Leicester Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England
cathedral
in the English
city of Leicester
, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester
. It is the fourth smallest Anglican cathedral in England.
has been on the site for about a thousand years, being first recorded in 1086, when the older Saxon
church was replaced by a Norman
one. The present building dates to about that age, with the addition of a spire, and various restorations throughout the years. Most of what can be seen today is a Victorian restoration
by architect Raphael Brandon. The cathedral of the former Anglo-Saxon diocese of Leicester was on a different site.
A memorial stone to King Richard III
is located in the chancel of the church. He is not actually buried there, having been originally buried in the Greyfriars Church in Leicester. According to local tradition his corpse was exhumed under orders from Henry VII
and cast into the River Soar
.
The church was elevated to a Collegiate Church
in 1922, and made a cathedral
in 1927, following the establishment of a new Diocese of Leicester
in 1926.
The East Window was installed as a monument to those that died in World War I
. Its traditional style and masterful use of reds sets the whole cathedral ablaze with light in the mornings. The highest window contains a sun-like orb with cherubs radiating away from it. In the centre Jesus
sits holding a starry heaven in one hand with one foot on a bloody hell. Surrounding Jesus are eight Angels whose wings are made from a red glass. To the far right stands St Martin, who stands on the tail of a dragon. The dragon goes behind Jesus and can be seen re-emerging under the feet of St George who stands on its head. On the bottom row can be seen from left St Joan of Arc
, Mary, Jesus with crying angels, Mary Magdalene
, James
and finally St Martin of Tours
. A World War I soldier can be found in this window.
The cathedral has had a major interior and exterior tower and spire restoration from 2004 to 2005. The main work was to clean and replace any weak stonework with replacement stone quarried from Tyne Valley. The cost was up to £600,000, some of which was donated by the English Heritage
and the public.
Leicester Cathedral has close links with Leicester Grammar School
as it used to be located directly next to it. Morning assemblies would take place each week on different days depending on the school's year groups, and services were attended by its pupils. The relationship continues despite the school's move to Great Glen
, about seven miles south of Leicester.
s being rung on special days. The tenor bell weighs 25-0-20. List of inscriptions in notes:
in 1873 and since then has been rebuilt by Harrison and Harrison in 1929 and 1972. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
city of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester
Bishop of Leicester
The Bishop of Leicester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Leicester in the Province of Canterbury.The first bishops of Leicester were originally prelates who administered an Anglo-Saxon diocese between the 7th and 9th centuries...
. It is the fourth smallest Anglican cathedral in England.
History
A church dedicated to St MartinMartin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
has been on the site for about a thousand years, being first recorded in 1086, when the older Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
church was replaced by a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
one. The present building dates to about that age, with the addition of a spire, and various restorations throughout the years. Most of what can be seen today is a Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
by architect Raphael Brandon. The cathedral of the former Anglo-Saxon diocese of Leicester was on a different site.
A memorial stone to King Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
is located in the chancel of the church. He is not actually buried there, having been originally buried in the Greyfriars Church in Leicester. According to local tradition his corpse was exhumed under orders from Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and cast into the River Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
.
The church was elevated to a Collegiate Church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
in 1922, and made a cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in 1927, following the establishment of a new Diocese of Leicester
Diocese of Leicester
The Diocese of Leicester is a Church of England diocese based in Leicester and including the current county of Leicestershire. The cathedral is Leicester Cathedral, where the Bishop of Leicester has his seat....
in 1926.
The East Window was installed as a monument to those that died in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Its traditional style and masterful use of reds sets the whole cathedral ablaze with light in the mornings. The highest window contains a sun-like orb with cherubs radiating away from it. In the centre Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
sits holding a starry heaven in one hand with one foot on a bloody hell. Surrounding Jesus are eight Angels whose wings are made from a red glass. To the far right stands St Martin, who stands on the tail of a dragon. The dragon goes behind Jesus and can be seen re-emerging under the feet of St George who stands on its head. On the bottom row can be seen from left St Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
, Mary, Jesus with crying angels, Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, James
James
James is a common English surname and given name:* James , the typically masculine first name James* James , various people with the last name JamesJames may also refer to:-People:...
and finally St Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
. A World War I soldier can be found in this window.
The cathedral has had a major interior and exterior tower and spire restoration from 2004 to 2005. The main work was to clean and replace any weak stonework with replacement stone quarried from Tyne Valley. The cost was up to £600,000, some of which was donated by the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and the public.
Leicester Cathedral has close links with Leicester Grammar School
Leicester Grammar School
Leicester Grammar School , is an independent secondary school situated in Great Glen, Leicestershire, England. It was founded in 1981, after the loss of the city's state-funded grammar schools....
as it used to be located directly next to it. Morning assemblies would take place each week on different days depending on the school's year groups, and services were attended by its pupils. The relationship continues despite the school's move to Great Glen
Great Glen
The Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
, about seven miles south of Leicester.
The cathedral bells
The tower of the cathedral has 13 bells (including a peal of 12). These can be heard on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings, with pealPeal
A peal is the name given to a specific type of performance of change ringing. The precise definition of a peal has changed considerably over the years...
s being rung on special days. The tenor bell weighs 25-0-20. List of inscriptions in notes:
The organ
The organ was installed by J. W. Walker & Sons LtdJ. W. Walker & Sons Ltd
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain, and instruments built by Walker are found in...
in 1873 and since then has been rebuilt by Harrison and Harrison in 1929 and 1972. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
The organists
| Year instated | Name |
|---|---|
| 1927 | Gordon Archbold Slater Gordon Archbold Slater Gordon Archbold Slater was an English cathedral organist, who served in Leicester Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral.He was a composer of organ, piano and choral music... |
| 1930 | George Charles Gray George Charles Gray George Charles Gray was an English cathedral organist, who served in Leicester Cathedral.-Background:George Charles Gray was born on 7 October 1897 in Leicester... |
| 1969 | Peter Gilbert White Peter Gilbert White Peter Gilbert White was an English cathedral organist, who served in Leicester Cathedral.-Background:Peter Gilbert White was born on 21 January 1937 in Plymouth and died on 3 April 2007.... |
| 1994 | Jonathan Gregory (formerly organist of St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast St Anne's Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Donegall Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland... ) |
| 2011 | Christopher Johns (formerly Choral Director in the Diocese of Leeds Diocese of Leeds The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite centred around Leeds Cathedral in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which had covered all of Yorkshire... ) |
Assistant organists
- Frederick William Dickerson
- Dennis Arnold Smith 1918 - 1932
- Stanley VannStanley VannWilliam Stanley Vann FRCO, ARCM was an English composer, organist, choral conductor, and choir trainer, primarily in the Anglican cathedral tradition.-Early life:...
1932 - 1933 (later organist of Peterborough CathedralPeterborough CathedralPeterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the...
) - Thomas Bates Wilkinson 1933 - 1938
- Wallace Michael RossWallace Michael RossWallace Michael Ross was the founder of the Derby Bach Choir. He was also the Master of Music at Derby Cathedral, assistant organist at several great English Cathedrals, teacher of languages and music at several schools including Sturgess School in Derby...
1951 - 1954 (later organist of Derby CathedralDerby CathedralThe Cathedral of All Saints , is a cathedral church in the City of Derby, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Derby, and with an area of around is the smallest Anglican cathedral in England.-History:...
) - Sidney Thomas Rudge 1955 - ????
- Robert Prime c.1965(?) - 1973
- Geoffrey Malcolm Herbert Carter 1973 - 1994
- David Cowen 1995 - 1999
- Simon Headley 1999 - current