Exeter Cathedral
Devon’s county town Exeter has always had one premier league historic sight to lure visitors away from the beaches. And if you’re passing on the M5 on your way further west The Cathedral is always worthy of a detour. Exeter’s St Peter’s Cathedral is one of England’s grandest and oldest. It has dominated the city’s skyline for 900 years. The West Front in particular is one of the most famous images of Devon, its flying buttresses framed by stout square Norman towers and decorated with 83 carved statues. Stone from the village quarry at Beer in East Devon was carved into the screen above the great west door and was originally painted in bright colours. That’s hard to imagine now, but it was thought to be so splendid to people of the Middle Ages that they thought of it as equivalent to the entrance to heaven.
In fact, the early pilgrims valued the spiritual powers of this building so highly they would carve off chunks of stone, grind it down, mix with water …and drink it.
The building of the two block-like towers started just 50 years after the Norman invasion in 1110. The rest carried on 150 years later.
It’s officially ‘free’ to enter but they make you feel guilty, ask for a donation and tell you it costs £2 per minute to run the building.
I’m sure you can bluster your way in for free if you’re that hard up. It’s worth the feeling of guilt. Inside, there’s a library of old manuscripts, shop and a café - but they’re not the bits that will take your breath away. The cavernous nave soaring to the fan-vaulted roof will do that. This is the longest Gothic vault in the world. It’s superbly atmospheric - especially with a choir and organ echoing around the ancient columns and flagstones. Try and visit during a choir practice for the full effect.
Interesting details to spot include the ‘dog whippers’ windows watching down for strays wandering the aisles, recently uncovered medieval wall paintings and the huge organ with more than 4,000 pipes, the longest of which measures 32ft. Now, that is a real bass woofer.
In the east tower you can still spot the giant 1487 clock in which the sun goes round the earth. Underneath is a small wooden medieval cat flap for the bishop’s cat to reach the inner workings. It was installed after mice ate the clock’s pulley ropes.
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Exeter Cathedral
Added 2008/11/20 @ 18:22:11
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