The cloisters on the south side, and the bishop’s palace and grounds on the north, and other premises, shut out from public view most of the exterior, except the west front. A fine view of the splendid effect, produced by a series of unbroken lines, may be obtained opposite the south transept, where the whole pile, comprising the transept, tower, and spire, blend themselves into one harmonious whole. The interior from the west front entrance presents a most imposing appearance, and when surveying the vast length of the nave, we feel that our forefathers
“Builded better than they knew,
Unconscious stones to beauty grew.”
We shall first give, in as complete a manner as our limited space will permit, a sketch of the foundation and progress of the edifice, the erection of which occupied a century, and then we shall describe its different parts, exterior and interior, including the nave, the screen, the choir, the transepts, and the cloisters.
The original structure was begun in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, the first bishop of the diocese. The portions he built comprise the choir, with the aisles surrounding it, the chapels of Jesus and St. Luke, and the central tower with the episcopal palace on the north side of the church, and a monastery on the south. Bishop Eborard, the successor of Herbert, added the nave and its two aisles, from the ante-choir or rood loft, to the west end. The building, as left by Eborard, remained till 1171, when it sustained some damage by fire, but was repaired by Bishop John de Oxford, about 1197, who also added some alms houses to the monastery. The Lady chapel at the east end, which has long since been destroyed, was the next addition to the building, and was erected by Walter de Suffield, the tenth bishop, who filled the See from 1244 to 1257.
In the year 1271, the tower was greatly injured by lightning during divine service, and in 1272 the whole church was damaged considerably, in the violent warfare which was at that time carried on between the monks and the citizens; but in 1278, having been repaired, the church was again consecrated by William de Middleton on the day he was enthroned Bishop of Norwich, in the presence of King Edward I. and Eleanor his queen, the Bishops of London, Hereford, and Waterford, and many lords and knights. We can now form no idea of the grandeur of such a ceremony in that age.
The tower having been much injured and weakened by fire, a new one, according to Blomefield, was begun and finished by Bishop Ralph de Walpole; but this, says Britton, more properly applies to the spire, the style of which, rather than of the tower, corresponds with that period. Bishop Walpole ruled the diocese from 1289 to 1299. Before his translation to Ely, which took place in the latter year, he commenced the cloister at the north-east angle, and built the chapter house. He only completed a small portion of the east aisles. The chapter house has since been destroyed. The rest of the cloister was built by Richarde de Uppenhall, Bishop Salmon, Henry de Will, John de Hancock, Bishop Wakering, Jeffery, Symonds, and others, and was completed A.D. 1430, in the 133rd year from the first commencement of the work.
In January, 1362, the spire was blown down, and the choir thereby much injured; but under the auspices of Bishop Percy, the present spire was erected and the choir repaired. In 1629, the upper part of the spire was again blown down, and in 1633, at a general chapter, it was ordered to be repaired. In 1843, seven feet were added to its elevation, with the present finial which formed a consistent termination to the crockets.
In 1463, the church was much injured by fire, the wood work in the interior of the tower having been ignited by lightning. Under Bishop Lyhart, however, it was again repaired and ornamented. The splendid stone roof of the nave was added, the cathedral was paved, and a tomb was erected over the founder, which was afterwards demolished during the great rebellion. About the year 1488, Bishop Goldwell built the roof of the choir of similar but inferior work to that of the nave, adding the upper windows and flying buttresses. He also fitted up the choir and the chapels around it, and covered the arched stone work with lead. In 1509 the transepts having been much injured by fire, Bishop Nykke repaired them, adding stone roofs to them in the same manner as the rest of the church.
At the dissolution of the monasteries, the cathedral suffered greatly from the zeal of the Reformers, much curious work being destroyed; and several obnoxious crucifixes, images, niches, tabernacles, and paintings, were removed. In 1643, the fanatics took possession of the church and the adjoining palace, and plundered them of all that was valuable. The Yarmouth people being in want of a workhouse, sent a petition to the Lord Protector, praying that “that great useless pile, the cathedral, might be pulled down, and the stones given them to build a workhouse.” Of course the petition was not granted. Soon after the restoration, the church was fitted up again. In 1740, the nave and aisles were newly paved, the tower was repaired, and the church cleaned. In 1763, the floor of the choir was again repaved, the stalls repaired and painted, and other improvements made, not always in harmony with the original structure.
The edifice was extended, embellished, altered, and repaired by many bishops and by wealthy families till it was completed about 1500. Alternate dilapidations and restorations followed. The dilapidations were sometimes sudden, sometimes gradual, and the restorations have continued at frequent intervals almost to the present day. The entire pile was repaired and beautified on an extensive scale in 1806–7. The decayed ornaments of the west front were restored, and many improvements in other parts were effected in 1818 and following years. The south front was renovated, and several houses which had stood against the walls were removed in 1831. The entire fabric was again restored, on the plan of Edward Blore, about 1840–3; and some portions were repaired, some embellishments were added, and some interesting ancient features were brought into view between the years 1843 and 1868.
The pile as it now stands, comprises a nave of fourteen bays with aisles, a transept of three bays in each wing, a central tower, a steeple, an apsidal sacristy on the north-east side, a choir of four bays with aisles, an apsidal end, and a procession path; also three chapels, in the south side, the north-east side, and south-east side; and a cloister with each alley of eleven panes to the south of the nave. The dimensions of the Cathedral as taken from actual measurement are as follows:—
| Feet. | Inches. | |
| Length of church | 407 | 0 |
| ,, nave to choir screen | 204 | 0 |
| ,, choir from screen | 183 | 0 |
| ,, roof of nave | 251 | 0 |
| ,, transept | 178 | 0 |
| Breadth of nave and aisles | 72 | 0 |
| ,, choir from back of stalls | 27 | 1 |
| ,, aisles of choir | 15 | 0 |
| Height of spire from ground | 315 | 0 |
| ,, tower | 140 | 5 |
| ,, spire from tower |