  Dedication: The Holy Trinity. A Church served by Augustinian Canons. Special features: East Window (tracery and glass); Chapter-House; Great Gateway. The West Front of Bristol gives us a slight suggestion of a French cathedral, for here we find a rose window and a large doorway, at the side of which rise two square towers. The balustrade above the crocketed gable of the doorway partly hides the rose-window. The towers were built in 1887 and 1888: the north-west is Bishop Butler’s Tower and the south-west, the Colston Tower. The Butler tower is enriched with statues of St. Michael, St. Gabriel and the Angel of Praise; the Colston, with the Angel of the Gospel, St. Raphael and the Angel of the Sun. On our right is the Great Gateway. The exterior of Bristol is not very striking. The buttresses of the Elder-Lady-Chapel are Decorated and of the same date as the east window of the same chapel. We should also view the great east window of the Lady-Chapel from without and the Central Tower. “Early in the Fifteenth Century a central tower was added. Here again one is struck by the originality of the British people: it is as beautiful as it is original. The designer had noticed how beautiful is the effect of a close-packed range of tall clerestory windows, such as those of Leighton Buzzard Church. So instead of restricting himself on each side of the tower to one or two windows, he inserts no less than five. The range of clerestory win As we enter through the North Porch, which occupies the space between two buttresses and is adorned with statues of the Four Evangelists, we may remember that when Henry VIII. created the diocese of Bristol there had been a church and monastery of Augustine canons on this site for four hundred years. This monastery was founded in 1142 by Robert Fitzhardinge, Lord of Berkeley Castle. Of his Norman church little remains but portions of the walls in both transepts, a staircase in the north-aisle leading to the tower, and some fragments in the choir. The Norman nave was removed in 1542, because it was thought unsafe. The new nave and western towers were completed in 1888 by Mr. Street, who copied from the old, repeating the vaulting and the recesses of the eastern end. The ground plan consists of a nave with an aisle on either side; a central tower and transepts; then the choir with north and south aisles; and finally, the Lady-Chapel at the end. On the north of the north-choir-aisle is the first Lady-Chapel—built in the Early English style, and called Elder-Lady-Chapel to distinguish it from the later Lady-Chapel at the east end. At the south-east end of the south-choir-aisle we find the Berkeley Chapel; and at the end of the south transept, the Newton Chapel. Beyond it is the Chapter-House with its Vestibule, and on the south and west the remains of the Cloisters. Our best position for viewing the Nave is from the north or between the two big towers. It is 120 The West Window has for its subject the Adoration of the Lamb. The Choir consists of four bays. It is in the Decorated style and dates from 1306 to 1332. “The piers of the choir carry triple shafts which support the vaulting of the choir, and others for the aisles, which are here of the same height as the choir. Capitals of great delicacy and beauty, modelled from real foliage, serve to break the line of the mouldings and accentuate the springing of the vault. Graceful though the span of the roof is admitted to be, the lines of the arcade of the choir are finer, and the effect of the contrast of their soft mouldings carried up and around without a break is excellent. The iron screen-work that separates the choir from its aisles is uninteresting and too small in scale.”—(H. J. L. J. M.) On either side of the high altar are canopied recesses containing monuments. The reredos is a memorial to Bishop Ellicott and is rather too high, therefore interfering with a good view of the splendid east window in the Lady-Chapel. The mosaic pavement is new, and the stalls are also modern. Some of the old Misereres have been preserved, however, and consist of grotesques. Some of them illustrate Reynard the Fox. In both aisles of the Choir we are struck by the very peculiar vaulting designed by Abbot Knowle to strengthen the building and help carry the lateral thrust occasioned by the heavy central vaulting. These bridges, or transoms, therefore, do the “The transoms, features which were repeated in the windows of the aisles of the choir, and in a much heavier form in the windows of the nave, are additionally strengthened by the graceful arches below which spring from capitals almost similar to those on the choir side of the piers. From the centre of each transom rises a cluster of groining ribs. It has been customary to speak rather disparagingly of this clever piece of work of Abbot Knowle and to term it carpentry work in stone. It may be so, but the student of to-day may thank the Fourteenth Century Abbot for a most instructive lesson. The transoms have crowned heads at either end and in the centre, and they, unlike the transoms in the aisles of the nave, are ornamented with little flowers. Beneath the windows, which are Decorated in character, is a string-course, with ball-flower ornament, a feature which is found all round this eastern part. In the south aisle the vaulting was intended to be the same as in the north aisle, having been planned by the same architect, but a difference in the westernmost bay shows it was superintended by a different mind. In all probability it was Knowle’s successor, Abbot Snow, who, from 1332-1341, went on with his predecessor’s work, adding that part called the Newton Chapel.”