U.K. 2013 

Day 14, Monday

 September 16, 2013

Ely to Worchester

 

Guess what?  That right!  The alarm at the Boat House Restaurant went off at 4:15 and blasted for about 20 minutes before it stopped.  We saw the alarm box this morning; it is right next to our window.  Then a few minute later there was a lot of crashing and banging outside.  We found out at breakfast that that was the garbage truck emptying the restaurants dumpster.  I don’t think I went back to sleep afterwards.   There are only 3 guest rooms and everyone was unhappy at breakfast.  We spent some time talking with a couple from Vienna.   It was fun talking to them about places that we had been in Vienna.  When we checked out, the owner offered us a discount.  We said “no” it was not her fault that the alarm went off both nights.

The sun was shining brightly as we walked to the train station with our luggage to catch the 10:00 train for Worchester.  The train was packed.   We had to change trains in Birmingham, where we had a Cornish Pastie for lunch.  We arrived in Worcester at 2:30.  So now we are West of where we have been, and almost on the Welsh border.  We took a taxi to our hotel.

We are staying in the Diglis House Hotel.  It is situated on the Severn River where students row their sculls up and down the river.  There are a lot of beautiful ducks and swans also floating along.  We walked the river walk.  Kathleen kept saying “wow, so beautiful”-beautiful trees, an arched bridge and more spires, it is really pretty.  Our hotel is an old Georgian brick house with a new addition.  We are staying in the old part with a beautiful very large room.

 

 

WORCHESTER CATHEDRAL

 

 

We had a 3:00 appointment for a tour of the cathedral.  It is located just a short distance from our hotel on the river so we had a nice walk to it.  We met our guide, Ann, who was very gracious and gave us a very in- depth tour for about 2 hours.   

Before the English Reformation, Worcester Cathedral was known as Worchester Priory, which was founded in 680.  Nothing remains of this first priory; however, there are remains dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, which can be seen.  The priory came to an end with King Henry VIII's  Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the Benedictine monks were removed in January 1540.

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the former priory was reestablished as a Cathedral of diocesan clergy.  In the 1860s the Cathedral underwent major restoration work. 

Worcester Cathedral embodies many features that are highly typical of an English medieval Cathedral.  It has two transepts crossing the nave, rather than the single transept used in most of Europe.  Worcester is also typical of English cathedrals, having a chapter house and the cloister.  The earliest part of the Cathedral is the multi- column Norman crypt with cushion capitals remaining from the original monastic church in 1084.

 

  The nave was built and rebuilt in different styles by several different architects over a period of 200 years, from 1172 -1374. 

In recent years many cathedrals and churches have placed an altar at the Crossing inorder to be more a part of the worshiping congregation.  Here you see the altar before the choir screen.  Note the beatifully carved pulpit on the right side.

The high altar is at the east end of the cathedral. Note the modern design of the altar frontal.

 

 

 

 

The cathedral has beautiful stained glass, which dates from the restoration. The window on the left the the east end of the cathedral, behind the high altar.

 King John of Magna Carta fame is buried here (1167-1216).  His tomb is right in front of the altar. 

 

 In a little side chapel is the tomb of Prince Arthur, brother of Henry VIII and first husband of Catharine of Aragon.  It was Catharine who married Henry VIII.

The chapter house of 1120 is also of the Norman architecture. There was a class being taught which had various garments attached to a cross.  I don't remember the theme.

 

 

 

The baptismal font has a stone bottom and a tall carved top dating back to the 19th century.

I have a model kit of Worchester Cathedral that I haven't made yet.

 

 

We had a wonderful visit and a great tour guide .

 

We were tired and went back to the hotel and decided to eat there.  We cancelled our reservations that we made elsewhere.   We had a drink in the bar, came back to our room for a while and went back to dinner.  We were the only people in the dining room.  Kathleen had pea and mint soup and then a chicken risotto, and I had fish and chips.  We haven’t figured out why all of the restaurants serve such large portions.  I had enough fries for 4 people.  

Next Day

PREFACE

Day 1 -Arrival in Edinburgh

Day 2 - Edinburgh

Day 3- Edinburgh to Inchcolm Abbey

Day 4 - Edinburgh to Melrose & Rosslyn

DAY 5 - Edinburgh   

DAY 6 - Edinburgh

DAY 7 - York  

DAY 8 - Durham

DAY 9 -York 

DAY 10 - Lincoln

DAY 11 -Ely  

DAY 12 - Peterborough

DAY 13 - Cambridge 

DAY 14 - Ely to Worchester  

DAY 15 - Tewkesbury and Gloucester

DAY 16 - Hereford         

DAY l7 - London   

DAY 18 - London  

DAY 19 - London   

DAY 20 - London to Guildford, Chichester, Midhurst

DAY 21 - London      OUR LAST DAY

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