Lierne vaulting, Tewkesbury Abbey

The complex lierne vaulting  above the choir of Tewkesbury Abbey dates from the 1330s. It features unusually bright red and blue paintwork alongside more traditional cream. The bosses are gilded. The central ring of suns were the emblems of the Yorkists and are said to have been added by Edward IV after the defeat of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. This was the last important battle of the Wars of the Roses.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Preaching cross, Hereford

The Blackfriars, i.e. the Dominican Order, were given a site outside the Widemarsh Gate of Hereford in 1246. They built a monastery there and, in the 1300s erected a preaching cross to be used to preach to the local population. It is 6-sided with four steps, buttresses, tracery, vaulting, a cross on a column, and is made of local sandstone. Though restored it contains a significant amount of original work. It is the only remaining example of a friars' preaching cross in England.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Thirteenth century capital, Much Marcle

The decorative top of a column is known as the "capital". Down the ages people used different designs so consistently that the period in which they were carved can be determined by the style. The capital shown above is in the style known as "stiff leaf", a decorative form favoured in Britain in the thirteenth century. Further stylistic and written evidence enable the capitals to be dated more specifically to c.1230-1240. This example is one of a number of capitals of this period that can be seen in the church of St Bartholomew at Much Marcle, Herefordshire.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Hereford Cathedral, west front

In 1786 the fourteenth century axial west tower of Hereford Cathedral collapsed. This came as no surprise since construction designed to prevent such an incident had been going on for some time. The rebuilding of 1788-90 by James Wyatt was in a mixed mid to late Gothic style, involved the loss of a bay of the nave, and was evidently inspired by the west end of Winchester Cathedral. Wyatt's efforts were not praised by Victorian restorers of the cathedral and in 1902-8 John Oldrid Scott built what we see today. He chose the Decorated style, small octagonal turrets to north and south where, more commonly, are found substantial towers, and an overall busyness that some find fussy.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Stanbury Chapel, Hereford Cathedral

The Stanbury Chapel is a small chantry chapel in the chancel north aisle at Hereford Cathedral. It was begun around 1480, completed by 1492 and was built for John Stanbury (d.1474) who was the bishop of Hereford from 1453 until 1474. The chapel's Perpendicular architecture reflects the period of its construction, particularly the ornate fan vaulting. The colourful stained glass is by Archibald J. Davies, a member of the Bromsgrove Guild, who worked in the Arts and Crafts style.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire is the longest Gothic cathedral in Europe at 556 feet (169 metres). However, for all its length it is not very tall and looks smaller than it is due to the crossing tower being quite low and the absence of other tall external features. When you also consider that the surrounding buildings are quite close then the photographer is presented with a challenge when it comes to capturing a of the exterior.

A walk around the cathedral gives the visitor an impression of a building that grew piecemeal rather than from an overarching plan. However, that view is based on a single visit in glaring light. Subsequent visits might moderate that impression. The first photograph shows the south transept and crossing tower, the second adds a view of the east end.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Chantry chapels, Winchester Cathedral

Chantry chapels were built mainly in churches and cathedrals towards the east end of the building. They were usually closed, with entry by a door, and usually had an altar and a bequest of money attached to them. This was used to pay a priest to say prayers and services for the soul of  the builder of the chapel after his death. In many, perhaps most, this was expected to continue in perpetuity.

In England they flourished from the late 1100s to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s. Many chantries, after closure, became Lady Chapels. Most English Cathedrals have chantry chapels, sometimes large, often relatively modest. On our first visit to Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire we were surprised to see the scale and opulence of the chantries.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Vaulting, Salisbury Cathedral

One of the finest views in any cathedral is that seen when you stand underneath the crossing tower and look upwards. What grabs the eye are the patterns of rib vaulting that are used to transfer the weight of the roof to the columns and piers of the arcades in the nave, chancel and transepts. The patterns chosen vary with the period in which they were built - fashions changed as architectural skills developed. At Salisbury Cathedral quadripartite rib vaults were used throughout, giving uniformity to the interior. Under the tower, in the 1400s, lierne vaulting replaced the earlier work and here the greater complexity makes the tower a focus for the eye.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Cloister, Salisbury Cathedral

The presence of a cloister at a cathedral usually signifies that the building was originally built by a monastic order (Franciscans, Carthusians, Cistercians etc). Salisbury Cathedral is an exception to this rule. But, the purpose of the cloister remains the same - to provide a sheltered (often south-facing) enclosed, covered quadrangle around which monks could walk and which kept them separate from wider society. The cloister at Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, dates from the thirteenth century and features large, alternating cinquefoils and sexfoils.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

West front, Salisbury Cathedral

For centuries most buildings have had a front and a back (and sides too, of course!) The front has always been the favoured elevation, the one that aims to impress, the one where the architect (or builder or owner) have given greatest consideration, and where most money per square foot has been spent. Cathedrals are no exception to this general rule though its true to that all elevations are designed to be seen and to impress. However, the west front is usually the most favoured elevation, is often symmetrical, and has the main processional entrance. Many cathedrals have west fronts decorated with statues of biblical figures and saints. This is the case at Salisbury where this approach is thought to have been borrowed from not too distant Wells Cathedral. At Salisbury, however, fewer of the statues are original, with many being Victorian in age.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Salisbury Cathedral

