Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster, Gloucester Abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter and founded by Osric, King of the Hwicce, in around 679.
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Active
15 July 1100
Grade I listed building
1089
1482[1]
426 ft 6 in (130.00 m)
174 ft (53 m)[2]
140 ft (43 m)[2]
34 ft (10 m)[2]
144 ft (44 m)
68 ft (21 m)[2]
86 ft (26 m)[2]
1
225 ft (69 m)
Gloucester (since 1541)
Andrew Zihni
Craig Huxley-Jones
Rebecca Lloyd
Nikki Arthy (City Rector)
Adrian Partington
Jonathan Hope
Theo Platt (COO)
Cathedral Church of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity
23 January 1952
1245952
The subsequent history of the church is complex; Osric's foundation came under the control of the Benedictine Order at the beginning of the 11th century and in around 1058, Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester, established a new abbey "a little further from the place where it had stood". The abbey appears not to have been an initial success, by 1072, the number of attendant monks had reduced to two. The present building was begun by Abbott Serlo in about 1089, following a major fire the previous year.
Serlo's efforts transformed the abbey's fortunes; rising revenues and royal patronage enabled the construction of a major church. William the Conqueror held his Christmas Court at the chapter house in 1085, at which he ordered the compilation of Domesday Book. In October 1216, Henry III was crowned at the abbey.
Following another disastrous fire in 1222, an ambitious rebuilding programme was begun. In the 14th century, the Great and Little Cloisters were constructed, displaying the earliest, and perhaps the finest, examples of fan vaulting anywhere. The cathedral contains the shrine of deposed King Edward II, who was believed to have been murdered at nearby Berkeley Castle.
Following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536, the abbey was refounded as a cathedral. The cathedral underwent much restoration in the 18th century, and again in the 19th. In 1989, it celebrated its 900th anniversary. In 2015, the installation of Rachel Treweek saw the Church of England appoint its first woman as a diocesan bishop. The cathedral has frequently been used as a filming location, including as a stand-in for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.
The cathedral is a Grade I listed building. There are a large number of other listed buildings within the cathedral complex, many also listed at Grade I, the highest grade. These include the Treasury, the Chapter House, the Cloisters, the precinct wall and a number of the medieval gates into the cathedral enclosure. Others are listed at Grade II* and Grade II.
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
The first recorded religious building on the site was a minster founded by Osric of Hwicce in around 679.[5] A relative, Kyneburg, was consecrated as the first abbess by Bosel, Bishop of Worcester. Monastic life flourished, and the possessions of the house increased, but after 767 it seems probable that the nuns dispersed during the confusion of civil strife in England.
Beornwulf of Mercia is said to have rebuilt the church, and to have endowed a body of secular priests with the former possessions of the nuns.[6] In 1022 Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, had the Benedictine rule introduced and the abbey dedicated to St Peter.[7]
The early building history is confused; at some point in the early 11th century the monastic buildings were destroyed by fire, and it is recorded that Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester rebuilt the church in around 1058 on a site "a little further from the place where it stood, and nearer to the side of the city".[8][a] The foundations of the present church were laid by Abbot Serlo (1072–1104).[5] Appointed by William the Conqueror in 1072, Serlo found a new building with a complement of only two monks and eight novices.[10]
The situation was worsened by another major fire in 1088.[5] But the town retained its importance as a favoured royal seat; William celebrated Christmas there in 1085 when, in discussion with his Witan in the chapter house, he initiated the assembly of Domesday Book.[10] His support, together with that of others such as Walter de Lacy and his wife,[b] enabled Serlo to embark on a major rebuilding, and between the laying of the foundation stone in 1089 and the abbey's re-consecration in 1100, work on the nave, the apse, the crypt and the chapter house was undertaken at speed[5] and on an "exceptional scale".[12]
St Peter's Abbey had long enjoyed important royal connections, from its foundation, then under the patronage of the Conqueror, and in October 1216 it was chosen as the venue for the coronation of Henry III, after the death of his father, King John.[13] The nine-year old boy was crowned in the presence of his mother Isabella, whose bracelet was reputedly used in place of a crown.[5]
The abbey's royal connections continued, albeit in a darker vein, in the following century. In 1327, Edward II was buried in an elaborate shrine at Gloucester, following his death at Berkeley Castle nearby. Widely believed to have been murdered,[12] Edward was entombed at Gloucester in a lavish ceremony attended by his widow, Isabella and their young son, Edward. The abbey reputedly benefitted from substantial gifts donated by those making pilgrimage to Edward's shrine, although this is disputed. Nikolaus Pevsner suggests that the more likely source of revenue was the new king, making donations in piam memoriam.[14]
Others support the traditional claim, and Jon Cannon, in his work, Cathedral: The great English cathedrals and the world that made them, is certain that the presence of the body of the dead king had a long-term, beneficial, impact on the abbey's fortunes, citing Henry VIII's later decision to make it a cathedral, on account of the presence of "many famous monuments of our renowned ancestors, kings of England."[15]
However occasioned, the cathedral's improved financial position enabled another great period of building. This work included the cloisters, with their famed fan vaulting.[16] St Peter's was unusual as a religious foundation in commissioning its own history, the Historia Monasterii Sancti Petri Gloucestriae. Its author, Walter Frocester (died 1412), became its first mitred abbot in 1381.[17]
Architecture[edit]
Main building[edit]
The cathedral consists of a Norman nave (Walter de Lacy is buried there), with additions in every style of Gothic architecture. It is 420 feet (130 m) long, and 144 feet (44 m) wide, with a fine central tower of the 15th century rising to the height of 225 ft (69 m) and topped by four delicate pinnacles.
