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

Poppyhead, Tewkesbury Abbey choir stalls

The choir stalls at Tewkesbury Abbey were extensively restored in 1879, with new additions, by John Oldrid Scott. He incorporated some medieval misericords and other old work with his own designs. The photograph shows one of the "poppyheads" on the north side, two winged creatures below with grapes, leaves and tendrils above. Poppyhead is a word derived from the French "poupee" meaning doll or puppet, and describes the 3-part finial carving of the end of a wooden bench or stall.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Hereford Cathedral - looking west from the choir

click image to enlarge

One of the pleasures of photographing the interior of a large church or cathedral in winter is that, cloudless sunny days excepted, a photograph often combines elements that are lit by artificial light and others lit by natural light. The artificial light usually has an orange tinge while the naturally lit areas have a blue cast. Those distinctions are clear on this photograph - the stonework, woodwork and the tiled floor of the choir are lit by electric light; the massive stonework of the nave columns and the vaulting ribs (with the exception of the arches of the arcades) have the blue cast of natural light entering through the nave windows.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Tewkesbury Abbey decorative metalwork

In the medieval past the cost of the upkeep of the nave of a church usually fell to the lay congregation. However, the chancel and everything therein was funded by the church i.e the clergy, since it was their private domain in which they worked. But, since much of the money of the clergy derived from tithes paid by the laity, the congregation's pockets were hit twice. This pattern of cost sharing was true of many cathedrals and greater churches too. Consequently beautiful embellishments were made in the chancel, less so in the nave. And these embellishments were hidden from the congregation in the nave by rood screens, gates etc. This gate, which looks to be of Victorian origin, separates the choir from the crossing and nave at Tewkesbury Abbey. Today, in keeping with the times, it is usually open.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Winchester Cathedral choir

The seating area where cathedral choir members sit and stand as they take part in a service is called, sometimes helpfully, other times unfortunately, the "choir". The confusion arises when the listener doesn't know whether the word applies to people or the place. It would be better if the term chancel was always used to described the place rather than interchangeably with "choir". Winchester Cathedral choir (above) is quite typical of English cathedral choirs with tall wooden canopies rising above and behind facing rows of benches and individual seating.

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

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

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

Reredos and vaulting, Worcester Cathedral

In the 1870s George Gilbert Scott undertook a major restoration of Worcester Cathedral. This included the reredos and vaulting seen in today's photograph. It is customary in larger English churches for the amount of decoration in the choir to increase until it reaches a climax at the high altar. Scott's work reflects this tradition with the massed angels of the vaulting above the altar replacing the delicate foliage scrolls and roundels with saints elsewhere.

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