West Midlands Worcester Cathedral - The Cathedral Church of Christ and The Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester

The best views of Worcester Cathedral are from the River Severn. It is surrounded by a precinct with the cathedral at the centre. Next to it would have been the Norman Castle. This played an important role in the Anarchy, the war between Stephen and his cousin Matilda for the crown of England in the C12th. The castle was used as a gaol until the whole area was demolished in the early C19th and the site was used to build King’s School.

All that remains of the Castle is the C14th Edgar’s Tower built as a gatehouse to control entry into the Castle

The Watergate was built in 1378 to control entry from the river. The gate could not be opened between 9pm and 5am unless necessary for business Dean and Chapter. A ferry with the boatman paid 16s and 8d a year was used regularly by the prior and his officers to reach their manor at Henwick as well as milk maids bringing milk to the city. The ferry eventually stopped running in 1950s, although from 1983 to 2024 it was replaced by a hand rowed boat.

Also in the Cathedral Precinct is the Old Palace which was the home of the Bishop until the C19th. It is now used for conferences and wedding receptions.

History
The present building dates from the C11th although there has been a cathedral here since the C7th and St Oswald built a cathedral here in the C10th. Worcester along with its community of Benedictine monks was one of the most important monastic Cathedrals in England and an important centre of learning. The present building has examples of all styles of English architecture from Norman, Transitional Norman, Early English and Decorated through to Perpendicular.

Bishop Wulstan, one of the few Anglo-Saxon Bishop to survive after the Norman Conquest, rebuilt the Cathedral in 1084, complete with a crypt.

This building was damaged by fire in 1113. The chancel was repaired first followed by the transepts. The repairs can be identified by the green and white stone used in alternate bands. The west end seems to have been built on poor foundations and had to be rebuilt in the new transitional Norman style.

The tower collapsed in 1175 damaging the transepts.

St Wulstan had been buried in the choir and by the early C13th his fame and the number of pilgrims had increased.

The east end with the Lady Chapel, was completely rebuilt in Early English style, by Bishop William de Blois to facilitate easy movement of pilgrims around Wulstan’s shrine.

The second tower had to be dismantled as unsafe and was rebuilt in the late C14th.

Parts of the nave and side aisles and their roofs were rebuilt in the Decorated style in the C14th, along with reinforcements of the walls of the chapter house and repair of the inner walls of the cloister.

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, Worcester Cathedral became a Collegiate Church with some of the former monks becoming the Dean and Chapter. The rest were pensioned off. Much of the Medieval glass was destroyed, along with the shrines to St Oswald and St Wufstan, the stalls and rood screen. Wall paintings were scraped off or covered with whitewash.

The cathedral was further damaged during the Civil War. Worcester declared for the King. When the Parliamentarians gained control of the city, the Cathedral was ransacked. Parliamentary troops occupied the buildings and stabled their horses in the nave. Lead was stripped from parts of the roof.

After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, some repairs were carried out to the building. In the C19th, the Victorians carried out a major restoration, with new stained glass windows and fittings.

The organ screen and organ were removed from the entrance to the choir and replaced by an openwork iron screen.

The ceilings of the chancel and Lady Chapel were painted.

The elaborately carved marble pulpit in the nave with images of apostles and prophets dates from then, and is the work of GG Scott

The stone base of the font at the back of the nave is also the work of Scott. However, the carved wooden top with its cared doors and painted interior, is Jacobean.

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[Eleanor]

Visiting the Cathedral

Entry is through the north doorway with its wonderful display of statues.

The Nave and its tombs

There is a small welcome desk at the back of the cathedral where a leaflet showing a plan and highlights can be picked up. Just to the left of the desk is the Elgar memorial window. This is based on Elgar’s Oratoria "The Dream of Gerontius”. At the bottom Grontius is on his death bed surrounded by saints, including Oswald and Wulfstan. Above his soul is being carried up towards the Seat of Judgement.

The first sight of the nave is awe inspiring with tall colonnades soaring up to the roof. This was intended as a status statement.



