|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Bebi
The Management
Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 824
Location: West Yorkshire, UK
|
 Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:11 am Post subject: Peterborough Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, UK |
 |
|
I was born in Peterborough and the cathedral has always been a special place for me. Incidentally, on the day I was born, lightning hit the right hand small tower and knocked one of the spires off. Until recently this had stood in the cathedral grounds with a plaque, I’m not sure where it is now. Two Queens have been buried here, Katharine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots. Mary was moved to Westminster by her son, James I, Katharine still remains.
http://www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/
| Quote: | A monastic church was founded here by King Peada in 655 AD, destroyed by the Danes in 870, rebuilt as part of a Benedictine Abbey and re-consecrated in 972, burned down in an accidental fire in 1116 and re-built in its present form between 1118 and 1238. The porch was added about 1380, the eastern extension around 1500 and the central tower was re-built in the mid 1300's and again in the 1880's. In 1539 the monastery was closed by Henry VIII, but 18 months later in 1541, the church became the Cathedral of the new Diocese of Peterborough, with the last abbot as the new bishop, and Peterborough became a city.
In the Civil War much damage was done to the Cathedral by Cromwell's troops, and the Lady Chapel, Chapter House and Cloister were destroyed; only fragments of the stained glass windows were saved and these were later pieced together to form the apse windows. The choir stalls, bishop's throne, marble floor and high altar were all created by the Victorian architect Pearson after the tower had been re-built.
In the 1960's new figures were added to the West Front and in the 1970's the spectacular hanging cross was added to the Nave. Since the disastrous fire of November 2001 a massive cleaning and restoration programme has been undertaken, but there is still an expensive and endless task remaining to maintain the building and fulfil its purpose.
The Cathedral is still the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, as it has been since the Diocese was created in 1541. Worship, enhanced and supported by a long choral tradition, still takes place every day. The Cathedral is used for many functions including exhibitions, concerts and school outings. There is a permanent exhibition depicting the life of the Cathedral and the daily life of a Benedictine monk. There are also working scale models of how the Cathedral was constructed. |
Katharine of Aragon's grave
http://www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/History.htm
| Quote: | | Apart from changes to the windows, the insertion of a porch to support the free-standing pillars of the portico and the addition of a ‘new’ building at the east end around the beginning of the 16th century, the structure of the building remains essentially as it was on completion almost 800 years ago. |
The West Front was found to be leaning outward, hence the addition of the porch for support.
A reconstruction of the West Front without the porch
http://www.authorama.com/what-to-see-in-england-60.html
| Quote: | | The west front has been described as the “grandest portico in Europe.” It is Early English in style, and the finest feature of the cathedral. Its three colossal arches are flanked and strengthened by two turreted towers with spires. It needs a close observer to perceive that the central gable of the west front is smaller than the side ones, for the difficulty has been cleverly overcome. The northern gable and part of the arch below have been repaired very carefully amid an outcry from all parts of England against the restoration. However, the work was proved to be necessary, as the mortar had crumbled to dust, and many stones were merely resting one on the other. The Perpendicular Galilee Porch over the small doorway adds strength to the façade. |
http://travelbritain.igougo.com/p...?JournalID=7414&EntryID=13362
| Quote: |
Among the church treasures is an illuminated psalter called the Ramsey Psalter. There is also a brass lectern one of only 40 medievel lecterns to survive in England. It is a particularly fine one given by Abbot William Ramsey (1471-1496).
Another of the items that you will want to find in the cathedral is the Hedda or Monks Stone. It is a famous Saxon sculpture from the 8th century.
The wonderful facade and spires of this magnificent Cathedral dominate the skyline of Peterborough. The portico has been described as the "most magnificent in Christendom."
In order to take pictures in the Cathedral, I had to buy a photo permit. There is no entrance fee but donations are expected. There is a small gift shop in the Cathedral and a larger one outside. |
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/13618 Download a free eBook - The Cathedral Church of Peterborough
A Description Of Its Fabric And A Brief History Of The Episcopal See (WD Sweeting) I downloaded this in html format, worth the added download size as it provides clickable chapter links.
http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/bshm/zingaz/P.html#pete
| Quote: | Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
In Peterborough Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, parts of the clock are thought to date from c1450, or possibly even c1350. "Prior to 1950, when a new clock was installed, the striking train of gears was known to be the oldest clock working mechanism in the world." [Michael Lee, The Ancient Clocks and Old and New Bells of Peterborough Cathedral - The Job Completed; Peterborough Cathedral, nd [late 1980s, obtained in 1992]] |
More links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterborough_Cathedral
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/PER_PIG/PETERBOROUGH.html
http://www.easterncathedrals.org.uk/peterborough.html
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/peterborough-cathedral.htm
http://www.btinternet.com/~timeref/hpl629.htm Timeline
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/baronmoss/peterborough_cathedral_pics.html Photos
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo...orough_Cathedral/Peterborough.htm More photos
http://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1889/peterbh1.htm Letter from William Morris (1889)
http://vrcoll.fa.pitt.edu/medart/...h/Cathedral/mainpeterborough.html
http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology...ted-buildings/cambridgeshire.html For the more serious archaeologists out there…
http://hipweb.cambridgeshire.gov....;category=village&exact=exact The full history of Peterborough.
_________________
It is those who are perfectly sane who are driven the maddest by an insane world...
There is method behind my madness |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Bebi
The Management
Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 824
Location: West Yorkshire, UK
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 5:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Just found out (by watching Flog It of all things LOL) that archaeologists discovered the oldest wheel in britain in Peterborough...
_________________
It is those who are perfectly sane who are driven the maddest by an insane world...
There is method behind my madness |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bebi
The Management
Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 824
Location: West Yorkshire, UK
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
Another Peterborough fact that may interest - Radio 1 DJ & MTV Presenter Tim Westwood's father became Bishop of Peterborough...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/...cle_id=389880&in_page_id=1770
| Quote: | | Wherever the precise location of his birth, Westwood spent his formative years in Suffolk and Norfolk, the son of a vicar — Bill Westwood — who later became the Bishop of Peterborough. |
_________________
It is those who are perfectly sane who are driven the maddest by an insane world...
There is method behind my madness |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
