The Chapel is decorated in a striking shade of red, signifying the shed blood of the martyrs. On the stone panel, St Peter stands at the centre along with four 16th century martyrs. From left these are: • Blessed Margaret Pole, Countess of Salsbury and mother of Reginald Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury; • Ven. John Griffiths, parish priest of Wandsworth; (• St Peter); • St. Augustine Webster, a Carthusian monk of Sheen; • St Philip Howard. PLAN
62. CHAPEL BANNERS
There are two red banners in the chapel. At left is a banner celebrating Saint George defeating the dragon. ‘Deus Lo Vult’ [‘God wills it’] is the motto of the·Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Roman Catholic order of chivalry (restored in 1824). The big cross is the Jerusalem Cross.
63. ST GEORGE STATUE
Close by the chapel is this state of St George by Henry J. Youngman, dating from the 1950s.
64. NAVE LOOKING WEST
As we prepare to explore the sanctuary, we come to the front of the nave. It is good to look back along the length of the Cathedral … .
66. ROOD AND FIGURES
The rood cross depicts the final scene at the Cross of Calvary. Normally the Cross and figures hang below an arch, but this arrangement is effective.
67. FRONT NAVE FURNISHINGS
At left is shown the celebrant’s chair – for the person leading the service. At centre is the ambo. It is common in Catholic cathedrals to combine the roles of pulpit and lectern in a single article – the ambo shown here. And at right the ambo is shown with the Paschal candle. This candle is used primarily around Easter time, reminding us that Jesus is the Light of the World.
68. NAVE ALTAR
In the centre is the nave altar with a candlestick on either side. It is from here that the Eucharist is served Sunday by Sunday, with the priest facing the congregation, and priest and congregation close together.
69. CATHEDRA
The seat behind the nave altar is the Bishop’s throne. The Bishop here has oversight of the Southwark Diocese, and his special attachment to this Church is denoted by this special chair. In Latin the word for chair is ‘cathedra’ and it is from here that this church gains the title Cathedral. The Bishop’s motto at right is ‘Legis Plentitudo Caritas’ = ‘Love is the fulfilling of Law’.
70. IN MEMORIAM
Buried in the vault beneath the sanctuary are the priests and bishops who served in the London Road Chapel or the Cathedral. Their names are listed on this wall tablet to the right.
71. LIGHT SWORDS
The light fittings at the right of the sanctuary are in the form of dueling swords – a continuation of the heraldic theme.
72. CHANCEL CEILING
Emblems on the chancel ceiling represent the Christian life, the Sacraments and Saints.
73. GOLD ANGELS
On either side of the East window, and against the East wall of the sanctuary, stand these two golden angels.
74. GREAT EAST WINDOW
The 1950s glass of this window is by Harry Clarks Studios. The window depicts a Crucifixion group and saints. The stone tracery is Pugin’s original. This is a wonderful window, full of colour and interest. A keen observer might detect a shortage of women!
CONCLUSION
I hope you have enjoyed visiting St George’s Catholic Cathedral, Southwark with me. I found it an unusual and enjoyable cathedral to visit. I especially enjoyed the stunning dark coloured glass of some of the windows.
I am happy to receive constructive comments or corrections concerning this website. The best websites are the ones which have no errors! I am grateful to my wife Margie who has proof-read these pages.
St George’s Cathedral has an attractive website, but not one which actually gives much information about the building itself. On the other hand, the pamphlet ‘A Brief Guide for Visitors’ is a source of much useful information. Wikipedia is always helpful, of course. I am happy to acknowledge these sources. The link for the Cathedral website is:
https://www.stgeorgescathedral.org.uk/
The photographs which appear on this site can also be found in higher resolution at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulscottinfo/sets/
Paul Scott Site created 12 / 2019