Norwich Cathedral

Norwich Cathedral, Norfolk, England, as seen from the cloisters. 

Photo by DLiff (Wikimedia Commons)

For some great 3D panoramas, see Norwich360.com here.

Situated in eastern England in the shire of Norfolk, Norwich is about 100 miles north of London and 44 miles east of King’s Lynn, the childhood home of Princess Diana. The late princess counted amongst her ancient relatives Henry le Despenser, who served as the bishop of Norwich Cathedral from 1370 to 1402.

Norwich pretends to be a typical British city, but in fact Norwich is a magical kingdom all its own, with a very deep and rich history.   Perhaps that is why the makers of the 2013 film Jack the Giant Slayer chose Norwich cathedral for one of their settings.

Roman, Viking, Anglo-Saxon and Norman invaders, after landing on the eastern shores of England, made the Norwich area their home base and center of operations.  Norwich stood at the intersection of several important trade routes, and the hill-fort based there soon became an important administrative center.  The surrounding region of Norfolk, known for its fertile farmland and rolling green hills, proved an ideal place for raising cattle and sheep. This region of England thus became an important center for the manufacture and shipping of woolen goods, textiles and clothing.

By the 11th Century,  Norwich rivaled London and Bristol for sheer size and density of population.  The landed gentry grew exceedingly wealthy, and they crowned their success by building a glorious and massive cathedral, the Norwich Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity.

Above: Norwich Cathedral Spire and South Transept, May 2010.    Source: Wikimedia Commons.

One of the Largest Cathedrals in England

Begun in 1096 and completed a generation later, in 1145, Norwich Cathedral measures 461 feet by 177 ft (140.5 x 54 meters), and its spire, at a height of 315 feet (96 meters), remains the second-tallest cathedral spire in Britain. The Norwich cathedral close (the nearby group of offices, schools and houses) is the largest cathedral close in England, and only Salisbury Cathedral may boast a larger cloister.  

For many years, Norwich Cathedral was the largest building in East Anglia.  Today it’s certainly one of the top heritage sites in Norfolk, and a popular tourist attraction.

 Above: Interior of the Norwich Cathedral cloisters.  Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Virtual Tours

For those who would like a closer look at the cathedral before making a visit, the internet certainly offers many resources, photographs and virtual tours.

First stop, of course, is the Norwich Cathedral home page, here.  

It lists all the local events and provides many photographs. The Visitor's Information tab gives a Practical Site Map on the Maps & Site Plans tab. Those who plan to visit in person may download a PDF leaflet with visitor's information, and the cathedral offers free daily guided tours, group tour brochures, private tours, and tours for school groups.  

Online browsers may enjoy the "History & Heritage" tab, where one may read several illustrated articles on Norwich Cathedral's architecture and archaeology. The cathedral's online shop also provides books about St. Julian of Norwich, and CDs produced by the renowned Norwich Cathedral Choir.

But, unfortunately, there’s no official online virtual tour.

For now, those who yearn for an immersive, 360-degree virtual tour of Norwich Cathedral will need to turn to another website, namely  Spheriscope’s Norwich Cathedral 360 Tours page, here.  Designed by Paul Kent, the Spheriscope site provides three immersive images: Norwich Cathedral - Altar, Norwich Cathedral - Cope and Norwich Cathedral - Transept.  

See also the BBC's 2006 panoramic image of Norwich Cathedral, here,  a 360-degree view of the "crossing" at the center of the cathedral.  Under the heading "Norfolk Fun Stuff" the BBC also provides an immersive 360-degree view from the top of Norfolk Cathedral's tower, here.

Please note that both Spheriscope and BBC require one to install a Flash plug-in.

Those who do not wish to install a plug-in may be happier exploring the two-dimensional photographs and interactive maps at World-Faith.com's Norwich Virtual Church Tour website here.   Norwich Cathedral is the main tour on display -- just click the photo.

For a broader overview of the surrounding area, Panoramic Earth provides an Interactive Map of Norwich and a virtual tour of Norwich.

To view the cathedral grounds and surrounding area from above, try the Wikimapia map of the Norwich Cathedral grounds.  This is a useful tool, with zoom-in and zoom-out capabilities, and a nice supplement to the Panoramic Earth virtual tour of Norwich (above).

 

Cathedral Grounds

According to the Wikipedia article on Norwich Cathedral,  the old girl is built on the site of two ancient churches which were abandoned during periods of invasion.  Building commenced in 1096.

“An Anglo-Saxon settlement and two churches were demolished to make room for the buildings and a canal cut to allow access for the boats bringing the stone . . . “

For many years, Norwich Cathedral housed a Benedictine monastery.  