The crypt, nave and chapter house date from the late 11th century. The crypt is one of the four apsidal cathedral crypts in England, the others being at Worcester, Winchester and Canterbury. The nave was begun in 1089. The church was largely complete by 1100. In the early 12th century, the western towers were added; the south tower collapsed around 1165.
In 1222, a fire damaged the timber roof and several of the monastic buildings. To repair the damage and update the architectural style, an ambitious building campaign was launched, including the revaulting of the nave Early English style (completed 1243); the construction of the central tower (begun 1237); the rebuilding of the collapsed south tower (completed 1246); and the rebuilding of the refectory.[9]
The south aisle was rebuilt in 1318–29. The most notable monument is the canopied shrine of Edward II of England who was murdered at nearby Berkeley Castle in 1327. Pilgrimages to the tomb brought a huge influx of cash enabling the rebuilding and redecorating of the south transept (1329–37), the north transept (1368–73), and the choir (1350–77). The Norman choir walls are sheathed in Perpendicular tracery. The multiplication of ribs, liernes and bosses in the choir vaulting is particularly rich.
The late Decorated Great East window is partly filled with surviving medieval stained glass. When completed in 1350, it was the largest window in existence.[31] One window is said to depict the earliest images of the game of golf. This dates from 1350, over 300 years earlier than the earliest image of golf from Scotland.[32] Another image, carved on a misericord, shows people playing a ball game, which has been suggested as one of the earliest images of medieval football.[33]
Between the apsidal chapels is a cross Lady chapel, and north of the nave are the cloisters, the carrels or stalls for the monks' study and writing lying to the south. In a side-chapel is a monument in coloured bog oak of Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror and a great benefactor of the abbey, who was interred there. Monuments of William Warburton (Bishop of Gloucester) and Edward Jenner (physician) are also worthy of note. The coronation of Henry III is commemorated in a stained-glass window in the south aisle.[34]
Between 1873 and 1890, and in 1897, the cathedral was extensively restored by George Gilbert Scott. The cathedral has forty-six 14th-century misericords and twelve 19th-century replacements by Gilbert Scott. Both types have a wide range of subject matter: mythology, everyday occurrences, religious symbolism and folklore.[35]
Music[edit]
Choir[edit]
In medieval times, daily worship was sung by boys and monks from the abbey. The cathedral's current choir was established by King Henry VIII in 1539, and at present is composed of 18 boy and 20 girl choristers, as well as 12 adult singers. The choristers attend the King's School, which was also founded by Henry VIII. The choir sings regularly during term time and at major religious festivals such as Christmas or Easter. It also takes part in concerts and has been featured in choral evensong on BBC Radio 3.[92]
Organ[edit]
The cathedral's first organ was built by Thomas Harris in 1666. Its original case remains complete, the only such surviving example from the 17th century in England. The pipes displayed on the front of the case are still functional. Over the following four centuries many of the major English organ builders have made contributions to the organ, including modifications in 1847 and a complete rebuild between 1888-1889 by Henry "Father" Willis.[93][94] Harrison & Harrison undertook a further reconstruction in 1920.[95]
In 1971 Hill, Norman and Beard, working with the cathedral's organist John Sanders, and a consultant, Ralph Downes, completely redesigned the instrument, which was again overhauled in 1999 by Nicholson & Co. In 2010 Nicholson's added a Trompette Harmonique solo reed.[95] As of 2023, the organ is out of commission, but the cathedral has contracted with Nicholsons for the latest reconstruction to be completed by the time of the next Three Choirs' Festival in 2026.[95]
Clock and bells[edit]
Clock[edit]
The cathedral's clock, bells and the chimes are referred to in a repair agreement of 1525. The present clock, installed in 1898, is by Dent and Co, who built the clock for Big Ben. There is no external dial, but there is a fine Art Nouveau clock face in the north transept, dating from 1903, designed by Henry Wilson.[97]
Bells[edit]
The bells were rehung and augmented in 1978 to give a ring of twelve. The two oldest bells date from before 1420, so they are older than the present tower. The bells are rung 'full circle' by the cathedral's band of ringers for the weekly practice session In addition there is Great Peter, the largest medieval bell in Britain, weighing a fraction under three tons. Great Peter is the hour bell and can also be heard ringing before the main services.[98]
Gloucester Cathedral has a large collection of funerary monuments from the Middle Ages to the present. Notable people buried at Gloucester Cathedral include:
Film and television location[edit]
The cathedral has been used as a filming location for movies and for TV including: the first, second and sixth Harry Potter movies;[100] the Doctor Who episodes The Next Doctor[101][102] and the Fugitive of the Judoon;[103] The Hollow Crown;[104] Wolf Hall;[105] the Sherlock special The Abominable Bride;[106][107] Mary Queen of Scots;[108] and all three of The Cousins' War adaptations – The White Queen,[109] The White Princess[110] and The Spanish Princess.[111]
Academic use[edit]
Degree ceremonies of the University of Gloucestershire and the University of the West of England (through Hartpury College) both take place at the cathedral.[112][113] The cathedral is also used during school term-time as the venue for assemblies by The King's School, Gloucester, and for events by the Denmark Road High School, Crypt Grammar School, Sir Thomas Rich's School for boys and Ribston Hall High School.[114]