Southwell Minster
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Southwell Minster pronounced (listen) is a minster and cathedral, in the English town of Southwell in Nottinghamshire, six miles away from Newark-on-Trent and thirteen miles from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.
It is considered an outstanding example of Norman and Early English architecture. The distinctive pyramidal spires of lead (or Rhenish caps or "pepperpot" spires as they are known locally), the only example of their kind in the UK, uniquely overlap the footprint of the tower walls and are particularly noteworthy.
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[edit] History
[edit] Mediæval
The earliest church on the site is believed to have been founded in 627 by Paulinus, the first Archbishop of York, on a visit to the town when he was baptising believers in the River Trent. This legend is commemorated in the Minster's baptistry window.[1]
In 956 King Eadwig gave a gift of land in Southwell to Oskytel, Archbishop of York, on which a Minster church was established. The Norman Domesday Book of 1086 then recorded Southwell manor in great detail, and the Norman reconstruction of Southwell Minster began in 1108, probably as a gradual rebuilding of the Anglo-Saxon church, starting (as was usual) at the East end so that the high altar could come into action as soon as possible, with the Saxon building being dismantled as work progressed. Many of the stones of this earlier Saxon church were reused in the construction of the Norman one. The tessellated floor and late 11th century tympanum in the North Transept are the only pieces of the earlier, Saxon building remaining intact.
The Minster was built partly as an attached church of the Archbishop of York's Palace (which stood next door and is now ruined). It served the Archbishop as a place of worship and was also a collegiate body of theological learning, hence its designation as a minster. The minster still draws its choir from the nearby school with which it is associated. Work on the nave began after 1120 and the building was completed by c. 1150.
The Norman quire was replaced with an Early English building in 1234 because it was too small. The octagonal chapter house, built in 1286 complete with vault in Decorated Gothic style and naturalistic carving of foliage (a masterpiece of 13th century stonecarving including several Green Men), completed the cathedral. The elaborately carved "pulpitum" or quire screen was built in 1350.
[edit] Reformation and Civil War
The cathedral suffered less than many others in the English Reformation.
Southwell is where King Charles the First was captured during the English Civil War. The fighting saw the church seriously damaged and the nave is said to have been used as stabling. The adjoining palace was almost completely destroyed by Scottish troops and then the local people, with only the hall of the Archbishop remaining as a ruined shell. The Minster's financial accounts show that extensive repairs were necessary after this period.
[edit] 18th century
On 5th November, 1711, during a terrible storm, the south west spire was struck by lightning and the resulting fire spread to the nave, crossing and tower destroying roofs, bells, clock and organ. By 1720 repairs had been completed, giving a now flat panelled ceiling to the nave and transepts.
[edit] Victorian
In 1805 the Newstead lectern, once owned by Newstead Abbey, thrown into the Abbey fishpond by the monks to save it during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, then later discovered when the lake was dredged, was given to the Minster by Archdeacon Kaye. Sir Henry Galley Knight in 1818 gave the Minster four panels of 16th-century Flemish glass (which now fill the bottom part of the East window) which he had acquired from a Parisian pawnshop.
In danger of collapse, the 'pepperpot' spires were removed in 1805 and only re-erected in 1879-1881. At this time of extensive restoration by Ewan Christian, an architect specialising in churches, the nave roof was also considered unsuitable due to its flatness and was completely rebuilt in the current peaked version, and the choir was redesigned and refitted.
In 1884 Southwell Minster finally became a cathedral proper for Nottinghamshire (excluding the City of Nottingham) and a part of nearby Derbyshire (an event whose centenary was commemorated with a royal visit to hand out the Maundy money): the Diocese included the City of Derby until it was divided in 1927 when the Diocese of Derby was formed. Dr George Ridding, the first Bishop of Southwell, designed and paid for the grant of Arms now used as the Diocesan coat of arms. Its creation as a cathedral has led to confusion over the civic status of Southwell. Traditionally it was considered to be a city because of the presence of the cathedral, but in more modern times the traditional definition has not been recognised by government (see city status in the United Kingdom).
[edit] Current staff
- Dean: The Venerable John Arthur Guille
- Canon Pastor: Rev Canon Nigel Coates
- Canon Precentor: Rev Jacqui Jones
[edit] Music and liturgy
Much of the worship at the Minster is led by the Minster Choir, a traditional cathedral choir of boys and men, directed by the Rector Chori, Paul Hale. Choristers are educated at the Minster School, which is unusual among choir schools as it is in the state sector. The Minster Choir has recently attracted international attention thanks to previous head chorister Ben Inman, who was member of The Choirboys, a 'boy band' comprising three cathedral choristers.
There is also a Girls' Choir and the Minster Chorale, a choir of adult volunteers.
The liturgical life of the Minster follows, naturally, the rites of the Church of England. Unlike many other cathedrals, it has resisted many of the changes in liturgy over the 20th century, and continues to use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer for the main Choral Eucharist on Sunday.
[edit] List of Rectors Chori
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[edit] Gallery
 Stonework |
 The famous Presepe Window |
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 Window |
 the Interior |
 One of the misericords in the quire |
[edit] See also
- Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England
- English Gothic architecture
- Romanesque architecture
- Church of England
[edit] External links
- Collection of pictures of Southwell Minster
- Southwell Minster website
- A history of the choristers of Southwell Minster
- Details and pictures of the screen organ from the National Pipe Organ Register
- Details of the nave organ from the National Pipe Organ Register
[edit] References
- ^ As mentioned by Daniel Defoe, (who visited in 1725) in his journal "A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain"
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