Durham Cathedral Durham, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

DURHAM AND FRAMWELLGATE PALACE GREEN NZ 2742 SW (South side)

14/365 Cathedral Church of 6/5/52 Christ and St. Mary the Virgin

GV I

Cathedral church, originally of Benedictine Priory, refounded 1541 as secular cathedral.

Main body 1093-1130, begun by Bishop William of St. Calais; Galilee 1189 for Bishop le Puiset. West tower tops, east bay and Chapel of 9 altars, 1242- c.1280. 1464-88 tower top stage. Restorations of late C18, early C19 and mid C19, notably by Bonomi and Jackson, Pickering and Robson and Fowler. Dressed sandstone; slate roofs. Cruciform with aisles, east transept aisles, transeptal eastern chapel, crossing tower, twin west towers and western Galilee. Galilee one storey with battlemented parapet and richly-moulded north entrance. Large, restored C14 and C15 windows. West towers have 4 lower stages aligned with those on nave: all have shafted round-arched openings (those on south side enriched), the ground stage a blank arcade, the clerestory set back under a corbel table. Elaborately-moulded opposed entrances in second nave bays have medieval doors, the north now with replica of sanctuary knocker. 2 upper stages to towers have pointed-arched openings under bands of blank arcading; corbel table below pierced battlemented parapet with crocketed pinnacles. Transepts have outer west stair turrets, blank arcading and large inserted Perpendicular windows north and south. Crossing tower of 2 stages with tall openings under crocketed ogee hoods, and high, pierced parapet. Chancel elevations similar to nave except for 2-light windows in triforium and C19 Decorated windows in aisles. Eastern transept 9 bays wide, divided into 3 and then into single bays by large buttresses. Angle towers with short spires, the southern with elaborate restored panelling.

Interior: tall 7-bay nave has alternating compound and incised round piers. Intersecting blank arcading to ground stage with single lights above; paired arches to gallery bays, 3 stepped arches in clerestory. Rib-vaulted throughout, many ribs enriched. Galilee: 5 aisles of even width, 4 bays; quatrefoil piers with waterleaf capitals and rich chevron mouldings to arches and vault ribs. 2-bay transepts with intermediate round arcade piers. South transept aisle now D.L.I. chapel. Stellar vault in crossing tower. 5-bay chancel, the east bay rebuilt in rich C13 style, all rib-vaulted, the aisle vaults being specially early examples. 9 altars chapel 2 bays by 9 bays wide, the central 3 treated as a unit. Two stages of tall lancets, multi-moulded and shafted with alternate shafts of Frosterley "marble"; trefoiled blank arcading below. Quadripartite vaults, the centre section double-ribbed with a central circle.

Fittings: Choir reredos (The Neville Screen) 1380, much restored and original figures lost. Choir stalls and aisle screens, 1665 for Bishop Cosin, eclectic mixture of Gothic and Renaissance motifs. Font and cover also of this period. Remains of wall paintings of late C12-early C14 in Galilee and nave. Several medieval tomb slabs, chests and figures, badly preserved, notably Bishop Hatfield's monument and throne, 1363. Figures of later bishops, Shute Barrington d. 1826 by Chantrey, the most moving. Much good C19 stained glass and collections of rearranged medieval glass. Prior Castell's clock, early C16 reconstructed 1938 by S. Dykes Bower.

Sources: Pevsner Durham, revised Williamson, pp 162-201. V.C.H. Vol III, B.A.A. Transactions III, 1980 (records of 1977 conference at Durham).

Listing NGR: NZ2731142150