Lincoln Cathedral
 Cathedrals |
Lincoln dominates its shire and is in turn dominated by the magnificent Cathedral of St.Mary, its three soaring towers dramatically visible for miles around. Lincoln Cathedral is the third largest in Britain, after St Paul's and York Minster. This is the third cathedral to have stood on this site; the other two were both destroyed in the 12th century - the first by fire, the second shattered by an earthquake on Palm Sunday.
The only remains of the 11 th cent early Norman building are the arches around the north and south doors in the west front, and part of the naïve behind them. A fire in 1141 led to a partial rebuilding by the Bishop of Lincoln, Alexander the Magnificent. The splendid Romanesque frieze depicting scenes from the Old Testament and some of the gruesome punishments for vices such as avarice and lust dates from this period. After an earthquake in 1185 much of the cathedral again had to be rebuilt under the charge of Hugh of Avalon, bishop from 1186 to 1200; the construction of the present cathedral, begun in the 12 th century, was not completed until the 14 th cent. The rebuilding work incorporated pointed arches and ribbed vaulting of the new Gothic style. As the new Gothic cathedral progressed westwards, the builders ran short of money and rather than pull down the remaining Norman west front, decided to attach on the new to the old. Its honey-coloured stone, viewed from a distance, has a dream-like quality, the colour seeming to vary with every subtle change of light. This is quite noticeable on the intricate stonework of the west front, upon which there is tier-upon-tier of statuettes of kings, saints and bishops.
The great transept is lit by two radiant rose windows. In the south transept is the beautiful ‘Bishop's Eye' rose window, built in the round it contains some elegant stonework tracery set with fragments of 13 th and 14 th centuries glass. This window is complemented in the north transept by the ‘Dean's Eye' window, representing the devil and darkness; the stained glass depicts scenes associated with death and resurrection, such as the funeral of St Hugh (Hugh of Avalon). The crossing tower above collapsed in the 13 th century, but was built again and heightened to 70 metres, making it the tallest building in the world, until nature took a hand and blew it over in 1548.
The stone choir screen, at the entrance to St Hugh's choir, is finished in Decorated Gothic style covered with intricate carvings of fantastic beasts, flowers and figures. The arches above the aisles perpetuate the theme - to the south, dragons eating fruit are killed and hung up to dry, while to the north the face of the Green Man appears through wreaths of foliage. One of the chief glories of the cathedral is the Angel Choir, completed in 1280, with its comprehensive set of medieval misericords. It was an addition assembled to house the remains of St Hugh upon his death. The Angel Choir is named after the heavenly figures carved in the spandrels between the triforium arches, playing musical instruments or carrying scrolls. Lurking nearby is the famous Lincoln Imp, a cross-legged devil who was turned to stone after causing havoc among the angels. The tomb of Eleanor of Castile's viscera is also here, her heart being buried at Blackfriars in London and her body in Westminster Abbey. The nave too is a glorious structure, flanked by limestone or Purbeck marble pillars consisting of clustered columns, with floral capitals. Off the north choir aisle, the treasury collection includes a 7 th century bronze hanging bowl and coconut cup from 1650. The north-east transept leads to the cloisters and chapter house, the latter of which contains the throne of Edward I - he called one of the earliest English Parliaments here in 1301.