Gloucester: History You Can See E-Book

D G Amphlett

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 176

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Tracing Gloucester's history from its Roman and monastic remains to the battle scars from the English Civil War and the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution, this book explores the colourful and fascinating history of Gloucester through the remnants of a bygone age. Taking a fresh look at both well-known and less recognisable local buildings, Gloucester: History You Can See serves as a guide to some of the many statues, sculptures, plaques and other memorials that can be found across the city, and highlights the places connected with the city's famous – and in some cases infamous – characters, including Ivor Gurney, Charles I, Bishop Hooper, and John Stafford-Smith. Richly illustrated and extensively researched, this is a captivating read for locals and visitors alike.

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Title

Introduction

one

The Arrival of the Romans and the Establishment of Glevum

two

Medieval Gloucester: The Cathedral and its Environs

three

Historic Parish Churches, Religious Houses and Other Medieval Curiosities

four

Inns and Public Houses

five

Tudor and Stuart Gloucester: Upheaval and Change

six

The Eighteenth Century

seven

The Nineteenth Century: The Age of Industry, Transport and Commerce

eight

The Twentieth Century: The Age of Invention, Art and Resilience

Bibliography

Plates

Copyright

INTRODUCTION

GLOUCESTER IS situated on the east side of the River Severn and historically – until the construction of the Severn Railway Bridge, at Sharpness, in 1879 – was the lowest bridging, or fording, point of the river. Its strategic importance was recognised by the Romans who established a fortress and, later, a colony here.

Gloucester also grew as a significant religious centre in the medieval period. The history of the cathedral can be traced back to around AD 679, when Hwice, subregulus of Mercia, founded a minster. The translation of the bones of St Oswald to Gloucester in AD 909 made Gloucester a place of pilgrimage and the interring of King Edward II’s remains in St Peter’s Abbey (the present-day cathedral) considerably enhanced its reputation. Under Norman patronage, the abbey flourished; it continued to grow and has left Gloucester a magnificent cathedral. Religious houses expanded greatly during the Middles Ages, especially with the arrival of the friars in the thirteenth century, and Llanthony Priory, an Augustinian house, would become one of the wealthiest religious houses in the kingdom by the sixteenth century.

Following the Dissolution, Gloucester Cathedral was created from St Peter’s Abbey. Its second bishop, John Hooper, would be martyred during the reign of Mary I and the site of his martyrdom is commemorated by Edward W. Thornhill’s imposing statue in St Mary’s Square, created in 1862. William Laud, Dean of Gloucester Cathedral (1616–21), was a controversial figure who reversed a number of Puritan innovations. His mark has also been left on the cathedral, for he was responsible for railing in the altar at the east end. These communion rails can now be seen in the Lady chapel.

This book aims to tell some of the stories of the people who lived in Gloucester. Numbered amongst these is Robert Raikes (1735–1811), who established and popularised Sunday schools, and numerous monuments dedicated to his achievements are located around Gloucester. Also to feature is James Wood, the eccentric banker who gained a reputation for such miserliness that he is said to have inspired Charles Dickens’ character Ebenezer Scrooge. More recently, Gloucester was also the birthplace of Hubert Cecil Booth (1871–1955), the inventor of the vacuum cleaner, and was the place where the first British jet-powered aircraft made its short hop along the runway that existed at Hucclecote.

Gloucester is also well known for its beautiful nineteenth-century inland port, established when a ship canal linked the port to Sharpness, allowing seagoing vessels an easier passage to reach Gloucester. Careful preservation of many of the buildings during the latter part of the twentieth century has ensured that the site is remarkably complete.

The arrangement of the material in this book is roughly chronological, starting with the Roman period and travelling through to the twentieth century.

Map of central Gloucester.

One

THE ARRIVALOFTHE ROMANSANDTHE ESTABLISHMENTOF GLEVUM

IN THE summer of AD 43, Roman legionary and auxillary soldiers landed on the Kentish coast. This expeditionary force was made up of 40–50,000 men, headed by Aulus Plautius. The army made its way towards Colchester, pausing to allow for the arrival of Emperor Claudius, who then led the victorious troops into Colchester, thus enabling the emperor to gain the maximum political advantage from the expansion of the empire. It is likely that Claudius received the surrender of several of Britain’s tribes during this time. One of these tribes may have been the Dobunni, whose tribal kingdom included the area covered by present-day Gloucestershire.

Within a few years, the Roman Army controlled most of the southern and eastern parts of Britain. A frontier zone, marking the edge of Roman influence in Britain in the AD 40s, ran from the Humber Estuary to the Severn Estuary, continuing south-westwards towards Lyme Bay. For much of the length of this frontier zone, a road, known as the Fosse Way, allowed for the swift deployment of troops and supplies.

