Gloucester Cathedral

We went back to Gloucester Cathedral to take the guided tour but when we got there we were told that there would be no tours that day because the church choir would be singing carols for a short while every hour. We were, she said, welcome to sit down and enjoy the performance or walk around the church on our own.

Gloucester Cathedral, aka the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster, Gloucester Abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter and founded around 679. It has huge, gorgeous cloisters that are currently decorated for Christmas.

They, and other parts of the Cathedral featured in the Harry Potter films.

Because people are more interested in films than history or religion, there's a kiosk that tells all about it.

The high alter:

This is dedicated to Robert of Normandy. He was the eldest son of William the Conqueror but because of his rocky relationship with his father and brothers he never became king. He was captured by his youngest brother, Henry I and spent the rest of his life in jail.

The Thomas Chapel has intense blue stained glass windows created in 1992 by Thomas Denny.

The Lady Chapel:

As with so many English churches, the stained glass windows are gorgeous. Some are old, though few date back to the churches' origins. Gloucester Cathedral, like many churches, is commissioning new stained glass to replace the clear glass windows that had been installed either for light or as less expensive replacements for broken windows.

My favorites were made in 1994 by Tom Denny and were dedicated to British composer Gerald Finzi and poet Ivor Gurney.

One can tour the treasury where the silver alter pieces are stored in glass cases. They date back to the 16th century.

There are some wonderful individual pieces including the Ashby Chalice, done in the Arts and Crafts style.

The most spectacular piece is the Gloucester Candlestick which was commissioned by Abbott Peter who served from 1107 to 1113. It is the only surviving pre-Reformation metalwork associated with the Benedictine Abbey here.

How lovely it was to tour the church while the organist and the very small choir sang Christmas carols as accompaniment. On the way out we stopped to admire the organ with its intricately decorated pipes.