Decorated church organ pipes

It has long been the fashion for the organ pipes in churches to be painted. A visit to major and minor churches is sure to present an opportunity to admire this form of decoration. Most examples will be from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but more recent examples may be seen too. The examples here are in Gloucester Cathedral and appear to use the acanthus leaf as the basis for the design. The colours are brighter than is often the case.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Robert of Normandy c.1054 -1134

Robert of Normandy (c.1054-1134) was the eldest son of King William I (The Conqueror). Being first-born, all things being equal, he should have succeeded his father as king. However, his relationship with him and with his brothers was so poor it never came to pass. When William I died in 1087 Robert became Duke of Normandy and busied himself helping to lead the First Crusade that captured Jerusalem in 1099. In 1106 he was seized by his youngest brother, King Henry I, and ended his life  in 1134, a prisoner incarcerated in Cardiff Castle. Robert was buried in the chancel of what is now Gloucester Cathedral but at the time was a Benedictine abbey.

This effigy of Robert of Normandy was carved out of Irish bog oak. Wood is not an unusual material for a figure on a tomb, but is less likely for a person of such standing. It dates from c.1240.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Light through stained glass

Stained glass windows in churches are designed to be seen from inside the building. The best conditions for viewing them is when the sky is coverd in white cloud - sunlight causes the colours to vary too much in intensity. However, when sunlight does flow through stained glass windows it often leads to interior stonework and furnishings being bathed in the colours of the glass.

On a recent visit to Gloucester Cathedral the new, modern seating and the floor tiles in the nave picked up the colours in a very striking way and the dark, seventeenth woodwork of the organ case was bathed in dappled red and blue light.

Hands of the Knife Angel

In July 2021 I posted a couple of photographs of the "Knife Angel" sculpture, a touring exhibit of an angel made of knives. Its purpose was to highlight the dangers of knife crime and to act as a memorial to its victims. On a recent trip to Gloucester Cathedral we came upon the sculpture again. It seems to have had some lights added to the piece and this second viewing allowed me to take a photograph of the angel's hands - someting I regretted not having done on our first viewing.

 

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Wide angle iPhone photographs

The extreme wide angle lens on my iPhone is 13mm (35mm equivalent), 2mm wider than the widest lens on the other camera systems I use. I learned many years ago that when it comes to wide angle lenses even a small amount of width is noticeable. Recently I thought I'd try out the phone in Gloucester Cathedral. The results, though deficient in a couple of ways (including being oversharpened), are better than I expected and the extra width brings more drama to the compositions.

 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Alderman John Jones d.1630

One of the most interesting memorials in Gloucester Cathedral is that dedicated to Alderman John Jones. Its style shouts seventeenth century and its organisation attempts to bring the deceased back to life by having a painted half-length effigy framed in an oval out of which he projects. The figure is surrounded by details proclaiming his status and also the carved tools of his office. Behind each column are folded deeds dated 1581-1630. He holds a further deed in one hand and in the other is a book. To left and right are stands with writing materials. What is, I presume, a staff of office is streched across the memorial below him. Left and right of the columns are pairs of implements, the use of which is unknown to me. I have seen memorials in this style in many major churches and have always enjoyed the sense of theatre with which they have been deliberately imbued.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Monument to Sarah Morley by John Flaxman

In the north aisle of Gloucester Cathedral is a memorial to Sarah Morley by John Flaxman (1755-1826), one of the pre-eminent English sculptors of the Georgian period. Flaxman was known as a draughtsman as well as a sculptor of reliefs and stand-alone pieces, and after a difficult start to his career (where he designed for Wedgwood), he became much sought after for funerary monuments. The example shown in the photograph is one of his early commissions and is noteworthy for the fine composition and way the main figures are expressed in three dimensions rather than solely in relief. The text is very typical of this kind of monument and makes for an interesting read. (Remember that some letter "s" look like letter "f.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The changing cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral

