England – Page 25 – TRAVEL WORDS

Norwich Cathedral Part III: Bosses

Norwich Cathedral has more bosses than any other cathedral worldwide: some 1106, including those of Lyhart’s nave roof; those of the presbytery vault, added in 1480 by Bishop Goldwell; those of the transept vaults, added in 1509 by Bishop Nykke after a further fire; and those in the cloister. The bosses represent the largest collection of decorative roof bosses in Christendom, and depict scene from both the old and new testaments. Carved into the stone vaulting and then painted, each boss would have taken almost two weeks to complete. They represent a Christian view of the history of the world including carvings of Noah and the flood, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, the end of the world and the tales of judgement day.

There are some good examples of medieval art.

There are also bosses depicting mythical beasts and figures like the Green Man. It is thought that roof bosses such as these provided one of the earliest forms of theological education, at a time when illiteracy was high.

"The Green Man" 14th century boss in the east walk of the cloister. — “The Green Man” 14th century boss in the east walk of the cloister.

"Man fights Dragon" — “Man fights Dragon”

The east walk was built first in 1297, and aside from a Passion sequence and the Evangelists at the north end has mostly foliage bosses. Continue reading Norwich Cathedral Part III: Bosses

Norwich Cathedral Part II: Interior

I said in my previous post that the exterior of this cathedral wasn’t that impressive. Mainly because it is so difficult to see the complete building. However, inside is another story. It is incredibly beautiful with wonderful windows, arches, bosses and oozing with history. With so many nooks and crannies it would take far longer than my couple of hours to explore. But here are some of my highlights:

The entrance to the cathedral is through the Hostry, the new visitor and education centre, built on the foundations of the medieval Hostry where guests would have been welcomed into the Benedictine monastery.

The Nave

Musical Instrument

Poppy Head pew

Grooved, spiral column

The brightly burnished copper font was formerly used in a Norwich chocolate factory.

The Jesus Chapel is decorated with the kind of wall painting that may once have covered most of the building. Continue reading Norwich Cathedral Part II: Interior

Norwich Cathedral Part I: The Close

The most complete Norman Cathedral in England and one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe, Norwich Cathedral is one of England’s finest Cathedrals and dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity.

I showed you the two dramatic entrance gates in to the cathedral grounds from Tombland. Now it is time to walk through and have a look at the cathedral precinct which occupies the former monastery. It is very difficult to get the entire building in frame and the addition of a rather ugly visitors’ entrance is not helpful and certainly (IMO) not sympathetic to the 900 year old Norman cathedral.

p1310082 — Erpingham Gate from the Cathedral precinct

The Cathedral Close, an area surrounding the Cathedral, contains more than 80 listed buildings. The Upper end of ‘The Close’ as it is known, is a large green space stretching along the west front of the Cathedral. The Norwich School (independent) occupies one end and we were lucky enough to be able to enter the Grade 1 listed school chapel as it was open for the Historic Open weekend. Built in 1316-1320 it was originally a chantry chapel where monks said prayers four times a day to save the soul of Bishop Salmon who was a very rich Norwich bishop. The architectural style is transitional between Gothic Decorated and Perpendicular.

I was particularly taken with the lovely blue doors Continue reading Norwich Cathedral Part I: The Close

Black and White Sunday: Heckington Windmill

The eight sail windmill was built in 1830 with five sails, but after a gale in 1890 destroyed both the cap and sails it was rebuilt by John Pocklington using machinery from Skirbeck mill in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Now the only eight sail windmill in Western Europe it is fully working and producing flour again.

Black and White Sunday

Kynance Cove and Beach

Kynance beach is probably one of the most beautiful in Cornwall set in an area of outstanding natural beauty AONB. In fact I have seen it voted as being one of the most beautiful in the world. It is certainly one of the most remote as it is practically at the end of the Lizard peninsula (the Lizard is Britain’s most southerly mainland point) and it is not a beach that you can drive up to. Oh no, getting there involves a short (10 – 15 mins green route) hike down a fairly steep narrow trail , littered with loose rocks and steep steps at the end, or a longer, winding (20 – 30 mins red route) stroll along an uneven track with exposed bedrock and slightly loose stone surface which brings you out at the back of the cove near the toilets and tea-room. We opted for the longer route suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs without any steps.

The trail winds itself down the cliffs to the beach passing through swathes of golden gorse and outcrops of rocks, some covered in the deep egg-yolk yellow lichens. The views over the bay are stunning.

At low tide the white sands are revealed contrasting with the dark green and red serpentine rocks and the incredibly clear turquoise water. It is probably the most photographed and painted spot in the county. You can explore the towering rocks stacks and the caves with names such as The Parlour and The Drawing Room.

There is an excellent tea-room serving pasties and cream teas as well as sandwiches, drinks and beach stuff. We stopped for coffee and a cream tea and sat mesmerised by the colour of the sea whilst chaffinches hopped around our feet. I felt as though I had stepped back to New Zealand for a while.

From Kynance there is a fantastic 2 mile scenic walk around the coast to Lizard Point, but as the OH is not a cliff-top walker we drove there instead. I’ll show you what that looks like in another post 🙂

If you enjoy a walk, long or short, then have a look at Jo’s site where you are welcome to join in.