Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Norwich Part 3

There is no doubt that this s.p.a.ce was originally the cemetery of the monks, and Harrod quotes from the _Chronicle_ of John de Whethamsted to that effect. A stone coffin lid found here in 1848 goes to confirm this.

CHAPTER III

THE INTERIOR

Norwich Cathedral is justly celebrated for the beauty of its interior.

Entering from the upper close by the north aisle door, and then taking a position immediately under the great west window, facing east, there is before one the long perspective of the Norman nave, the choir and presbytery, while overhead comes the later vault, telling richly by contrast with the severe plainness of the earlier work below. The extreme length of the cathedral is about 407 feet. The nave, always long in Norman churches, is here over 200 feet from the west door to the choir screen. Although some critics object to the position of the organ on this same screen, there can be no doubt that, not only is it a most admirable position for the instrument acoustically, but also that its presence here does not detract from the general effect of the interior.

From the west end of the nave, as a dark silhouette against the eastern apsidal windows, or as an object in the middle distance, it helps the spectator to realise the length of the cathedral. A certain sense of mystery and something undiscerned adds to the charm of an interior, and the organ here helps, with the screen, to enshrine the eastern arm and most sacred portion of the building, and interrupts the vista for the sake of which disastrous sacrifices have been made in many of our cathedral churches.

#The Nave# consists of seven double bays; in all, fourteen compartments from the west end to the tower crossing.

It will be noticed that, in the plan (page 113), a square of the nave, occupying longitudinally the s.p.a.ce of two bays of the aisles, is indicated by the dotted lines; also a main pier is marked as Y and a subsidiary pier as z.

The main piers, as at Y, are large rectangular ma.s.ses, having on the nave side a flat b.u.t.tress-like piece added, with shafts in the angles, and bearing on the face the two vaulting shafts. On the aisle side are two shafts to each transverse arch; and on the two lateral faces are triple shafts to the arcade arches, with four angle shafts at each corner of the main pier, taking the outer rings to same. The plan is the same at the triforium level. The smaller or subsidiary piers (as at X) have single vaulting shafts on the nave face, double ones to the aisle, and under the arcade arches convex faces, with four angle shafts, as in main piers. The plan of these piers determines the elevation. The nave arcade arches, ornamented with the billet, and triforium with a _chevron_ or zig-zag, are almost equal in size, and over these lower stages comes the typical triple Norman clerestory with walk; the whole covered in by the fine lierne vault.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A Norman Capital.]

The vault has thirteen complete bays and two semi-bays, one at either end. The junctions between this later vault and the Norman work can be seen. The main piers had the original double shafts cut off at the level of the top of the triforium arches, the later single shaft being brought down and joined by a peculiar branch-like connection. The original shafts to the subsidiary piers, which it is probable took only a minor part in carrying the flat Norman wooden roof, were finished by a cap at the impost level of the triforium, and the later shaft was brought down and finished by the _rebus_ of Bishop Lyhart, the constructor of the vault. This _rebus_ should be noticed; it is a pun in stone, with its hart lying in water. It will also be noticed that the outer arches of the triforium are not concentric with the sub-arches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Nave, looking East.]

The bases of the shafts have been Perpendicularised, probably when the vault was added, and the Norman character of the lateral shafts spoilt by sc.r.a.ping.

The building of the nave is usually attributed to Bishop Eborard (1121-45), but some eminent archaeologists believe that the whole cathedral, nave and all, was built by Herbert, 1091-1119, the first bishop and founder. We believe there is no doc.u.mentary evidence against this theory. The _Registrum Primum_ says: "Moreover, the same Herbert completed the church of Norwich in his own time, as I have learned from the account of old people, _but have not found in writing,_ as far as the altar of the holy cross, which is now called the altar of S.

William."

The billet enrichment on the main arches, and the chevron or zig-zag on those of the triforium, have been looked upon as indicating that this part of the building--the five western bays of nave--is later than the presbytery, the arches there lacking this ornament. But as these are quite the earliest forms of ornament used by the Norman builders, their occurrence here at Norwich cannot prove much. It is better perhaps to reserve judgment, and be content with merely stating the facts and the more generally accredited theories as to the age of the western part of the nave.

The subsidiary circular columns in the fifth bay of the nave from the west end should be noticed. A small enriched shaft in the clerestory of the north transept is here ill.u.s.trated. This very beautiful style of treatment was common to the Norman builder, with the Romanesque, and the Romans before them.

