St Paul's Cathedral: Archaeology and History

209 Pages·2016·14.486 MB·English

by  John Schofield

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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:14:40.
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
Archaeology and History
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
Archaeology and History

John Schofi eld
with contributions by
Lyn Blackmore, Robert Bowles, Hazel Forsyth, Damian Goodburn
and Azizul Karim, Jackie Keily, Adrian Miles, Jacqueline Pearce,
Terence Smith, the late Bill White and Robin Wroe-Brown
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
Published in the United Kingdom in 2016 by
OXBOW BOOKS
10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW
and in the United States by
OXBOW BOOKS
1950 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
© Oxbow Books and the author 2016
Hardcover Edition: ISBN 978-1-78570-275-4
Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-78570-276-1
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Schofi eld, John, 1948- author.
Title: St Paul’s Cathedral : archaeology and history / John Schofi eld ; with contributions by Lyn Blackmore,
Robert Bowles, Hazel Forsyth, Damian Goodburn and Azizul Karim, Jackie Keily, Adrian Miles, Jacqueline Pearce,
Terence Smith, the late Bill White and Robin Wroe-Brown.
Description: Philadelphia : Oxbow Books, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2016025723 (print) | LCCN 2016026436 (ebook) | ISBN 9781785702754 (hardback)
| ISBN 9781785702761 (epub) | ISBN 9781785702778 (mobi) | ISBN 9781785702785 ( pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: St. Paul’s Cathedral (London, England)--History. | Wren, Christopher, Sir, 1632-1723--
Criticism and interpretation. | Excavations (Archaeology)--England--London. | Cathedrals--England--London. | London
(England)--Antiquities. | London (England)--Buildings, structures, etc.
Classifi cation: LCC NA5470.S5 S36 2016 (print) | LCC NA5470.S5 (ebook) | DDC 726.609421--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016025723
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing.
Typeset in the United Kingdom by Frabjous Books
Printed in the United Kingdom by Short Run Press, Exeter
For a complete list of Oxbow titles, please contact:
UNITED KINGDOM
Oxbow Books
Telephone [phone], Fax [phone]
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
contents
List of Figures ...............................................................................................................................................................ix
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................................xii
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................................................xiii
Foreword .......................................................................................................................................................................xv
Summary .....................................................................................................................................................................xvii
1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................1
Purpose and research setting ....................................................................................................................................1
Histories, documentary evidence and main graphic sources ....................................................................................1
Archaeological recording of the Wren cathedral and in St Paul’s Churchyard ..........................................................6
Conventions of archaeological recording .................................................................................................................9
2 Th e construction of the Wren cathedral, 1666–1720 ...................................................................................11
Temporary arrangements for worship, demolition of the medieval cathedral and removal of debris,
and features of the construction site ......................................................................................................................12
Th e temporary tabernacles and Wren’s fi rst designs .........................................................................................12
Demolition of the medieval cathedral and the signifi cance of the Great Model ..............................................14
Archaeology of the construction site, 1667–1711 ...........................................................................................16
Disposal of human remains ............................................................................................................................21
Removal of buildings on the north side of the nave .......................................................................................22
Adapting the medieval chapter house, 1667–1714 (Wren’s site offi ce from 1671) .................................................24
Construction of the cathedral, 1675–1711 ............................................................................................................28
Foundations, walls and vaulting of the crypt ..................................................................................................30
Fragments of the previous cathedral still in the ground, and the extra excavation at the west end ..................31
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evre Th e main stair .................................................................................................................................................32
se Th e west end and the west towers ...................................................................................................................33
r sthg Th e Geometric Stair........................................................................................................................................35
ir llA Th e western steps ............................................................................................................................................36
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etim Th e steps of the south portico ........................................................................................................................38
iL ,skoo VExautelrtns aaln dde rcooorafst,i otnh .e. .d..o..m...e.. .a..n..d.. .t.h..e.. .b..a..l.u..s.t.r..a.d..e.. ..............................................................................................................................................................................................3590
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02 Th e ironwork ..................................................................................................................................................57
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
vi st paul’s cathedral: archaeology and history
Th e drainage system for the site, 1687–1710 ........................................................................................................58
Th e railings and gates around the cathedral ...........................................................................................................62
Buildings around the edge of the Churchyard, and the Deanery ...........................................................................66
Th e Wren Chapter House ...............................................................................................................................66
Other building around the Churchyard, 1668–1700; the Deanery ................................................................67
Use of materials: reused stone, new stone, brick, pantiles and timber....................................................................68
Reused and new stone ....................................................................................................................................69
Brick ...............................................................................................................................................................71
Pantiles ...........................................................................................................................................................72