—(H. J. L. J. M.) There is not a great deal of old glass in Bristol, but some of the Windows in this east end are worthy of careful study. “The east windows of the choir aisles are filled with glass coloured with enamels in accordance with the practice of the Seventeenth Century instead of glass coloured in its manufacture. They date from the reign of Charles II.; and although it is traditionally said that they were presented by Nell Gwynne, it is more probable that they were the offerings of Henry Glenham, Dean of Bristol from 1661 to 1667, and afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph. The arms of Glemham (Or, a chevron gules between three torteaux) are repeated three times in the window In the third bay of the north wall of this north-choir-aisle a doorway opens into a peculiar passage designed by Abbot Knowle to take the place of a triforium. The passage leads to a staircase communicating with the central tower and the belfry. North of the north-choir-aisle we come to the greatly admired Early English Chapel, the Elder Lady-Chapel. “The Lady-Chapel (generally called the Elder Lady-Chapel because the altar of the Virgin was removed to the east end of the church after Abbot Knowle had rebuilt the choir) is entered from the north-east corner of the transept. The chapel is Early English, and dates, according to Mr. Godwin, from the time of Abbot John (1196-1215). The chapel is of four bays, the windows in which are triplets with inner arches, of which those at the side are gracefully foliated. The detached vaulting-shafts are of Purbeck marble. The sculpture of the capitals and string-courses is unusually good; and the spandrels of the wall-arcade are filled with grotesque designs which are full of spirit and character, greatly resembling the sculpture in Wells Cathedral, much of which is of the same date. Remember especially—a goat blowing a horn and carrying a hare slung over his back; a ram and an ape playing on musical instruments; and St. Michael with the dragon(?); below is a fox carrying off a foliage. The vaulting of the roof would seem to stamp the English character.”—(R. J. K.) This chapel was originally detached from the rest of the Cathedral. Beneath the two arches between it and the north-choir-aisle stands the Tomb of Maurice, ninth Lord Berkeley (died 1368). Here he lies with Elizabeth, his wife. The knight is in armour and his head lies on a mitre. A good groined canopy overshadows these figures. Retracing our steps into the choir and passing into the South-choir-aisle, we examine the Glenham window, which is of the same date as the corresponding one in the north-choir-aisle. The subjects are—in the centre, above, Our Lord Driving the Money Changers from the Temple; below, Jacob’s Dream; on the right, above, the Tribute Money; below, Melchisedec and Abraham; the subject on the left, above, is uncertain; below, the Sacrifice of Gideon. From the western bay of the south-choir-aisle we enter the Newton Chapel, where members of the Newton family lie. This dates from 1332-1341. The style is late Decorated. The south wall divides it from the Chapter-House, with which it is parallel. On the right, after passing out of the Newton Chapel, we come to one of Abbot Knowle’s recesses. The foliage consists of oak leaves and acorns interspersed here and there with tiny sprays of mistletoe, an unusual ornament, in church decoration. We next pass the Tomb of Thomas, Lord Berkeley, who died in 1243. He is represented in armour. His crossed legs show that he was a knight-templar. This is the oldest monument in the cathedral. The next recess contains the effigy of Maurice, Lord Berkeley, who died in 1281. He is also in armour. In the next bay we pass up one step to the entrance of a Vestibule (once a sacristy, now a music-room for the choristers), a fine speci “Opposite the entrance door on the south side are three ogee arches with niches between. In one of these, the third from the west, was a hearth upon which the sacramental bread was baked. The ornamentation in the spandrels and the finials is curiously interesting work in foliage. The vaulting of the roof would seem to stamp the work as that of Abbot Knowle. It consists of curved ribs, quite detached, large in section, springing from small capitals. The bosses are particularly fine, the foliage being very flowing and free. It is difficult to realise that the mason has here done in stone what many wood-carvers would fail to do in their softer material. The door into the Berkeley Chapel is enriched with a niche overhead, and a moulding below consisting of medlers.”—(H. J. L. J. M.) The Berkeley Chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is thought that an altar also stood here to St. Keyne, who turned to stone all the snakes in the vicinity. The ammonites were probably suggested by finding one or two in a piece of stone. “There are two windows toward the east, the soffetes of which are ornamented with a gigantic ball-flower; and the peculiar foliage on some of the capitals should be remarked. Under each of the windows was an altar, the steps and piscinÆ of which remain. The altars were separated by a screen, the marks of which were visible in the old pavement. Between the chapel and the aisle the wall is pierced by the peculiar arch of Abbot Knowle; and under it, in the thickness of the wall, is an altar-tomb much ornamented and containing five shields charged with the coats of the Berkeley, Ferrers and De Quincey families. The tomb in its present state is no doubt that of Thomas, Lord Berkeley (died 1321), whose wives were of those families; but the lower part, with its very fine foliage, is of Early English date, and may possibly have been removed from another part of the church.”