St David’s cathedral, Pembrokeshire hides itself in a hollow. It tries to pretend it isn’t there – which was a good strategy when the Vikings were marauding our islands. Now the cathedral has a full programme and a modesty that attracts a knowledgeable clientele.
Lincoln cathedral is at the other extreme. It dominates the landscape, fhough this is not difficult in a largely flat county. The cathedral aimed to extend its dominance with a spire. That fell in 1549. But nothing could stop this grand structure from making itself felt. ‘Here we are,’ it says. ‘Come and see what Christianity is all about.’
Which style is more winsome? Ely has a cathedral. In fact we might say that the cathedral has a town attached. It is not necessary to toil up a steep hill to find it. It wouldn’t know a steep hill if it saw one. But nobody can miss the octagon and lantern that make Ely commandingly unique.
A cathedral can make itself known without the aid of contours. Sited in a pleasant village, Southwell is a leafy lay-by. It has no competition in the way of imposing architecture; ‘it flourishes in the absence of industries and compels attention to the Nottinghamshire choice: rural peacefulness or urban hubbub?
It is not only cathedrals that have to choose. Beverley Minster in the north flaunts itself, alongside its neighbour St Mary’s. Wimborne Minster in the south is more bashful but no less enticing.
Doe this choice of style (and the choice was made several generations ago) matter? Is it more effective to draw attention to the Christian faith by withdrawal or by assertion? This is not the only question facing cathedrals today but it is a question we can hardly avoid as cathedral worship survives in a secular world.
A book that may help the reader make up his or her mind is Simon Jenkins’s ‘England’s Cathedrals’. A beautiful book on a beautiful subject.
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