Ermin Street

Gloucester’s strategic importance as the lowest bridging point on the River Severn, led to the establishment of a Roman fort at Kingsholm within five years of the initial Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43. The fort at Kingsholm undoubtedly served as a base from which the Welsh tribes could be conquered and subdued. The Roman settlement at Gloucester (Glevum) was served by a number of Roman roads to enable the transportation of foodstuffs, arms and men. From Glevum, a road traversed due south to Abone, the Roman ferry station at Sea Mills, on the banks of the River Avon. A causeway also connected Glevum to territories west of the River Severn, including the Roman fort at Caerleon, and Ermin Street linked Glevum with Silchester (in present-day Hampshire). Ermin Street – the name and alignment of which still survives along much of the route today – is easily identified from the landscape, owing to the relative straightness with which the Romans built their roads.

Diagram showing the typical cross-section of a Roman Road.

Although Roman roads are often thought of as straight, this is only true in part. Sometimes the terrain necessitated a deviation from the straight course. On the stretch of Ermin Street from Cirencester to Gloucester, a small adjustment to the north is made, keeping the road on higher ground and successfully avoiding several deep valleys by Syde and Brimpsfield. At Birdlip, the road deviates to the west and, in order to negotiate Birdlip Hill, the road zigzags to ease the descent on to Great Witcombe, at the foot of the hill. Ermin Street continues directly to Gloucester and on to Wooton Pitch. Here, a turn westwards is made to the northern gate of the city, along what is now London Road, for approximately 1 mile. This turn indicates that the founding of Glevum, as a colony for retired soldiers, took place to the south of the original Roman fortress, which was built half a mile to the north of the city.

The Romans preferred high ground in the construction of their roads and, where practicable, the road as constructed in the following manner. More likely than not, the area for the road would have been covered by trees. This would have to be cleared – by felling the trees and burning the wood – to a width of 90ft (27m). At the edges of the clearing, parallel outer ditches would be constructed. Through the centre of the clearing, two more parallel ditches were dug to a width of 30ft (9m). An embankment would be built up between these two ditches, leaving a wide depression along one or both sides of the road. On top of the embankment, the road was metalled. This meant that a foundation layer of large stones was laid, followed by smaller stones, flints or gravel. Archaeologists refer to this embankment, which carried the road ‘metal’, as the agger. The surface was cambered to ensure good drainage. The above diagram summarises the typical construction of Roman roads.

The East Gate

Outside Boots in Eastgate Street, is a viewing platform which shows the Roman and medieval foundations of the East Gate. The Roman city of Glevum, constructed during the latter half of the first century, was approximately square with gatehouses in the centre of each of its four walls. These walls underwent a series of rebuilds over the following millennium, with work carried out in the tenth century by Aethelfaeda, daughter of Alfred the Great; repairs in the eleventh century under the Normans; and further work to repair the damage resulting from the Barons’ War in the thirteenth century. The military importance of Gloucester had declined considerably by the sixteenth century and alternative uses were sought for the buildings. In 1584, part of the East Gate was turned into a women’s prison. In 1703, a school for poor children was established.

Viewing platform of the East Gate remains.

Sketch plan of the East Gate remains.

In 1643, the Royalists attempted to tunnel under the moat in order to blow up the gatehouse. The endeavour was unsuccessful and their tunnel became flooded, owing to the high water table (see Gloucester and the English Civil War p. 69). The East Gate was demolished in 1778, to enable the widening of the road.

From street level, looking down through the viewing platform, the foundations of the thirteenth-century south tower can be seen. At its north west, steps from the tower once led to the gateway passage. To the south west there is a blocked sally port, whilst to the south east, an eighteenth-century latrine has been inserted. On the north side of the tower, it is possible to see a niche indicating the position of the portcullis. To the west of this semi-circular tower lies the southern section of the second-century square gate towers; to the south are the remains of the fourth-century Roman wall (much rebuilt during the thirteenth century); and to the east a cobbled and walled horse pool was constructed in the sixteenth century.

Emperor Nerva Statue

On Southgate Street, opposite the Eastgate Street Shopping Centre, stands a statue of Emperor Nerva, who is regarded, in some quarters, as being the founder of Glevum (Gloucester). Certainly Gloucester seems to have come into being during Nerva’s sixteen-month reign in AD 97. The statue, sculpted by Anthony Stones and cast at Pangolin’s Foundry, Chalford, was erected by the Gloucester Civic Trust in 2002. A stainless-steel time capsule has been placed in the statue’s hollow plinth. It contains items relating to the foundation of Roman Gloucester up to the present day. Although Nerva was in his sixties (old by Roman standards) when he became emperor, the statue depicts him as a younger man on horseback.

