, thecloister, the central tower, a new south transept, the large west window and a new entrance porch to the south had just been built in thePerpendicular style, and the southwest tower of the façade had been begun.[1] The west front was given aTudor entrance, but the tower was never completed.[4]
In 1636 the space beneath the south west tower became a bishop'sconsistory court. It was furnished as such at that time, and is now a unique survival in England, hearing its last case, that of an attempted suicide of a priest, in the 1930s.[17][20] Until 1881, the south transept, which is unusually large, also took on a separate function as an independent ecclesiastical entity: theparish church ofSt Oswald.[21] Although the 17th century saw additions to the furnishings and fittings, there was no further building work for several centuries. By the 19th century, the building was badly in need of restoration. The present homogeneous appearance that the cathedral presents from many exterior angles is largely the work ofVictorian restorers, particularlyGeorge Gilbert Scott.[22]
The 20th century has seen continued maintenance and restoration. In 1922, theChester War Memorial was installed in the cathedral grounds and dedicated to the fallen soldiers of theFirst World War and later theSecond World War.[23] In 1973–75 a detachedbelfry, theAddleshaw Tower, designed byGeorge Pace, was erected in the grounds of the cathedral.[4] In 2005 a new Song School was added to the cathedral.[24] During the 2000s, the cathedral library was refurbished and relocated. It was officially reopened in September 2007.[25] The cathedral and the former monastic buildings were designated as Grade I listed buildings on 28 July 1955.[4][26]
In October 2021, the abbey's gateway was one of 142 sites across England to receive part of a £35-million injection into the government'sCulture Recovery Fund.[27]
Chester Cathedral has an east–west axis, common to many cathedrals, with the chancel at the eastern end, and the façade to the west. The plan iscruciform, with a central tower (as is usual in English monastic churches), but is asymmetrical, having a smalltransept on the north side remaining from an earlier building, and an unusually large south transept. As the plan shows, the asymmetry extends to the west front, where the north tower remains from theNorman building, and the south tower is of the early 16th century. At the eastern end, the symmetrical arrangement of the aisles was lost when the end of the south aisle was demolished and rebuilt in anapsidal shape. The nave, choir and south transept have wide aisles on either side, and are lit byclerestory windows and large multi-light windows in each of the three cliff-like ends. To the north of the cathedral are monastic buildings, including thecloister,refectory and a rectangularchapter house. The façade of the building is abutted on the north by later buildings.[4][28]
1. West door | 16. St. Werburgh's Chapel | a. Font | n. organ |
Like the cathedrals ofCarlisle,Lichfield andWorcester, Chester Cathedral is built ofNew Red Sandstone, in this caseKeuper Sandstone from theCheshire Basin. The stone lends itself to detailed carving, but is also friable, easily eroded by rain and wind, and is badly affected by pollution. With the other red sandstone buildings, Chester is one of the most heavily restored of England's cathedrals. The restoration, which included much refacing and many new details, took place mainly in the 19th century.[29]
Because the south transept is similar in dimension to the nave and choir, views of the building from the south-east and south-west give the impression of a building balanced around a central axis, with its tower as the hub. The tower is of the late 15th centuryPerpendicular style, but its four largebattlementedturrets are the work of the restoration architectGeorge Gilbert Scott.[4]With its rhythmic arrangement of large, traceried windows,pinnacles, battlements andbuttresses, the exterior of Chester Cathedral from the south presents a fairly homogeneous character, which is an unusual feature as England's cathedrals are in general noted for their stylistic diversity.[30] Close examination reveals windowtracery of several building stages from the 13th to the early 16th century. The richness of the 13th-century tracery is accentuated by the presence of ornate,crocketted drip-mouldings around the windows; those around the perpendicular windows are of simpler form.
