Town Plan No. 9—Gloucester.
GLOUCESTER
Gloucester, the Glevum of the Romans and the Glow Ceaster of the Saxons, lies in the centre of a broad valley, and possesses a history of no mean order. The Saxon kings made the place their residence, and in 681 founded a nunnery, which subsequently became a monastery and the nucleus of the present cathedral. Parliaments have been summoned in this city, and its connection with the Empress Matilda in the time of Stephen is well known. In the Civil War, Gloucester was on the side of the Parliament, and resisted a Royalist army in 1643—a regrettable fact, to which must be attributed the demolition of the city walls at the Restoration.
The Cathedral has dignified surroundings, and velvety turf runs up to the weather-stained masonry. The most prominent architecture to arrest the eye is the Perpendicular, of which, from the exterior, the cathedral appears mainly to consist, although Norman, Early English, and Decorated are all represented. The Perpendicular south porch is richly decorated, and possesses a parvise. Upon entering, the enormous Norman columns of the nave, standing closely together and towering upwards, at once fix the attention. The semicircular arches upon them appear small when compared with other cathedrals, while the triforium and clerestory are dwarfed and rendered comparatively unimportant. The zigzag and chevron work in the bays is of excellent character. The choir is pure Perpendicular and probably unsurpassed, and the glass in the large window is old and a grand example of medieval work. The bold and original idea of ornamenting comparatively plain Norman work with the delicate beauty of the Perpendicular has been carried out to the fullest perfection. The vaulting of the roof should be especially noted. The monument on the north of the choir, of Osric, King of Mercia, 729, was probably made about 1520. Next to it is the splendid monument of the unhappy Edward II., whose wasted career was terminated at Berkeley Castle, where he was murdered in 1377. Above the altar-tomb is a beautifully sculptured effigy of the King in alabaster, resting under a gorgeously elaborate canopy. It is interesting to remember that this tomb—one of the finest of the royal monuments in England—was put up to a vain and worthless King by his son and successor, whose reign helped to make the country prosperous, while the man whose memory is perpetuated in richly carved alabaster allowed his father (Edward I.), a great and courageous King, to rest under the five plain slabs of marble to be seen in Westminster Abbey. The recumbent effigy of Abbot Parker, last Abbot of Gloucester, should be noticed. The chantry, however, is a cenotaph.
The North and South Transepts are Norman, enriched with Perpendicular work. From these points the flying arches, added to relieve the strain on the piers supporting the central tower arches, are features of grace and beauty. The north and south choir aisles each possess a side-chapel, in one of which Robert, Duke of Normandy, lies. He died in 1134 in Cardiff Castle, after an imprisonment of twenty-six years. The Lady Chapel is of magnificent Perpendicular work. There are chapels also leading from the choir triforium, superimposed upon those below. The Crypt is Early Norman work. The Cloisters are the finest in England, the roof being vaulted with fan-tracery, said to be the earliest example. In the north walk of the cloisters is the lavatory, with a long trough at which the monks washed, still in a perfect state, while in the wall opposite is a place for the towels. In the south walk are twenty recesses where the monks studied or wrote. The whole of the windows in these cloisters are filled with stained glass. The Chapter-house is of plain Norman work, with the exception of one small portion. By its side is the abbot's cloister, over which is the chapter library, containing some manuscripts of great value.
Plan of Gloucester Cathedral.