page_title: Durham Cathedral
section_title: 18th and 19th centuries
hierarchical_section_title: Durham Cathedral / History / 18th and 19th centuries
caption_attribution_description: Teitl Cymraeg/Welsh title: Golygfa o Gadeirlan Durham Dyddiad/Date: 185- Cyfeiriad/Reference: crj00151 (PG2064/70) Rhif cofnod / Record no.: 3590900 Rhagor o wybodaeth am Ffotograffiaeth Gynnar Abertawe yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru More information about Early Swansea Photography at the National Library of Wales
context_page_description: The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Durham, the fourth-ranked bishop in the Church of England hierarchy. The present cathedral was begun in 1093, replacing the Saxon 'White Church', and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Europe. In 1986 the cathedral and Durham Castle were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  Durham Cathedral holds the relics of Saint Cuthbert, transported to Durham by Lindisfarne monks in the ninth century, the head of Saint Oswald of Northumbria, and the remains of the Venerable Bede. In addition, its library contains one of the most complete sets of early printed books in England, the pre-Dissolution monastic accounts, and three copies of Magna Carta.
  From 1080 until 1836 the Bishop of Durham held the powers of an Earl Palatine, exercising military and civil leadership as well as religious leadership, in order to protect the English Border with Scotland.
context_section_description: During the 18th century the Deans of Durham often held another position in the south of England and after spending the statutory time in residence, would depart southward to manage their affairs. Consequently, after Cosin's refurbishment, there was little by way of restoration or rebuilding. When work commenced again on the building, it was not always of a sympathetic nature. In 1777 the architect George Nicholson, having completed Prebends' Bridge across the Wear, persuaded the dean and chapter to let him smooth off much of the outer stonework of the cathedral, thereby considerably altering its character. His successor William Morpeth demolished most of the Chapter House.
  In 1794 the architect James Wyatt drew up extensive plans which would have drastically transformed the building, including the demolition of the Galilee Chapel, but the Chapter changed its mind just in time to prevent this happening.  Wyatt renewed the 15th-century tracery of the Rose Window, inserting plain glass to replace what had been blown out in a storm.
  
  In 1847 the architect Anthony Salvin removed Cosin's wooden organ screen, opening up the view of the east end from the nave,
   and in 1858 he restored the cloisters.
  The Victorian restoration of the cathedral's tower in 1859-60 was by the architect George Gilbert Scott, working with Edward Robert Robson (who went on to serve as Clerk of Works at the cathedral for six years).  In 1874 Scott was responsible for the marble choir screen and pulpit in the Crossing.  In 1892 Scott's pupil Charles Hodgson Fowler rebuilt the Chapter House as a memorial to Bishop Joseph Barber Lightfoot.
  The great west window, depicting the Tree of Jesse, was the gift of Dean George Waddington in 1867.  It is the work of Clayton and Bell, who were also responsible for the Te Deum window in the South Transept (1869), the Four Doctors window in the North Transept (1875), and the Rose Window of Christ in Majesty (c. 1876).      
   There is also a statue of William Van Mildert, the last prince-bishop (1826–1836) and driving force behind the foundation of Durham University.
caption: View of Durham Cathedral and its surroundings c.1850
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