Norwich Cathedral

We were lucky in our guide for the cathedral. Colin (Heritage Interpretation) knows more history about Norwich than most people will ever. He had some of the most interesting stories to tell about the Cathedral, most of them involving misdemeanours of the common person of the times. Interesting as most of the history we hear about and read about is about the Kings, Queens, Bishops and the “important” people of history. We all tend to forget about the “little” people of history, and let's face it, everyone reading this blog is a “little” person in the historical sense.

This is Norwich Cathedral from Pull's Ferry.

A rather majestic structure !

This next photo is looking into the cloisters.

The Skeleton – he was apparently buried standing up so he could be one of the first into heaven. People will do crazy things for religious beliefs.

Here's the sign, translated from old English.

It's a wee bit fuzzy.

Here's a close up of the top.

One of the columns in the cathedral.

And this is the sign telling about the column.

I took some really great photos of the bosses on the ceilings. The descriptions are from Colin, and I quote him verbatim (except for tidying up typos!). Here they are:

“One of several 'Green Men' amongst the cathedral bosses. This pre-Christian figure represents the changing of the seasons and was tolerated in this space because, being outside of the sacred space of the cathedral proper, it was accomodatable.” (Colin Howey)

"A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings (both secular and ecclesiastical). "The Green Man" is also a popular name for English public houses and various interpretations of the name appear on inn signs, which sometimes show a full figure rather than just the head.

The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance," representing the cycle of growth each spring. Some speculate that the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man

“Typical of disorderly figures represented on the margins of Norwich Cathedral cloister, musicians had, and have, a tendency to riotous and disorderly behaviour. “ (Colin Howey)

"One of my personal favourites: here we see a washer woman giving a thief a thick ear. I wouldn't want to cross her. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the mason may have depicted one of his work colleagues, putting his face onto that of the thief - or the woman." (Colin Howey)

"A bare-arsed figure in the cathedral cloisters. Dating from the early Fourteenth century he is one of several characters representing disorder beyond the Christian order." (Colin Howey)

“This is a Fifteenth century depiction of the Pharaoh and his soldiers being drowned in the (literally) Red Sea. Notice that the 'chariot' is a Fifteenth century Norfolk hay cart. “ (Colin Howey)

Oh, yes, and last but not least, this really tickled my fancy.

This is the font in the Norwich Cathedral.

Not a great photo, but here's the sign that tells about the font.

This, to me, is the ultimate in recycling.

That's all for today folks.

Madeleine

Monday, 19 January 2009