Peterborough Cathedral
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Peterborough Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, and is very unusual amongst mediæval cathedrals in Britain because of its triple front (dominated by the statues of the three saints) and overall asymmetrical appearance.
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[edit] History
[edit] Saxon origins
The original church was founded as Medeshampstede Abbey by King Peada of Mercia in 655 as one of the first centres of Christianity in central England. The monastic settlement with which the church was associated lasted until it was destroyed by Vikings in 870. In the mid 10th century monastic revival (in which Ely Cathedral and Ramsey Abbey were also refounded) a Benedictine Abbey was created and endowed in 966 by Athelwold, Bishop of Winchester from what remained of the earlier abbey, with "a basilica [church] there furbished with suitable structures of halls, and enriched with surrounding lands" and more extensive buildings.[1] It was dedicated to St Peter, and came to be called a burgh, hence the town surrounding the abbey was eventually named Peter-burgh. The community was further revived in 972 by Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Only a small section of the foundations of the Saxon church remain beneath the south transept but there are several significant artefacts including Saxon carvings such as the 'Hedda Stone', from the earlier building.
[edit] Norman and mediæval
Although damaged during the struggle between the Norman invaders and local folk-hero, Hereward the Wake, it was repaired, and continued to thrive until destroyed by an accidental fire in 1116.
This event necessitated the building of a new church in the Norman style, begun by Abbot John de Sais in 1118. By 1193 the building was completed to the western end of the Nave, including the central tower and the decorated wooden ceiling of the nave. The ceiling, completed between 1230 and 1250, still survives. It is unique in Britain and one of only four such ceilings in the whole of Europe[2] It has been over-painted twice, once in 1745, then in 1834, but still retains the character and style of the original. (The painted nave ceiling of Ely Cathedral, by contrast, is entirely a Victorian creation.)
The church was largely built of Barnack limestone from quarries on its own land, and it was paid annually for access to these quarries by the builders of Ely Cathedral and Ramsey Abbey in thousands of eels (eg 4,000 each year for Ramsey).[3]
Then, in completing the Western transept and adding the Great West Front Portico in 1237, the mediæval masons switched over to the new Gothic style. Apart from changes to the windows, the insertion of a porch to support the free-standing pillars of the portico and the addition of a ‘new’ building at the east end around the beginning of the 16th century, the structure of the building remains essentially as it was on completion almost 800 years ago. The completed building was consecrated in 1238 by Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, within whose diocese it then fell.
The Norman tower was rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style in about 1350-1380 (its main beams and roof bosses survive). Between 1496 and 1508 the Presbytery roof was replaced and the 'New Building', a rectangular building built around the end of the Norman eastern apse, with Perpendicular fan vaulting (probably designed by John Wastell, the architect of King's College Chapel, Cambridge and the Bell Harry Tower at Canterbury Cathedral), was added.
We have a detailed record in the contents of the Abbey's reliquaries from the mid-12th century monk Hugh Candidus, they included; two pieces of swaddling clothes which wrapped the baby Jesus, pieces of Jesus' manger, a part of the five loaves which fed the 5,000, a piece of the raiment of St Mary, a piece of Aaron's rod, and relics of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew - to whom the church is dedicated. [4] Most famous however was the supposed arm of St Oswald (which disappeared from its chapel, probably during the Reformation, despite a watch-tower having been built for monks to guard its reliquary) and various contact relics of Thomas Becket, brought from Canterbury in a special reliquary by its Prior Benedict (who had witnessed Becket's assassination) when he was 'promoted' to Abbot of Peterborough.
[edit] Tudor
In 1541, following Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, the relics were lost but the church survived by being selected as the cathedral of the new Diocese of Peterborough. This may have been related to the fact that Henry's former queen, Catherine of Aragon, had been buried there in 1536. Her grave can still be seen, and is nowadays honoured by visitors and often decorated with flowers and pomegranates (her symbol). It carries the legend "Catharine the Queen", a title she was denied at the time of her death.
In 1587, the body of Mary Queen of Scots was also buried here after her execution at nearby Fotheringhay Castle, but was later removed to Westminster Abbey on the orders of her son, King James I of England.
[edit] Civil War to present
The cathedral was vandalised during the English Civil War in 1643. Almost all the stained glass and the mediæval choir stalls were destroyed, and the high altar and reredos were demolished, as were the cloisters and Lady Chapel. All the monuments and memorials of the Cathedral were damaged or destroyed also.