The façade of the cathedral is dominated by a large deeply recessed eight-light window in the Perpendicular style,[15] above a recessed doorway set in a screen-like porch designed, probably by Seth and George Derwall, in the early 1500s.[1][15] This porch formed part of the same late 15th-century building programme as the south transept, central and southwest towers, and cloister.[1] Neither of the west towers was completed.[31] To the north is the lower stage of a Norman tower, while to the south is the lower stage of a tower designed and begun, probably by Seth and George Derwall, in 1508,[1] but left incomplete following the dissolution of the monastery in 1538. The cathedral's façade is abutted on the north by a Victorian building housing the education centre and largely obscured from view by the building previously used as theKing's School and theChoir School which was until 2024 a branch ofBarclays Bank.[32] The door of the west front is not used as the normal entrance to the cathedral, which is through the southwest porch which is in an ornateTudor style.
The interior of Chester Cathedral gives a warm and mellow appearance because of the pinkish colour of the sandstone. The proportions appear spacious because the view from the west end of the nave to the east end is unimpeded by apulpitum and the nave, although not long, is both wide and high compared with many of England's cathedrals. The piers of the nave and choir are widely spaced, those of the nave carrying only the clerestory of large windows with notriforium gallery. The proportions are made possible partly because the ornatestellar vault, like that atYork Minster, is of wood, not stone.[17][28]
The present building, dating from around 1283 to 1537, mostly replaced the earlier monastic church founded in 1093 which was built in theNorman style. It is believed that the newer church was built around the older one.[24] That the few remaining parts of the Norman church are of small proportions, while the height and width of the Gothic church are generous would seem to confirm this belief. Aspects of the design of the Norman interior are still visible in the north transept, which retains wall arcading and a broadly moulded arch leading to thesacristy, which was formerly a chapel.[4] The transept has retained an early 16th-centurycoffered ceiling with decoratedbosses, two of which are carved with thearms of Henry VIII andCardinal Wolsey.[21]
The north west tower is also of Norman construction. It serves as thebaptistry and houses a blackmarblefont, consisting of a bowl on a largebaluster dating from 1697.[4] The lower part of the north wall of the nave is also from the Norman building, but can only be viewed from thecloister because the interior has been decorated withmosaic.[24]
TheEarly English Gothic chapter house, built between 1230 and 1265, is rectangular and opens off a "charming" vestibule leading from the north transept.[28] The chapter house has grouped windows of simple untraceried form. Alec Clifton-Taylor describes the exterior of this building as a "modest but rather elegant example of composition in lancets"[28] whileNikolaus Pevsner says of the interior "It is a wonderfully noble room" which is the "aesthetic climax of the cathedral". To the north of the chapter house is theslype, also Early English in style, and the warming room, which contains two large former fireplaces.[33] The monastic refectory to the north of the cloister is of about the same date as the chapter house.[1]
The Lady Chapel to the eastern end of the choir dates from between 1265 and 1290.[1] It is of threebays, and contains the Shrine of St Werburgh, dating from the 14th century. The vault of the Lady Chapel is the only one in the cathedral that is of stone.[28] It is decorated with carved roof bosses representing theTrinity, theMadonna and Child, and the murder ofThomas Becket. The chapel also has asedilia and apiscina.[4]
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The choir, of five bays, was built between 1283 and 1315 to the design of Richard Lenginour,[1] and is an early example ofDecorated Gothic architecture. Thepiers have strongly modelled attached shafts, supporting deeply moulded arches. There is a triforium gallery with four cusped arches to each bay. Thesexpartite vault, which is a 19th-century restoration, is supported by clusters of three shafts which spring from energetic figurativecorbels. The overall effect is robust, and contrasts with the delicacy of the pinnacled choir stalls, the tracery of the windows and the rich decoration of the vault which was carried out by the ecclesiastical designers,Clayton and Bell.[34] The choir stalls, dating from about 1380, are one of the glories of the cathedral.[28]
