|
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral, otherwise known as the Cathedral Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, stands below road level, right beside London Bridge railway station, surrounded by warehouses, carparks and market stalls and dominated by a railway viaduct.
Hardly the most salubrious surroundings, yet London's oldest and arguably finest Gothic building has a fascinating history and is of enormous architectural interest.
Southwark has been a place worship for more than 1,000 years. St Swithin set up a college of priests here in the 9th century and there was a monastery here from the time of Edward the Confessor. From the 12th century the Bishops of Winchester had their London palace close by.
Sadly the first church has completely vanished and very little remains of the first Norman church of St Mary Overie. St Mary's was an Augustinian house, founded in the 11th century. In 1206 a fire destroyed the main part of the church and the earliest parts of the present church date from the rebuilding that followed the fire.
A magnificent Gothic church, with a fine choir and retrochoir, was completed by the 14th century. A later fire severely damaged this building but the damage was repaired and Southwark remained an important Augustinian house until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
When Southwark was surrendered to Henry VIII in 1539, the priory church of St Mary Overie became the parish church of St Saviour, Southwark. The last Roman Catholic Bishop of Winchester, Stephen Gardiner, brought a brief reprieve for Soutwark, but after his death the building quickly fell into disrepair.
At the end of the 16th century and early-17th century, the borough of Southwark was London's first theatre-land. The Globe, Rose and Swan were all situated here. These popular theaters attracted huge crowds of people and the area became quite affluent.
In 1614 the concerned parishioners of Southwark purchased the shabby old church from James I and restored it. During the Civil War, neighbouring Winchester Palace was converted into a prison and left to fall into disrepair. The church survived, but by the mid-19th century the building was in such a diabolical state that many felt it should be pulled down. Although the nave was actually demolished, thanks to a few enthusiastic parishoners the choir and retrochoir were extensively restored.
|
In the late-19th century, when Southwark became the cathedral of a new South London diocese, major building work was needed to prepare the church for its new responsibilities; and so, in 1889 - 97 a new nave was constructed. This was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield and is one of England's most successful Victorian Gothic buildings.
Southwark Cathedral's greatest treasure is its Early English choir, with five bays and a triple arcaded clerestory complemented by the splendid retrochoir which dates from a similar period. Between these is a magnificent early-16th century reredos with Victorian figures.
Southwark's treasures include a Jacobean communion table and one of the earliest wooden effigies in England, a figure of a knight dating from the last quarter of the 13th century. This remarkable cathedral has literary connections with Gower, Chaucer and Dickens and there is a monument to Shakespeare carved in 1912 with a memorial window above, installed in 1954.
Southwark’s fame has travelled worldwide. John Harvard, founder of the great American university, was born in Southwark and baptised here in 1607. The cathedral's Harvard Chapel has been lavishly decorated as a result of gifts from members of that university. The cathedral is often host to visiting choirs from the USA.
It may be hard to understand how a building, surrounded by so much unattractive commercial enterprise, could capture the hearts of so many people but when you actually pass through the doors and delight in the peace and timeless tranquillity it becomes obvious.
If you enjoy ‘feeling’ and seeing history then the Cathedral Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie at Southwark is definitely worth a visit.
www.dswark.org/cathedral
|
