Worcestershire

Worcestershire
Author: Nikolaus Pevsner
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 454
Release: 1968-03-11
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9780300096606

The county stretches from the dramatic Malvern Hills on the eastern borders to the fringes of the Cotswolds on the west. The rural areas are rich in sturdy cruck-framed timber buiildings, discussed in an expert introduction, and in village churches which can boast fine sculpture and fittings. The priory of Great Malvern retains exceptional medieval stained glass, and the medieval cathedral at Worcester has the tomb of King John and the chantry chapel of Prince Arthur, Henry VIII's elder brother. The City of Worcester has numerous fine buildings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, while Great Malvern is of special interest as an early nineteenth-century spa town. The supreme example of Victorian grandeur is the eccentrically ambitious grounds and house of Witley Court, now an evocative ruin.

Worcester Cathedral

Worcester Cathedral
Author: Ute Engel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2007
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

Worcester Cathedral is one of the outstanding monuments of medieval England. This book, a revised and updated translation of the German edition (2000), is the first complete architectural history of the cathedral, covering all aspects of the building from the 11th to the 14th centuries, including the later restorations. The four phases of Worcester Cathedral's construction represent the successive stages of English medieval architecture. The Norman cathedral, begun in 1084 by the last Anglo-Saxon bishop of England, Wulfstan II, has, through the reconstruction of its large crypt and a wealth of archaeological evidence, been recognised as one of the first monuments of the Anglo-Saxon/Anglo-Norman overlap. The nave's late 12th-century west bays are famous for their transition between late Anglo-Norman and early Gothic architecture. The east arm, started in 1224, is a key building in the Early English style. Finally, the 14th-century nave is of special interest because it demonstrates the change from the Decorated to the Perpendicular style. In this authoritative book these phases of construction are set in their historical context, based on architectural and documentary evidence. Patrons, masons and finance are all discussed. The iconographical significance of the cathedral's rich sculptural embellishments, the functions and liturgical arrangements of the building (such as altars, shrines and Lady Chapels) and the veneration of Worcester saints Oswald and Wulfstan are explored. Worcester Cathedral is of national importance as the burial place of King John, whose son, Henry III, acted as patron of the new Worcester choir. An important contribution to the history of ecclesiastical buildings, this well illustrated book will also be of interest to any who have marvelled at the splendour of Worcester Cathedral architectural heritage.