The aisles of the choir previously both extended on either side of the Lady Chapel. The south aisle was shortened in about 1870 by George Gilbert Scott, and given anapsidal east end, becoming the chapel of St Erasmus. The eastern end of the north aisle contains the chapel of St Werburgh.[4]
The nave of six bays, and the large, aisled south transept were begun in about 1323, probably to the design of Nicholas de Derneford.[1] There are a number of windows containing fineFlowing Decorated tracery of this period. The work ceased in 1375, in which year there was a severe outbreak ofplague in England. The building of the nave was recommenced in 1485, more than 150 years after it was begun. The architect was probably William Rediche.[1] Remarkably, for an English medieval architect, he maintained the original form, changing only the details. The nave was roofed with a stellar vault rather like that of the Lady Chapel atEly and the choir atYork Minster, both of which date from the 1370s. Like that at York, the vault is of wood, imitating stone.[28]
From about 1493 until 1525 the architect appears to have been Seth Derwall, succeeded by George Derwall until 1537.[1] Seth Derwall completed the south transept to aPerpendicular Gothic design, as seen in thetransomed windows of the clerestory. He also built the central tower, southwest porch and cloisters. Work commenced on the south west tower in 1508, but it had not risen above the roofline at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, and has never been completed. The central tower, rising to 127 feet (39 m),[1] is alantern tower with large windows letting light into the crossing. Its external appearance has been altered by the addition of four battlemented turrets by George Gilbert Scott in the 19th century.[4]
The Perpendicular Gothiccloister is entered from the cathedral through a Norman doorway in the north aisle. The cloister is part of the building programme that commenced in the 1490s and is probably the work of Seth Derwall.[1] The south wall of the cloister, dating from the later part of the Norman period, forms the north wall of the nave of the cathedral, and includesblind arcading.[35] Among the earliest remaining structures on the site is anundercroft off the west range of the cloisters, which dates from the early 12th century, and which was originally used by the monks for storing food.[36] It consists of two naves withgroin vaults and short roundpiers with round scallopedcapitals.[4]
Leading from the south of the undercroft is the abbot's passage which dates from around 1150 and consists of two bays withrib-vaulting.[37] Above the abbot's passage, approached by a stairway from the west cloister, is St Anselm's Chapel which also dates from the 12th century. It is in three bays and has a 19th century Gothic-style plaster vault. The chancel is in one bay and was remodelled in the early 17th century. The screen, altar rails, holy table and plaster ceiling of the chancel date from the 17th century.[36][37] The north range of the cloister gives access to a refectory, built by Simon de Whitchurch in the 13th century. It contains an Early Englishpulpit, approached by a staircase with an ascendingarcade. The only other similar pulpit in England is inBeaulieu Abbey.[36]
By the 19th century the fabric of the building had become badly weathered, with Charles Hiatt writing that "the surface rot of the very perishable red sandstone, of which the cathedral was built, was positively unsightly" and that the "whole place previous to restoration struck one as woebegone and neglected; it perpetually seemed to hover on the verge of collapse, and yet was without a trace of the romance of the average ruin".[31] Between 1818 and 1820 the architectThomas Harrison restored the south transept, adding corner turrets.[32] This part of the building served until 1881 as the parish church of St Oswald, and it was ecclesiastically separate.[21] From 1844R. C. Hussey carried out a limited restoration including work on the south side of the nave.[4]
The most extensiverestoration was carried out by theGothic Revival architectSir Gilbert Scott, who between 1868 and 1876 "almost entirely re-cased" the cathedral.[15][17] The current building is acknowledged to be mainly the product of this Victorian restoration commissioned by the Dean,John Saul Howson.[38] In addition to extensive additions and alterations to the body of the church, Scott remodelled the tower, addingturrets andcrenellations.[4] Scott chosesandstone from the quarries atRuncorn for his restoration work.[39] In addition to the restoration of the fabric of the building, Scott designed internal fittings such as the choir screen to replace those destroyed during theCivil War; the roof had also been melted down to make musket balls.[20] He built thefan vault of the south porch, renewed the wooden vault of the choir and added a great many decorative features to the interior.
