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Main
Page Have a look at our Gallery page You will find the following sections here: THE RIOT OF 1272 FIRE! AND NATURAL DISASTERS AT NORWICH CATHEDRAL The Riot of 1272 Relations between the cathedral priory and the growing city of Norwich outside were not always good. There were disagreements over rights, duties, and boundaries which often led to friction and sometimes open hostility. The worst riots occurred in 1272 when a mob set fire to the great gates of the monastery, broke in, and destroyed the church of St Ethelbert. Almost all the Norman monastic buildings were then burnt and the cathedral itself was grievously damaged by fire. The detached belfry was also burnt because the citizens said the Prior had installed mercenary soliders on it to shoot at passers by with bows and giant catapults called ballistae. This picture shows the cathedral as it may have looked at the time of the riots. You can see the detached belfry with the catapults on top and the Norman cloisters on fire. |
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 The 1272 Riot |
The monks fled, but some
subdeacons and clerks were killed and others dragged off into the city.
For three days, the cathedral was plundered of books, and gold and silver
vestments (clothing). When
the riots were over, King Henry III came to Norwich and blamed the citizens.
They were severely fined to pay for the repairs and rebuilding, and had
to send a representative to Rome to ask for Pardon from the Pope. However,
the cathedral did not escape punishment for its role in the riots, and Prior
de Brumham was imprisoned.Top FIRE! and Natural Disasters at Norwich Cathedral It took many years to repair the deliberate damage done during the riots of 1272. The Norman cloister had been badly damaged and so a new cloister was begun in 1297. Progress was slow, with the final stones not being laid until 1450! The
work on the cloister took so long because on a number of occasions, the
builders were asked to work on other projects. Also in 1349-50, the Black
Death killed many of the workforce. In fact, it wasn't until 1355-56 that
work on the cloister could begin again.The cloister was beautifully decorated with roof bosses showing a wide variety of subjects from the crucifixion of Christ to a medieval thief stealing some washing! You can see some of these images if you go to the art and architecture section. |
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 The 1463 fire |
In January 1362, a hurricane
whipped its furious way around the city of Norwich. It reached the cathedral
and brought the wooden spire crashing down through the roof, almost destroying
the original Norman building! The worst natural disaster was probably the fire of 1463, which was caused by a lightning bolt striking the wooden spire. The spire was set on fire, and it then collapsed through the nave roof, which was also wooden and which also caught fire. This picture shows this terrifying moment. Burning debris showered down into the nave where a violent fire now raged. In fact the temperatures became so hot that it turned the creamy stone to a fiery pink. Scientists estimate that the temperature must reach 1000-1500'C to get this effect! You can still see this pink stone in many parts of the eastern end of the cathedral today. Following this disaster, Bishop Lyhart covered the nave with a beautiful and fire resistant stone vault. The next bishop, James Goldwell, ordered the construction of a stone spire in about 1480. This is the spire which you can see today. However, the cathedral is always at risk from such natural disasters. In the autumn of 1999, a lightning bolt struck the spire again! This time the lightning conductor did its job, and prevented any damage to the building itself. However, the electric charge that ran through the building put the cathedral's electrical system out of action for a while! Although
not strictly a 'natural' disaster, on 9th April 1938, fire caused major
damage to the cathedral organ during Evensong. The fire was caused by an
electrical fault, and was so destructive that major rebuilding was necessary.
Rumour has it that on the fiftieth anniversary of this fire, a ghostly burning
smell was coming from exactly the same place - although this time there
was no actual fire!Top What makes Norwich Cathedral a Christian place of worship? The Normans and the Benedictine monks at Norwich Cathedral. Information on the Dissolution - when Henry VIII closed down the monastery and the monks lives were changed for ever. How the bitter Civil War between king and parliament affected the Cathedral in the 1640s. See and find out about some of the beautiful art (paintings, sculptures, glasswork, carvings) that the Cathedral has. |
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