Worcester Cathedral Worcester, England

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

WORCESTER

SO8554NW COLLEGE STREET 620-1/17/1 Cathedral Church of St Mary 22/05/54 (Formerly Listed as: Cathedral Church of Christ and St Mary)

GV I

Cathedral Church, formerly Benedictine Priory. Crypt from 1084, some remains of same date in W transept and first 2 bays West end of nave. West transept and part of 2 bays at west end of nave c1175. Choir, east transept, Lady Chapel, presbytery, 1224-1250. Nave with aisles 1317-1377; central tower from 1374, and north porch from 1386, substantial restoration 1857-1863, by AE Perkins and GG Scott. Few medieval designers are identified, but include Alexander the Mason c1224-1240 (nave west bays), William Shockerwick, c1317-1324 (nave north arcade), and John Clyve, 1376/77 (nave south arcade and central tower).

MATERIALS: construction mainly in Highly and Alveley sandstones, with some Cotswold oolite, and Purbeck marble, many of the vault panels are in tufa, roof slate, including Penrhyn slate.

PLAN: east end includes substantial remains of the early crypt, formerly with radial chapels and outer ambulatory. Principal church has 9-bay nave and aisles with deep north porch and a single bay chapel also on north side. West transept and east transept, both without aisles, 4-bay choir with aisles, 3-bay Lady Chapel, and 2-bay Chapel of St John, central crossing tower. South of the nave are the cloister, with Chapter House and former frater (now King's School Hall qv)).

EXTERIOR: exterior of the cathedral was very largely refaced during C19 restoration work, and both central tower and eastern arm substantially restructured or refaced - the sandstones used being relatively soft, and subject to reject rapid weatherings. However, original medieval detail remains in most areas. The gables are coped, and parapets are mostly plain, with saddle-back weathered copings and a lower string course, the northwest transept is an exception. The following description will begin at the west end and work to the east.

NAVE - WEST END: central gable over 3 tall rectangular lights and a very large 8-light 'Decorated' window of the C19, flanked by square buttresses surmounted by octagonal turrets with open pinnacles. The big west door, also of C19 but with some remnants of Norman work, has a high gable breaking into the bottom part of the window. To each side the aisle terminations with square corner turrets to octagonal pinnacles, and each with a round-arched light with later tracery above a large 4-light window.

NAVE - NORTH SIDE: first 2-bays of the clerestory have round-arched lights with tracery, in masonry of various dates, remainder are small 3-light with stopped drips in flat 4-centred arches. The aisle, right of the porch, has a 3-light pointed then a 3-light with stepped transoms, and with straight-sided arch. These bays with heavy flying buttresses, supporting a wall of early masonry in small blocks. 2 further bays having simpler 3-light to cusped heads in pointed arches. Bay 5 has the bold square 2-bay porch with almost plain flanks, and rich north front, rebuilt by Scott, and having statues by Redfern. Interior is vaulted, and inner door, flanked by Norman responds, has a narrow Dec cusped head above the C19 doors set in plain masonry to a very flat basket arch. Left of the porch are 2 bays with 3-light Dec windows under small rectangular lights, with deep buttress between, then the single bay projecting chapel with corner buttresses and large 3-light to the North wall. Beyond this is a further aisle bay.

NAVE - SOUTH SIDE: the first 2-bays are similar to those to the North, incorporating older masonry, then 7 clerestory bays with 3-light windows to straight-sided arches and stopped drips, and two flying buttresses. The aisle has two 2-light traceried rectangular windows to each bay, but one 3-light in the arches, set deep with broad casement mould, and with stopped drips. Plain square buttresses divid