Scott's restorations were not without their critics and caused much debate in architectural circles. Scott claimed to have archaeological evidence for his work, but the Liverpool architect,Samuel Huggins, argued in an 1868 address to the Liverpool Architectural Society that the alterations were less like restoration and more like rebuilding. One of the larger changes was to shorten the south aisle and restyle it as an apse. The changes also proposed the addition of a spire above the existing tower, but this proposal was later rejected.[38] Samuel's further paper of 1871 entitledOn so-called restorations of our cathedral and abbey churches compelled the Dean to attempt to answer the criticism. The debate contributed to the establishment of theSociety for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.[40]
Later in the century, from 1882,Arthur Blomfield and his son Charles made further additions and modifications, including restoring and reinstating the Shrine of St Werburgh. More work was carried out in the 20th century byGiles Gilbert Scott between 1891 and 1913, and byF. H. Crossley in 1939.[4]
Towards the end of 1963 the cathedral bells, which were housed in the central tower, were in need of an overhaul and ringing was suspended. In 1965 the Dean askedGeorge Pace, architect toYork Minster, to prepare specifications for a new bell frame and for electrification of the clock and tolling mechanism. Due to structural difficulties and the cost of replacing the bells in the central tower it was advised that consideration should be given to building a detached bell and clock tower in the southeast corner of the churchyard. It was decided to proceed with that plan, and in 1969 an announcement was made that the first detached cathedral bell tower was to be erected since the building of the campanile atChichester Cathedral in the 15th century. In February 1969, nine of the ten bells in the central tower were removed to be recast byJohn Taylor & Co as a ring of twelve bells with a flat sixth.[41] The new bells were cast in 1973.[42] Work on the new bell-tower began in February 1973. Two old bells dating from 1606 and 1626 were left in the tower. On 26 February 1975 the bells were rung for the first time to celebrate the wedding of a member of theGrosvenor family. The official opening on 25 June 1975 was performed by theDuke of Gloucester. The belfry is known as the Dean Addleshaw Tower, after thedean of the cathedral responsible for its construction.[41] The tower is built in concrete, faced with sandstone at its base. It is the first detached bell tower to be built for a cathedral in this country since theReformation.[43] Between the bell tower and the south transept is a garden in remembrance of theCheshire Regiment (originally the 22nd Regiment of Foot).[19]
The treasures of Chester Cathedral are its rare fittings, specifically its choir stalls and the 17th-century furnishing of the bishop'sConsistory Court in the south tower, which is a unique survival.[17]
The choir stalls date from about 1380. They have high, spiky, closely setcanopies, withcrocketed arches and spirelets. The stall ends havepoppyheads and are rich with figurative carving.[44] The stalls include 48 misericords, all but five of which are original,[21] depicting a variety of subjects, some humorous and some grotesque. Pevsner states that they are "one of the finest sets in the country",[44] whileAlec Clifton-Taylor calls them "exquisite" and says of the misericords that "for delicacy and grace they surpass even those atLincoln andBeverley".[28]
In 1844, an organ byGray & Davison of London was installed in the cathedral, replacing an instrument with parts dating back to 1626. The organ was rebuilt and enlarged by Whiteley Bros of Chester in 1876, to include harmonic flutes and reeds byCavaillé-Coll. It was later moved to its present position at the front of the north transept. In 1910 William Hill and Son of London extensively rebuilt and revoiced the organ, replacing the Cavaillé-Coll reeds with new pipes of their own. The choir division of the organ was enlarged and moved behind the choirstalls on the south side. The instrument was again overhauled byRushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool in 1969, when a new mechanism and some new pipework made to a design by the organist,Roger Fisher, was installed. Since 1991 the organ has been in the care of David Wells of Liverpool.[45]
In 1725Joseph Smith was commissioned to make a new turret clock.[46] The clock had no dial, but chimed the quarters with a ting-tang on two bells and struck the hour. The pendulum period was 1¼ seconds. As part of this commission he was paid 16s annually (equivalent to £150 in 2023)[47] for its maintenance.
The clock survived until 1873 when it was replaced by a new mechanism byJ. B. Joyce & Co of Whitchurch.[48] In the 1970s, the clock mechanism was moved to theAddleshaw Tower.
Chester suffered badly at the hands of theParliamentary troops.[28] As a consequence, its stained glass dates mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries and has representative examples of the significant trends in stained glass design from the 1850s onwards. Of the earlierVictorian firms,William Wailes is the best represented, in the south aisle (1862), as well asHardman & Co. andMichael O'Connor. Glass from the High Victorian period is well represented by two leading London firms,Clayton and Bell andHeaton, Butler and Bayne. The Aesthetic style is represented byCharles Eamer Kempe. Early 20th century windows include several commemorating those who died inWorld War I.