#The Choir Screen# crosses the nave between the subsidiary piers to the sixth bay. Of the original work erected by Bishop Lyhart, 1446-72, the sub-structure of the present screen is the only portion remaining.

Traces of two altars, one on either side of the doorway, can still be seen; these were originally dedicated to St. William of Norwich and St.

Mary. These altars were enclosed in chapels formed by screens coming forward to the extent of half the bay, and stopped against the main nave piers on either side--the double vaulting shafts on the face of which are stopped by corbels, carved as heads, at about the height that the chapels would have reached. They were vaulted over, and above came the rood loft and organ. The rood loft was damaged by the Puritans, and probably removed after the Restoration. Dean Crofts, in 1660, set up a new organ.

In Britton's "Norwich," 1816, the upper stage of the choir screen is shown divided into square panels, occurring vertically over the lower stage; the screens to the chapels before referred to having been destroyed. In 1833 Salvin remodelled the choir, and turned his attention to the choir screen: the organ was placed in its present position, and cased with the frame of that instrument which Dean Crofts had set up in 1660; and the overhanging vault to the screen was added.

#The Nave Vault# (height 72 feet), which was added by Bishop Lyhart, 1446-72, took the place of the original Norman wooden roof destroyed by fire in 1463. This earlier Norman roof was most probably like that now existing at Peterborough, and was no doubt profusely decorated with colour. The vault is of Perpendicular design, and known as _lierne_; such vaults may be distinguished by the fact that between the main ribs, springing from the vaulting shafts, are placed cross ribs forming a pattern, as it were, and bracing the main ribs, but not in any great measure structural. This vault at Norwich may be taken as typical of the last legitimate development of the stone roof; it was the precursor of the later fan vaulting, such as we find in Henry VII.'s chapel at Westminster, where legitimate construction was replaced by ostentatious ingenuity and the acc.u.mulation of needless ornament and detail.

The carved bosses here at Norwich, occurring at the intersection of the ribs, are worth careful study. Those who care to go into the matter in the fullest detail should consult Dean Goulburn's book published in 1876, which not only gives an admirable history of the fabric and the See, but enters fully into the detail and symbolic meaning of each of the 328 bosses.

In this list, compiled from that volume, mention is made only of those bosses on the main longitudinal rib of the vault; it is hoped that this method will enable the visitor to readily enter into the meaning of any group of bosses, by providing a keynote to the whole. The subjects are taken from Bible history, and each epoch is usually grouped around some central incident figured on the main longitudinal ribs. In each bay No.

4 is the large central boss.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Choir Screen and Organ from the Nave.]

#The Easternmost Bay.--No. 1.#

(1.) The Creation of Light.

(2.) A Figure of the Almighty.

(3.) A White Hart.

(4.) The Temptation.

(5.) A White Swan.

(6.) The Death of Cain.

#The Second Bay.--No. 2.#

(1.) Cain driven out as a Fugitive.

(2.) Noah building the Ark.

(3.) Noah's Drunkenness.

(4.) The Ark on the Waters.

(5.) Meaning indefinite.

(6.) Noah planting the Vine.

#The Third Bay.--No. 3.#

(1.) The Building of the Tower of Babel.

(2.) The Tower of Babel shown as Feudal Fortress.

(3.) Abraham entertaining an Angel.

(4.) Abraham sacrificing Isaac.

(5.) Jacob deceiving Isaac.

(6.) Isaac blessing Esau.

#The Fourth Bay.--No. 4.#

(1.) Sarah at the Door of Abraham's House.

(2.) Jacob going to Padan-Aram.

(3.) Jacob wrestling with the Angel.

(4.) Jacob pilling the Green Poplar Rods.

(5.) Jacob's Ladder.

(6.) Jacob making the Covenant with Laban.

#The Fifth Bay.--No. 5.#

(1.) Jacob sending Joseph to his Brethren.

(2.) Joseph journeying to his Brethren.

(3.) Joseph stripped of his Coat of Many Colours.

(4.) Joseph cast into the Pit.

(5.) Joseph sold to the Ishmaelite Merchants.

(6.) Joseph set up over the Egyptians.

#The Sixth Bay.--No. 6.#

(1.) Joseph selling corn.

(2.) Moses in the Ark of Bulrushes.

(3.) The Angel appearing to Moses in the Burning Bush.