Some of the damage was repaired during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1883, extensive restoration work began, with the interior pillars, the central tower, the choir and the west front being completely rebuilt, and new hand-carved choir stalls, cathedra (bishop's throne) and choir pulpit and the marble pavement and high altar being added.
In the early evening of 22 November 2001 the cathedral was hit by a fire started deliberately amongst plastic chairs stored in the North Choir Aisle.[5] Fortunately the fire was spotted by one of the vergers allowing a swift response by emergency services.[6] The timing was particularly unfortunate as a complete restoration of the painted wooden ceiling was nearing completion.[7] The oily smoke given off by the plastic chairs was particularly damaging, coating much of the building with a black sticky layer. The seat of the fire was close to the organ and the combination of direct damage from the fire, and the water used to extinguish necessitated a full-scale rebuild of the instrument, putting it out of action for several years.
An extensive programme of repairs to the west front began in July 2006. Progress is visible via a live webcam.
 Partial elevation |
 17th century view |
 View from the south east, c. 1898, after the 1880s rebuilding |
 The Hedda stone.An 8th Century Saxon carving from the original church. |
 The hanging crucifix or rood designed by Frank Roper in 1975 |
 Painted nave ceiling. |
 The nave |
 The altar |
[edit] Organ and Organists
[edit] Organ
Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ Register
[edit] Organists
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[edit] References
- ^ Biddick, Kathleen. The Other Economy: Pastoral Husbandry on a Medieval Estate p13. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS. Retrieved on 2007-01-23. “He restored Peterborough Abbey to its former royal splendor and dedicated "a basilica there furbished with suitable structures of halls, and enriched with surrounding lands."”
- ^ The others are at Zillis, Switzerland, Hildesheim in Germany and Dädesjö, Sweden. The longest of these is less than half the length of Peterborough's ceiling.
- ^ Beeke, Clive (2006). Abbots of Ramsey (website). Ramsey Abbey website. Clive Beeke. Retrieved on 2007-01-23. “Edward [the Confessor] also became a party to an agreement between the Abbot of Ramsey and Abbot of Burgh (Peterborough) in regard to the exchange of lands; to bounds and limits of King's-delf; also the right to Ramsey Abbey to dig stone both 'squared and broken' at the quarries of Barnack. For this privilege the Abbey had to give the Monks of Peterborough 'four thousand eels yearly in Lent'”
- ^ (from Brooke & Brooke 'Popular Religion in the Middle Ages; Western Europe 1000-1300' Chapter2 p19-21)
- ^ CATHEDRAL FIRE: Candle theory on cathedral arson (Newspaper). Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Johnston Press Digital Publishing (2006-11-27). Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ FIRE: 'I watched the beautiful building go up in smoke' (Newspaper). Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Johnston Press Digital Publishing (2006-11-23). Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ FIRE: Devestating blow to appeal work (Newspaper). Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Johnston Press Digital Publishing (2006-11-23). Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Peterborough Cathedral The cathedral's website (with link to the live webcam)
- The Cathedral Church of Peterborough, by W.D. Sweeting, at Project Gutenberg
- Bill Thayer's site
- Peterborough Cathedral on Skyscrapernews.com
- Adrian Fletcher’s Paradoxplace Peterborough Cathedral Pages – Photos
| Peterborough, Cambridgeshire | Unitary Authority | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Areas of Peterborough | Historic county boundaries of Northamptonshire
Bretton | Dogsthorpe | Eastfield | Eastgate | Fengate | Fletton | Gunthorpe | Hampton | Longthorpe | Millfield | Netherton | Newark | New England | The Ortons | Parnwell | Paston | Ravensthorpe | Stanground | Walton | Werrington | West Town | Westwood | Woodston |
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| Places of interest |
Peterborough Cathedral | Burghley House | Longthorpe Tower | Flag Fen | Nene Valley Railway |
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| Transport |
Green Wheel | Railway Station Trunk Roads: A1 | A15 | A47 |
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Categories: Anglican cathedrals in England | Anglo-Saxon Christianity | Buildings and structures in Cambridgeshire | Monasteries in England | Norman architecture | Peterborough | Visitor attractions in Cambridgeshire | Grade I listed buildings in Cambridgeshire | Grade I listed churches | 655 establishments | 1230s architecture