There are also several notable modern windows, the most recent being the refectory window of 2001 byRos Grimshaw which depicts theCreation.[49] The eight-light Perpendicular window of the west end contains mid-20th century glass representing the Holy Family and Saints, by W. T. Carter Shapland. Three modern windows in the south aisle, designed and made byAlan Younger to replace windows damaged in the Second World War. They were donated by the6th Duke of Westminster to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the cathedral and contain the dates 1092 and 1992 to reflect the theme of "continuity and change".[50]
The west end of the nave is dominated by an eight-light window in the Perpendicular Gothic style which almost fills the upper part of the west wall. It contains stained glass designed by W. T. Carter Shapland dating from 1961 and depicts theHoly Family in the middle two lights, flanked by the northern saints Werburgh,Oswald,Aidan,Chad andWilfrid, andQueen Ethelfleda.[51]
The stone navepulpit was designed by the restorer R. C. Hussey and thelectern, dated 1876, is by Skidmore.[52] Themosaic floor of the tower bay was designed byJohn Howson (Dean, 1867–1885) and executed by Burke and Co. The same firm installed the mosaics which decorate the wall of the north aisle, depicting the patriarchs and prophetsAbraham,Moses,David andElijah.[4] They were designed by J. R. Clayton of Clayton and Bell, and date from 1883 to 1886.[52]
Monuments in the nave include those to Roger Barnston, dated 1838, by John Blayney, toNicholas Stratford (Bishop, 1689–1707), dated 1708, toGeorge Hall (Bishop, 1662–1668 (d.)), to Edmund Entwistle, dated 1712, to John and Thomas Wainwright who died respectively in 1686 and 1720, to Robert Bickerstaff who died in 1841 by Blayney, toWilliam Smith (Dean, 1758–1787 (d.)) byThomas Banks, and to William Mainwaring, dated 1671.[52]
The most famous feature of the quire is the set of choir stalls, dating from about 1380, and described above. Thelectern, in the form of a wooden eagle, symbol ofJohn the Evangelist, dates from the first half of the 17th century.[53] The candlesticks also date from the 17th century and are by Censore ofBologna who died in 1662.[44]
With these exceptions, most of the decoration and the fittings of the quire date from the 19th century and are in keeping with theGothic Revival promoted by theOxford Movement andAugustus Welby Pugin. The restored vault of the quire is typical of the period, having been designed by Scott and decorated and gilded by Clayton and Bell.[34]
The quire is entered through a screen designed by George Gilbert Scott, with gates made by Skidmore. Therood was designed by Scott, and was made by F. Stuflesser.[4] The bishop's throne or "cathedra" was designed by Scott to complement the choir stalls. It was constructed byFarmer and Brindley in 1876. Thereredos and the floormosaic date from 1876, and were designed by J. R. Clayton. The east window has tracery of an elegant Decorated Gothic design which is filled with stained glass of 1884 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.[44]
The 13th-century Lady Chapel contains the stone shrine of Saint Werburgh which dates from the 14th century and which used to contain her relics. The shrine, of similar red sandstone as the cathedral, has a base pierced with deepniches. The upper part takes the form of a miniature chapel containing statuettes. During theDissolution of the Monasteries it was dismantled. Some of the parts were found during the 1873 restoration of the cathedral and the shrine was reassembled in 1888 by Blomfield. A carving of St Werburgh byJoseph Pyrz was added in 1993.[54] Also in the chapel are asedilia and apiscina. The stained glass of 1859, is by William Wailes. The chapel contains a monument toArchdeacon Francis Wrangham, made byHardman & Co. and dating from 1846.[55] In 1555, George Marsh, Protestant martyr stood trial here accused of heresy.[56]
The north quire aisle has a stone screen by R. C. Hussey and an iron gate dated 1558 that came fromGuadalajara. At the east end of the aisle is the chapel of St Werburgh which has a vault of two bays,[57] and an east window depicting theNativity by Michael O'Connor, dated 1857. Other stained glass windows in the north aisle are by William Wailes, by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and by Clayton and Bell. The chapel contains a piscina dating from the 14th century,[4] and monuments toJohn Graham (Bishop, 1848–1865) dated 1867, and to William Bispham who died in 1685,[55] Other monuments in the north aisle include a tablet toWilliam Jacobson (Bishop, 1865–1884), dated 1887, byBoehm to a design by Blomfield.[44]