Cathedrals are big. Moreover, the space around them is often limited. Consequently fitting the building into the viewfinder can frequently be a challenge. If you haven't got a very wide lens then you either have to accept massively converging verticals or you have to move back as far as you can. On the evening of our visit to Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, a building with a much larger "close" than is usual, this was the position where I could just about get the verticals to be vertical, with the trees making a dark, detailed "frame". This building was erected relatively quickly compared with many cathedrals. The main body of the church was built between 1220 and 1258. The chapter house was added around 1263 and the tower and spire were completed by 1320. Incidentally, it's the height of that spire, Britain's tallest at 404 feet (123m) that accentuates the photographer's problem described above.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Salisbury Cathedral through a sexfoil

If you were a bit concerned reading the title of this post let me set your mind at rest. A sexfoil is a 6-petalled (or 6-leafed) shape. Gothic architecture features a lot of different numbered foils - trefoil, quatrefoil, cinquefoil, septfoil etc. In this instance the sexfoil is one of many that alternate with cinquefoils in the cloisters of Salisbury Cathedral. The reason I photographed the top of the cathedral tower and the bottom of the spire through it is for compositional reasons but also because it's difficult to get sufficiently distant to fit the whole building in the frame.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Worcester Cathedral and King John

This photograph was taken from in front of the high altar in Worcester Cathedral. It is a fine prospect showing off many of the best features of medieval architecture (and the careful work of Victorian restorers). In the foreground, in a place of honour, is the tomb of King John. Amongst English monarchs King John is possibly the most reviled. Successive tellings of the story of Robin Hood have him as the usurper of King Richard I, and his quarrels with the barons leading to Magna Carta frame him as quarrelsome, spiteful and reluctant to relinquish any of his powers. More recently historians have credited his hard working nature, administrative skills and generalship. None of this has affected his resting place; he was placed in the cathedral in 1216 and he remains there still.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Worcester Cathedral nave

A day out in Worcester began with a walk along the riverside to the cathedral. We entered by the north porch and had a look around the nave. As we moved to the crossing we found our way into the transepts and choir blocked by barriers. It seems that Storm Arwen, at the end of November 2021, dislodged part of a tower pinnacle that crashed onto a north aisle roof, piercing the lead covering and cracking some of the underlying vaulting. Work is in progress to restore the affected stonework and re-open the closed areas. None of this could be seen on our approach to the building but as we departed via the cathedral green we could see great areas of sheeting fixed in place to keep rain from penetrating. We'll make a point of checking on progress on our next visit.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The Cathedral of the Forest

The village church of All Saints at Newland, Gloucestershire, is known as "The Cathedral of the Forest." It was given this name due to it being one of the biggest and most ornate churches to be found in the Forest of Dean. Construction began just before 1216. Much of the main structure dates from the C13 and C14.

The most notable work of the C15 is the pierced tower parapet and the ornate pinnacles. The photographs also show a preaching cross. Its base of five steps was rebuilt in 1864. It was presumably at this time that the column and cross were added. The sun dial on the exterior was donated by villagers to mark the millennium.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

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

Cathedral crossing

Most medieval cathedrals in Britain have a ground plan that is essentially a Latin cross. There are additions to this basic shape in the form of cloisters, chapter house etc, but in essence the footprint of the building is a Latin cross with the shorter head (the chancel) at the east, the longer nave at the west, and the north and south transepts making the two "arms". The point where the transepts meet is called the crossing and above this point (usually) is the cathedral's biggest tower - the crossing tower. Such is the plan at Hereford. Today's photograph shows the view from the north transept looking across the crossing to the south transept.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Inside Llanthony Priory

When, between 1536 and 1541, Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries, their properties and lands were sold with the funds raised becoming the crown's. Buildings were deliberately pulled down and damaged so that they could not be used for their old purposes. A few remained undamaged, particularly those that were given cathedral status. Some were allowed to keep a portion of the building so that it could be used as a parish church. In practical terms many of the monasteries became quarries with people using the stone to build or extend their own properties.

Llanthony Priory changed owners down the centuries with some of the building being adapted as accomodation. Today that portion is a small hotel and, unusually, the building as a whole remains in private ownership. Both photographs include a glimpse of a part that is currently still in use.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

United Reformed Church, Newent

The non-conformist church buildings of Britain, that is to say the Protestant churches that are not the established Church of England (C of E), offer considerable interest to the architectural historian. Often they are built in the Gothic style favoured by the C of E, but more frequently than the established church they follow classical precedents. Sometimes you can see an obvious attempt to eclipse the size and decoration of the local C of E building: at other times there appears to be a deliberate determination to be different. Mostly, however, the size and wealth of the congregation dictates that the church be a lower-cost, brick-built rectangle under one roof, on the small side, and with the money spent where it will be seen - on the main elevation. Such is the case with the United Reformed Church (formerly the Congregational Chapel), a structure of 1846, in Newent, Gloucestershire. The stone facade is in the Gothic style with other elevations in brick (except for stone window tracery). The symmetry of its main elevation and its materials make a pleasing contrast with the brick, render and timber-framing of most of the buildings on the town's main streets.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Valerian

If your garden has poor soil, old stone walls and faces south, and you want colour with little to no effort on your part you can do worse than grow the valerian. This plant thrives in poor soil and walls that receive hot sun. Of course, once you've got it the plant will spread itself everywhere. However, for a couple of months you will have a profusion of red, pink or white blooms - or, preferably all three colours. The example in today's photograph has secured itself to a slightly restored window high up in the ruins of Tintern Abbey. One wonders just how little sustenance and water it receives from its precarious location.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10