Cathedral Church Of St Peter And St Paul And Attached Wall And Gates

This parish church was raised to cathedral status in 1914. The crossing tower, spire, chancel and chancel chapels date from around 1430. The Shrewsbury Chapel was added in 1520. The north chancel chapel was remodelled as vestries in 1777 by Thomas Atkinson, then converted to a chapel in 1914. The nave and east end were reconstructed between 1790 and 1805, allegedly by John Carr. The nave was extended and transepts added in 1810. Robert Potter restored the building in 1841. In 1880, William Flockton remodelled and restored the transepts, nave arcade, west end, and east windows. The chapter house, offices, and Chapel of the Holy Spirit were built between 1936 and 1948 by Sir Charles Nicholson. The narthex, link and west end were added between 1960 and 1966 by GG Pace and Ansell & Bailey.

The cathedral is built of ashlar with ashlar dressings and lead roofs. The pre-1880 parts are in Perpendicular style, Nicholson's additions are in Decorated style, and the 1960s additions are in Free Gothic style.

Plan

The building comprises a chancel with side chapels, crossing tower with spire, transepts, nave with clerestory and aisles, baptistry and narthex, north-west chapels, chapter house, vestries and offices.

Exterior

The chancel, chapels, transepts, nave and aisles have moulded plinths, buttresses (those to the chancel and chapels topped with pinnacles), moulded eaves bands and crenellated parapets.

The east end has three late Decorated four-light pointed arch windows with hoodmoulds. The side chapels have three three-light double transomed pointed arch windows with panel tracery. The south transept has a five-light Decorated pointed arch window to the south and a three-light pointed arch window to east and west. The north transept has to the east a five-light gable-headed pointed arch window with panel tracery. Its north gable is extended by an organ chamber (around 1936) with plain coped parapet, and to the east, the head of a 19th-century five-light Decorated pointed arch window, with below it a pointed door and a flat-headed lancet. Its north gable has three lancets. To the west of the organ chamber is an extension of the transept with a four-light Decorated pointed arch window. The south aisle has four three-light double transomed pointed arch windows with panel tracery. The north aisle has a similar window to the west of the St George's Chapel.

The crossing tower has two stages. To the south are two square-headed windows with a sundial between them. The bell stage has on each side a transomed four-light traceried bell opening with hoodmould. Below the south one is a clock. Above rises a setback octagonal broach spire with crockets.

The nave has five two-light pointed arch windows on each side of the clerestory. The west end and narthex tower have flat square-topped buttresses at angles and to each bay. The west end has a projecting centre with three two-light windows, flanked on each side by two similar windows. The south side has a windowless three-bay corridor to the narthex tower. The buttressed square narthex tower has three stages, with a triple opening on three sides with louvred panels above them. The windowless upper stages are successively smaller. The north side has a single bay projection with a 19th-century six-light Decorated pointed arch window with moulded surround.

On the north side, the Chapel of St George is buttressed and in a similar style to the west end. To the west are four two-light windows and to their left, a projection with a transomed three-light window to a transverse passage between this chapel and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. To the west of the chapel, at a lower level, is a late 20th-century flat-roofed single-storey concrete meeting room with six pointed arched windows and concrete canopied porch to its left.

The Chapel of the Holy Spirit has a moulded plinth and heavy gabled buttresses with two setoffs, and a moulded coped parapet. On either side are four tall two-light pointed arch windows with Decorated tracery and hoodmoulds. The north gable has a five-light Decorated pointed arch window.

On the north side of the chancel is a single-storey Church Burgesses room in the style of a 15th-century chantry chapel, with buttresses, moulded plinth and crenellated parapet. To the east are two flat-headed double lancets, flanked to the left by a recessed pointed doorway with hoodmould. The north side has a four-light and a three-light flat-headed lancet.

To the north again is a two-storey range of vestries (around 1936) with ground floor lintel band and linked hoodmoulds above, forming a corridor to the chapter house. There are four double lancets with slight Y-tracery and below, a three-light mullioned window flanked to the left by two two-light windows and to the right by a single one.

The buttressed Chapter House (around 1936) has a deep plinth, moulded coped parapet and flat roof. It is three by two bays. Untraceried two-light pointed arch windows are set in recessed panels between buttresses, and above each window is a pointed loop. The south side has a single window to the east. The north side has to the west steps to a buttressed flat-roofed porch with moulded segmental pointed door. To its right is a set-back single-storey vestry with a two-light mullioned window. To the right, between the vestry and the adjoining chapel, is a single-storey flat-roofed late 20th-century addition with single window and glazed double door.

