Tag Archives: Cathedrals
Wells Cathedral – the poet of cathedrals #atozchallenge
Known as the ‘most poetic of English cathedrals’ Wells is a jewel and memorable. Taking its name from the well that still springs up in the bishop’s palace garden, the site of the cathedral dates back centuries to when in 705AD the king of Wessex founded a minister church. This Saxon church was superseded in […]
Spires – reaching for the heavens. #atozchallenge
A spire is an Old English term for sprout or shoot of grass, something that grows upwards, reaching for the skies. In the case of a church, it is the heavens the spire is intended to reach and for those early Christians, the height of the spire, way above their heads, must have been awe […]
Nave – the hub of a cathedral. #atozchallenge
Cathedrals and Abbeys. Today is all about the nave. The cruciform layout of a church is based on the points of the compass. The chancel, where the high altar is situated, points to the East and Jerusalem, which in Medieval times was the centre of the Earth. The north and south transepts were where chapels […]
Manchester Cathedral – the modest rise of the Great Churches
Continuing my theme of Abbeys and Cathedrals… As the population of England grew throughout the industrial age, more and more people flocked into urban areas. The Church of England in response needed more dioceses and bishops and in turn more cathedrals to cater for the rising population. Also to counter the popularity of non-conformist chapels […]
Liverpool’s cathedrals – side by side. #atozchallenge
Not many cities can boast two cathedrals in the UK and when they do, they don’t get more impressive than Liverpool. Liverpool, a relatively young city compared to those with Medieval origins, grew rich on trade and shipping but had no cathedral until the 20th century. Liverpool has a diverse population that includes a large […]
Ely’s lantern. #atozchallenge
Continuing my blogging theme of Abbeys and cathedrals… When visiting a cathedral, it’s important to look up. Quite often a cathedral will have mirrors on trolleys you can use to save craning your neck. Why? Because the roofs are amazing and my favourite looking up place is Ely. Ely is a city in East Anglia […]
Cathedrals: the old, Canterbury, to the new, Coventry. #atozchallenge
There is a blurring of the lines between the great churches of abbeys and cathedrals. To me, as a visitor, they both offer the same experience and seem so akin as to be indistinguishable. However, it’s obviously more complicated than that. The word Cathedra is derived from the Latin word for chair. It is presence […]
A-Z Blogging Challenge – Theme day!
This will be my third year of doing the A-Z blogging challenge. One letter of the alphabet per day, excluding three Sundays, and each letter will be about…… Abbeys and Cathedrals of the UK Since I managed with castles last year, I thought I would take my other great architectural love and expand on it. […]
The Quiet Writer 