Chichester Cathedral

Chichester Cathedral
Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity
Chichester Cathedral is located in West Sussex
Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
GB-WSX 50°50′11″N 0°46′51″W / 50.8363°N 0.7808°W / 50.8363; -0.7808
LocationChichester, West Sussex
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationChurch of England
Previous denominationRoman Catholicism
Websitechichestercathedral.org.uk
History
Consecrated1108
Architecture
StyleNorman, Gothic
Specifications
Length408 ft (124 m)[1]
Width157 ft (48 m)[1]
Height61 ft (19 m)[1]
Spire height277 ft (84 m)[1]
Administration
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseChichester
Clergy
ArchbishopJustin Welby
Bishop(s)Martin Warner
Deanvacant
Precentorvacant
ChancellorJack Dunn
TreasurerVanessa Baron
Laity
Director of musicCharles Harrison
Organist(s)Timothy Ravalde

Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of the bishop was moved from Selsey.[2]

Chichester Cathedral has fine architecture in both the Norman and the Gothic styles, and has been described by the architectural critic Ian Nairn as "the most typical English Cathedral".[3] Despite this, Chichester has two architectural features that are unique among England's medieval cathedrals—a free-standing medieval bell tower (or campanile) and double aisles.[4] The cathedral contains two rare medieval sculptures, and many modern art works including tapestries, stained glass and sculpture, many of these commissioned by Walter Hussey (Dean, 1955–1977).[2]

The city of Chichester, though it retains two main cross streets laid out by the Romans, has always been small enough for the city's entire population to fit inside the cathedral at once, causing Daniel Defoe to comment:

I cannot say much of Chichester, in which, if six or seven good families were removed, there would not be much conversation, except what is to be found among the canons, and the dignitaries of the cathedral.[5]

The spire of Chichester Cathedral is the third tallest in England and acts as a landmark for travellers. It is the only spire from a medieval English cathedral that is visible from the sea.[6][a]. Its green copper roof (installed after WWII) was replaced in an extensive roof renovation programme in the early 2020s, with grey lead coverings of the thickest type available - each panel weighs around 75kg (12 stone). Unlike the copper coverings, these will give better protection from the coastal weather. [8]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference JH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Tim Tatton-Brown and John Crook, The English Cathedral, New Holland (2002), ISBN 1-84330-120-2
  3. ^ Nikolaus Pevsner and Ian Nairn, Buildings of England: Sussex, Penguin Books (1965) (now published by Yale University Press) ISBN 0-300-09677-1
  4. ^ Alec Clifton-Taylor, The Cathedrals of England, Thames & Hudson (1967)
  5. ^ Daniel Defoe, A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain (1724)
  6. ^ Pailthorpe, Richard; McGowan, Iain (2000). Chichester : a millennium view. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. p. 5. ISBN 0-471-61372-X.
  7. ^ Pepin, David (2016). Cathedrals of Britain. Oxford: Bloomsbury Shire Publications. pp. 173–176. ISBN 978-1-7844-2049-9.
  8. ^ [[1]


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