Exeter Cathedral facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Exeter Cathedral
Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter

Exeter Cathedral Location in Exeter Central
50°43′21″N 03°31′47″W / 50.72250°N 3.52972°W / 50.72250; -3.52972
Location	Exeter, Devon
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Anglo-Catholic
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Previous cathedrals	2
Style	Norman, Gothic
Years built	1112–1400
Specifications
Length	383 feet (117 m)
Bells	15 (12 + 2 + Bourdon)
Tenor bell weight	3,684 kilograms (8,122 lb)
Administration
Diocese	Exeter (since 1050)
Province	Canterbury

Exeter Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is a large Anglican church. It is the main church for the Bishop of Exeter and is located in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The building we see today was mostly finished by the year 1400. It has many cool features, like some of the oldest wooden carvings called misericords, a special astronomical clock, and the longest medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world that isn't broken up by towers.

History of Exeter Cathedral
Architecture and Design
Cool Features Inside
Music at Exeter Cathedral
- Choir
- Organists
- Organ
Wildlife in the Walls
Images for kids
See also

History of Exeter Cathedral

The cathedral in 1830

A painting of a sermon inside Exeter Cathedral by Thomas Rowlandson

Inside the cathedral, showing the amazing vaulted ceiling

The land where Exeter Cathedral stands today was once home to Roman buildings. Between 50 and 75 AD, a Roman army fort was built here. In 1971, archaeologists even found a Roman bathhouse!

Building the First Cathedral

The first cathedral in Exeter was dedicated to Saint Peter in 1050. The bishop's main church was moved here from Crediton because people were worried about attacks from the sea. A smaller Saxon church, dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Peter, was used by Bishop Leofric. However, church services were often held outdoors, near where the cathedral is now.

In 1107, William Warelwast became bishop. He decided to build a brand new cathedral in the Norman style. Construction officially began in 1133, but it took many more years to finish.

The Gothic Rebuild

A close-up of the vaulted ceiling

By 1258, when Walter Bronescombe became bishop, the Norman building was already considered old-fashioned. So, they decided to rebuild it in the Decorated Gothic style, similar to Salisbury.

Even though they rebuilt it, many parts of the original Norman building were kept. This includes the two huge square towers and some of the walls. The new cathedral was built using only local stone, including Purbeck Marble. The main part of the new cathedral was completed around 1400. Later, a chapter house and special chantry chapels were added.

Troubled Times

Like many English cathedrals, Exeter Cathedral faced challenges during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500s. It also suffered damage during the Civil War, when its cloisters (covered walkways) were destroyed. After King Charles II returned to power, a new pipe organ was built by John Loosemore.

During the Second World War, Exeter was a target for German air raids. On May 4, 1942, a large bomb hit the chapel of St James, destroying it completely. Parts of the aisle and flying buttresses were also ruined. Luckily, many important items like old glass, the misericords, and precious documents had been moved to safety before the attack.

Architecture and Design

The flag of Exeter Cathedral, flown from the North Tower

The South Tower of Exeter Cathedral, around 1800-1830

The Norman cathedral started being built in 1112. The choir, transept, and first two sections of the nave were probably done by 1133. You can still see parts of the Norman building in the huge transept towers. By 1160, the nave and west front were finished.

In the 1270s, a new project began to replace the entire east end of the church. This work moved slowly, with the choir and other sections being built in the 1290s. The original choir had two levels, but it was later changed to three.

The architecture of Exeter Cathedral looks very smooth and connected. This is because of the continuous tierceron vaults that stretch from one end to the other. Even though the sections are different sizes, the overall design is based on a pattern of nine parts.

Cool Features Inside

Exeter Cathedral has many interesting things to see inside. These include the misericords, the minstrels' gallery, the astronomical clock, and the organ. The multi-ribbed ceiling and the strong pillars in the nave are also impressive.

The bishop's throne in the choir is 18-metre-high (59 ft) and was made from Devon oak wood between 1312 and 1316. The Great East Window has a lot of original 14th-century glass. There are also over 400 carved stone decorations called ceiling bosses. One of them shows the murder of Thomas Becket. These bosses are at the top of the vaulted ceiling, connecting the ribs. Because there is no central tower, Exeter Cathedral has the longest uninterrupted medieval vaulted ceiling in the world, stretching about 96 m (315 ft).

