Norwich Cathedral: Nine centuries of change
The Dean & Chapter of Norwich Cathedral, Chapter Office, 65 The Close, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 4DH
How those changes show themselves today’s cathedral will be explored in this tour.
Constant change – a concept outlined by Greek philosopher Heraclitus some 2500 years ago - is true of Christianity since its very beginnings, and is also true of the buildings used for Christian worship.
Norwich Cathedral built between 1096-1145 as the Mother Church for the see of Norfolk and as the church for the 60 or so Benedictine monks in the adjoining monastery, has seen change thrust upon it from many sources.
The English Reformation had an enormous effect on the cathedral: worship changed as did the fabric of the cathedral, impacted by how the cathedral was used. Equally, destruction due to natural and human events, advances in construction techniques and new materials resulted in significant transformations within the fabric of the building.
Today’s cathedral is full of visual examples of the many events that have affected what we see when we take tour. Door frames within door frames highlight different periods of architecture; ruins show us chapels that became redundant and stark differences in window traceries pinpoint the cessation of building due to the encroachment of the Black Death into Norwich.
Whilst Norwich Cathedral has remained a constant place of worship for over 900 years; it also provides numerous visual examples of architectural changes affected by external influences during those 900 years.
The Dean & Chapter of Norwich Cathedral, Chapter Office, 65 The Close, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 4DH
Disabled parking must be pre-booked by telephoning 01603 218300.