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Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Cathedral in London

I post a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's weather vane was photographed in England.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #394?  Scroll down to find the answer.




The weathervane above was photographed over the famous Southwark Cathedral in London.  This church was founded before the Norman Conquest, and is mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086.  It was rededicated by the Normans in 1106 as an Augustinian Priory and dedicated to St. Mary Overie ('over the river').  When the monasteries were dissolved in 1539 a group of merchants bought the church from King James in 1611 and it was re-named St. Saviour's.  Many actors and writers are buried here, such as Edmond Shakespeare (brother to William), John Fletcher and Philip Henslowe.  It is just a few blocks from the Globe Theater.  The church needed drastic repairs in the mid-1800s.  It became a cathedral in 1905.  The cathedral survived the Blitz during World War II, but you can still see shrapnel damage on the outside.

The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer begin at the Southwark Cathedral.

The roman numerals on this gilded weathervane read MDCCC  XVIII  or 1818.  In the book Southwark Cathedral, by George Worley, 1905, page 46 (available to read online at http://www.ajhw.co.uk/books/book350/book350t/book350t.html )  it states that the turrets "with crocketted pinnacles at the corners, surmounted by vanes. These were put up by Mr. Gwilt in 1818 in place of the old vanes, dated 1689, the pattern of which was slightly different."  George Gwilt was the Gothic architect who restored the cathedral.

The weathervane is a gilded banner, typical of many weathervanes, and very appropriate for a Gothic cathedral since many castle in the middle ages had banners and flags flying from the parapets and towers.  The Southwark Cathedral tower is 163 feet six inches tall, including the 34 foot pinnacles.

The Southwark Cathedral website:   https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/ 



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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Cathedral in London", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 19, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/12/weathervane-wednesday-cathedral-in.html: accessed [access date]).   

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