In recent years, the magic wand of Harry Potter has cast many a spell over Gloucester Cathedral’s cloisters. Three films made in the first decade of this century had the cloisters stand in for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and indeed the cloisters are magnificent. Perhaps the quantity of selfies taken there since then may one day make some form of detectable mark on the stones themselves. No visit to this exquisite cathedral can be made without pacing their time-worn flagstones. But there are greater splendours within the main body of the cathedral, some of which may be closer to being magical, however defined.
The south and east walks of the cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral. The east walk (on the right), built in the 1350s, is the oldest surviving fan-vaulted cloister walk in the world.
The north walk of Gloucester Cathedral’s cloisters, with a glimpse of the monks’ lavatorium in the left alcove.
The west walk of Gloucester Cathedral’s cloisters.
The south face of Gloucester Cathedral’s 15th century Lady Chapel.
The entrance to Gloucester Cathedral’s 15th century Lady Chapel.
Gloucester Cathedral’s Great East Window, also known as the Crécy window, completed in 1350.
Gloucester Cathedral, tower, great east window and lady chapel, detail.
The roof of Gloucester Cathedral’s quire and lady chapel, seen from the tower.
The Norman vaulted ceiling of Gloucester Cathedral’s nave, completed in 1130.
The vaulted ceiling of Gloucester Cathedral’s south transept, completed in the early 1330s, the earliest example of Perpendicular architecture in Britain.
The fan vaulting of Gloucester Cathedral’s quire and crossing
The fan vaulting of Gloucester Cathedral’s crossing, showing the bell hole
Gloucester’s pair of flying spans
Gloucester’s 69 metre high tower, which weighs around 6,000 tons, stands on four piers. The nave runs in a west-east direction. To the north and south of this line are the north and south transepts. Where these two main axes of the cathedral meet under the tower is ‘the crossing’.
Where these two transepts meet the nave (quire part) of the cathedral, full-height, pointed, crossing arches join the tower’s piers. From the perspective of the nave, the east portion of which has a soaringly-high vault supported by fan-topped columns, the crossing arches that open to the transepts occupy space that would have been taken by a pair of these vaulted columns. The towers have ample strength to support these openings, but the masons felt a need there to attend to appearance. At some time in the 1350s they therefore included a pair of flying spans high up in these arched openings. These have no structural purpose at all, and are entirely decorative, making them even more extraordinary. This innovative introduction of flying spans allows the otherwise ‘missing’ fan vaults to be retained, keeping the rhythm of the whole unbroken. It is a masterpiece of invention, possessing a slenderness that is breath-taking.
Gloucester Cathedral’s quire fan vault and the pair of flying spans across the transepts.
The pair of flying spans across the arches to the transepts at Gloucester Cathedral, viewed from the south transept. Note the flying buttresses to the tower that thread the panelling on either side.
The pair of flying spans across the arches to the transepts at Gloucester Cathedral, detail, viewed from the south transept.
The pair of flying spans viewed from the Tribune Gallery at Gloucester Cathedral.
Gloucester Cathedral’s flying spans - detail
Gloucester Cathedral’s flying spans - detail
Gloucester Cathedral’s flying spans - detail
Locals apparently call these flying spans ‘the coat hangers’, yet they neither carry weight nor are suspended. Nearly seven hundred years ago, masons threw across these openings these flat and slender centred arches. They rise from arcing ledges high up inside the crossing at the point where the openings begin their own inward curve towards their arch points. As these spans approach the centre point of the openings, a counter-curve on either side rises up to embrace the slender vertical mullions that are perched on each span’s apex. Once combined, these continue their ascent towards the apex of each crossing arch before bursting out into the seven ribs of the fan vaults above. They serve no purpose other than to provide an unbroken visual rhythm to the march of the vaults along the quire, yet they demonstrate the utmost vision and skill of the medieval mason. One finds no equivalent anywhere else.
Links
- Gloucester Cathedral’s modern-day stonemasons (The Gloucester Cathdral website)
- Gloucester Cathedral’s path to being net-zero by 2030 (The Gloucester Cathdral website)
- Designs for six new gargoyles (Gloucester News, June 2019)
- The miner gargoyle (BBC News, December 2019)