Day 4, part 2- Worcester Cathedral (Sept. 19)

After spending several hours at Madresfield Court, we headed back in the direction of our hotel (about a two hour drive). Since it was a little past lunch and we were hungry, we decided to stop at The Crown Pub, located in the pretty village of Powick. It's a traditional inn with a roaring fire and wooden beams. We were happy to see that they had a 2 for 1 special on all their burgers.

 

While on our way to Madresfield that morning, we had driven through the city of Worcester. It's located in the county of Worcestershire (you might be familiar with the name if you have heard of Worcestershire sauce). While driving through I had noticed a sign for the Worcester Cathedral so we wanted to make sure we had enough time to stop on our way back through.

With our bellies full of delicious burgers we were ready to go explore the cathedral. First things first, though, and it was time to find parking in the city. We found a car park (UK speak for pay parking lot), found a space and headed over to pay for our parking permit. We got up to the machine and realized that we didn't have enough coins (and they don't take plastic). Once again, we had an opportunity to see the myth of the unfriendly Brits be busted.

Swans in the Severn River

Walking along the Severn River

 There was an older lady standing behind us, watching our dilemma and she offered to give us coins for the machine. She dumped out her coin purse and counted out the necessary coins and it didn't look as though she had much left. I said, "we don't want to take all your coins, are you sure you have enough"? She said, "Oh maybe, but it's okay, take what you need". #britishkindnesstotourists. We offered to give her some paper money and she said "no, that's ok" but we insisted. Very sweet.Our parking spot secured, we took a walk along the Severn River towards the cathedral. 

Worcester is a city of about 100,000 people. This city has a very rich history, have been originally fortified by the Britons around 400 BC. Up on the banks of the River Severn, sits Worcester Cathedral. The Cathedral was founded in 680 and embodies many features that are typical of an English medieval cathedral. It is famous for its Norman crypt, and unique chapter house as well as it's fine woodwork. 

Having traveled a bit around the countryside, we had already seen some very impressive churches. That being said, I was not at all prepared for the site that we were about to behold! The exterior of the building is so beautiful and it just a foretaste of the magnificence that awaits once you enter the doors.

Exterior of Worcester Cathedral

Worcester Cathedral

Upon entering, we were immediately greeted by some very friendly and knowledgeable docents. They told us that we were allowed to take pictures as long as we got a "photo pass" which was only a few pounds and totally worth it. Eric and I stayed a bit with one of the docents while Austin began wandering around taking photos. 

Before I continue, I have to say that word cannot describe and photos do not to justice of how incredibly beautiful and breathtaking this cathedral is. I am sure that we looked completely awestruck. Our docent explained some of the history of the cathedral and pointed out how you could see the architectural changes while looking at the stone and wood work (it took centuries to build this place).

One of many beautiful stained glass windows

As the docent was talking, he nonchalantly said, "we have King John and Prince Arthur here". Well, to the average person, that might not mean much, but to someone who is obsessed with  Plantagenet and Tudor history, that is soooo exciting! Because it wouldn't be appropriate to run in a cathedral, I walked down to the end (near the altar of St. Wulfstan ) to the tomb of King John. On top of the coffin sits an effigy of the King.

 King John (also known as John Lackland was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He was the youngest of five sons of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine (my favorite English Queen). He was never expected to inherit the crown, but did so after the death of his four elder brothers. He was not very well liked as a king. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Phillip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire (an area covering about half of France) and contributing to the growth and power of the French Capetian dynasty. 

In 1215, he signed the Magna Carta, a charter of rights between this unpopular king and a group of rebel barons. 

Effigy of King John

After checking out John's tomb, I headed over to the chantry of Prince Arthur Tudor. This prince, the heir uniting the white rose of York and Red rose of Lancaster, was born in 1486 in Winchester to parents, King Henry VII (first King of the Tudor Dynasty) and his Queen, Elizabeth of York. His parents had high hopes for him, but unfortunately their hopes were dashed when he died of illness in 1502, after a few short months of marriage to Catherine of Aragon (later to be the first wife of Henry VIII, but that's a story for another time, lol).

Prince Arthur was buried at Worcester Cathedral and two years later, a chantry (a place where prayers could be said for his soul) was built above his tomb. His tomb is made from Purbeck marble and decorated with the arms of England. The inscription around the tomb's edge reads that Prince Arthur was the first begotten son of the "right renowned" King Henry VII and that he popped his clogs (an interesting way to say "he died" in Ludlow (his castle) in the seventeenth year of his father's reign.  

Prince Arthur of Wales' (Tudor) Chantry

Final resting place of Prince Arthur Tudor

After spending some time checking out Arthur's chantry, it was time to explore the rest of the cathedral as we were quickly approaching closing time. Every bit of the cathedral was gorgeous and Austin spent a ton of time taking lots of photos. At one point I even looked over and saw him lying on the floor in front of the altar to get a good shot, lol!

 

Worcester wouldn't be the only cathedral we would see in England, but I think it was my favorite because of the fact that it was the first and I was so awestruck seeing one of these magnificent places for the first time.

For more information about this beautiful cathedral, check out the following link:
http://www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/