Cathedral Church Of St Saviour And St Mary Overie (Southwark Cathedral)

Medieval Augustinian priory of St Mary Overie, now an Anglican cathedral since 1905. The original 12th-century church was damaged by fire in 1212 and rebuilt from 1220. The east front, choir and retrochoir date from 1214–1260. The choir ceiling and tower pinnacles were added by George Gwilt Junior between 1818 and 1827; the transepts were altered in 1830 by Robert Wallace. The nave was replaced in 1839–40 by Henry Rose and again in 1890–97 by Sir Arthur Blomfield in 13th-century style.

The building is constructed of knapped flint with stone dressing; the tower and transepts are of ashlar. The plan is cruciform with a central crossing, north and south transepts, a central tower, a seven-bay nave, a five-bay presbytery, and a three-bay ambulatory at the east end.

The lower stage of the tower is attributed to Henry Yvele and dates to the 14th century. The two upper stages are 14th to 15th century, each with two-light transomed windows on all faces. Early 19th-century pinnacles were added by Gwilt. The five-bay east arm features a clerestory, east window, and flying buttresses, with Gwilt's 14th-century additions. Remains of the 12th-century church survive in the north wall of the north transept. The main entrance is the south-west door.

The interior contains several periods of work. The north wall of the nave (north aisle) preserves door jambs of late 12th-century date. Arcading at the west end of the south wall is probably of similar date. The east chapel has piers with scalloped imposts of late 12th-century date, supporting two plain round-headed arches.

The choir is 13th century, with a three-storey elevation comprising a low arcade with alternating circular and octagonal piers with attached shafts, and an arcaded wall passage of four even arches between the arcade and clerestory. Moulded capitals run throughout. Single lancet windows fill the clerestory and a wall passage runs behind a stepped triplet arch. The quadripartite vaults and clerestory were rebuilt by Gwilt with cast-iron roof trusses above. Grouped lancet windows on the east wall are by Gwilt.

The retrochoir was probably completed by 1260. It comprises four aisles of three bays with six piers having four shafts 'en delit'. The inner aisles are taller than the outer ones. The bases are 13th-century double roll, with dogtooth patterning in east lancets. The north and south retrochoir wall windows alternate between bar tracery and lancets. The tracery windows are of three lights, the central one taller with three unfoiled circles above. Nook shafts display stiffleaf foliage. The retrochoir was restored by Gwilt. The easternmost window of the north side is a 14th-century Decorated replacement. Blind 14th-century tracery appears on the west wall. The crossing piers towards the nave and east arm have unmoulded 12th-century arches east and west predating the fire. The later north and south arches rest on grouped shafts, with an arcaded passage of the later 14th century on all four sides above.

The north transept is two-storey without a triforium, featuring a clerestory with wall passage and windows of one or two lights. Vaulting shafts are of Purbeck marble. The four-light north window dates to 1830 and was designed by Wallace. The south transept is 15th-century Decorated style, with vaults and south window by Blomfield. The upper lights of the three-light windows contain concave hexagons. The nave is wholly of 1890–97, except for 12th-century remains and east responds. A Chapter House containing offices and restaurant was designed by Ronald Sims in 1988.

The fittings are substantial. Late medieval nave ceiling bosses have been remounted and gilded by George Pace. The east or Harvard Chapel is mostly by Blomfield, 1907. A spired tabernacle by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, of painted and gilded stone and plaster, dates to 1851. A painting of the 'Pieta' by Garofalo is 16th century. At the west end stands a black marble font with a towering wooden cover by George Bodley. A brass chandelier in the crossing dates to 1680. The north transept contains a Lord Mayor's sword rest of wood from 1674, originally from St Olave. The choir and sanctuary feature an early 16th-century stone reredos on the east wall given by Bishop Fox (died 1526) and restored in 1833 by Wallace, with statues by Nicholls of Kennington, 1905. A 20th-century High altar retable is by Sir Ninian Comper. The lectern, pulpit and stalls are from the 1890s. The retrochoir contains an Elizabethan or 'Nonesuch' chest in the north choir aisle, a gift of Alderman Hugh Offley around 1588. 20th-century altars and screens are by Sir Ninian Comper.

Monuments are extensive. The east end of the north aisle contains a monument to John Gower, 'famous English Poet', died 1408. The east end of the south aisle has a monument to Shakespeare from 1911 by H. W. McCarthy. The north transept west wall displays a Joyce Austin monument by Nicholas Stone from 1633; the north wall contains monuments to Lionel Lockyer (died 1672) and Richard Blisse (died 1703). The north choir aisle has a wall monument to John Trahearne (died 1618) and the tomb of Alderman Richard Humble (died 1616). A wooden effigy of a knight dates to around 1280. The retrochoir contains a grave slab to Aleyn Farthing from the 13th century with Lombardic lettering in the third bay from the north. The south choir aisle contains the tomb of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes (died 1626) by Gerard Janssen with a canopy by Blomfield and colouring by Comper, and the tomb of Edward Talbot (died 1934), first Bishop of Southwark (1905–11) by Cecil Thomas. A Greek tablet to Abraham Newland from 1807 by John Soane is on the south wall. A fragment of Roman mosaic is set into the floor at the steps to the south transept. The south transept contains a west side wall monument to William Emerson (died 1575) and a monument to John Bingham (died 1625) by Janssen. A tablet to Reverend Thomas Jones (died 1770) by William Tyler is on the south wall. A monument to Richard Benefield shows mid-17th-century costume. To the left is a wall monument to Thomas Cole (died 1715). Bishop Beaufort's arms with cardinal's hat (conferred 1426) are displayed between the east wall arches.

The organ case was designed by Blomfield in 1897. The stained glass includes work by John Lafarge in the Harvard Chapel from 1907; a 'Creation' window by Henry Holiday from 1893 in the west; work by Kempe in the north aisle from 1900; two lancets by Powell of Whitefriars in the north choir aisle from 1865 and 1867; a stained-glass window above the altar screen 'Lord in Glory' from 1950 by Comper in the choir; a Martyr Window from the 1890s by Kempe at the east end of the north wall; and a window of the 1920s by Laurence Lee to Thomas Francis Rider, Blomfield's builder, to the south. In the churchyard stands the tomb of George Gwilt Junior (died 1856). 19th-century stone gate piers with Gothic Revival caps remain in the churchyard.