| PLATE XCIV | PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL: WEST FRONT |
Norwich Cathedral was begun in 1096, and has preserved its original Norman plan more closely than any other in England. The first Bishop of Norwich, Herbert de Losinga, completed the choir and transepts, and began the nave. The latter was finished by his successor about 1140. The clearstory of the choir was rebuilt in 1356-69, and the vaulting of the nave and choir were added in the fifteenth century. In the same century the west front was altered, and the spire rebuilt. The most prominent features of the exterior are the lofty spire and the unusual apsidal termination of the choir.
| PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL | CHOIR |
Durham Cathedral, locally known as "the Abbey," is usually ranked among the six finest English cathedrals, though, apart from its magnificent situation, the first impression made by the exterior scarcely seems to warrant so high a place. The composition of the east end is externally unsatisfactory; and the west front suffers from the difficulty of obtaining a good near view.
The site was first built upon by the monks of Lindisfarne, who, in 999, chose it as a resting place for St. Cuthbert's remains. After the Norman conquest a new and larger church was begun, the choir of which seems to have been completed in 1093-95. The transepts and nave, also in the Norman style, were all finished by 1143. The cloisters and upper part of the central tower are Perpendicular (1400-80). A destructive restoration was carried out in 1778-1800, sweeping away many ancient details, and spoiling the exterior by scraping. Recently the entire building has been restored.