The nave looking towards the organ
The choir looking towards the Lady Chapel
The Great East Window
The West Window
Myles Coverdale

Misericords

One of the misericords, showing a pipe and tabor player

The fifty misericords (small wooden ledges on the underside of choir stalls) are the oldest complete set in the United Kingdom. They were carved between 1220 and 1260. One of them even shows the earliest known wooden carving of an elephant in the UK!

Minstrels' Gallery

The Minstrels' Gallery

The minstrels' gallery in the nave was built around 1360. It's special because it's the only one of its kind in English cathedrals. The front of the gallery is decorated with 12 carved and painted angels. These angels are playing medieval musical instruments like the gittern, bagpipe, shawm, vielle, harp, jew's harp, trumpet, organ, citole, recorder, tambourine, and cymbals.

Astronomical Clock

The astronomical clock; the upper minute dial was added later.

The Exeter Cathedral Astronomical Clock is one of several famous old clocks in the west of England. Others can be found at Wells and Ottery St Mary.

The main, lower dial is the oldest part, from 1484. A hand shaped like a fleur-de-lys points to the hour on a 24-hour analogue dial. A silver ball on the inner dial shows the age and phase of the moon. The upper dial, added in 1760, shows the minutes.

Below the clock, there's a door with a round hole. This hole was cut in the 1600s so the bishop's cat could get in! The cat's job was to catch mice and other pests that were attracted to the animal fat used to lubricate the clock.

Library

The Lady Chapel, where the library used to be

The Lady Chapel east window, replaced after WWII

Exeter Cathedral's library started with Bishop Leofric (1050–1072), who gave 66 books to the cathedral. Only one of these, the Exeter Book of Anglo-Saxon poetry, is still in the library today. Many other books were lost or given away over the centuries.

In 1412–13, a new reading room was built for the books. Some books were repaired and even chained to desks to keep them safe. By 1506, the library had over 530 titles.

During the 1600s, some books were lost when the cathedral's buildings were taken away. However, many were saved by Dr. Robert Vilvaine, who had them moved to a hospital. Later, he provided money to turn the Lady chapel into a new library, and the books were brought back.

Today, the library has a good collection of old medical books. The most decorated manuscript in the library is a psalter (a book of psalms) from the early 13th century. The oldest printed book in the library is just a single page from Cicero's De officiis, printed in 1465–66.

Bells

The South Tower, where the 12 bells hang

Both of the cathedral's towers have bells. The North Tower holds a huge 80-hundredweight (4.1-tonne) bell called Peter. Peter used to swing, but now it is only chimed (rung without swinging).

The South Tower has the second heaviest set of 12 bells in the world that are rung for change ringing (a special way of ringing bells in a sequence). Only Liverpool Cathedral has heavier bells. There are also two extra bells that play half-notes.

Music at Exeter Cathedral

The College of Vicars’ Choral, Exeter, an old painting

Choir

The Exeter Cathedral Choir has 38 Choristers (boys and girls). It also includes Choral Scholars and Lay Vicars, who are adult singers. There's also a volunteer choir called the St Peter's Singers, which started in 1881.

Organists

Many famous musicians have been organists at Exeter Cathedral. These include Samuel Sebastian Wesley, a Victorian composer and grandson of Charles Wesley, who wrote many hymns. Ernest Bullock and Thomas Armstrong were also notable organists. The current Director of Music, Timothy Noon, started in 2016.

Organ

The 17th-century organ case

The cathedral organ sits on a beautiful medieval screen, separating the quire (where the choir sings) from the nave (the main part of the church). The first organ was built by John Loosemore in 1665. It was rebuilt by Henry Willis in 1891 and again by Harrison & Harrison in 1931.

The largest pipes, which play very low notes, are located inside the south transept. The organ also has one of only three special "trompette militaire" stops in the country. These are housed in the minstrels' gallery and create a very powerful, trumpet-like sound.

In 2013, the organ began a big refurbishment project by Harrison & Harrison. The work involved completely overhauling and redesigning the inside of the organ. It was finished in October 2014, and the organ was put back together.

Wildlife in the Walls

The outer walls of Exeter Cathedral are home to a special type of spider called the Segestria florentina, also known as the tube web spider. These spiders are easy to spot because of their shiny green fangs! The walls are made of stone that develops cracks and crevices, which are perfect hiding spots for these spiders and other small creatures.