The Chapel Of Sidney Sussex

Most, if not all, of the Cambridge colleges have chapels. The most famous, of course, is the huge and magnificent structure at King's, but others are interesting and often beautiful too. At Sidney Sussex College it would be easy to pass through without realising there's a chapel here at all, though the courtyard named "Chapel Court" is a bit of a give away.

The picture above shows Chapel Court and the only real clue here is the tall window on the right, but if you go in through the central doorway and turn right you'll find yourself in an unexpectedly long and beautiful place of worship.

It looks and feels different from all the other college chapels I've visited with some of the finest wood panelling you're likely to find anywhere.

Before the founding of the college the site was occupied by Franciscan friars, so it's no surprise to find a fine wood-carving of St Francis, albeit quite a modern work.

There is much speculation that the college was a Puritan foundation. This is based largely on the fact that the chapel is aligned north-south rather than east-west and also, of course because of its association with Oliver Cromwell. However at that time Cromwell was not an important political figure and there were also plenty of Royalists at Sidney Sussex.

The chapel has undergone huge changes during its history. Of the Franciscan foundation nothing significant remains; even the stones used in the building were pilfered for the construction of Trinity College. The chapel of 1600 was replaced in 1776-82 by a building designed by James Essex. But what we see today is the work of T H Lyon who lengthened the chapel in 1912 and employed Reed of Exeter to undertake the wood-carving that gives it such a unique atmosphere.

There is such a wonderful balance between intricately carved details and simple plain wood panels showing the natural beauty of the wood-grain. Even so it's surprising to find such a comparatively small and plain organ.

The centrepiece of the whole Chapel is this fine painting...

It's the work of the Venetian artist Giovanni Battista Pittoni and was purchased by the college in 1783. He was something of a specialist in these grand religious works. 

Another splash of colour is provided by the remarkable stone used to make the floors. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the wood that I didn't notice the floors till I was making my way back out to the gardens.

Take care.

King's College Chapel

If you saw the last post of the weird reflection encountered in King's Parade then you might have guessed that I was on my way to King's College Chapel. This was supposed to be an introduction to that building, and indeed it will have to serve as such, but through my over familiarity with my subject I now realise that I've omitted to take some of the more obvious shots! Anyway here's one obvious picture I did manage to take:

King's College Chapel

flanked by Clare College on the left

and the Gibbs Building, part of King's, on the right.

You enter through the north porch, which it must be admitted is rather like going into a house via the tradesman's entrance. This approach however has an interesting story, which is one of several "not a lot of people know that" disclosures which will be in my next post.

The North Porch

The Chapel was conceived by the founder of "The King's College of Our Lady and St Nicholas in Cambridge", King Henry VI. It was supposed to be for 70 scholars drawn from poor backgrounds, but when he drew up instructions for a Great Court to be built he clearly wanted something which would exceed in grandeur every other college in Oxford or Cambridge. In the end of Henry's grand vision only the Chapel was built, and that was not completed in his lifetime.

The West window

One enters into a space of light and magnificence, especially when a bright day brings life to the great windows. 

The ceiling is a wonder of Tudor masonry, its huge fan-vaulted expanse being the largest that had ever been attempted at that time. The mathematical ingenuity and engineering expertise required to construct a ceiling at this height can not be over estimated.

And the huge weight of the ceiling appears to be supported by just windows and slender shafts.

The sun streams in through the stained glass and throws a rainbow of colours on to the stone pillars. Or else throws gentle light on to a small statue in a side chapel...

...although it's temping to always look up it's also worth casting an eye on to the stone steps worn by centuries of footfall...

The dark oak Screen, which houses the organ, divides the choir from the ante-chapel. The Screen was built during the reign of Henry VIII, who eventually saw the final work completed on the Chapel nearly a century after it was begun.

The ornate carving on the Screen is continued on the choir stalls....

...it is possible to attend choral evensong in the Chapel on almost any day during term time. The voices of the choristers soaring up to the vaulted ceiling is a truly moving sound.

Moving outside again, having seen not only what I've shown you but also what I've neglected to include (!), we can see the great buttresses which actually bear the weight of the ceiling rather than the narrow columns visible from inside the building.

Or you might just stare up and marvel at the sheer size and audacity of the construction. Is it a perfect building? Tune in to the next post!

Take care.

King's College Chapel Revisited

A few lesser known facts about the Chapel...

