Exeter Cathedral

 Today I set off for a week in the Isles of Scilly. They are an archipelago of islands 28 miles off the Southwest coast of England. I went there in 2019 and enjoyed a quiet holiday with walking as the only activity. I am flying to the main island tomorrow from Exeter as there are no flights from London. Anyway I have never been to Exeter so I decided to stay over and have a look around the city.

It is only a 2 hr train journey from London. As I got off the train there was that familiar feeling of excitement as I arrive somewhere I've never been to before. Exeter is a university city and the streets were full of young people who rightly or wrongly I assumed are students. It is famous for its cathedral so once I'd left my luggage in the hotel I set off to find it. I wasn't disappointed. 

The Cathedral was built in the late 13th andu early 14th century. 

 

Its most stunning feature is the nave which is approximately 96m long. It is the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world.

The round stones of the vault are called 'bosses'.

They are carved with a variety of Gothic images including plants and animals. The most famous is the Becket Boss which depicts the murder of St Thomas Becket in 1170, in Canterbury Cathedral.

In the middle of the nave, high up on the north side is the Minstrels' Gallery which was added in about 1350.

Many of the carved angels are playing medieval musical instruments.

Above a number of the pillars are carvings. This one is Our Lady's Tumbler. There is a musician standing on a dog. Above them is an acrobat or tumbler.

The Martyrs' Pulpit. This was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott who carried out major restoration of the Cathedral in 1872-77.

This is the quire. This part of the Cathedral was built between 1290 and 1320. On both sides are the carved choir stalls designed by Scott in the 1870s.

The back row of the stalls contain medieval misericords or mercy seats. These are tip up seats which were used discretely by the clergy during long services. This Elephant one was carved in the 12th century. It is thought it was carved from a drawing owned by Henry III.

 

On the side walls are numerous memorials.

This monument commemorates Matthew Godwin, Master of the music at Cantebury and Exeter Cathedrals. He died in 1586 at the age of 17.

This window is the most important in the Cathedral as much of the glass is from the 14th century.

Fortunately the medieval glass, misericords and other treasures were removed from the Cathedral during WW2. The Cathedral was hit by a bomb in 1942.

I am so glad I have taken the opportunity to visit Exeter. There is still much more to see in the city which I will share over the next few days.

Lincoln's Inn

 This week is Open House week which gives me an opportunity to get behind the doors of some interesting and historic buildings. Lincoln's Inn is one of those buildings. I have posted photos of it before but I've never been inside until today.

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is an association of barristers and judges and is one of the four historic Inns of Court. The Inns have the exclusive right to call students to the Bar of England and Wales, the start of their career as barristers. It is not known when Lincoln's Inn first emerged but records go back as far as 1422. The 11 acre site has a number of Grade I and II listed buildings.

The oldest surviving building on the site is the Old Hall. It was built in 1489-92 with bricks made of local clay. Between 1737 and 1875 it was used as the Court of Chancery and is featured in Bleak House by Charles Dickens. It had to be almost rebuilt in the 1920s. Great care was taken to retain as much of the original building as possible.

This wooden screen dates from 1624. Originally it was in a different position and divided the hall providing an entrance to the kitchen and cellars. It included a minstrels gallery, from which musicians would play to entertain guests during dinners and other events.

This is the Great Hall, built in 1843-45 and opened by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. 

This is the largest hall in the four inns of court. Members lunch here Monday to Friday.

The walls are filled with the coats of arms of Treasurers of the Inn and senior judges. looking around I found the names of a number of Prime Ministers including Neville Chamberlain,  Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair. and so on. A large number of PMs were barristers before going into politics.

From the Great Hall you walk into the library which was built at the same time as the hall.

Looking back towards the Great Hall you can see portraits of members on the wall including Tony Blair (Labour PM 1997-2007) and on the other side Margaret Thatcher (Conservative PM 1979-1990).

The book collection is the oldest law library in the country.

The chapel was built in 1621-23. In October  1915 a Zeppelin bomb fell in Old Square and two chapel windows were destroyed. During WW2, the glass was removed for safety and was replaced after the war.

This is a small fragment of carving from a smaller chapel on this site which was demolished in 1620. The reflection shows the 17th century stained glass windows.

The enclosed pews in the chapel.

Some of the gardens surrounding the Inn.

Summer Holidays

 The school holidays are now over. It has been a very busy time for me and I have neglected both my blogs. The summer has been spent mainly in the UK with a 5 day break to Lake Garda, Italy with my daughter. We had a family stay at a farm in Sussex which all four grandchildren loved. A weekend away in Warwick visiting the castle and the Titanic exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. Finally a long weekend with my youngest grandchildren in Yorkshire two weeks and this last weekend a two night stay at Camber Sands in West Sussex with my two eldest grandchildren.

The kids loved playing in the sand dunes.

They had great fun rolling down the hills in the soft sand.

The closest town is Rye just a couple of miles away. Many of the houses date back to the 16th and 17th century.

You can't go to the seaside without having an ice cream.