Nave

     Abstract. The nave was possibly built from 1240 to 1285 in a Gothic Decorated architectural style. Its arcades with many statues of heads, a decorated triforium, unusual clerestory windows and a complex ribbed ceiling of plasterwork give it distinction. A head of a woman with a wimple and pillbox hat shows a link with King Henry III.

An 1820 account described the nave as both beautiful and interesting.[1] It has no statues on the external wall, the pillars are solid, large and fluted, the triforium is decorated and the clerestory windows innovative. The roof is a superb example of intricate carpentry and plasterwork. The nave epitomises Gothic Decorated architecture.

View of nave in 1869 showing pews.

     The nave dates from the time of Bishop Roger Meuland (or Mayland) and was presumably directed by Thomas Waleys (Wallace) master of the fabric in 1268, who had succeeded William Fitzthomas by this date. It was probably completed by 1285.[2] Meuland was a kinsman (cousin?) of King Henry III and no doubt facilitated the king’s interest and patronage in the building of the cathedral. It is recorded Meuland assigned ten marks to the fabric fund, but this must be only a small part of his support.

Original head sculpture at the end of the north nave aisle. Eleanor of Provence, young wife of King Henry III, (she was 12 and he 28 when they married) introduced a new type of wimple to England. This veil, usually of linen or lace, covered a pillbox cap which meant the face was now central. Is this Eleanor?

Nave on a perch gridding of 16.5 feet.

     It has eight bays and an aisle on the north side and another on the south side. The two westerly bays are slightly wider to accommodate the two western towers and originally would have been a vestibule or atrium around the middle door. The nave and choir have the same number of pier arches and are of similar length. The total width of the nave (21 m or 69 feet) is also about equal to half its length.[3] The layout is mostly on a 16.5 feet (5.029 m) grid, a conventional perch or rod length.

  

Plan of nave

    The three levels have a harmonious ratio of close to 2:1:1, also seen at Westminster Abbey and Beverley Minster. That means the ground storey occupies one-half of the total height.[4] It was said to show “smooth fluidity of upward movement”.

 

Nave wall showing general ratio of elements. The original lengths were likely to be a rod or perch, but that is difficult to prove with changes to the floor level and roof.

 The complex rib vault is modelled on Lincoln Cathedral, but with the transverse rib omitted and a ridge rib made to extend the whole length of the nave.[5] The eye follows this line down the cathedral and gives a sense of length, hiding a comparatively short cathedral. There are extra tierceron ribs like those above Lincoln nave constructed c. 1235. The same design was repeated in the nave at Westminster Abbey.

 

Side of nave and roof vaulting showing 6 ribs in each bay. Choir has 7. The current vaulting in plaster closely followed the previous roof in stone; it is in effect a false vaulted roof. The main feature is the prominent longitudinal ridge rib with conspicuous bosses. Unusually, there are no transverse ribs meaning the vaulting is like a “spreading cluster of arcs” This lack of a transverse rib and instead having a short decorative rib makes the nave roof very different from the choir and transept roof.

 

 Comparison of the nave vaulting with the choir vaulting

         

Perhaps, the most remarkable feature of the nave is the line of exceptionally tall spherical-triangular windows in the clerestory. Each window contains trefoil cusped circles of bar tracery. The windows are modelled on those from Westminster Abbey (Henry III?) and have a resemblance to the window openings in the north transept at Hereford Cathedral.

 Clerestory window.

  In 1788, roof bays 2 to 6 consisting of stone and lead were removed and replaced with wood, plaster and slate. It meant the weight of the roof on the nave walls was one-twentieth the weight of the roof (500 tons estimated) added after the Civil War. The heavy roof had caused cracks in the nave walls and pushed both of them outwards by 13–14 inches. The alternative of rebuilding and strengthening the clerestory walls was considered too expensive and dangerous. Scott in the 1850s refused to alter the roof or change the clerestory and instead opted to increase the height of the side aisles to where they were before the Civil War.

 

South side of the nave c. 1720 showing the aisle and nave roof before alterations. The nave roof was reduced in height and the aisle roof was raised.

Crossing tower showing lines where previous roofs were attached.

Cinquefoil decoration – what is it?

Above all the columns and below the triforium on the inside wall of the nave is a 5-fold wall decoration. Five has meant speculation it represents the five wounds of Christ or the five saints who received stigmata, but to repeat this along the nave is incongruous. 

Cinquefoils  on southwest tower and above southwest door

Cinquefoil decoration nave.

   

 

 Rosa gallica, a five petalled rose with a strong scent.

                                  

 

An early drawing of Rosa gallica. Notice the petals are surrounded with an outline like the wall decoration.

    Here is another explanation. The nave was built in the time of King Henry III and he introduced architectural features borrowed from his other cathedrals. His wife was Eleanor from Provence where a particular kind of rose, Rosa gallica, was grown. The red rose was grown for the production of rose flavoured jam and for use as a medicine; said to cure many ailments. It became known as the ‘Apothecary’s Rose’. Eleanor is thought to have brought it to England and her second son adopted it as his badge. The rose was then widely used by following kings and eventually became the ‘Rose of England’. Edward I turned it into the golden rose. Is the decoration an outline of the badge of Eleanor and Henry?