Off the north wall of the nave and set behind a stone screen, is the Jesus Chapel, which was desiugned by GG Scott and has a marvellous C19th carved altar front with reredos above. At the centre is the Virgin and Christ Child, flanked by St Oswald and St Wulfstan,

The guide book I had bought second hand before visiting explains that “It explores the Cathedral and its artefacts through the lives of the people who have loved and worshipped on this holy site for thirteen centuries..” rather than the history and architecture of the building. There are plenty of their tombs and memorials in the Cathedral - from bishops to the great and good including ‘bad’ King John and Prince Arthur. Unfortunately the shrines of Wulfram and St Oswald are long gone...

At the back of the nave between the pillars of the north arcade is the tomb of the early C17th Bishop Thornborough. He was one of the more unusual bishops as he was tolerant of the Puritans and also wrote a book on Alchemy. He designed his own monument with mottos and mathematical symbols rather than Biblical texts and imagery.

Opposite him is the tomb of Tomb Richard Eaves who was Dean of the Cathedral at the turn of the C16th. He was invited to join the team responsible for translating the Bible into English for James VI and I, but died before participating.

On the south wall of the nave is the Tomb of C16th Bishop Freake. Further down in the south arcade is the tomb of Margaret and John Wilde, who were wealthy C15th clothiers.

Opposite in the north arcade is the tomb of St John Beauchamp and his wife. He was one of Richard II’s advisors and a favourite. He was tried and convicted of treason by the Merciless Parliament in 1388, then hanged and beheaded at Tower Hill.

On the north wall is the tomb of Bishop Bullingham. This is unusual as his head and chest are separated from his body by the block of masonry bearing his epitaph. The tomb had originally been in the choir, but was moved here during the C19th restoration of the Cathedral. He had been appointed by Elizabeth I to promote the use of the Book of Common Prayer and was an important figure in the establishment of the Church of England.

There is also the kneeling memorial to Abigail, second wife of Godfrey Goldsborough, Bishop of Gloucester. The tomb was erected by her son Henry and is a fine example of a C17th tomb.

Near her is the rather gruesome cadaver monument of Cecilia Warmstrey, who was married to a registrar of the Diocese of Worcester, and her son was dean of the cathedral. She is shown wrapped in a shroud open to show her dead body. It is the only one of its kind in Worcester Cathedral and designed to emphasize the transience of life

On the wall of the north transept is the impressive baroque monument to the early C18th Bishop Hough. Opposite him in the south transept is the seated figure of the late C19th Bishop Philpott.

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[Eleanor]

Choir, chancel and side chapels

An elegant open iron screen leads from the nave into the choir with its medieval stone pulpit and Bishop’s Chair.

Some of the medieval misericords have survived. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries they were thrown out, but were rescued during the C19th restoration.

The Choir Aisles provided an ambulatory route for Medieval pilgrims, which led to the Lady Chapel and round the back of the chancel.

Off the south Choir Aisle is a small chapel dedicated to St John.

In front of the steps leading up to the chancel and high altar is the tomb of King John.
Although John had died at Newark, he had specified in his will that he wanted to be buried in Worcester Cathedral, between the shrines of St Wulfstan and St Oswald. (The original will, (the oldest remaining royal will in England, is still kept in the Cathedral Library.)

This is the oldest royal effigy in England. Wulstan and Oswald’s shrines have long gone, but John’s crowned head lies on a pillow supported by their small figures. His feet rest upon a lion.

The Chancel with its painted ceiling, is reached up a short flight of stairs and the altar and marble reredos designed by GG Scott, with the figures of Christ flanked by his four apostles, glow in the floodlights.

On the north side an elegant stone and marble screen separates chancel from the North Choir Aisle and St George’s Chapel.

This is the memorial chapel for all those who have died on military service. Hanging from the walls are the Colours of the different Battalions of the Worcestershire Regiment. The stained glass windows honour those who died in the First and Second World Wars. There are also Books of Remebrance. Entry is off the North Choir Aisle.

In a niche by the altar is a cross of nails made of C14th nails from the roof of the destroyed Coventry Cathedral.