The Emperor Nerva statue, Southgate Street, sculpted by Anthony Stones.

Nerva, the son of a wealthy Roman lawyer, was born, in AD 35, in Narnia, located 50 miles to the north of Rome. For much of his life, Nerva held a series of political positions and was able to maintain high office, despite changes of regime. In AD 65, Emperor Nero awarded him special honours for helping to suppress the conspiracy of Piso, in AD 71 he was chosen as consul by Vespasian, and in AD 90 he also served as consul to Domitian. During the latter years of Domitian’s reign, the emperor came to be regarded as a tyrant, with many senators, knights and imperial officials exiled or executed. This culminated in his murder and Nerva accepted the role of emperor. After Domitian’s tyranny, Nerva was popular with the senate. He was regarded as a benevolent ruler and embarked upon a modest programme of public works, repairing roads and aqueducts.

Nerva did, however, have trouble restoring law and order following Domitian’s death. Popular resentment resulted in the destruction of his statues and the demolition of his ceremonial arches. Nerva was also unpopular with the army.

In AD 97, the praetorian guard mutinied and Nerva was imprisoned in the imperial palace. The guard demanded the surrender of Petronius and Parthenius, the people responsible for Domitian’s death. Nerva resisted these demands with a degree of personal courage, even baring his own throat to the soldiers. In the end, however, this brave gesture was in vain and the praetorian guards captured the two men, who were put to death. Petronius was killed by a single sword blow, whilst Parthenius met a particularly gruesome end. His genitals were cut off and shoved into his mouth before his throat was cut. Nerva emerged unharmed after the incident, but clearly his authority had been compromised. Nerva remained childless and therefore adopted Marcus Ulpius Traianus (Trajan) as his son and heir. Trajan was governor of Upper Germany, a respected man who could command the support of the army and the senate. This move meant that Nerva was able to live out his final months in peace and allowed him to gain the reputation as a wise and peaceful ruler. He died on 28 January AD 98.

Other Roman Artefacts

In the window of the HSBC Bank, Westgate Street, part of the base of a Roman column has been put on display. It was found during excavations carried out in the area in 1971. The stone supported a large Roman column measuring nearly 10m high, which is now in the city museum. It is believed to date from approximately AD 120–150, when the Roman forum was built. A Lewis hole near the top of the slab was intended for lifting purposes. The slab, of oolitic limestone, was quarried from Leckhampton. In the Eastgate Market, a section of mosaic pavement has also been put on display. It is believed to have come from a substantial Roman house and was discovered during the construction of a new market during the 1960s.

Two

MEDIEVAL GLOUCESTER: THE CATHEDRALANDITS ENVIRONS

GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL is one of six former abbey churches that became cathedrals under Henry VIII following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. (The others were Bristol, Oxford, Peterborough, Chester and, temporarily, Westminster.) The cathedral can trace its origins back to 679, when a minster church was founded by Osric, sub-King of Hwice, from lands given by King Ethelred of Mercia. It was founded as a religious house of monks and nuns who lived separately but worshipped together and was ruled by an abbess, Osric’s sister, Kynburga. For the next 400 years little is known about the communities that worshipped within the minster. It is believed that Benedictine rule was established in around 1016.

Norman historians looked back to the time of St Bede and the monastic revival in the tenth century as being a golden age of monasticism. William of Malmsbury, writing in the twelfth century, wrote that ‘the zeal and religion had grown cold many years before the coming of the Normans’. There is some evidence of this at Gloucester, and when Serlo, a close associate of William the Conqueror and a monk from Mont St Michel, Normandy, was appointed abbot in 1072, the monastery consisted of only two monks and eight novices. By 1100, the numbers had grown to over sixty monks. After the Conquest, the Normans embarked upon the building and rebuilding of many churches and monasteries, and Gloucester Abbey was certainly part of that growth. Another impetus to the rebuilding by Serlo was the damage caused to the abbey in 1088, during the civil war concerning the royal succession. William II’s response was to ensure that Gloucester Abbey received a great deal of support and granted many estates to it from himself and his barons. Consequently, the abbey did not face further unrest during the Anglo-Norman period. Under Serlo’s leadership, the abbey grew in importance as a centre of spirituality, the rebuilding of which has left behind a very impressive building.

Gloucester Cathedral.