Interior

The chancel has two double-chamfered arches on each side, with octagonal piers and responds. The east window has a moulded surround and hoodmould, and above it a small two-light window. To the north-east is a restored cusped four-seat sedilia, with aumbry in the eastern opening. The restored steep pitched hammerbeam roof has arch braces and gilt angel bosses. The Shrewsbury Chapel to the south has a double-chamfered west arch and a similar lower pitched roof with moulded timbers and gilt bosses. The north side has a piscina and a canopied table tomb. The south side has three stained glass windows. The north chancel chapel (St Katharine) has a similar roof and two stained glass windows. The south-east side has a blocked opening and a 13th-century cusped piscina. To the west are arches into the chancel.

The crossing has four clustered piers and triple coved and roll-moulded arches with hoodmoulds, dating from around 1430.

The south transept has a low pitched roof and stained glass south window (around 1876). The north transept has a low pitched roof with bosses and to the east, a double-chamfered arch and 20th-century carved wooden screen into the north chancel chapel. The north end has a late 20th-century ceiling and to the east, a moulded doorway to the sacristy. To its right is a chamfered double arch to the organ chamber, then an altered window, now a doorway. The passage at the south-east end has a chamfered arch to the organ chamber, and to the east, a doorway and a stained glass window from 1938.

The nave has five-bay arcades with narrower eastern bays and 20th-century west piers. The plain octagonal piers have crenellated capitals, chamfered arches with hoodmoulds, and shields in the spandrels. The low pitched panelled ceiling has bosses and billeted span beams. The western crossing has flattened pointed chamfered arches with chamfered quatrefoil piers, and a stained glass roof lantern, all around 1960. The west end baptistry has a single moulded arch with responds to north and south. The passage to the narthex has a glazed screen and doors.

The aisles have double purlin lean-to roofs with bosses, and chamfered eastern arches. The north aisle north-west end has a three-bay 20th-century arcade to St George's Chapel, and a single 20th-century arch flanking it to the east.

St George's Chapel has a panelled flat ceiling with gilt bosses. The north end has a moulded 13th-century style triple arcade with billeted arches and clustered chamfered piers without capitals. The cross passage to the north has on the south side a square window flanked to the left by a small double window and to the right by a pointed window and a doorway, all mid-20th century, into a three by three bay vaulted 20th-century columbarium. On the north side is a mid-20th century five-bay arcade with double-chamfered arches, the outer ones blank. The larger central bay has a moulded pointed doorway with hoodmould and angel bosses, under a square stepped gable, with linenfold panelled double doors. On either side are similar single doors.

The Chapel of the Holy Spirit has a three-bay vault with moulded ribs and bosses and clustered round wall shafts. The east end has a moulded segment-arched aumbry to the north and a Decorated style piscina to the south. There is a Perpendicular style screen at the west end, and canopied oak stalls on each side by Comper, removed from Burgh, Lincolnshire.

Memorials

The memorials include a chest tomb under a flat-topped panelled arch with billeted crest, between the chancel and the south chapel, from 1538, to the 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. The tomb chest has twisted corner shafts and shields in quatrefoils, with a triple alabaster effigy. A monument to the 6th Earl (1590) on the south chapel wall has a panelled base and flanking columns carrying a large crested achievement, with a life-size painted reclining effigy and panel with Latin inscription by John Fox. There is a large draped obelisk with scroll, bust and sarcophagus bracket to George Bamforth, 1739. In the chancel is a cusped triple blind arcade with a central tablet and bust by Chantrey to Reverend James Wilkinson, 1805. A bust on chamfered base with standing allegorical figures flanking the inscription commemorates Reverend A Mackenzie, 1818, and a tablet with seated allegorical figure in front of two urns, with profile portraits, commemorates Thomas and Elizabeth Harrison, 1823, also by Chantrey. There is a portrait medallion from 1828, and a bust from 1832, by Edward Law. A bust of Archdeacon Blakeney from 1896 is by Onslow Ford. A marble and alabaster tablet with portrait from 1916 commemorates W Sterndale Bennet, who died in 1875. There is a freestanding late 19th-century war memorial with standing figures, and an alabaster war memorial tablet from around 1920.

Stained Glass

The stained glass includes a 14th-century north transept north window, removed from the Church of St Luke, Hollis Croft. The east and west windows (1880-81) and south aisle windows (1884-88) are by WE Dixon. The north chancel chapel east window (1935) and Chapel of the Holy Spirit east window (1940) are by Christopher Webb.

Fittings

The fittings include 15th-century canopied oak sedilia with traceried panels, a restored 16th-century altar slab with 20th-century octagonal posts and wooden reredos, a north chancel Chapel screen from 1935 by WH Randall Blacking, a bishop's throne from 1937 by Sir Charles Nicholson, a traceried octagonal oak pulpit from 1887, and a round granite font with bronze supports from 1881.

Subsidiary Features

Outside is a late 19th-century boundary wall with chamfered coping, bordering Campo Lane and East Parade. The north side has a pair of square gate piers topped with globe lamps, with splayed screen walls, wrought-iron gate and overthrow, leading to the Chapter House north porch. To the left and right are plain vehicle entrances.