Thursday 26 January 2023

A visit to Lincoln Cathedral in 2015 - part 1

 I need a day out in my head - January seems such a long month.  So here is part 1 of Lincoln Cathedral.  Enjoy.

    Ruskin said of Lincoln Cathedral:  "I have always held . . . that the Cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have."



The stunning West Front of the cathedral.  Building work began here in 1072, when William the Conquerer told Bishop Remigius to build him a Cathedral to keep his castle company.  Unfortunately after 20 years of building, there was a fire which destroyed the roof. Worse was to come in 1185 when an earthquake split the cathedral from top to bottom.  Fortunately the West Front survived.



Whilst there are traditionally Norman chevron patterns around the doorway, there is a nod to late Anglo Saxon designs.



This shows particularly in the figures in the interlace below.



Anglo-Saxon sculpture around the Cathedral doorways.  Figures with long tails inhabiting vine scrolls.


Inside your eyes are raised to the soaring arches.


The black marble font (ordered from a quarry in Belgium at great expense) has Beasties which show the battle between good and evil.  Evil appears to be a dragon, with wings, scales and a belly like a Crocodile! Good is represented by what could be a wolf-like animal, but it has curly locks on its neck so we will assume it to be a lion.  Not St Mark's lion, however, as that has wings . . .  Some slightly different "baddies" being sorted out on another face.



Below,  one of two superb 'Rose' windows.  The Dean's Window has its original panels, and faces North . . . he was lower down in the pecking order . . .  People believed that it looked north 'to keep out the dark deeds of the Devil.'


Whilst the Bishop had his stunning window facing South . . .  This faces the Dean's Window across the transept, and worshippers believed that it 'looked towards the sun to welcome in God's light and love.'  It was fitted around 1330, and the stone tracery looks like lace - showing the masons' craftsmanship.




The doorway at the right end of the Choir Screen.


The amazing Choir Screen with its intricate carvings (more photos of it in the next post).


A rather weird cross between a person and a beastie, playing a violin . . .  you can just make out traces of the original paint - red, and a little blue around his left elbow.



Possibly a Manticore (to the left) and his partner the other side of the ogee top of the doorway.  



If you look closely, you will see some naughty dragons coming out of hiding in the vine, to scoff the bunches of grapes.  Unfortunately they have been noticed and are being stabbed. . .


Here they are, dead and skinned and hung up for all to see (Imagery was widely understood by the poor people who attended church, but were illiterate.)  You can also see the beautiful rose carvings which were symbols of the Virgin Mary . . .



These were just my favourite carvings in the entire cathedral and I am sure they are Barn Owls.  They represent the dark and ignorance.  Or so says the guide book.  Our guide (for we had a guided tour) also mentioned that one visitor from South Africa had mentioned them eating souls.  That led me to think about Mary Webb's Sin Eaters (in 'Precious Bane').  In the Scriptures, however, the owl is associated with desolation. In the Bible, the Owl was one of the birds which was mentioned as unclean. 

Part 2 tomorrow. 

16 comments:

  1. I like the idea of a day out in your head and have really enjoyed this visit to Lincoln cathedral, a place I have never been. I also enjoyed your Scarborough post, which reminded me of my Morecambe Bay-born grandad who came south to London for work in the 1920s and qualified as an engineer, studying at night school. He could make or mend anything - a skill passed down to my dad, my youngest brother and now my son. I will miss T’s practical skills when/if he returns to London! We had an actual day out yesterday. The weather was cold and grim so I decided lunch out would be a nice treat. We went to a nearby-ish fruit farm which has diversified by converting one of the old Victorian glasshouses into a cafe. It was really lovely inside, warm and full of plants and lit by old chandeliers. There was a side hustle in antiques too - think old terracotta olive jars, sundials, flakey paint shutters, wooden decoy birds. Afterwards we visited the birdy place (RSPB nature reserve) hoping to see the pair of White-Tailed Eagles which have settled on the Wildbrooks and we were lucky and did. A day in the bookshop today, but the window cleaner has been this morning which sort of ticks the housework box. I hadn’t realised the owl was considered unclean according to Scripture. I prefer the Greek association of Athena, the goddess of Wisdom with the owl as her symbol. I will polish my small collection of owls as a nod to this. Hope you are doing ok BB. Sarah x

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    1. Recently a day out in my head is all I've been able to aspire to. I'd quite forgotten how stunning Lincoln was inside, especially that font, and I am rubbing my head trying to think where there are others - have a feeling there's one in Southampton. Yes - just checked, and it's in St Michael's, in the old part of the town, near Bugle Street.

      Your day out sounded lovely - what a grand place for lunch. White Tailed Eagles too - make me envious why don't you?!!

      Enjoy polishing your owls.

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  2. Wow, love the detail in those photos. I didn't know that about owls being an unclean bird in the bible.
    Alison in Wales x

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  3. It is really a superb building. I want to see it someday. Hard to imagine all that stone carving covered in paint.

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    1. Churches and cathedrals were intensely colourful prior to the Reformation. One was saved from total collapse on the marshes near Hendy I think it was. Now at St Fagans and painted much as it would have originally been. Quite mind blowing.

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  4. The detail is amazing and I loved the explanations that you provided. What a wonderful day out! I needed one as well. I never knew that owls were considered 'unclean', biblically speaking, but in pondering it, it makes sense. Owls are creatures of the night, and those things were most always viewed through superstitious eyes.

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    1. I think I must have a brochure somewhere Debby, sounds very erudite for off the top of the head descriptions! They had some funny notions in Medieval times.

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  5. I'm in awe of the craftsmanship. The Tlingit Indian warriors (on whose traditional land I live) had great faith in the Owl; they would rush into battle hooting like Owls to give themselves confidence, and to strike fear into their enemies.

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    1. Never heard of the Tlingit Indians before, but they did right having the Owl as their totem animal.

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  6. Rather amazing, you are one up on me I have never visited a cathedral and taken photos, I nearly did at Worcester (which charged to take them) but a phone call from the garage put an end to my tour. It looks amazing in there

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    1. Oh you need to get yourself up a gear then as just about any cathedral is incredibly impressive and SO much to see in the way of carved stonework and often woodwork too.

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  7. An absolutely architectural wonder. The carvings, windows and arches. Thank you for sharing this with us.

    God bless.

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    1. Isn't it wonderful? Check out Salisbury Cathedral too . . . and Wells . . . and - they are all amazing.

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