How to Bury A Medieval Monarch: The History of Worcester Cathedral

Send us Fan MailWorcester Cathedral rises above the banks of the River Severn as one of England's great medieval buildings, its honey-coloured stone and soaring central tower dominating the city's skyline much as they have for over nine centuries.  Who better to discuss its architecture and history than John Goodall?Founded in 680 as a monastic community, the earliest fabric of the cathedral dates from a rebuilding begun in 1084 under Bishop Wulfstan, the only English-born bishop to retain his see after the Norman Conquest and later canonised as a saint. His original crypt survives intact, a rare and atmospheric example of Norman architecture that still forms part of the working cathedral.Yes, yes – we know that during the following four centuries the building was steadily transformed, absorbing Gothic additions in the Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular styles, so that a walk through its nave and choir amounts to a tour through the evolution of English medieval architecture. But what about the cathedral’s TWO royal tombs?  One is that of King John, whose effigy is one of the earliest depicting an English monarch.  John died at Newark but chose to be buried here between the shrines of two Worcester saints, Wulfstan and Oswald. Nearby lies the exquisite Prince Arthur's Chantry Chapel, built for Henry VIII's elder brother, whose early death in 1502 unexpectedly cleared the path to the throne for the future Henry VIII.  As Prince of Wales, Arthur had been at Ludlow, the centre of administration for Wales.Beyond its royal connections, Worcester Cathedral is celebrated for its cloisters, chapter house, and the peaceful green of College Green, as well as for its role as one of the three cathedrals hosting the Three Choirs Festival, the oldest music festival in the world. Its bells, stained glass, and Victorian restorations by Sir George Gilbert Scott add further layers to a building that has survived civil war, Reformation upheaval, and the passage of nearly a thousand years.What riches for a podcast with John and Clive.