—(R. J. K.) The Lady-Chapel is of the same date as the Choir. The east end was rebuilt about 1280 and a window with geometrical tracery, consisting of foliated circles, was inserted. Until 1895 it was used as a chancel. It is 42 feet long and 32 feet broad and consists of two bays. It is lighted by five windows. The central one is a Jesse window, and each of the four side windows has a transom with rich tracery below. This rich tracery we noticed from the street. In a good light relics of the ancient painting on the walls, representing angels, each with a golden nimbus, can be seen. The Reredos of the Lady-Chapel is partly Abbot Knowle’s work and partly Perpendicular. On the first bay of the south side are the Sedilia, restorations of the original cut away to make room for an Elizabethan tomb of Sir John Young and his family. They are in four divisions with rich canopies of leafage supported by shafts of red serpentine. The various recesses contain tombs and effigies of dignitaries of the Cathedral, and, while the general lines of these recesses are similar, there is much variety in the treatment of details. The splendid East Window is pure Decorated and of great beauty in tracery and design. Most of the glass is old, which adds another charm to the lovely effect of the tracery. There is much beautiful silvery white glass from which the brilliant colours sparkle with great effect, and we have no difficulty in tracing the Tree of Jesse: “The lower lights are separated by vine tendrils into oval panels, twenty-one in all. In the lowest tier in the centre is Jesse with David on the right and Solomon on the left hand. To the left of the latter are the prophets Micah, Haggai, Malachi; to the right of David “In the head of this window there are now seventeen blazons of arms. In the quatrefoil at the top—the arms of England as used before the time of Edward III., viz., the three lions; in the two trefoils immediately below are Berkeley of Stoke Gifford (L), Berkeley of Berkeley Castle (R). “Most of the glass in this upper part is original and is supposed by Mr. Winston to date between 1312-1322, as the arms of Gaveston, who was murdered in 1312, are not in the window, while the arms of De Bohun, who was slain in open rebellion in 1322, are clearly here. The glass, then, is of Knowle’s time, and being contemporary with the masonry, affords a rich example of the harmony of form and colour about which one hears so much but which one so seldom sees. It is probable that the tracery of the window may have been designed for Abbot Knowle by the builder of the window at Carlisle, also an Augustinian house. There is a strong resemblance in the two windows, both of which are excellent work.”—(H. J. L. J. M.) The four side windows contain rich and interesting glass of the same date. The one bearing the arms of Mortimer, Earl of March, has a picture of the Martyrdom of St. Edmund, the last of the native kings of East Anglia, who taken prisoner by the Danes in 870 refused to abjure his faith. He was put to death. Here we find, according to legend, the grey wolf watching over the severed head. The tracery of the large north window was inserted in 1704. The South Transept contains the tomb of Bishop Butler, more famed as the author of the Analogy of Religion than as Bishop of Bristol (1738-1750). The epitaph is by Southey. The Cloisters, on the south side of the cathedral, are entered from the south transept. From them the Chapter-House is entered. The entrance, or vestibule, of the Chapter-House shows a very early example of what may be called a pointed arch. The mouldings and members are quite of the circular style and character. From north to south the arches are round-headed, but east and west they are pointed. This Transitional Norman work—dating from Fitzhardinge’s time—is of special interest. “The chapter-house is one of the oldest parts of the earlier fabric of the cathedral, and as Britton truly says, ‘in its original state must have been one of the most interesting of the kind in the kingdom and perhaps in Europe.’ In spite of what it has undergone at the hands of architects, restorers and rioters, it is most interesting still, a regular parallelogram in shape, measuring 42 feet in length by 25 in breadth and 25 feet in height, divided into two bays. “The eastern wall, which dates from 1831, has three windows, and the west wall has also three round-headed arches, the central one being the main door, while the side ones serve as windows, each being subdivided by a small pier. Each of these main openings has a label of cable-moulding. Above this cable-moulding is an arcade of interlacing arches, borne by thirteen tall piers, alternately In the Chapter-House there is preserved a fine piece of archaic sculpture, which was found under the floor in 1831 after the destructive fire of that date, in use as a slab covering an ancient coffin. It represents the descent of the Saviour into Hell and the delivery of Adam, and is probably of the same date as the slabs in Chichester. The famous Great Gateway, the arcading of which is much in the style of the Chapter-House, is supposed to stand on the site of the principal entrance to Fitzhardinge’s monastery. Though Norman in style and probably containing a lot of Norman masonry, critics believe that it is a Perpendicular restoration of the old work. This archway is composed of four recessed orders enriched with chevron and other mouldings and ornaments. This must not be confused with the less elaborate Gateway in Lower College Green, probably of Fitzhardinge’s time and strengthened by Abbot Newland. The latter was the gateway to the abbot’s dwelling and afterwards to the Bishop’s Palace. |
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