We reluctantly leave the Chapel of St George to continue our exploration. PLAN
82. THREE MORE EFFIGIES
Drawing near the East end of the North retroquire, we come to three further effigies. These are all made of Purbeck marble, and have incomplete identification. From left we see: • a knight of the early 14th century; • a lady of the 13th century; • a bishop of c 1300.
83. NORTH RETROQUIRE, EAST CHAPEL
This attractive little chapel has a simple altar wth a brass cross set in the wall behind. One of the effigies is seen at left, and a kneeler and desk at right. Above and behind the altar is a three lancet stained glass window which depicts nine rather fanciful scenes from the life of Christ.
84. VIEW TOWARDS THE NORTH RETROQUIRE
We move across to the central Lady Chapel. Looking back, we see the Chapel of St George at left, and the East Chapel separated from the Lady Chapel by two tomb chests. At our extreme left we catch a glimpse of the alabastar back of the High Altar..
85. BACK OF THE HIGH ALTAR
We pause here to enjoy the beautiful decoration of the sanctuary vaulting, and this wonderful incised gold Cross, in memory of John Peel D.D., Dean of this Cathedral 1840 – 1874. Around the Cross are the symbols of the Four Evangelists: angel (St Matthew), lion (St Mark), ox (St Luke), and eagle (St John). Below is the reclining effigy of John Peel.
86. TWO TOMB MEMORIALS
These are the two memorials which bound the Lady Chapel. At left is the tomb chest of Lord Lyttelton (died 1878) in white marble on an alabaster base, by J Forsyth. At right is the more upright figure of Charlotte Elizabeth Digby (died 1825) in white marble, by Francis Leggatt Chantrey. Charlotte Digby was the wife of William Digby, prebendary of Worcester Cathedral.
88. EAST WINDOW
The stained glass of this window was designed and made by John Hardman Powell of the Birmingham glass studio John Hardman & Co, in 1860. The scenes tell the story of Christ’s life from the annunciation to the ascension. But over the course of a century and a half, the glass became worn, some of the painted detail lost, and the iron fittings decayed. By 2016, all this had been skilfully repaired and restored by the distinguished Holy Well glass studio in Wells. The work cost around £240,000, all of which came from the government’s English Cathedrals First World War Repair Fund.
89. CHAPEL ALTAR
The altar area is simple with a bishop’s effigy on either side, a carved chair to the left, and an icon to the right. The two bishops’ effigies are of Purbeck Marble. That on the left is said to be Bishop William de Blois (1236); that on the right, Bishop Walter de Cantelupe (1266). .
90. OLD CATHEDRA, VAULTING, ICON
The carved chair is an old cathedra, bearing the coat of arms of the Worcester See and a bishop’s mitre. Musical angels look down from the vaulting above. And to the right is an icon of the Madonna and Child in which the head of the Christ child is at an unusual angle.
91. TOWARDS THE SOUTH RETROQUIRE
From the Lady Chapel we now turn to look South where another chapel lies, separated by a tomb chest – this one belonging to the Earl of Dudley.
92. WINDOWS OF THE SOUTH RETROQUIRE, EAST CHAPEL
There are two windows in this Chapel – the East window (left) and the South window (right). The left window shows Zechariah (Luke 1:67–69), Mary (Luke 1:38(, and Simeon (Luke 2:30–32). The South window shows various Old Testament scenes, and is executed in the same style as the North Retroquire East window.
93. EAST CHAPEL
The East chapel of the South retroquire is again simply furnished. At center is an unadorned altar with two candles. To the left is a slender Cross of simple but unusual design. And on the South wall to the right are various memorials and brass plaques.
94. SOUTH ARM OF MINOR TRANSEPT
Moving back down the South retroquire, we come to the South arm of the minor transept, and another little chapel. Like the Chapel of St George, this chapel is high with two tiers of windows. We see an ornate tomb chest, and behind, a reclining figure. We observe too that there is stained glass in both the upper and lower South windows.
95. CHAPEL SOUTH WINDOWS
Pictured here are the upper (left) and lower (right) South chapel windows. The window at left depicts seven saints – all labelled! : St Egwin, St Hilda; St Wulfstan, St Oswald, St Benedict; St Dunstan, St Theodore. The window at right shows: St Mary, with Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden below; Christ and the Dove of the Holy Spirit, with the Angel Gabriel speaking to Mary below; and St Peter, with Christ and Mary Magdalene(?) below.
96. TOMB CHEST AND CROSS-LEGGED KNIGHT
The tomb chest in the centre of this chapel is of Sir Griffith Ryce (died 1523). He was a member of the household of Prince Arthur, and attended his funeral. The modern brasses are by Hardman. Behind the tomb is a monument to Robert de Harcourt (died 1205). This is in the form of a mid 13th century effigy of a cross legged knight. His head rests on a pillow and his feet on a lion. He is dressed in chain mail with a sword and helmet, and is holding a shield.
97. PRINCE ARTHUR’S CHANTRY
Arthur was the son of King Henry VII. Arthur was married to Catherine of Aragon at age 15. Their marriage lasted only a few months as Arthur died on their honeymoon while they were still at Ludlow Castle. The effigies beneath the chantry are those of Godfrye Gifford, Bishop of Worcester from 1267 to 1301, and Matilda de Clifford, wife of Lord John Gifford, the Bishop’s brother. The coat of arms of the Diocese and Cathedral of Worcester is also that of the Gifford family. The small window nearby depicts Prince Arthur.
98. CHANTRY VAULTING AND EFFIGIES
From our position here near the base of the chantry, we get a glimpse of the lovely vaulting above, and close up views of the two effigies.
99. SOUTH QUIRE AISLE
From the chantry, a short flight of steps leads us up to the South quire aisle. Beyond the window at left are two wooden screens which separate the aisle from St John’s Chapel. Beyond these is a memorial to Margaret Rey (shown at right), and just beyond this turning left is the entrance to St John’s Chapel. This is where we now go.
100. ST JOHN’S CHAPEL
This chapel has a small altar with a colourful painted reredos. There are stained glass windows on the East and South walls.