Ceramic fl oortiles ...........................................................................................................................................72
Iron and lead ..................................................................................................................................................72
Timber ............................................................................................................................................................73
3 Th e cathedral in the 18th and 19th centuries ................................................................................................74
Th e interior and general stability concerns, 1711–1897 ........................................................................................76
From 1711 to 1852 ........................................................................................................................................76
Th e Surveyorship of Francis Penrose, 1852–1897 ...........................................................................................80
Th e archaeology of burials, 1680–2000 .................................................................................................................85
Plans of burials, and whether they lie over original sites .................................................................................85
Archaeologically recorded burials, 1994–2010 ................................................................................................87
A group of ledgers relaid at the east end of the crypt......................................................................................90
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................................92
Th e outside of the building, 1711–1900 ...............................................................................................................92
Graffi ti within the western portico .................................................................................................................92
Th e west end changes by Penrose 1872–1874 ................................................................................................95
Th e south portico ...........................................................................................................................................95
St Paul’s Churchyard inside and outside the railings, 1711–1900 ..........................................................................98
Th e churchyard within the railings, 1711–1900 ...........................................................................................100
Th e railings and gates, 1852–1897 ...............................................................................................................101
Penrose’s excavations, 1879–1880 .................................................................................................................102
Outside the railings and the outer edge of the churchyard, 1711–1900 .......................................................103
Conclusions: the transformation of the cathedral by Penrose .......................................................................106
Use of stone and other building materials, 1711–1900 .......................................................................................106
4 St Paul’s 1897–2013: protection and conservation ....................................................................................108
Th e fi rst decades of the 20th century, the works of 1925–1935, and the creation of St Paul’s Heights
and St Paul’s Depths ............................................................................................................................................108
Damage in World War II .....................................................................................................................................111
.d Post-War planning and archaeological work to 2014 ...........................................................................................115
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r sth 5 Conclusions: towards an archaeology of Christopher Wren within the history of the cathedral .........123
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.d 6 Specialist reports ..............................................................................................................................................126
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,sko London and Essex Redwares .........................................................................................................................127
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
contents vii
A piece of Chinese porcelain from Site D .....................................................................................................128
Clay tobacco pipes ........................................................................................................................................129
Non-ceramic artefacts ..........................................................................................................................................129
A ring or ‘pole’ dial .......................................................................................................................................129
Other artefacts ..............................................................................................................................................130
Bricks ..................................................................................................................................................................130
Detailed notes on the investigation of the nave roof, 2013 .................................................................................133
Th e timbers of the roof .................................................................................................................................133
Types of trees used ........................................................................................................................................135
Preparation of the timbers by sawyers and carpenters; evidence of lifting materials ......................................136
Human bone .......................................................................................................................................................137
Coffi ns and coffi n furniture .................................................................................................................................138
Lawrence Spencer, Clerk of Works, and his family ..............................................................................................139
7 Th e engineer’s view of St Paul’s .....................................................................................................................141
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................141
Description of the structure .................................................................................................................................141
Concerns over the stability of the structure .........................................................................................................143
Th e material in the core of the masonry ..............................................................................................................146
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................................................147
8 Gazetteer of sites .............................................................................................................................................148
Notes .......................................................................................................................................................................170
Bibliography and abbreviations ...........................................................................................................................179
Index ........................................................................................................................................................................184
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.
