Chester Cathedral, Chester

Chester Cathedral
Chester
Cheshire

Chester’s grand cathedral lays almost at the heart of the old city, surrounded by Abbey Street, Frodsham Street, Eastgate Street and Northgate Street. It is visible across the rooftops from huge areas of the city, and offers a good few hours of exploration. The cathedral’s history can be traced back nearly two thousand years!!! Local legends tell of a Druid temple on the site, probably destroyed by the Romans and replaced with a temple dedicated to Apollo. The Roman temple in turn was most likely replaced with a Christian church with the introduction of Christianity into the Roman empire and Britain. Records tell of a church founded in around 660 on or near the site of the Cathedral. In around 875 the remains\relics of St Werburgh were brought to the city for protection from Viking attacks. Queen Ethelfelda (daughter of King Alfred) built a church here, probably to provide somewhere for the saint’s remains to be held in safety.

The Normans, in 1092, decided to found a monastery in Chester, under the guidance of Hugh Lupus, the Earl of Chester (William the Conqueror’s nephew) Hugh appointed Anselm, Abbot of Bec, a Benedictine monastery in Normandy in France to oversee the project. The earliest surviving parts of the cathedral date from this period. At this time, the cathedral of the diocese of Chester was not the Benedictine Abbey, but the nearby 11th century church of St John the Baptist (established, reputedly, in 689) The church still stands today, and is considered one of the finest examples of 11th to 12th century architecture in the whole of the UK. It wasn’t until 1538, at the dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, that St Werburgh’s Abbey (as it was known) became a Cathedral. Thomas Clarke made the transition of the last Abbot of St Werburgh’s Abbey, to the first Dean of Chester Cathedral.

It is widely thought that there are no discernible traces of the 10th century church remaining…but numerous remains of the monastery built in 1092\93 remain. In 1636, space beneath the tower at the South West of the Cathedral, was turned into the Bishop’s Consistory Court. It is the only surviving original court of this nature to be found anywhere in the UK, and is accessible to visitors. By the 19th century, the cathedral was in dire need of refurbishment and restoration. Sir Gilbert Scott was employed at this time, to restore the building, and the overall spectacle that we see today, is largely down to the work he did.

I would have taken more photos of this building, but it was so large, and there was so much to see it would have taken us hours to make sure our visit was exhaustive. Next time though!!!

Check the link for further information on the Cathedral, including visiting details.

Chapel Lane Methodist Chapel, Kendal

Chapel Lane Chapel
Kirkland
Kendal
Cumbria

This small Methodist chapel can be found down Chapel Lane just off Kirkland. Sometimes referred to in the past as Capper Lane, a corruption of Chapel Lane, the ginnel was originally a thoroughfare leading to a Catholic chapel further up towards Well Syke. The chapel shown here however was not built until 1872, so is not the Catholic chapel referred to in the ginnel's name.

The chapel was built to provide a place of worship for the ever expanding Methodist congregation on the Southern edges of the town. The foundation stone was laid in 1872 by the then mayor of Kendal, James Thompson.

The chapel was well used, with morning and evening services held on Sundays, and an evening service held on Thursdays.

The chapel finally fell out of use in 1919 and the building was used for various other purposes. It was at one time in use as a joiner's workshop, and another time as a furniture warehouse. It is now (I think) back in use as a Baptist chapel.

Borwick chapel

Borwick chapel
Borwick
Lancashire

The remains of this tiny chapel can be found in the centre of the Lancashire village of Borwick, some three miles North East of Carnforth. At the junction of Borwick Lane and Borwick Road, there is a small triangular village green, with some large masonry blocks emerging from the grass.

It is thought that these blocks of stone, undoubtedly the remains of a small rectangular building, measuring about 15 feet by 25 feet, represent a chapel mentioned in documents dated 1650.

It is said that the building was abandoned by 1688, after which it rapidly fell into disrepair. I wonder if this coincided with the building of a chapel within the confines of Borwick Hall that lays less than a hundred yards to the South.

Tunstall, St John the Baptist

St John the Baptist
Tunstall
Lancashire

This mostly 15th century church lays down Church Lane in the small Lancashire village of Tunstall, some 4 miles South of Kirkby Lonsdale and just North of Thurland Castle on the A683.

The church is reputed to have been built around 1415, though most of the current building seems to date from a little later. There are certainly the remains of a 13th century structure built into the church fabric, including a six foot long sepulchral slab, found when building work was being done on the interior of the church. There are also some 13th century capitals (the decorative tops of the pillars) with scalloped tops and defaced\damaged carvings. A major period of refurbishment in 1847 appears to have erased any further traces of the the earlier church.

The niche over the doorway now contains a sun dial, though perhaps it may once have been home to a statue, possibly of John the Baptist. The photo below shows a the coats of arms for George III.

The South porch has a tiny room hidden away, and accessible via a ladder pinned to the wall. Access to this room would once have been from a gallery, long since removed, that would have provided additional seating at the back of the church. These days the room is used for storage, though was empty when I visited.

This tiny room was once used for Sunday School meetings, and in 1824, when the Reverend William Carus Wilson became the parish priest, he set up the School for Clergy Daughters at nearby Cowan Bridge. Every Sunday, sisters Maria, Charlotte, Emily and Elizabeth would walk the three miles from Cowan Bridge to the church at Tunstall to attend Sunday School here. Their surnames were of course Bronte, and Charlotte, in her book Jayne Eyre, used Tunstall church as the basis for the imaginary church of Brocklebridge.

