Southwark Cathedral

 NAVE
 

[Home]  [Search]  [E-mail]

* Explore

Nave
Arcade
Marchioness Memorial
Roof bosses
Norman door
Gower Tomb
Hollar Memorial
Shakespeare Memorial
Wanamaker Memorial

Crossing and Transepts

Choir and Retro-Choir

Many visitors fail to realise that the Nave is a comparatively recent addition to the Cathedral. Begun in 1890, as part of the process of turning the church into a Cathedral, it replaced an inadequate and poorly built nave. This, in turn, had replaced a nave that had become unsafe and had to be demolished between 1831 and 1838.

The present design by Sir Arthur Blomfield harmonises well with the older parts of the building. The restored Nave contained a set of windows by E W Kemp but those on the southern side were destroyed by a bomb in 1940. The west window was designed by Henry Holiday.

Nave looking east
Nave looking east
[enlarge]

The demolition of the Nave began on August 31st 1831 when builders began removing its roof, which had been found to be unsafe. The fate of the nave was sealed on June 1st 1836 when a meeting saw 253 people vote to restore the nave and 431 for an amendment that proposed the building of a new Nave. After the vote it was reported that many felt cheated into voting for its preservation by unrealistically high estimates of what it would cost to replace the structure. In reality a poorly built structure was built and lasted 50 years. 

The new Nave was begun on 24th July 1890 and opened on 16th February 1897. The Prince of Wales was amongst the congregation who listened to the Bishop of Winchester preach on the devils of vice, ignorance, misery, poverty and discontent, saying that they could only be cast out by prayer.

Sadly, on the date of the opening ceremony £40,000 had been spent, but once again there had been a shortfall in income and another £7,000 was needed to meet all the debts incurred.

Nave looking west
Nave looking west
[enlarge]

Within the Nave traces of the older churches can be seen. In the south aisle there remain traces of the thirteenth-century arcading, while in the north aisle are the remains of two Norman doorways. The north aisle also contains the colourful medieval canopied tomb of John Gower (? - 1408). Gower was the first English poet, court poet to Richard II and Henry IV and a close friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. A recumbent effigy of Gower adorns the tomb, his head resting on copies of his three greatest works.

At the rear of the Nave will be found the Marchioness memorial to the 51 victims who drowned when a pleasure boat sank in the Thames in 1989.

[Previous]  [Next]
© 1999 Diocese of Southwark
Last updated: 20/06/07
Webmaster