On the south side of the Chancel is the wonderful Chantry Chapel to Prince Arthur, the eldest son of Henry VII who died in Ludlow in 1502 and was interred here.

This is equally impressive when seen from the South Choir Aisle when all the symbolry of its carving can be clearly seen. There is the Tudor rose, the Tudor portcullis, a pomegranate and many other symbols.

The two medieval monuments at the base of the chantry chapel date from around 1300 and are thought to be Gifford family tombs. On the left is Bishop Godfrey Gifford with his sister on the right. The tombs were originally near the high altar but were moved here when the Chantry chapel was constructed.

The inside of the Chantry chapel is as impressive as the outside. Prince Arthur's massive stone tomb has the coats of England along the sides.

This is also carved in the centre of the lovely vaulted ceiling.

Although the Chantry Chapel was not destroyed during the Reformation as it was that of the elder brother of Henry VIII, the statues above the altar were damaged later during the reign of Edward VI and their identity is now unclear.

Next to Prince Arthur’s Chantry Chapel is the Dean’s Chapel. In the centre is the stone tomb of Sir Gruffyd ap Rhys, a powerful Welsh Knight who was a member of Prince Arthur’s household. The brasses on top are C19th

On the wall is the C13th effigy of Sir William de Harcourt, a 13th-century knight. It would originally have been painted and may have been repainted during the Victorian restoration.

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[Eleanor]

Lady chapel
The Lady Chapel is at the far east end of the Cathedral and was added when the Norman Chancel was replaced in the C13th. It has a central chapel flanked by side aisles.

There is a wonderful view of the back of the marble reredos dated 1877. This has a central image of the Lamb of God surrounded by the symbols of the four apostles.

The east window was part of the C19th restoration and has scenes from the life of Christ.

The tombs of the C13th Bishop William de Blois who built the Lady Chapel and his successor Bishop Walter de Cantelupe, are in the Lady Chapel. The other main tombs in the Lady Chapel all date from the C19th. Lord George Lyttelton was Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire and a friend of William Gladstone. He was responsible for much of the fund raising for the restoration of the Cathedral. His tomb was designed by GG Scott.

Also designed by Scott is the tomb of William Ward, First Earl of Dudley, a significant contributor to the restoration of the Cathedral.

The third monument is completely different, and is Charlotte Digby, who was lady in waiting to Queen Charlotte. Her father was Dean of the Cathedral and her husband was a canon as well as a local vicar. The monument was originally in St George’s Chapel.

Leaving the Lady Chapel into the North Choir aisle are the tombs of Margaret de Say who was a major benefactress and died in 1230. This is one of the earliest non-ecclesiastical female effigies in England, as well as an unidentified Knight.

Crypt
The entrance to the crypt is down steps near the Dean’s Chapel in the South Choir Aisle. This is the oldest part of the church, being built by Wulfstan around 1084. Rows of round pillars support the vaulted ceiling. The outer rows formed an ambulatory passage around the crypt. This now has information panels about the history of the church.

At one end is a small alter with a chapel behind it.

Cloister and Chapter House

The Cloisters are on the south side of the cathedral and were rebuilt in the late C14th when the glazed windows were installed. They have a lovely vaulted ceiling with carved bosses. The cathedral cafe is in the original Refectory building.

Some of the original cathedral bells are displayed along a wall.

The Chapter House on the east wall was built in the late C11th/early C12th by Wulstan and still has the original round and transitional arches round the base of the walls. The windows above were added when the cloisters were rebuilt. A single central pillar supports the ribbed ceiling.

Allow plenty of time for a visit. This is one of the great cathedrals of England. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of information about its history or architecture. Instead the emphasis is on the people and their tombs and memorials. King John and Prince Arthur played a major part in English history but there are many other influential people buried here, as well as several tombs of now unknown people.

 

[Tina]

Thanks Eleanor! I was born in Worcester

The cathedral and the River severn which often floods

reflection in the flooded playing fields beyond the cricket ground

 

[Eleanor]

Thank you Tina. Those are great photos and I particularly liked the one with the swans! I was on a coach trip so only had time to visit the Cathedral. I'd have liked more time to explore the town as well.