Chester Cathedral has some amazing stonework.
The church is built like many buildings in Cheshire of red sandstone.
A rock easily carved but liable to weathering...towards the end of 1963 the cathedrals bells which were housed in the central tower was in need of a overhaul and ringing suspended.
Due to structural difficulties and the cost of replacing the bells in the central tower it was advised that a new detached bell tower should be built.
In 1969 bells in the old tower were removed to be recast... two old bells dating from 1606 and 1626 were left in the old tower... work on the new tower began in 1973.
It is the first detached bell tower to be built for a cathedral in this country since c1410.
It is the first detached bell tower to be built for a cathedral in this country since c1410.
I took some images of the buildings amazing stonework.
All of these were on the south transept pictured above.
The grotesque gargoyles are wonderful to see.
Not bad for rainwater plumbing.
27 comments:
i love the rainwater plumbing, truly I do. the cathedral is absolutely gorgeous. to bad the new tower is not as pretty.
The cathedral and grounds are beautiful. Love the gargoyle plumbing.
wonderful stonework on the old cathedral. Too bad the new detached bell tower looks Stalinesque.
funky, funky gargoyles. the new bell tower is almost prison-like. :)
What a magnificent building, and I love the pictures of the memorial garden and the details around the building. Great shots :-)
Have a lovely evening!
Hugs,
Eva
Absolutely terrific!!! You don't know how many times I've told my husband that European history and their architecture is so coveted by me here in America. Of course, here in USA we have no ancient history as you do. But I would LOVE to have old castles, cathedrals and buildings HERE that you have THERE.
This was an amazing post and fantastic images.
Love that gargoyle with the hand over the enlarged mouth - could be a football fan shouting.
This cathedral is great, and I love your new header.
Happy Easter to you and your family:)
Joo
...loved this post. I always enjoy seeing the amazing stonework and the architecture of the old buildings. You're so lucky you have them. It would be hard to leave because there's so much to see. The work that went into it...
I love the cathedral and especially the gargoyles. In c1410 the people were so advanced. Beautiful photos.
That is a gorgeous cathedral! I bet it is amazing to see in person. Your photos are lovely.
Nice to see the spring garden around the cathedral despite the cold change it all survived I hope. Elaborate spouts for the rainwater then, maybe designed to spit out the evil spirits? Such a lot of work in them. These heritage structures sure have a lot going for them; I'm forever intruiged by man's inguinity and strengths when I see these buildings. Thanks for sharing Drew!
I like the new header! The contemporary Gothic style of the cathedral is spectacular! You are so lucky to live near this historical masterpiece!
Pictures are amazing, but to be able to stand before all this and "feel",
"smell", and "see" the history within its walls would be astounding!!
This is an amazing post Drew, thank you for sharing with us!
A-maz-ing.
Thank you so much for the detail shots. The cathedral is absolutely beautiful!
the cathedral and grounds are marvellous!
thanks for your lovely photographs.
have a happy easter if you celebrate it.
I keep promising myself I'll dig out my old photos of the Cathedral and post them but time and the Web wait for no man...
Love the gargoyles.
Fantastic shots! The cathedral is wonderful and so are the gardens.
Amazing structure and interesting history, Andrew! Love the gargoyles. :)
Jeg kom tilfældigt forbi din blog.
Tak for kigget af de smukke billeder.
Ha` en god påskelørdag aften.
Beautiful Church and gardens. The stone works are interesting.
That cathedral is so beautiful!
I love those stone carvings, Drew - so expressive! No time and money for something like that today - we are the poorer for it. Happy Easter! P.S. Thanks for stopping by my blog. You promised me a link to a YouTube video on the swing bridge!
I wish modern builders would add gargoyles too... Those gardens are so beautiful, the bell tower is blending in well and the whole cathedral is magnificent.
Fantastic architecture! I love old buildings like this. The stone work is amazing.
Maravilhosas estas fotos, parabéns pelo lindo blog.
Abraços do sul do Brasil!
Tais
Thanks for sharing these pictures, I really love gargoyles, and you have captured some great ones here.
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