I have wanted to have a good look round Hereford Cathedral for years. When D and I went years ago we only had an hour as I had parked in a stupid place where parking was limited to an hour. B and I walked past the cathedral some years ago but from memory it was closed to casual visitors during the covid outbreaks. So it was a huge relief to finally get chance to revisit. I had a wonderful three hours just to wander around. So be warned there are a lot of photos which I will split between two posts! There were still areas I didn't visit such as the crypt and I could have taken many more photos of stained glass and monuments but hopefully it won't be long before I can return.
The Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Ethelbert
Hereford Cathedral is essentially an early C12th cathedral with many later additions.
Hereford became a see c676. A Saxon cathedral was built c1030-40 by Bishop Athelstan. The location was probably a little south of the present cathedral and it was burnt down by the Welsh in 1055.
A Norman Cathedral was later built and the tower was rebuilt in the early C14th. Various additions and alterations have been made over the centuries.
B got bored very quickly and announced he was going in search of a nearby pub which was run by the brother of a friend. So we agreed to meet up again in the Chapter House Gardens after an hour and a half and I was left free to explore at my leisure.
I think this may be an old heater? There were several of them in the cathedral.
Sadly I don't have much information on most of the various monuments and tombs. I can only assume that they are the tombs of Bishops and other people associated with the cathedral over the centuries. I could of course check Pevsner but as there are some photos I took where I am not 100 per cent sure of the location that would in the main be a waste of time!
Stained Glass in the Cathedral
Little survives of the Cathedral's medieval glass sadly although there are a few fragments in windows. Most stained glass dates from the C19th with windows by John Hardman (1811-1867), C E Kempe (1837 - 1907). There are more recent windows by Tom Denny and John Maine.
Great North Transept Window
This window is by John Hardman of Birmingham and dates back to 1864. The window is in memory of Archdeacon Lane Freer (1806-63) It cost £1,200. The left side represents "the church militant" and the right hand side "the church triumphant".
The tomb of Thomas de Cantilupe (c1218-1282)
Thomas de Cantilupe was Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Hereford from 1275. He was canonised eventually in 1320 by Pope John XXII.
He died at Ferento near Orvieto in Italy on 25th August 1282 on the way to Rome. He was buried in Hereford Cathedral and a cult was swiftly established after his death. His canonisation was pursued by the Bishop who succeeded him - Bishop Swinefield after miracles occurred at Cantilupe's tomb. Cantilupe had been excommunicated before he died and eventually witnesses were produced to say he had been absolved by Rome before his death. The tomb became a popular place of pilgrimage but only the base survived the Reformation until a new upper section was recreated in 2008. This is in vivid colours with a painted scene of the Virgin and Child holding the Mappa Mundi.
Lady Chapel
Reredos by W H Randoll Blacking 1951
Tomb of the Lady of Kilpeck Joanna de Bohun died 1327.
East Window with five lights. Designed by Cottingham and made by C A Gibbs of London. The window is in memory of John Mereweather Dean 1832-50 and contains many episodes from the life of Jesus.
Audley Chapel
Now was the moment I had been waiting for! I am a huge fan of the stained glass by Tom Denny and I knew this chapel contained 2 of his windows!
The chapel itself commemorates Edmund Audley (Bishop of Hereford 1492-1502). He became Bishop of Salisbury and is buried in Salisbury Cathedral.
The Traherne Windows by Tom Denny 2007 commemorating the priest-poet Thomas Traherne (c1636-74).
Sadly my photos do not do the reality of the windows justice - they are just beautiful!
Thomas Traherne was a priest, poet and spiritual writer born in Hereford in 1637 as the son of a shoemaker. He probably attended the Hereford Cathedral School at a time when the city was torn by Civil War. He completed his studies at Brasenose College, Oxford and return to Herefordshire in 1657 as rector of Credenhill where he was vicar for 16 years also taking part in the work of the cathedral. In 1674 he left Herefordshire and went to Teddington where he was chaplain to Orlando Bridgeman. He died the same year and is buried in Teddington Church.
Traherne's search for happines helped him to see God's love revealed in creation. He speaks of this vision in his poetry and writings. The work was unpublished during his lifetime but re-discovered in the C20th.
The Traherne windows represent themes in Traherne's writings:
Love for the Herefordshire Countryside
Seeing the cross of Christ in the world around us
Insistence on the importance of love in human lives
Love for the City of Hereford and its inhabitants.
The photos below show a lot of close ups and details of the windows. The more you look the more you see. It may be best to click on the photos to enlarge them.
Apologies for the huge amount of photos but I just love his work. I actually paid 3 visits to the chapel. The first time when I took most of these photos I was joined by a couple and the man took even more photos than me! The second visit I had the chapel to myself and just sat for 10/15 minutes just gazing at the windows. When B eventually returned I made the third visit so he could see the stained glass.
(Sorry may have posted this before - too many photos!!)
This is the tomb of John Swinfield, Canon of Hereford. The pig design around the canopy is a medieval pun or rebus on his name ie. swine-field. Out of interest some heraldic arms also use puns or rebuses in this way.
I think I have shown you enough of Hereford Cathedral for this post! Sorry for the huge amount of photos but I also keep these blog posts as a record of my days out and I am a huge admirer of the stained glass of Tom Denny as you may have gathered. Interestingly when I showed the glass to B he really couldn't see why I was making such a fuss about it!!! There again B is not a fan of either churches or cathedrals!
In Part 2 there will be more stained glass and tombs, John Piper tapestries, the Norman font, misericords and the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library.
Reference:
Various Information Boards around the Cathedral
"Hereford Cathedral Stained Glass" booklet Jarrold Publishing
Hereford Cathedral Guide Book
"The Buildings of England Herefordshire by Alan Brooks and Nikolaus Pevsner, Yale University Press, 2012
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)
