- Newcastle Cathedral
-
Newcastle Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Nicholas 
Shown within Tyne and Wear
Newcastle Cathedral54°58′12″N 1°36′40″W / 54.97°N 1.61111°WCoordinates: 54°58′12″N 1°36′40″W / 54.97°N 1.61111°W Location Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear Country England Denomination Church of England Tradition High Church Website stnicholascathedral.co.uk Architecture Style Gothic Years built c.1080-c.1500 Administration Diocese Newcastle (since 1882) Province York Clergy Bishop(s) Martin Wharton Dean Christopher Dalliston Canon(s) Canon Robert Gage
Canon David ElkingtonPrecentor Canon Peter Strange Archdeacon Canon Geoffrey Miller Laity Director of music Michael Stoddart Organist(s) David Stevens - For the Catholic Cathedral in Newcastle, see St Mary's Cathedral
St Nicholas's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Its full title is The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle, the most northerly diocese of the Anglican Church in England, which reaches from the River Tyne as far north as Berwick-upon-Tweed and as far west as Alston in Cumbria.[1] Newcastle Cathedral is the second tallest religious building in Newcastle and the sixth tallest structure in the city overall.
Contents
History
The nave ceiling
The cathedral is named after St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and boats. It was originally a parish church, built in 1091, but this was destroyed in a fire in 1216. It was rebuilt in 1359 and became a cathedral in 1882 when the Diocese of Newcastle was created by Queen Victoria.
The cathedral is notable for its unusual lantern spire, which was constructed in 1448. For hundreds of years, it was a main navigation point for ships using the River Tyne. At its base the tower measures 36' 9" by 35' and it is 196' 6" from the base to the top of the steeple.[2]
The interior of the church was badly damaged by Scottish invaders during their brief occupation of the city in 1640, and in 1644, during a nine-week siege, Scottish invaders threatened to bombard the lantern tower, but were deterred when Scottish prisoners were placed inside.[3]
The tower contains a complete ring of twelve bells, the tenor bell which weighs almost two tons, plus three 15th century bells, one, St Nicholas, which is rung for daily services. The addition of a second treble bell (named "Gabriel") in 1999 has made it possible to ring a lighter peal of ten bells.[4]
Notable interior features
Medieval Madonna and Child roundel in St. Margaret's ChapelThe Nave furnishings were designed by the local artist and craftsman Ralph Hedley in the early 20th century, after the parish church of St Nicholas became a cathedral in 1882. The high altar depicts Christ in Majesty holding an orb and sceptre, flanked by the Four Evangelists each with their special symbol.[5]
St. Margaret's Chapel contains the only known fragment of mediaeval stained glass in the cathedral, a roundel of the Madonna and Child. Much of the original glass was broken during the Civil War and most now dates from the 18th century onwards.
The cathedral contains a number of memorials, the oldest being a 13th century effigy of an unknown knight, probably a member of the household of Edward I. It is one of the oldest objects in the cathedral. Another celebrates Admiral Lord Collingwood, a hero of the Battle of Trafalgar who was baptised and married in the cathedral. Another is the "Thornton Brass", a memorial to Roger Thornton, who was a merchant and three times Mayor of Newcastle, which is a particularly fine example of a Flemish Brass and dates from 1441.
Music
The cathedral has a strong tradition of music. In 1503, Princess Margaret, daughter of Henry VII and engaged to marry James IV of Scotland, passed through Newcastle, noting in her journal a number of children in surplices "who sang melodious hymns, accompanying themselves with instruments of many sorts".[6] Later, the baroque composer Charles Avison (1709–1770) was organist and choirmaster at the church.[7]
The cathedral choir has been featured on BBC Radio 3's Choral Evensong[8], performed with the Northern Sinfonia at The Sage Gateshead and sung in concert with the Mediæval Bæbes. They have also recorded a number of CDs.
The cathedral is home to a fine organ, a four-manual Grand Organ built by T C Lewis[9], although rebuilt several times since, notably by Harrison & Harrison in 1911 and 1954[10] and currently by Nicholson & Co. of Worcester.[11]
Organists
- 1687 Samuel Nichols
- 1719
- 1736 Charles Avison
- 1770 Edward Avison
- 1776
- 1789 Charles Avison Jnr
- 1795 Thomas Thompson
- 1834 Dr Thomas Ions
- 1857 William Ions
- 1894 George Huntley
- 1895 John Jeffries
- 1918 William Ellis
- 1936 Kenneth Malcolmson
- 1955 Colin Ross
- 1967 Dr. Russell Missin
- 1987 Timothy Hone
- 2002 Scott Farrell
- 2009 Michael Stoddart
Assistant organists
- Thomas Christy 1928 - 1933 (afterwards organist of Hexham Abbey)[12]
- Clifford Harker 1936 - (afterwards organist at Bristol Cathedral 1949-83)
- Michael Bryan Hesford 1959 - 1960 (afterwards organist at Brecon Cathedral)
- Graeme East 1960 - 1980 (afterwards Organist St Chad's Gateshead then Warnham Parish Church. d.2010
- Keith Downie (Lay Clerk and sub-Assistant 1972-1984 & 1984-1988) Assistant 1980 - 1984: now St Helen's Gateshead
- Michael Dutton from 1984–2009
Director of the Girls Choir and Sub-Organist
- David Stevens (2010 - )[13]
See also
References
- ^ Diocese website, URL accessed 30th June, 2007]
- ^ Tower statistics, URL accessed 30th June, 2007
- ^ History of the building at GenUKI website, URL accessed 9th March, 2007
- ^ Description of the bells at the cathedral website, URL accessed 30th June, 2007
- ^ Cathedral tour, URL accessed 30th June, 2007
- ^ Newcastle Cathedral Choir website, URL accessed May 5th, 2009
- ^ Charles Avison biography at Naxos Records.com, URL accessed May 5th, 2009
- ^ BBC Choral Evensong, 6 December 2006, URL accessed 9th March, 2007
- ^ Description of the Organ, URL accessed 9th March, 2007
- ^ Harrison & Harrison catalogue, URL accessed March 9th, 2007
- ^ Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ Register, URL accessed March 9th, 2007
- ^ The Organ. Volume XX. 1941
- ^ Newcastle cathedral website, list of staff URL accessed November 5th, 2009
External links
- Official Cathedral website
- Newcastle Diocese website
- Cathedral Choir website
- Panoramic virtual interior tour
- BBC Tyne image gallery
- 360° interior panoramas at BBC Tyne
- Old picture postcards of Newcastle
Cathedrals of the Church of England Province of
CanterburyBirmingham • Bristol • Bury St Edmunds • Canterbury • Chelmsford • Chichester • Coventry • Derby • Ely • Exeter • Gibraltar • Gloucester • Guildford • Hereford • Leicester • Lichfield • Lincoln • Norwich • Oxford (Christ Church) • Peterborough • Portsmouth • Rochester • St Albans • St Paul's (London) • Salisbury • Southwark • Truro • Wells • Winchester • WorcesterProvince of
YorkCategories:- Anglican cathedrals in England
- Churches in Newcastle
- Church of England churches in Tyne and Wear
- Grade I listed buildings in Tyne and Wear
- Grade I listed cathedrals
- Visitor attractions in Newcastle upon Tyne
- 1350s architecture
- English Gothic architecture
- Buildings and structures in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Provosts/Deans of Newcastle
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