"Changing" might seem an odd word to describe the Gothic cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral, structures that were built between 1351 and 1390, and have remained much the same since those years. But, every time we visit the cathedral I look through the door that opens on to the cloisters to see how they look. What I am interested in is how they are being illuminated. Different seasons, different times of day, and the addition of artificial light to the natural light all make for different appearances. In 2013 it was the complementary colours of the two sources of light that attracted me. In 2018 it was the contrasting pools of light and deep shadows (plus the silhouetted figure of my wife). On a recent morning the lights had not gone off and daylight was flooding in making for warm colouring. I asked my wife to, once again, provide the scale and foreground interest.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Tomb of Robert of Normandy

The tomb of Robert of Normandy (c.1054-1134) can be found in Gloucester Cathedral. Robert was the eldest son of William of Normandy (William the Conqueror). Turbulent family relationships meant that on the death of his father in 1087 Robert became Duke of Normandy but not King of England. In 1106 he was imprisoned by his youngest brother, King Henry 1, and spent the remaining twenty eight years of his life a prisoner in Cardiff castle. His tomb effigy is remarkable for two reasons. Firstly it was not made until a hundred years after his death, in 1240, and when it was, instead of the usual stone it was was carved from Irish bog oak (with a few metal additions such as spurs and sword). Bog oak is a particularly hard form of ancient wood with excellent durability.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Stained glass and May Hill

Some of Gloucester Cathedral's more recent stained glass is by the artist Tom Denny. In 2013 he made windows for the south ambulatory chapel in a semi-abstract style that I find difficult to like. More appealing, to me, is that commissioned in 2016 celebrating the life of Ivor Gurney, the famous Gloucester-born poet and composer. This is more representational, and though I wish there were more lead cames dividing up the panels, I do like the drawing, compositions and colour schemes of these works.

I also like the appearance of May Hill in the background of a couple of panels. This relatively low summit can be seen from many parts of western Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and eastern Wales. What makes it noticeable is the cluster of trees on the summit (itself an Iron Age hill fort) that were replenished in 1887 in celebration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee.  I can see the summit and trees from my living room window 5.5 miles away. One recent morning I took this photograph at sunrise with what I call my bird-watching camera at maximum zoom (2000mm - 35mm equiv.) equivalent to a 40X telescope.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2 (top photograph)

Winter in the cathedral

A dark January day found us in Gloucester Cathedral where lights were switched on to pierce the darkness within. This cathedral has a large amount of medieval and later stained glass, and there's no doubt that this deepens the gloom necessitating more lighting than would be needed if there were more clear glass windows. In this view of the choir and presbytery a further impediment to internal brightness can be seen blocking the lower part of the east window, namely the Lady Chapel. At Gloucester, unusually, it is the easternmost part of the cathedral.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Votive candles

It seems to me that votive candles are much more commonly seen in parish churches than formerly. The practice of buying a candle, lighting it and praying or simply thinking has had a resurgence for reasons that I can't work out. In cathedrals and larger churches that actively invite visitors they have been a continuing presence, flickering points of light in the darkness of the interiors. Today's examples were in Gloucester Cathedral. My snap demonstrates that even a one inch sensor can offer a shallow depth of field and reasonable out of focus effects when it is coupled with a bright f1.8 lens.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Cloisters, Gloucester Cathedral

Cinematic representations of the Middle Ages have begun to correct one of the most glaring errors that were perpetrated when representing those relatively primitive times. I mean, of course, the amount of light that was to be found inside buildings. It is hard for us to imagine how gloomy it was with only feeble flames to illuminate interiors, and the license of film-makers was understandable. Would cinema audiences be prepared to peer at the the dimly recognisable faces of actors in the darkness? Possibly not. But more light-sensitive cameras combined with realistic levels of lighting now frequently, and satisfactorily, portray those dingy days. I pondered this as I photographed my wife walking through the pools of shadow and light in the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100