The small Norman transept has clerestory windows containing stained glass by William Wailes, installed in 1853.[58] The sacristy, of 1200, has an east window depictingSt Anselm, and designed byA. K. Nicholson. In the north transept is a freestandingtomb chest monument toJohn Pearson who died in 1686, designed by Arthur Blomfield and carved by Nicholas Earp, with a recumbent effigy byMatthew Noble. Other monuments in the transept include one toSamuel Peploe, dating from about 1784, byJoseph Nollekens. The wall monuments includecenotaphs to members of theCheshire (Earl of Chester's) Yeomanry killed in theBoer War and in the First and Second World Wars.[4] At the corner of the transept with the north aisle is a 17th-centuryTree of Jesse carved in whale ivory. A niche contains a rare example of a "cobweb picture", painted on the web of a caterpillar. Originating in the AustrianTyrol, it depictsMary and the Christ-Child, and is based on a painting byLucas Cranach the Elder.[59]
The chapter house has stained glass in its east window by Heaton, Butler and Bayne andgrisaille windows in the north and south walls, dated 1882–83, by Blomfield.[60] It contains an oakcope cupboard from the late 13th century.[61] The front of the chapter house was rebuilt to a design by Hussey.[33]
The south aisle was shortened in about 1870 by Scott, and given anapsidal east end, becoming the chapel ofSt Erasmus.[4] The stained glass in the apse window is dated 1872 and is by Clayton and Bell. Below this is a mosaic designed by J. R. Clayton and made bySalviati, and afresco painting by Clayton and Bell, dated 1874. Elsewhere the stained glass in the aisle is by Wailes, and byHardman & Co. to a design byPugin.[58] The aisle contains the tomb ofRanulf Higdon,[36] a monk at St Werburgh's Abbey in the 12th century who wrote a major work of history entitledPolychronicon,[62] a monument toThomas Brassey (a civil engineering contractor who died in 1870), designed by Blomfield and made by Wagmuller, a monument toSamuel Peploe (Bishop, 1726–1752) who died in 1752, and three painted monuments by a member of theRandle Holme family.[58]
The south transept, formerly the parish church of St Oswald contains apiscina andsedilia in the south wall.[21] On the east wall are four chapels, each with areredos, two of which were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, one by Kempe and the other by his successor, W. E. Tower.[4] The south window is dated 1887 and was made byHeaton, Butler and Bayne to a design by R. C. Hussey.[32] Other stained glass in the transept is byClayton and Bell, byC. E. Kempe and by Powell.
The monuments include those to George Ogden who died in 1781, by Hayward, to Anne Matthews who died in 1793, by Thomas Banks, to John Philips Buchanan who died atWaterloo in 1815, to the firstDuke of Westminster, designed by C. J. Blomfield,[52] and twomemorial plaques to members of theEgerton family. On the wall of the southwest crossing pier are monuments which include acenotaph to the casualties inHMS Chester in theBattle of Jutland in 1916 who included the 16-year-oldJohn CornwellVC. The west wall of the south transept has many memorials, including war memorial cenotaphs to theCheshire Regiment, theRoyal Air Force and the Free Czech Forces.[4]
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The cloisters were restored in the 20th century, and the stained glass windows contain the images of some 130 saints.[36] The cloistergarth contains a modern sculpture entitledThe water of life by Stephen Broadbent.[63] The refectory roof is dated 1939 and was designed byF. H. Crossley.[64] The east window with reticulatedtracery was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and is dated 1913.[65] The stained glass in the west window, depicting theCreation, was designed byRos Grimshaw and installed in 2001 to celebrate theMillennium.[66] On the refectory's west wall there is atapestry depictingElymas being struck with blindness[36] which was woven at theMortlake Tapestry Works in the 17th century from one of theRaphael Cartoons. The heraldic paintings on the north wall represent the arms of theEarls of Chester.[66]