Milne Street

The approach to the Chapel

Approaching via Senate House Passage to the North Porch is a slightly odd experience; the road simply comes to an abrupt end at the iron gates. You are standing on one of Medieval Cambridge's main thoroughfares, Milne Street. When Henry VI conceived his grand plan for his new foundation he probably had no idea of the geography of the town and certainly had no regard for the feelings of the townspeople - he simply had the Chapel built right across the street thereby blocking it off.
It was of course not a wise course of action to oppose the monarch's word and unsurprisingly nobody dared to do so. But you can bet there would have been lots of private mutterings. It was not the first time that the University had behaved in this high handed way and it certainly was not the last. Did Town v Gown rivalry begin as soon as the colleges were founded?


The windows

One cannot but be overwhelmed by the sheer size and beauty of the windows in the chapel. They constitute the most complete set of stained glass windows from this period. Many artists were employed in designing and making the windows but there is nevertheless a unity of design. The top half of each window represents a scene from the Old Testament, while the lower portion shows a scene from the New. In medieval thinking every event was seen to be either a prophesy or the fulfilment of a prophesy. So the story of Jonah emerging from the whale after three days is seen as a parallel to Christ rising from the dead after three days. Each central light bears the image of a Messenger carrying scrolls, while those to the sides contain images from the story. 
If you have time to spare, or want to get your money's worth from the entrance fee, I can recommend taking along a small pair of binoculars and sitting down to examine at least some of the windows in detail.


Discrepancies

The Chapel took almost a hundred years to complete and in that time different monarchs were on the throne, fashions altered and building know-how increased, and the building reflects this. 

The stone used in the building changed, probably to keep the cost down. Here at the East end of the Chapel only the bottom portion is of white limestone while the rest is in the later honey-coloured stone. As was the custom in those days the eastern end was built first and was at a much greater height when the change of building materials was made. This has an interesting result which can be seen on the buttresses.

Henry VI was a pious man who wanted his chapel to be of plain design, hence the undecorated buttresses at the East end of the Chapel. Later kings, particularly Henry VIII, had rather more swagger and wanted everything decorated with symbols of their power. And, as you can see, they got their way!

Inside the ante-chapel can be seen the royal coat of arms, the Tudor rose, a lion rampant, the portcullis and greyhound which were symbols of the Beaufort family as well as the superbly carved crowns. The choir of the Chapel is less decorated with stone carvings.

When the Chapel was first planned it was almost certainly going to have a lierne vault. But, as work progressed, the fan vault was developed and the plan was changed. This caused a problem in that the windows had been completed in readiness for a lierne vault and the new ceiling was going to be a different shape. The compromise that was reached meant having an area of 'dead wall' above each window; not an entirely satisfactory solution. Despite all these anomalies the Chapel exhibits a power and unity which transcends any minor flaws.


But what's a lierne vault, John?

Well of course I can't show you what wasn't built, can I? Lets step outside and wander round to the West end of the building where there is a fine doorway flanked by roofed niches. Peer up into one of these tiny ceilings and you'll see something akin to a fan vault....

....but in the other is a lierne vault....

....you'll see it is a complex arrangement of straight lines rather than the radiating curves of the fan vault. I've no idea why these niches have these two different designs or indeed what possessed me to peer up into them to discover this oddity.


An old Romantic?

The great carved screen which divides the Chapel was a gift from Henry VIII and its rich carving deserves a long examination. But lets just point out this little detail, H & A, for Henry and Anne Boleyn.

Take care.

Flowers And Showers

My "cunning plan" to visit the Botanic Gardens in Cambridge every month soon foundered in the face of life's realities. That, however, is no reason not to visit in August. It was wet and grey yesterday too, but again that's no reason to stay indoors and sulk. So this is what I saw and photographed.....

All taken in the light but persistent drizzle in which England specialises. Surprisingly the gardens were far from deserted. I was not alone.

Take care.

Grantchester Barrel Race

Today saw the super-athletes of Grantchester and the surrounding villages line up for the annual Boxing Day barrel race.

The event started way back in the ancient days of the last century, its exact origins lost in the mists of time; but at sometime someone-and-his-mates challenged someone-else-and-their-mates to a race, rolling beer barrels through the streets of the village. This soon became a race involving teams from the four pubs.

The victorious team today was from the smallest pub in the village, The Blue Ball.

In the spirit of the times a women's race was added.

Each race is a back-and-forth relay so there is plenty of scope for collisions.

There are now several team races and "international" competition in the form of teams from the neighbouring villages. So here are some more photos....

....with the team from Impington dressed as Imps, of course.....

Well, that's the end of racing for another year!