he great attraction of Norwich is the cathedral, which stands upon a
low peninsula enclosed by a semicircular sweep of the river, much of the
ground in this region having been originally a swamp. The cathedral is
generally approached from its western side, where there is an open space
in front of the Close called Tombland, upon which two gates open from
it. These are St. Ethelbert's and the Erpingham gate. The latter,
opposite the western front of the cathedral, is named for its builder,
"old Sir Thomas Erpingham," whose "good white head," Shakespeare tells
us, was to be seen on the field of Agincourt. The cathedral is a Norman
structure, cruciform in plan, with an exceptionally long nave, an
apsidal choir, and attached chapels. The earliest parts of it were begun
in 1096, and when partially completed five years afterwards it was
handed over to the care of the Benedictine monks. Thirty years later
the nave was added, but the cathedral was not completed until about
1150. Twice it was seriously injured by fire, and it was not thoroughly
restored for a century, when in 1278 it was again consecrated with great
pomp, in the presence of Edward I. and his court, on Advent Sunday. The
spire, which is one of its most conspicuous features, was added by
Bishop Percy in the fourteenth century, though, having been seriously
injured by lightning, it had to be replaced afterwards. At the same time
the building was greatly altered, its roofs raised and vaulted, and
repairs went on until 1536. Yet, with all the changes that were made in
this famous cathedral, no other in England has managed to preserve its
original plan so nearly undisturbed.

[Illustration: NORWICH CATHEDRAL.]

[Illustration: NORWICH CATHEDRAL--THE CHOIR, LOOKING EAST.]

Entering the nave from the westward, this grand apartment is found to
extend two hundred and fifty feet, and to the intersection of the
transepts comprises fourteen bays, three of them being included in the
choir. The triforium is almost as lofty as the nave-arches, and the
solidity of these, surmounted by the grandeur of the upper arcade, gives
a magnificent aspect to the nave. Above is the fine vaulted roof, the
elaborately carved bosses giving a series of scenes from sacred history
extending from the Creation to the Last Judgment. Small chapels were
originally erected against the organ-screen, one of them being dedicated
to the young St. William, a Norfolk saint who in the twelfth century was
tort