Ely Cathedral

According to Wikipedia, Ely Cathedral "can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 672 by St Æthelthryth (also called Etheldreda). The earliest parts of the present building date to 1083, and it was granted cathedral status in 1109. Until the Reformation, the cathedral was dedicated to St Etheldreda and St Peter, at which point it was refounded as the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely. It is the cathedral of the Diocese of Ely, which covers most of Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk, Essex, and Bedfordshire. It is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon."

Tea & Croissant

 

 

Speaking of tea, this is how they serve it and almond croissants at The Fitzwilliam. So utterly civilized! :-)

Tea Set

 

 

So utterly civilized!

 

Staffordshire: William Adams, Tunstall, c1799-1800. Blue jasper with white reliefs. -- The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Gold Coin

 

 

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has a wonderful collection of coins from around the world, including this cast replica of a dinner-plate-size (Sorry! Couldn't figure out any way to indicate scale.) 200-muhr gold coin from AD 1654, one of the largest coins ever made.

John the Baptist

Saw this carved alabaster relief of Head of St John on silver salver (15th century), flanked by two angels, in The Fitzwilliam. Painted in red, brown and black and gilded. Probably made in Nottingham, and used for private devotion in a domestic setting (rather than forming part of an altarpiece).

The Fowl Market

 

 

"The Fowl Market" by Frans Snyders at The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

The Fitzwilliam

Spent part of the one day of vocal rest we were given on our tour visiting The Fitzwilliam Museum. Could easily have spent the better part of a week here! 

According to Wikipedia, "The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam (1745–1816), and comprises one of the best collections of antiquities and modern art in western Europe."

Boots

 

 

Boots is essentially the Walgreens of England. I found this one in Cambridge. I was particularly curious about these automated checkout counters.

Prep

After cooking in the copper kettles, the fudge is transferred to this marble table to cool before being cut into individual slices for sale.

Fudgery

There are one or two members of our choir who, for some reason, seem obsessed about fudge. So several of us marched down to a Cambridge "fudgery" where we were very kindly shown how the rich concoction is made, beginning with how the ingredients are heated in copper kettles.

Caffé Nero

Cambridge, England

Not plugging anything here. Just sayin' that Caffés Nero often seemed in just the right places at just the right times.

Chancel

Jesus College Chapel, Cambridge

Interior

Jesus College Chapel ceiling

South window

Solitude

Jesus College Chapel, Cambridge

 

Chapel Notices

It really was an unexpected privilege to be able to visit the Jesus College Chapel on my own in advance of the choir's engagement for evensong. According to Wikipedia, "When founded in 1496, the college consisted of buildings taken over from the Nunnery of St Mary and St Radegund, which was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. The chapel is the oldest university building in Cambridge still in use and predates the foundation of the college by 350 years; it also predates the university by half a century."

Jesus College

One of the rarest, if not THE rarest, moment on our trip was the morning I had free to wander into Cambridge on my own and to explore Jesus College, founded in 1496. Things must have been slow, because as soon as I passed through this impressive entrance, a security guard, hearing that I was there to scope out the place before the choir's evening performance, very generously offered to to give me my own private tour!

Room with a View

After our short stop in Lincoln, the choir pressed on to Cambridge where we stayed at the slightly less glamorous, but nonetheless strategically located, Premier Inn. Didn't make much difference, anyway, as we really only had time to sleep and eat in the hotel. 

I agree, though, along with probably a whole lot of tour organizers, that glamor must sometimes give way to convenience. And the Premier Inn on Newmarket Road could hardly have been more convenient, being within an easy and pleasant one mile walk to Jesus College where we would be singing next. 

View looked much the same whether seen vertically or horizontally. :-)

Steep Hill

Lincoln, England

Lincoln Flowers

Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cloister

Built originally in the 13th century the cloister was rebuilt in 1674 by Sir Christopher Wren during his work on the Lincoln Cathedral.

Lincoln Madonna & Child

Lincoln Cathedral

Limestone

South transept (above) and altar (below).

"Lincoln Cathedral is one of the few English cathedrals built from the rock on which it stands. It is mostly built from Lincolnshire Limestone. The cathedral has owned the existing quarry, on Riseholme Road, Lincoln, since 1876. As of 2016, the quarry was expected to run out of stone in 2021. The cathedral's stonemasons use more than 100 tonnes of stone per year for maintenance and repairs." -- Wikipedia

Lincoln Cathedral

After singing the midday concert at Selby Abbey, we made a stop at Lincoln Cathedral on our way to Cambridge. Lincoln is where the fellow who helped arrange our tour from the England side studied and sang as a student.

"The earliest parts of the current building date to 1072, when bishop Remigius de Fécamp moved his seat from Dorchester on Thames to Lincoln. The building was completed in 1092, but severely damaged in an earthquake in 1185. It was rebuilt over the following centuries in different phases of the Gothic style, with significant surviving parts of the cathedral in Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular." - Wikipedia

Old Sacristy

Robing in Selby Abbey's Old Sacristy before our midday concert.

Selby Abbey

After Ripon, we headed to Selby Abbey for a midday concert.

"The church is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period and although not a cathedral, it is one of the largest. It was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family.

On 31 May 1256, the abbey was bestowed with the grant of a mitre by Pope Alexander IV and from this date was a 'Mitred Abbey'. This privilege fell into abeyance a number of times, but on 11 April 1308, Archbishop William Greenfield confirmed the grant, and Selby remained a 'Mitred Abbey' until the Dissolution of the Monasteries." -- Wikipedia

Verger

So on Sunday morning at Ripon, the verger lined us up in the south transept of the cathedral, then led us in procession to the west end and up the nave to our places behind the low altar. No mean feat considering what a rabble we are normally on Sunday mornings! Maybe that's why he's smiling. :-)

Evensong

The renowned British composer Andrew Carter on the right with the scarf congratulating members of the choir for our performance of his Californian Canticles at evensong.

After evensong in Ripon, it was a quick bus trip back to Harrogate for a bite to eat at The Crown's bar and grill and a night's rest before returning to sing for Sunday morning Eucharist.

Eucharist

 

 

Ripon Cathedral's setup for Sunday morning Eucharist.

Choir & Pulpit

Ripon Cathedral choir and pulpit. According to my sources, the choir stalls are "studded with a series of thirty-four small ledges that protrude from the underside of the hinged seating [VERY uncomfortable!]. These are referred to as misericords, or the modern English translation ‘mercy seats’, and are perches that were designed for clergy to respectfully rest against during the back-to-back services of pre-Reformation Britain."

The pulpit was designed by Henry Wilson and dates from 1913. It stands on marble pillars and has silver and bronze decoration.

Ripon Font

According to the North Yorkshire Council, the Tudor font in the Ripon Cathedral, was created in the early 16th century and carved out of a solid piece of granite taken from Lintzgarth in Teesdale. "In 2017 the wooden top can still be seen on the font. Originally, it would have had a chain attached via a metal hasp to provide a locking mechanism to prevent people from stealing the Holy water which was often appropriated by pagans and other sects for their own practices including sorcery."

Quiet

 

Had a few moments to explore Ripon Cathedral before heading down the hill to the cathedral's rehearsal hall. We served as the choir in residence for the weekend while the cathedral's regular choir was on break.

"Ripon Cathedral has a vibrant choral tradition that has spanned 14 centuries, since St Wilfrid introduced cantors from Canterbury Cathedral in AD680, and it remains at the heart of our worship. The uplifting sound of the cathedral’s outstanding choirs, as well as the dramatic notes of the mighty pipe organ, can be experienced at regular services such as Choral Evensong."