Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin

Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, Chelmsford

This is a large late medieval town church, elevated to cathedral status in 1914, with major restorations and extensions spanning from the 18th to 21st centuries. The church was wholly rebuilt in the 15th century, comprising an aisled nave, chancel with north and south chapels, west tower and south porch. The spire was rebuilt in 1749. In 1800 the nave collapsed following excavation in the vaults and was rebuilt by John Johnson. Frederic Chancellor restored the chancel and south chapel in 1862, and designed the north transept and outer north aisle added in 1873. A W Blomfield added the chancel east window and clerestory in 1877-8, followed by further restoration by Chancellor in the 1880s. Sir Charles Nicholson designed the two east bays of the chancel in 1926-8, and the large complex of vestries and original chapter house in 1929. The chapter house was converted to a song school in 1990, and the whole complex was refurbished in the early 21st century by Andrew Murdoch of Fitzroy Robinson.

Materials and Construction

The medieval work and later 19th, 20th and 21st century additions are mainly flint rubble with some handmade brick, stone dressings, decorative stone banding and much flint flushwork. Johnson's early 19th century nave and south aisle are stock brick, with the south clerestory and south aisle ashlar faced. Some Coade stone was also used for details in the early 19th century work.

The plan comprises a nave with north and south aisles, south porch and west porch, chancel with north and south chapels, and a large song school (formerly chapter house) and vestry complex attached to the chancel on the north.

Exterior

The late 15th century west tower rises high above the nave, with an embattled flint flushwork parapet with small pinnacles. The complex 15th century west door has an ogee label breaking through a square frame with traceried spandrels. The tower has Perpendicular west window and bell openings, topped by a classical octagonal lantern of 1749 and tall needle spire of the same date.

The two-storey 15th century south porch displays very fine flint flushwork, described by Pevsner as among the best in Essex. Its embattled flushwork parapet continues onto the aisle and matches that on the tower. The porch sides feature pinnacled arcades among other motifs. The outer south door is Tudor-arched within a square frame with carved spandrels and a vaulted niche above. Inside is a Tudor-arched inner doorway and staircase of 1956, with a porch ceiling featuring tracery panels.

West of the porch, the south aisle is partly flint, partly handmade brick with brick banding. The south aisle east of the porch was rebuilt by Johnson in the early 19th century and is ashlar faced, as is the clerestory above it. The aisle and clerestory window tracery is Coade stone. The east gable of the nave and the north clerestory are stock brick, also by Johnson. The 15th century south chapel has two 19th century square-headed Perpendicular-style windows separated by a restored 15th century door with an ogee label. The south east buttress is topped by a figure of St Peter wearing fishing boots and carrying a modern key by Thomas Huxley-Jones of 1960.

The chancel clerestory on the medieval chancel dates from 1877-8 and is in Perpendicular style by Blomfield. It has six windows on the south; those on the north are internal and blocked to allow for the north transept. The projecting eastern section of the chancel was added in 1926-8 in 15th century style, but has plain, almost flat buttresses topped by small gables characteristic of Nicholson's style and distinctly 20th century. It is slightly higher than the medieval chancel and has matching clerestory windows and a chequered parapet. The Perpendicular-style east window, enlarged from three lights to five by Blomfield, was reused by Nicholson.

The north side of the chancel is dominated by a large two-storeyed complex of vestries, former chapter house and song school in flint with Tudor-style windows. These lead off the north transept added in 1879 by Blomfield. The core was built to designs by Nicholson in 1929, with additions by Andrew Murdoch of 2003-4. The 19th century outer north aisle is shorter at the west than the inner north aisle, and has three large late Perpendicular-style windows in square frames and a north door with a gabled hoodmould. The west bay of the inner north aisle is mixed flint and early brick, with a window similar to those in the outer north aisle.

Interior

The four-bay nave arcades have lozenge-shaped piers and fine mouldings, 15th century in origin but much rebuilt in the early 19th century. The south arcade piers are Coade stone above the bases. The outer north aisle by Chancellor is similar but has bolder capitals. The Tudor Gothic nave ceiling, painted and gilded in 1961 by Stephen Dykes Bower, is by Johnson and has rose-window roundels. The ribs are supported by female figures between the windows. The nave aisle roofs are 1899, based on 15th century fragments. A small balcony above the south door leads into the upper chamber above the south porch, added by Chancellor.