“The precinct of the cathedral, the limit of the former monastery, is between Tombland (the former Anglo-Saxon marketplace) and the River Wensum . . .”

The Norwich Cathedral close “contains a number of buildings from the 15^th through the 19^th Century, including the remains of an infirmary.”

The grounds also “house the Norwich School, the statues of the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Nelson, and the grave of Edith Cavell.”

Cavell, a British nurse, faced a firing squad in 1915 for daring to help more than 200 allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium.  The cathedral's History and Heritage page provides a profile of Edith Cavell and several other historical characters connected to the cathedral.

Above: Statue of Julian of Norwich by David Holgate, west front, Norwich Cathedral, 2012. Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons, Donated by Poliphilo (Tony Grist).

St. Julian of Norwich

St. Julian of Norwich (1342 - 1413), one of the greatest mystics of all time, served as an anchoress or solitary at a church nearby Norwich Cathedral. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love (available as a free Librivox audio book here) is believed to be the first book ever written by a woman in the English language. Dame Julian is commemorated at Norwich Cathedral in both the statuary and two stained glass windows, one in the Bauchon chapel.

The exact date of her death (ca 1413 or 1416) is not certain, but many believe that 2013 marks the 600th anniversary of her passing. A spiritual pilgrimage to St. Julian's Shrine and Church and a visit to Norwich Cathedral sometime between now and 2016 would therefore seem a very appropriate way to honor her memory.

 

 Above: Norwich Cathedral's Nave, 15 March 2008.  Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Architecture: Romanesque, Norman and Gothic Styles

The ground plan of Norwich Cathedral remains “almost entirely as it was in Norman times.” The original Norman tower, constructed with wood and topped with lead, may still be seen today.   . . . The Norman spire was blown down in 1362. . . . The present spire was built in the 15^th Century.” The building of the new spire incorporated elements of late Gothic architecture.

Norwich Cathedral therefore offers to students of architecture a magnificent display of the Romanesque, Norman and later Gothic styles and a testament in stone to the wizardry of master masons from the period of the First Crusade. 

Constructed at the behest of Bishop Herbert de Losinga, the main body of the cathedral “was built from flint and mortar and faced with cream-colored Caen limestone.”  

“The cathedral has an unusually long nave of 14 bays, the transepts are without aisles, and the east end terminates in an apse with an ambulatory.  From the ambulatory, there is access to two  chapels of unusual shape, the plan of each being based on two intersecting circles . . . “

“The crossing tower is the last piece of the Norman cathedral to be completed, in around 1140.  It is decorated with circles, lozenges and interlaced arcading. . . .”

“The cathedral was damaged by riots in 1272 . . .  Rebuilding was completed in 1278, and the cathedral was re-consecrated in the presence of King Edward I ("Longshanks") on Advent Sunday of that year.”

Above: A human figure struggles with a dragon. Norwich Cathedral cloister ceiling detail, July 2011.  Photo Source:  Wikimedia Commons.

Ceiling Bosses without Parallel in the Christian World

“A large two-storey cloister, the only such in England, with over 1,000 ceiling bosses, was begun in 1297 and finally finished in 1430, after the Black Death had plagued the city. . . .”

A fire that started in the nave in 1463 caused such intense heat that some of the Caen limestone turned to a unique rose and pink color.  The fire also did serious damage to the ceiling and the original ceiling bosses.

“In the 15^th and early 16^th centuries, the cathedral’s flat timber ceilings were replaced with stone vaults.  The vaulting was carried out in a spectacular manner, with hundreds of ornately carved, painted and gilded bosses.  . . . Each is decorated with a theological image, and as a group they have been described as without parallel in the Christian world.

“The nave vault shows the history of the world from the creation; the cloister vault includes series showing the life of Christ and the Apocalypse.”

Tea Shops and Quaint Scenery

Assuming that the Apocalypse does not arrive before tea time, one may also enjoy a tour of the local shops and landmarks.   Wikipedia’s article on Norwich provides a helpful list of local museums, theatres, parks and open places of interest.

Not to be missed are Elm Hill (a cobblestoned medieval street), Cow Tower, Colman’s Mustard Shop & Museum, Dragon Hall, and the Norwich Castle Museum.  One may find the official homepage of Norwich Castle Museum here, and an HDR 360-degree panoramic view of Norwich Castle here.

Speaking of castles, Sandringham House, Norfolk, a favorite holiday home of Queen Elizabeth II, is within easy driving distance.  It was the birthplace of Princess Diana, whose baptismal gown is one of the many historical displays now shown at Norwich Castle Museum.