Inside Norwich Cathedral

click photos to enlarge

In a recent post I was a little less than complimentary about the exterior of Norwich Cathedral. Today's post shows two views of the inside of the building, the part of the building that impressed me greatly.

There are a number of architectural historians and afficionados of medieval architecture who are somewhat dismissive of Norman work. I have a feeling this stems from the nineteenth century revival of Gothic when the consensus seemed to be that the Early English and Decorated periods were the summit of achievement, Perpendicular was (in many respects) a sign of decline, and Norman was the barbarous phase before the invention of the pointed arch. Today many people have got past that point of view and can see virtue in the heavy massing, solidity, and simple, sometimes rather naive looking decoration of the style.

There's no doubt that the small windows, narrow arches and deeply cut moulding of Norman architecture gives shadow and drama that the photographer can exploit. My first image was taken in the apsidal ambulatory that wraps around the east end of the cathedral. Rounded apses with chapels are a French idea that isn't found in too many English cathedrals (there were more, but they have been re-modelled). The English taste was for a square east end that may have suited the liturgy better, or may simply been a matter of aesthetic choice, but with a square design the vistas are definitely not as interesting. The second shot shows the nave looking east from towards the west end. Norman cathedral naves in England invariably have wooden ceilings. This is because rounded masonry arches are unable span such wide distances in the way that pointed arches can. Where there is a vaulted masonry ceiling above a Norman nave (as there is at Norwich) it is invariably a later substitution (in this case after a fire of 1463).

The lighting in the cathedral on a dull day challenged the capacities of a hand-held LX3, but, apart from a slightly HDR look to the shot of the nave (partly due to the lighting) I think it acquitted itself quite well.

photographs and text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1 (Photo 2)
Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2
Shutter Speed: 1/25 (1/30)
ISO: 800 (400)
Exposure Compensation: -0.66 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Norwich Cathedral - the exterior

click photo to enlarge
In a recent post I hinted that on my first viewing of the exterior of Norwich Cathedral I was a touch disappointed. This post is an attempt to articulate why.

The first thing to say is that many visitors to Norwich are likely to think that either the Cathedral Church of John the Baptist (R.C.) (1884-1910), or the town's market church, St Peter Mancroft (begun 1430), is the Anglican cathedral. This is due to its low position near the river. Most provincial medieval cathedrals, even today when high rise flats and offices abound, still dominate their cityscape. Despite a spire of 315 feet (96m), the country's second highest after Salisbury, Norwich does not tower over its surroundings except from nearby and a few particular angles.

Then there's the west front. For many cathedrals, both Gothic and Romanesque, this is a richly decorated, tall, wide, imposing "front" that is frequently the first elevation that a visitor sees. It is often the west front that distinguishes a cathedral from a church. Norwich does not have an elevation to compare with Peterborough, Ely, Lincoln, Durham or any of the classic English cathedrals. There are no west transepts or towers. Consequently the feel is more of a major town church than a cathedral. I'm aware that it did have bigger towers, and that post-Norman architects have diminished its size and power, but what remains can only be described as underwhelming.

There's also the problem of the nave. It looks too long for the rest of the structure. The relatively narrow dimensions of the tower do not "anchor" it, the tall spire notwithstanding. As for the tower itself, the odd, geometric decoration is unique to Norwich. When I first saw it I thought it might have been a seventeenth or eighteenth century elaboration, but apparently it is twelfth century. I'm not keen. And finally there's the rather repetitious arrangement of windows on the sides of the nave: a touch mechanical for my taste.

Now that's not to say there aren't things I like about the exterior. The apsidal east end with its chapels and flying buttresses is good. The composition reminds me of some French cathedrals. And the view across the school playing fields from near the river is a fine one where the spire really comes into its own. Perhaps I'm being a little judgemental after only one viewing. However, I have visited most of England's cathedrals, have a long standing interest in church architecture, and these are the things that immediately hit me when I saw Norwich. I haven't been so taken aback by a cathedral since I first laid eyes on Ely!

One thing I will say is that I found the interior very impressive, and my thoughts on that will feature in a blog post soon.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Photo 1 (Photo 2)
Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 7.4mm (35mm/35mm equiv.) (5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.))
F No: f5.6 (f4)
Shutter Speed: 1/800 (1/1000)
ISO: 80
Exposure Compensation: -0.66 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Norwich cathedral organ

click photo to enlarge
Having spent thirty odd years looking at ecclesiastical architecture I know that Sunday morning isn't the best time to visit a church if you wish to have unrestricted access to the building. There's an old joke about vicars only working one day a week, and Sunday morning is the time many churches are open for "business", so those in search of architecture, history and the rest, have to fit in when and where they can. But, sometimes your schedule is such that Sunday morning can't be avoided, and so it was last weekend when we called in at Norwich Cathedral.

As we cycled down to the cloister entrance the number of cars in the car park was the first clue that the building was in use. Then, when we entered the cloisters, the thunder of the organ and massed voices raised in hymns of praise confirmed it for us. However, we weren't down-hearted; in fact we were relieved, because we had just cycled eight or so miles into the city, and the threatening clouds had started to produce rain. So, we took advantage of the signs indicating that the chancel remained open to visitors, went in for a look around and some photographs, and then sat in the covered walk-way of the cloisters to wait for the service and the rain to stop.

After forty minutes or so people began to pour out of the building and we went in to view the nave and the other parts that we'd missed. I'd never visited this particular cathedral before, and my initial impressions are that I'm somewhat disappointed by the exterior, but impressed by the interior. I'll perhaps enlarge on that when I post some other shots. Today's image was one of those that forces itself upon you. It shows the heavy Norman columns and arches supporting the beautiful Gothic vaulting, with the attenuated organ pipes below. The floodlight roof and nave walls made an interesting warm background for the chancel and organ that remained unlit as it had been throughout the service.

When we came out of the cathedral it was still raining so we had a further wait until we felt able to venture out in to the city that, as well as a cathedral, also holds 35 medieval parish churches.

photograph & text T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 12.8mm (60mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/30
ISO: 800
Exposure Compensation: -0.66 EV
Image Stabilisation: On