St Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne
England’s most northerly cathedral is easily recognisable by its Lantern Tower, which for some 500 years was a navigation point for vessels on the River Tyne.
The Normans built the first church around the same time as their nearby castle, but a disastrous fire in the early 13th century meant that it was subsequently pulled down and re-built. What we see today dates mostly from the 13th-15th centuries with the Lantern Tower being added in 1448.
The parish church of St. Nicholas, named after the patron saint of sailors, became the Cathedral for Newcastle when a new diocese was formed in 1882 and the ‘Toon’ became a city.
The interior changed quite a bit to accommodate its new status but there are still some worthwhile features to look out for. Be sure to check out the 15th cent Thornton Brass, believed to be the largest memorial brass in England and also don’t miss the Collingwood Memorial near the West Door. Collingwood was the Admiral who took over from the dying Lord Nelson to defeat the Spanish and French at the Battle of Trafalgar. A local man, Collingwood was baptized and married in St. Nicholas.
Something that wasn’t on my list before I came in here was the Lantern Café, but I needed to sit down, take the weight off my feet and have a shot of caffeine. I’m glad I did because I also indulged in the best fruit scone I’ve ever had - home made, full of fruit and cheap. Scrumptious!
Newcastle Cathedral isn’t in the same league architecturally as say Durham, but it’s a friendly place and definitely worth spending an hour of your time here - especially if you like fruit scones.
In keeping with a city once dependent on its fishing, shipbuilding and access to the sea, Newcastle's cathedral is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and boats. But it protected sailors in more ways than in prayers, as its unusual lantern spire was used for centuries as a guiding beacon for ships coming up the river Tyne. The tower was so important to the city that when Scottish invaders threatened to destroy it, the mayor put Scottish prisoners inside to deter them.
Started in the 11th century, this small cathedral got its final look in the 19th, with most of its elements coming from the 14th and 15th.
The most remarkable detail is the top of the tower, a lantern tower built in the 15th century and longtime used to help the ships.
The cathedral is named after St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and boats. It was originally a parish church, built in 1091, but this was destroyed in a fire in 1216. It was rebuilt in 1359 and became a cathedral in 1882 when the Diocese of Newcastle was created by Queen Victoria.
The cathedral is notable for its unusual lantern spire, which was constructed in 1448. For hundreds of years, it was a main navigation point for ships using the River Tyne. At its base the tower measures 36 ft 9 in (11.20 m) by 35 ft (11 m) and it is 196 ft 6 in (59.89 m) from the base to the top of the steeple.
It was closed on the day I visited due to power supply problems but I will re-visit.
It's the Crown Spire of this cathedral built mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries which is it's most striking feature. This spire has apparently acted to help ship navigation in the past when it would have been the tallest building around in the area. It has an interesting shape like the arches of the crown (presumably giving it the name) and is one of the prominent features of the panorama when looking over to Newcastle from the Gateshead side of the Tyne River.
Inside it's quite a welcoming place and whilst it's not lavish it does have so interesting treasures to see such as the ornate font, the stained glass windows (mostly 19th century but including a medieval roundel of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus) and the excellent 15th Century Thornton Brass Memorial.
There is no admission charge but obviously don't go in during services unless you are wanting to partake of the service rather than just look around. Naturally, donations are gratefully received for the upkeep of the building.
It was a Sunday morning when I stumbled on this church (I was in Subway across the street munching my lunch).
That meant I could only see the outside, as the inside would be given over to that Christian stuff.
Its a pity. According to my guide book its one of Britain's tiniest cathedrals. The current church dates back to the 14-15th century, and inside you can find remnants of its 11th century precursor.
Again referring to my trusty DK Eyewitness Travel, it has an ornate lantern tower - half tower and half spire. Only 3 others in Britain, apparently. It was the clock which caught my eye - red and gold.
The church is cute, and it sits in a nice little square (with a Subway across the street).
Newcastle Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, North East England. Its full title is The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle, the most northerly diocese of the Anglican Church in England, which reaches from the River Tyne as far north as Berwick-upon-Tweed and as far west as Alston in Cumbria.
Its a very beautiful church, i had just an amazing warm welcome of the locals inside...incl. some free wine he he he he
This Anglican cathedral is one of two in the city (the other being the Roman Catholic St Mary’s). It was built in 1359 and became a cathedral in 1882. Its most noticeable feature is its unusual Lantern tower, which was constructed in 1448. For hundreds of years this was a main navigation point for ships using the River Tyne, and it remains one of the most striking landmarks of the city.
St. Margaret's Chapel contains the only known fragment of medieval stained glass in the cathedral, depicting the Madonna and Child. There are also several interesting memorials, the oldest being a 13th century effigy of an unknown knight, who is thought to have been a member of Edward 1st’s household. This is one of the oldest objects in the cathedral. Another memorial honours Admiral Lord Collingwood, a hero of the Battle of Trafalgar who was baptised and married in the cathedral, and whose statue now looks out to sea from Tynemouth.
Newcastle’s Cathedral is a haven of solitude amidst a busy city. It’s on St. Nicholas street, near the castle and is open to visitors daily. We visited late on a Monday afternoon, just before we caught our train to London and we had the place to ourselves. There's not too much to see inside but it's a quite, sombre place nonetheless. It dates from the 14th century and its most impressive feature is the tall tower, which can be seen from many points in the city.
St Nicholas Cathedral is a prominent sight of the Newcastle skyline with its lantern styled tower which was added in 1470. Previous churches have existed on this site since the Norman times.
The original church building was damaged by fire in 1248. Much of the church today dates from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. St Nicholas Cathedral was originally part of the Diocese of Durham, it became a Cathedral in 1882.
An important religious building in the city is the Church of St Nicholas. The church has a 65m high crown spire, dating from 1470. The Church of St Nicholas, then became St Nicholas Cathedral in 1882 after the formation of the diocese of Newcastle.
This is one of the smallest cathedrals in Britain. Inside there are the remains of an 11thcentury church on which todays 14th and 15th century building is founded. The cathedrals most striking feature is the ornate “lantern tower” which is half tower and half spire. It was first built in 1448 and rebuilt in 1608.
The top of Newcastle's cathedral looks like a crown. Apart from that there's a funny clock which looks like it shouldn't really belong here.