Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Peter
and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity
Gloucester Cathedral is located in Gloucester Central
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Shown within Gloucester
51°52′03″N 2°14′48″W / 51.8675°N 2.246667°W / 51.8675; -2.246667
LocationGloucester, Gloucestershire
Country England
DenominationChurch of England
Previous denominationRoman Catholic
Websitegloucestercathedral.org.uk
History
StatusActive
DedicationSt Peter
Holy Trinity
Consecrated15 July 1100
Architecture
Functional statusFormerly abbey, dissolved 1540. Cathedral since 1541.
Heritage designationGrade I listed building
StyleRomanesque, Gothic
Groundbreaking1089
Completed1482[1]
Specifications
Length426 ft 6 in (130.00 m)
Nave length174 ft (53 m)[2]
Choir length140 ft (43 m)[2]
Nave width34 ft (10 m)[2]
Width across transepts144 ft (44 m)
Nave height68 ft (21 m)[2]
Choir height86 ft (26 m)[2]
Number of towers1
Tower height225 ft (69 m)
Administration
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseGloucester (since 1541)
Clergy
Bishop(s)Rachel Treweek
DeanAndrew Zihni
PrecentorCraig Huxley-Jones
ChancellorRebecca Lloyd
Canon(s)Nikki Arthy (City Rector)
ArchdeaconHilary Dawson
Laity
Director of musicAdrian Partington
Organist(s)Jonathan Hope
Chapter clerkTheo Platt (COO)
Lay member(s) of chapterCanon Peter Clark, Canon John Coates, Canon Paul Mason[3][4]
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameCathedral Church of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity
Designated23 January 1952
Reference no.1245952

Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster, Gloucester Abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter and founded by Osric, King of the Hwicce, in around 679.

The subsequent history of the church is complex; Osric's foundation came under the control of the Benedictine Order at the beginning of the 11th century and in around 1058, Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester, established a new abbey "a little further from the place where it had stood". The abbey appears not to have been an initial success, by 1072, the number of attendant monks had reduced to two. The present building was begun by Abbott Serlo in about 1089, following a major fire the previous year. Serlo's efforts transformed the abbey's fortunes; rising revenues and royal patronage enabled the construction of a major church. William the Conqueror held his Christmas Court at the chapter house in 1085, at which he ordered the compilation of Domesday Book. In October 1216, Henry III was crowned at the abbey.

After another disastrous fire in 1222, an ambitious rebuilding programme was begun. In the 14th century, the Great and Little Cloisters were constructed, displaying the earliest, and perhaps the finest, examples of fan vaulting anywhere. The cathedral contains the shrine of Edward II, who was murdered at nearby Berkeley Castle. Following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536, the abbey was refounded as a cathedral. The cathedral underwent much restoration in the 18th century, and again in the 19th. In 1989, it celebrated its 900th anniversary. In 2015, the installation of Rachel Treweek saw the Church of England appoint its first woman as a diocesan bishop. The cathedral has frequently been used as a filming location, including as a stand-in for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.

The cathedral is a Grade I listed building. There are a large number of other listed buildings within the cathedral complex, many also listed at Grade I, the highest grade. These include the Treasury, the Chapter House, the Cloisters, the precinct wall and a number of the medieval gates into the cathedral enclosure. Others are listed at Grade II* and Grade II.

  1. ^ Heighway 2003, p. 48.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Plan of Gloucester Cathedral". Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Governance". Gloucester Cathedral Website. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Appointments". Church Times. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.