Brecon Cathedral

This week the Church Explorer visits  Brecon Cathedral, This is the last of the churches I am visiting in memory of Phil Jones who listed Churches of the Builth Wells Area which he did not complete, I managed to fill in the missing Churches leaving Brecon Cathedral till last. I will leave you to read the history on the cathedral from the link above as it has it's own Wikipedia page. I have been wanting to visit here since I found out that the memorial to the Welsh Borderer's was in the church. I have held them in awe since I was a kid and watched the film Zulu. I have decided to show the Cathedral in two parts with second part next week rather than how I posted last time

The Lych gate leading to the churchyard. If you are visiting there is a carpark next door

A path runs through the cemetery with this path leading off to the church

It looks quite an imposing building

View taken with my iphone

Looking down from the north east end

From the south side, I was not sure if the area was private so did not go to get a photo from the south east, If I go back to Brecon I will rectify that

Door in the north transept with some beautiful ironwork

The tower and north transept

There is a huge entrance porch on the north side of the building

with a couple of carved Norman heads looking down on you

The cemetery looking from the path as you come in

Zoomed in look at the headstones

Walking around it the graves looked crammed in

They are all under the cover of trees forgotten for years

Some are in really good condition

 others lost in ivy and branches, it did not help a branch breaking off a tree and falling among the graves though few seemed damaged

This one stood out and I was excited to see the person won the VC

Poppy wreath on the tomb

Major Charles Henry Lumley VC

These are the tombs of the past Bishops of the Cathedral

 

As you walk in the porch these stained glass windows are the fist thing you see.

 

Nave along with north and south aisles

 

Choir which is in the crossover

 

 The choir stalls

 

 Paintings are on the crossover arch

 

Chancel which looks empty

Looking back, the couple give you an idea as to the size of the building

Inside looking down the nave from the back

One of the most impressive candelabras I have seen

The crossover towards the chancel

 Hanging rood cross

At the end of the nave are a couple of doors high on the walls either side, above then you can see corbels that would have supported a rood loft. If you look at the first photo of the nave the last arch on the right has a door that is the entrance to the stairs leading to the rood loft

 

The altar and amazing reredo

 

The  reredo is stunning with the carvings on it

 

Above the stained glass east window

 

Old carving beside a squint in the chancel 

 

The Sedilia in the chancel

The organ is played remotely

Rather nice eagle lectern

 

The pulpit is no less stunning with the carvings on it

 

the pulpit gives a beautiful view of the nave

 

 

Carvings of the last supper and heads on the pulpit

The pulpit was worth the visit in itself, it is quite stunning

It is amazing to think that this was carved back in Norman times with the green man and tree of life

I will leave you with this view of the altar and reredo, next week I will show the north and south aisles with chapels.

Till next time I wish you all a wonderful weekend