A visit to a beautiful Cathedral ............

Having dedicated my time to stitching and completing orders over the past few weeks,  my blog has rather fallen by the wayside and an update is long overdue.  As I have lots of pictures to share I will split it over several days, between my stitching of course!

Late last night I decided that my blog page needed brightening up and I started by choosing a new background colour and caused a major disaster.  My entire blog settings and layout changed and I spent a considerable time trying to put everything back in place.  The moral of the story is to firstly back up the existing blog before making changes and most importantly do not do anything when you are too tired to think straight.

The city of Peterborough is just a short drive away and whilst not considered the most exciting city to visit, it is home to a very beautiful cathedral and also the burial place of two queens, Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots (subsequently re-interred at Westminster Abbey).

The front façade of this most imposing early English Gothic structure.  A Benedictine Abbey was built on this site before the Norman invasion and some of the Anglo Saxon architecture still exists.  The present Norman structure dates from the 12th century.
 

Sections of the Anglo Saxon of the original Abbey.

The Hedda Stone, an 8th century carving from the original Church.

Something I have never seen before.  Most sundials are set in a column in the open presumably to catch the sun but this has been built into the wall.  I have never managed to learn how to tell the time from one these,  think it would need a little research and patience and of course a fine sunny day.

 

Also rather fascinating was the number of skulls on various memorials and tombs throughout the cathedral.  Here are just two with Thomas Deacon Esq holding one under his hand.

Selection of pictures taken inside the cathedral,  the alter, a section of the incredible carved roof and a painted ceiling.  I am still finding my way around my new fancy camera so some of the pictures are perhaps not the best.

 

  

The tomb of Catherine of Aragon.   The heraldic symbol of the Tudors was the rose and Catherine chose the pomegranate from her native Spain as her symbol.  The pomegranates on the tomb are apparently replaced regularly by the Spanish community in Peterborough.

A memorial in the park just outside the Cathedral.

This final poignant picture is from a war memorial.  In August 2014 the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.  The more liberal would rather that this event be downplayed for many reasons which I find rather sad.   My family has a military history and fought and died in both the world wars of the 20th century.  I find it deplorable that the sacrifice of so many should be considered of so little importance and I personally think that this verse says it all. 

Hope you enjoy all the pictures of this wonderful building,  I have to admit to being somewhat awestruck by cathedrals,   next time lots of bears.