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Snapshots of the City of London 8. Southwark Cathedral - The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie)
Southwark Cathedral is just off the extremely busy Borough High Street to London Bridge Road in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. It stands on the site of a Saxon church built around 666. It was rebuilt in 1106 by the Normans but after a fire in 1206 it was completely rebuilt as the first Gothic style church in London.
The base of the tower is Norman and the choir, chancel, aisle and pillars of the transept date from the early 13th century.
The south-east entrance to the Cathedral.
The great arches of the rebuilt nave which dates from the 13th century, but it was altered in 1469 and restored to its original style at the end of the 19th century to match the 13th century choir.
The crossing point of the north and south transepts.
Looking up and across into the North Transept (13th century) from the South Transept (14-15th century).
The Retro-Choir, built from 1215-1260 and is the oldest complete part of the Cathedral.
The High Alter and the Great Screen a masterpiece of Tudor stonemasonry (1520) in the chancel.
(left) Bosses from the original 15th century nave ceiling demolished in 1830. There were originally 150 of them. Others are found in the tower crossing (see 6th picture down from the top of the page). (right) A monument and window (of 1954, not shown) to William Shakespeare (the alabaster effigy was made in 1912) and a tablet to Sam Wanamaker, founder of Shakespeare's Globe, Bankside.
(left) The tomb of the poet John Gower, died 1408, the 'First English Poet' and friend of Chaucer. He was Poet Laureate to Richard II and like his friend Chaucer, he wrote in English as well as French and Latin. (right) A statute of a Roman Hunter God' found in archaeological excavations under the Cathedral.
The tower crossing and tower.
Near the entrance to the cafe and shop is part of the archaeological excavations left open for public display. Excavations in 1999 revealed part of a Roman road, foundations of the original Norman Priory wall, a 13th century medieval stone coffin and part of a late 17th century 'Delft' pottery kiln made of brick, one of the few surviving arched kilns found in Europe.
* London, the capital of the UK, like any great city is packed with places of accommodation and tourist attractions to suit all budgets and cultural tastes. * page updated Jan 24th 2008 * EMAIL Phil Brown * digital images-photographs-pictures-photos-webshots-scenes-views-snaps of the buildings, bridges, streets, squares and views of London Town-City, England, England © Dr W P Brown * Scenes from other cities in Europe: Dublin, Ireland * Paris, France * York, England for a quick pictorial visit! |