The carved wooden screen separating the nave from the chancel, probably dates from around 1907 (shown below)

The West tower dates from the 1415 rebuild of the church, and has small panels on at least three of the external walls with heraldic symbols\emblems carved in each.

These two carved figures can be found either side of the alter. They are probably sitting on medieval corbels, most likely moved from another location within the church.

The church appears to be open for visits, although, as usual, please check for services before entering.

Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling

Church of the Holy Rude
Stirling
Scotland

The historically important Church of the Holy Rude can be found at the foot of Upper Castlehill and behind Mar Place at the head of Broad Street and St John Street. To all intents and purposes it looks like a grand parish church, but the history surrounding this impressive building is fascinating in itself.

There was a church by this name on this site in the 1130’s, which acted as the Parish church to the town of Stirling. Like the palace in Edinburgh, its name, Holy Rude, means Holy Cross. There are two buildings in the whole of the UK that share a specific honour….Westminster Abbey in London, and the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling are the only two active places of worship that have seen the coronation of a monarch. In 1567, on the 29th of July, the church in Stirling played host to the hurriedly arranged coronation of James VI, at the age of thirteen months. John Knox, a regular preacher at the Church in Stirling, conducted the coronation. James passed into the care of the Earl and Countess of Mar, and was brought up in the security of Stirling castle high above the town.

The church that we see today is the result, no doubt, of a disastrous fire in 1405, which pretty much destroyed the whole of the building. The people of Stirling soon began to re-build their church however, and by 1414, the tower, the nave and the South aisle were completed. The original oak timbered roof seen in a photo here, is probably of this period of rebuilding.

The choir (eastern portion of the church) was built between 1507 and 1546, with its massive apse, to house the ever growing congregation. The tower was also increased in height at this time, probably to make sure that the building was kept in proportion. It’s thought that there was the intention to add a second tower during this period. The construction of four massive pillars between the choir and nave would seem to indicate that the builders were to insert a central tower….however this idea was never carried out, and the four pillars are all that remains of this building plan.

A peculiar part of the church’s history took place between 1656 and 1935, when the church was split in two by a huge wall that ran across the width of the church. The wall was built as a result of an argument between the Reverend James Guthrie and his deputy (?). Neither could agree on how church services should be run, so the only resolution to their arguments was to have two congregations worshipping in the same church, but led by two priests and totally segregated.

The congregations were finally united in 1936 when the dividing wall was removed. The mid to late 1960’s saw a period of restoration, with several of the church’s windows replaced and repaired, all the stonework was re-pointed and the heating system was renewed.

Outside the church, the massive grave yards, with some graves dating back to the 1500’s, can be freely explored, as well as the Lady’s Rock, where tournaments were reputed to have been watched from.

Cambuskenneth Abbey, Cambuskenneth

Cambuskenneth Abbey
Cambuskenneth
Nr Stirling
Scotland

I only found the remains of the abbey by accident…as I was taking photographs of the surrounding country side from the top of the Wallace Monument, I spied a ruined building by the river…and in my habitual hunt for towers and castles thought I may have found yet another fortified building. Luckily I also photographed what I thought was a church to the right of the ruin…and when I researched the ruins, found that I had in fact managed to bag some photos of the ruins of Cambuskenneth Abbey (also known as Stirling Abbey ) The remains can be found to the North East of the city of Stirling, in a tiny village nestling in the loops of the River Forth. The village and the abbey can only be accessed down Ladysneuk Road, leading off the A907.

The ruins represent the last remains of an Augustinian Monastery, that in its heyday, was probably one of the richest and most influential abbeys in the whole of Scotland. This influence was mostly due to the fact that it was patronised by Scottish Kings (and Edward I of England) and was only a mile or so away from the Royal castle of Stirling. King Robert the Bruce even held a parliament at the abbey in 1326, to secure the succession of his son David (King David II of Scotland)

The abbey was most likely built around 1140, on the request of King David I. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was probably known at this time as the Abbey of St Mary of Stirling. There are two notable burials that can still be seen at the abbey…that of Margaret of Denmark (died 1486, Queen Consort of Scotland) and King James III of Scotland (murdered 1488) Their final resting place is now marked by a magnificent tomb stone erected by Queen Victoria in 1864…this can still be seen at the abbey.

All that remains of the abbey now, is the 13th century tower, seen to the right of the photo above, the river side ruins seen to the left of the photo and a number of walls and footings exposed when the site was excavated. The abbey was already in a state of ruin by 1560, and much of its stone was robbed for building in the town nearby. Mars Wark is reputed to have been built of stone from the abbey buildings. It is thought that the tower survived as it served as a watch tower, affording excellent views across the Carse of Stirling.

The abbey is managed by Historic Scotland, and, I think, only open during the Summer months.

Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Skipton Castle

Chapel of St John the Evangelist
Skipton Castle
Skipton
North Yorkshire

The chapel of St John the Evangelist can be found in the grounds of Skipton Castle, a few yards to the west of the gatehouse. This simple grade I listed building was probably built in the 13th century, with records first mentioning its existence in 1315.

This view, looking towards the West wall of the chapel, shows the single tiny round window which would once have been accessible from inside via a gallery.

A view of the East window.
Piscina and sedilia in the South wall. The window to the right of these features, probably contains the remains of a second sedilia.

View of one of the windows, bricked up but otherwise well preserved.

View of the East window from the outside of the chapel. The chapel was used by residents, the garrison and visitors to the castle. There were no burials allowed here, the parish church a few hundred yards away would have been used for this purpose. The chapel was probably built as a chapel of ease, and would have been easily accessible should the castle have been besieged.