    This plausible explanation is flawed because it does not explain the trefoil and quatrefoil decoration, unless these too were outlines of three petalled and four petalled flowers. It fits with the cinquefoil decoration in Lincoln cathedral in the Angel Choir because this extension to the cathedral was arranged by Henry III, started 1255 and dedicated 1280. It does not explain the quatrefoil and trefoil in the chapter house at Southwell Cathedral started 1288.

South aisle by the Angel Choir in Lincoln Cathedral showing cinquefoil at the top and quatrefoil and trefoil at the bottom.

 

Quatrefoil and trefoil in the Chapter House at Southwell Cathedral.

  Similarities

Architects have found similarities with the nave structure and those at other cathedrals, but it does not immediately follow the masons were copying. For example, Lincoln also has small capitals with foliate decoration, trefoil decoration in the spandrels (Angel Choir), double arched openings in the triforium, similar sculptures in the nave arcades (only in the east end of the south aisle at Lichfield) and the same vaulting arrangement in the roof.  Westminster has small, spherical-triangular windows and the same vaulting in the aisles. Wells has the same column shafts. 

Base of nave columns in Wells cathedral 

Southwell has similar blind arcading and decoration in their chapter house. It is unclear whether masons had detailed drawings to transfer, but it is more likely they knew of these innovative arrangements and wanted to improve on them. These buildings have a similar date of construction and there could have been discussion in the guilds. The kings, especially Henry III, would have wanted to disseminate the best ideas. Despite these correspondences it would be likely those constructing Lichfield would want to emulate elsewhere; assuming they had the finance to achieve innovation.

Arcades

 The nave aisles are 55 m (180 feet) long and their outer walls have blind arcading, much restored in 1854. From the Civil War destruction and restoration, the nave arcades were almost wholly plaster. G. Gilbert Scott replaced them with stone in a style that he thought was appropriate. Almost all the upper parts of each arcade have been refurbished, though some masonry deemed reasonable was left untouched. Why have arcades? The obvious answer is to have lavish decoration which shows off the importance of the church and the richness of the cathedral. The less obvious answer is it increases the sense of depth, especially in a comparatively short and narrow cathedral like Lichfield. Each arcade imitates a door into another part of the cathedral. The large open arcades enables the viewer to see beyond and the blind arcades deceives into thinking there is more beyond the impression of a closed door. The visitor often asks, 'what was in the arcade'?  

Arcade from east end of  south aisle compared with arcade from east end of north aisle. The south side arcades show more decoration.

 

Arcade from bay 6 on south side considered to be original and head from east end of south aisle considered original.

 

The arcades and stonework above are far more decorated on the south side compared with the north side. The arcades are generally similar to those in the Chapter House and those in Southwell Minster. Some of the decoration is of the highest quality, especially with the hollowing of the centres of capitals.

Capitols showing precise undercutting and oak leaf foliage.

 There is sculpture in the spandrels of alternating bays (1, 3, 5) along the south aisle. Why did the mason not complete every bay? Bay one appears to have two birds with prominent claws, bay three has smiling winged ape-like beasts and bay 5 has winged, clawed, smiling beasts with bared teeth.  

 

Spandrels of bays 1, 3 and 5 on the south side.

 In bays 3 and 5 in the south aisle wall are two semi-effigies which have defied explanation. Why display only the head and feet invites speculation. Britton thought they represented two old canons of the church and are the same age as the nave.[6] He suggested the intermediate parts are hidden within the wall, but that does not explain why?

 

Semi-effigies.

     A review of ‘semi-effigial monuments’ found more appeared in churches in eastern England and certain parts of Wales and they were 13th or 14th-century.[7] No explanation is given, but those viewed from above often had some cross symbolism in the missing middle. Knights might have their armorial heraldry. Pursuing  this observation suggests something was displayed on the wall between the head and feet, now replaced by a memorial stone.

 

Selection of sculptured heads; most must be Victorian and crafted by the stonemason.

 Over 700 sculptured heads have been counted inside and outside of the cathedral, though it is unknown how many were present at the time of construction. This is the wonder of the cathedral.

[1] J. Britton, The history and antiquities of the See and cathedral church of Lichfield. (London: 1820), 40.

[2] M. W. Greenslade and R. B. Pugh (eds.) 'House of secular canons - Lichfield cathedral: To the Reformation', in A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 3, (London, 1970), 140–166.

[3] R. Willis, ‘On foundations of early buildings recently discovered in Lichfield Cathedral’. The Archaeological Journal, (1861), 18, 1–24.

[4] P. Brieger, The Oxford History of English Art (1216–1307), (Oxford: 1957), 185.

[5] Ibid, 186.

[6] J. Britton, (1820), 46. See note 1.

[7]  C. Boutell, Christian Monuments in England and Wales. An Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the Various Classes of Sepulchral Monuments which Have Been in Use in this Country from about the Era of the Norman Conquest to the Time of Edward the Fourth. (London: 1854). Lichfield is on p155–6.