A library has been present since the time of St Werburgh's Abbey, and following thedissolution of the monasteries it became the cathedral library.[67] It continued to grow over the centuries, but by the 19th century it had become neglected.[68] Between 1867 and 1885 it was enlarged and in the 1890s new bookcases were added.[69] A further reorganisation took place in the 1920s but by the 1980s the contents were contained in five separate sites around the cathedral.[70] A programme of repair and re-cataloguing of the contents was instituted. During the 2000s more work was carried out and the refurbished library, housed in three rooms, opened in 2007.[71] The library is available for research and for organised visits by groups.[25]
As of 3 January 2024:[72]
The cathedral is a place of Christian worship, with two services held daily, and four or five each Sunday. There is Holy Communion each day, and Choral Evensong each day except Wednesday. There is a sung service of cathedral Eucharist every Sunday.[74]
The Organist and Master of the Choristers isPhilip Rushforth, Head of Music Outreach and Assistant Organist, Dan Mathieson and Sub-Organist, Alexander Palotai. There are lunchtime organ recitals weekly on Thursday at 1:10pm, immediately following Holy Communion.[75] The monthly program of music is available on the cathedral's website.[76]
The hymn-writerWilliam Cooke (1821–1894) was a canon of Chester.[77]
The earliest recorded appointment of an organist is of John Brycheley in 1541.[78] Notable organists include the composersRobert White andJohn Sanders, conductorGeorge Guest and the recording artistRoger Fisher.[78][79]
The choral tradition at Chester is 900 years old, dating from the foundation of the Benedictine monastery. In 1741Handel heard the first recital of hisMessiah at Chester.[20] There are usually eight choral services in the cathedral each week. Chester has acathedral choir of malelay clerks, choral scholars, boy and girl choristers and a Nave Choir which is of mixed voice. They rehearse in the Song School, built on the site of the former Monks' Dormitory. In addition to singing at services, the choir perform in concerts, tour abroad, and make recording on CDs. There was achoir school at the cathedral until 1975 but since that time choristers come from local schools.[80] The Nave Choir, which singsCompline on Sunday evenings and in other services, also takes part in concerts, and undertakes tours. Having been founded during the 1860s, it is the longest-running voluntary cathedral choir in Britain.[81]
Apart from services, a variety of events such as concerts, recitals, exhibitions and tours are held at the cathedral.[82] There are weekly lunchtime organ recitals each Thursday, and concerts by the Chester Cathedral Nave Choir.[83]
The cathedral and precinct are open to visits both by individuals and by groups.[84] The former Refectory of the abbey is used as a café.[66] The Refectory, the Cloister Room, the Chapter House, and the Vestibule can be hired for meetings, receptions and other purposes.[85]
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Notes
Citations
5. ELLEN OF WALES. She married (1st) about 22 Aug. 1222 JOHN OF SCOTLAND, Knt., 8th Earl of Chester, 10th Earl of Huntingdon, Warden of all the Forests of the Honour of Huntingdon, 1233, 3rd but only surviving son and heir of David, 9th Earl of Huntingdon (brother of William the Lion, King of Scotland), by Maud, daughter of Hugh, 6th Earl of Chester, Vicomte of Avranches. He was born about 1207. Ellen's maritagium included the manors of Bidford, Warwickshire and Suckley, Worcestershire (which property formerly formed part of her mother, Princess Joan's maritagium), as well as the manor of Wellington, Shropshire. They had no issue. Sometime before 1215, he, his parents, and his sister, A[da], were admitted into the fraternity of Holy Trinity Priory, London "to share in all the benefits of their church." He was senior co-heir in 1232 to his uncle, Ranulph, Earl of Chester. He presented to the church of Grendon, Northamptonshire in 1232. In 1234 the barons and knights of Earl John were forbidden to hold a tournament at Yardley, Northamptonshire. He carried the sword Curtana at the Coronation of Queen Eleanor of Provence, wife of King Henry III, in 1236. He took the Cross about 8 June 1236. SIR JOHN OF SCOTLAND, Earl of Chester and Huntingdon, died at Darnal Abbey, Cheshire shortly before 6 June 1237, and was buried at St. Werburgh's, Chester.
Sources
Media related toChester Cathedral at Wikimedia Commons
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