list of figures
Fig. 1 Th e cathedral from the north-west, by Antonio Canaletto Fig. 23 Th e ruin of the medieval cathedral from the west by
in 1754 T Wyck, undated but about 1672
Fig. 2 St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London today, showing Fig. 24 Plan of excavations and observations at the west end of
the relationship of the Wren cathedral to its medieval the crypt, 1996: with Gibb-Freeman Testpit 10 and the
predecessor and the medieval precinct central area of Site C investigated in 1932
Fig. 3 Plan of St Paul’s Cathedral in 1929 Fig. 25 Site C: the Wren temporary drain, looking east
F ig. 4 Detail of a page of the Wren accounts F ig. 26 Site C: detail of impressions of planks in mortar surface
Fig. 5 Th is and the following seven fi gures show signatures from Fig. 27 Chinese blue and white porcelain dish from Site D, <P34>
the Acquittance Books, acknowledging payments Fig. 28 Portable sundial from Site G, G<1>: from a construction
Fig. 6 Masons Th omas Wise, Edward Pearce and Edward Strong trench of the Wren cathedral
for masons’ work and carving at the cathedral in 1681 Fig. 29 Site F: excavation of burials in progress
Fig. 7 Jan Tijou for the ‘ironwork of the great windows of the Fig. 30 Plan of the west end of St Paul’s by William Dickinson,
Choire’ in 1691 showing proposed line of railings, dated 24 February
Fig. 8 Joiner Charles Hopson and bricklayer Richard Billinghurst 1709/10
for work in 1691 Fig. 31 Site A: p ost-Fire Buildings 18 and 19 and the line of the
Fig. 9 Grinling Gibbons for carver’s work in 1694 Wren drain on the north side of the cathedral
Fig. 10 Possibly the earliest appearance in the accounts of Nicholas Fig. 32 A sketch reconstruction of Wren’s site offi ces, around 1675
Hawksmoor, in receipt of three months’ salary up to the Fig. 33 Extract from records of Gibb-Freeman Testpit C, 1932
end of May 1691 Fig. 34 Site H: the west walk of the 14th-century cloister in 2006,
Fig. 11 Christopher Wren, a salary payment in 1689 looking east
Fig. 12 Two notes from Christopher Wren to the Clerk of Works Fig. 35 Extract from plan of 1710 by Dickinson of the railings
Lawrence Spencer around the cathedral
Fig. 13 Th e west front apart from the tops of the towers, by Fig. 36 South side of St Paul’s from the south-west, showing the
Arthur Poley fi nished landscaping of the area of the medieval chapter
Fig. 14 Th e sites of the Gibb-Freeman testpits of 1932 used in house and cloister, 2010
this study, with their site numbers used in the Gazetteer F ig. 37 Wren’s cathedral in building: view from the north-east by
Fig. 15 Site plan showing the sites of archaeological and other Sutton Nicholls, 1695
observations relevant to the construction of the Wren Fig. 38 Site B: section through north wall of nave at crypt level,
building in 1675–1711 and features of the churchyard looking west
.d
evre in the period 1700–2006 Fig. 39 Th e west end of St Paul’s, by Th omas Malton, 1801
se F ig. 16 Sites of excavations A–H of 1969–2010 Fig. 40 Extract from Poley’s elevation of the west end, showing
r sth Fig. 17 Th e cathedral from the north-west by Robert Trevitt, a Bird’s sculpture in the pediment
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ir llA view published in c. 1710 Fig. 41 Th e west front after the cleaning of 2003–4
.d Fig. 18 Th e west side of Ludgate, as rebuilt after the Fire, shortly Fig. 42 Geometric Stair, looking upwards from the bottom before
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oB Fig. 20 Great Model: a view if it had been built, by H L G 2003–4
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10 Fig. 22 Th e cathedral on Ogilby and Morgan’s map of the City Fig. 45 Plan of the interior of the lower west portico and the
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© of London, 1676 western steps by Penrose, not dated but probably 1872
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Schofield, John. St Paul's Cathedral : Archaeology and History, Oxbow Books, Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/detail.action?docID=4805777.
Created from nottingham on 2021-04-30 08:15:11.