The most striking feature of Abbot Serlo’s new building is the nave with its huge cylindrical columns. The third pillar of the Norman arcade, on the south side, leans to the south owing to the presence of the soft infill of a Roman defensive ditch below its foundations. This has also caused the south wall to lean outwards, which at one point is 11in (28cm) out of line. In 1122, the abbey was severely damaged by fire and the calcination is still visible on the nave piers. The stone-ribbed vault of the nave was built in 1242, along with the roof above, which used 110 oak trees felled from the Royal Forest of Dean, given to the abbey by Henry III.

The accession of Edward III (reign 1327–77) is the starting point for the construction of perpendicular architecture in the cathedral. In the south transept, the south window is the oldest surviving perpendicular window, dating from around 1335. The cloisters, begun after 1351, possess the earliest surviving example of a large-scale fan vaulting.

Shortly after 1450, Abbot Seabroke rebuilt the central tower. The final alterations to the cathedral were completed in around 1482 and involved the rebuilding of the Lady chapel. St Peter’s Abbey became Gloucester Cathedral on 3 September 1541 and its royal connections may have been a factor in the creation of this new bishopric. The first bishop was John Wakeman, the last abbot of Tewkesbury Abbey, and the second was John Hooper, who was burned at the stake in 1555 for his zealous Protestant beliefs.

The cathedral managed to survive the religious upheavals of the seventeenth century. In 1616, William Laud was appointed Dean of Gloucester and his many High Church principles caused concern to the then bishop, Miles Smith. The damage inflicted during the English Civil War was minimal, but during the Commonwealth a move was made to demolish the great edifice. Fortunately, the timely intervention of the mayor and burgesses secured its future.

Nineteenth-century restoration was, in the main, tactful. F.S. Waller began work on the cathedral in 1847, with George Gilbert Scott’s ornate reredos in the presbytery being the principle Victorian addition. Created in 1872–73, the reredos’ sculpted figures (carved by James Redfern) depict the Nativity, Ascension and Deposition. Christopher Whall reglazed the Lady chapel in 1898 and it remains an important work dating from the Arts and Crafts Movement.

The Cathedral

The Nave

The huge Norman piers, dating from the time of Abbot Serlo’s rebuilding, dominate the nave. These columns are some 7ft (2.13m) in diameter, and 32ft (9.75m) high.

At the east end of the nave, a stone choir screen – on which the organ was placed – dates from 1823 and was designed by Robert Smirke. The organ case here was created by Thomas Harris and dates from 1665. Another organ case, which stands on the east side of the choir screen, is thought to be even earlier and probably dates from about 1640, by Robert Dalham. The organ pipes were painted by John Campion with heraldic designs.

The nave.

The Cloisters

The cloisters, to the north of the nave, are rightly described as ‘the most memorable in England’. The earliest part, which connects the nave to the chapter house, was begun during the abbacy of Thomas Horton, who resided there between 1351–77. Here we also see evidence of the earliest surviving fan vaulting, thought to have been constructed between about 1351–60. The chapter house dates from the late eleventh century and, during monastic times, this was where the monks would meet daily to discuss and regulate the life of the abbey.

The south side of the cloisters contains twenty carrels (cubicles), which were used by the monks for writing and studying. Each carrel would have contained a desk and a stool. The north walk contains the fan-vaulted lavatorium at the west end and is lit by eight two-light windows. This was, as the name implies, where the monks washed and about half the width of the lavatorium is taken up with a stone ledge and trough. Originally, this carried a lead tank from which the water, piped to the abbey from the springs of Robinswood Hill, came out of spigots. Opposite the lavatorium is a two-bay opening to a recess, where the towels were hung. Along the north wall there is a stone bench with traces of games that the novice monks may have played, including Nine Men’s Morris and Fox and Geese.

The cloisters.

The Choir

The choir stalls, which have occupied the crossing since roughly 1350–60, are particularly fine examples, with their ogee-arched canopies and a series of forty-four misericords. The main documentary source for the medieval work carried out at the abbey is the Historia Monasterii Petri Gloucestriae, compiled by Walter Fraucester, who was abbot from 1381–1412. Fraucester’s Historia often assigns work carried out at the abbey to a particular abbacy. In the case of the choir stalls, those on the north side are ascribed to Abbot de Staunton, meaning that they were constructed prior to 1351, while those on the south side are ascribed to Abbot Horton and therefore date from after 1351. The misericords depict scenes from folk tales, domesticity, legendary creatures, and some scenes from the Bible. The scenes include: Samson and Delilah, the flight of Alexander, youths gambling, Balaam and his donkey, a mermaid, and three shepherds following a star. The stalls were restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott, 1869–79, when he also added a further fourteen misericords.

The Presbytery