The tall 15th century tower arch stands at the west end, where the tower is enclosed within the nave and opens into bays continuing the aisles on the north and south sides. The 15th century chancel arch has slender octagonal shafts on the responds. The three-bay chancel arcades are early 15th century but differ from north to south. On the south side are three bays with depressed arches. On the north the western two bays, leading into the north transept, are enclosed within a large round outer arch and have pierced tracery infill in the spandrel. The eastern arch is separated from the others by a length of walling. A 15th century arch leads from the north transept into the north east chapel. The north transept window is blocked but retains its tracery. The north transept has a 19th century hammerbeam roof. The 20th century chancel extension projects beyond the chapels. The 19th century arch-braced chancel roof sits on posts descending to a string course below the clerestory; the 20th century sanctuary roof is similar but also has collars and stone shafts descending to the floor. The whole was painted and gilded by Stephen Dykes Bower in 1957.

Furnishings and Fittings

The church was refurnished and reordered in 1983-4 by Robert Potter, when many 19th and early 20th century fittings were removed. Fittings of this date include a Westmorland slate font on a bronze base, Westmorland slate altar designed by Potter, Westmorland slate cathedra by John Skelton, screens to north west and south west chapels, and steel and bronze ambos by Guiseppe Lund. A multi-coloured silk patchwork hanging of 1982 by Beryl Dean hangs under the east window. Light oak choir stalls date from 1957. On the blocked north transept window is a painted Tree of Life by Mark Cazalet, 2004. Sculptures include a Pieta (The Bombed Child) in the south west chapel by Georg Erlich, Christ the Healer in the north west chapel also by Erlich, Madonna and Child by Peter Ball, and Christus by Thomas Huxley-Jones. Above the chancel arch is Christus Rex, also by Ball.

The church contains very good 19th and 20th century glass. The east window of 1859 by Clayton and Bell was enlarged in 1878, also by Clayton and Bell, who made two windows in the former south chapel. In the south aisle west of the porch is glass by Henry Holiday, 1905-6. The chancel clerestory windows are by A O Hemming, 1906-7. Four windows in the nave are by Archibald Keightley Nicholson after 1927, the west window of south west chapel is also by Nicholson as a war memorial, and the east window of the north (Mildmay) chapel is by A K Nicholson studios, 1950-1, replacing bomb-damaged glass. The figure of St Peter is by John Hutton, 1969.

Monuments

There are some good monuments. In the north transept is a monument to Thomas (died 1566) and Avice Mildmay (died 1557), erected 1571, an unusual standing wall monument with an ogee head with strapwork. The base has three panels showing the husband and sons in one, the wife and daughters in another, and their arms in the centre. In the south chancel chapel is Matthew Rudd (died 1615), an incised mural slab attributed to Francis Grigs with an upright skeleton between the figures. In the north east (Mildmay) chapel is Earl Fitzwalter (Benjamin Mildmay), died 1756, a large standing wall monument with a large urn in a pedimented niche flanked by cherubs and Corinthian columns of Siena marble, signed by James Lovell. In the chancel is a standing figure within a 17th century style niche (all in limestone) to J E Watts-Ditchfield, died 1923, first bishop of Chelmsford, by John Walker. The south chapel contains Mary Marsh, died 1757, attributed to Henry Cheere, and J P Tindal, died 1797 at the Battle of Camperdown on board HMS Monarch, shown in relief at the base of the slab. In the nave is Evelyn, Lady Rayleigh, died 1934 by C d'O Pilkington Jackson. In the outer north aisle is Robert Bownd, died 1696, a fine wall tablet with Ionic columns, flaming urns and flower garlands.

Historical Context

St Mary's was the parish church of Chelmsford, said to have been founded at the same time as the town around 1200. The church was wholly rebuilt in the 15th century, probably in several phases, and all traces of any earlier work are lost. It was damaged during the Civil War when the east window was smashed. It was restored and enlarged in the 19th century to meet the needs of Chelmsford's growing population. In 1914 it became the cathedral of the new diocese of Chelmsford. Various schemes for enlarging the new cathedral were proposed, and the main additions were the complex of vestries including former chapter house to the north and the enlargement of the chancel. Sir Charles Nicholson's work is a notable episode in his important career. The cathedral was refurnished in the early 1980s to meet changing liturgical needs that demanded more flexible liturgical space. In 1990 a new chapter house was built on a different site, and the former chapter house adjacent to the north transept was converted into a song school.