FRIENDS of ARUNDEL CATHEDRAL
CORNERSTONE Spring 2017
Dear Friends This issue of Cornerstone looks not at the Cathedral itself, but at the man who built it. Henry XV Duke of Norfolk died one hundred years ago, aged 70, having been Duke for 57 years. Throughout his life Henry exemplified both the principle of noblesse oblige, and a sense of personal mission, learnt from his teacher and mentor John Henry Newman – ‘God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission.’ Henry’s mission to strengthen and defend the Catholic Church in England first found expression in his decision to celebrate his coming of age by building a church in his home town of Arundel. Prior to the Catholic Emancipation Acts earlier in the nineteenth century Arundel, as a borough, was not allowed a Catholic church, and Catholics had to go to Slindon for Sunday mass. Henry’s ambitious project was to provide not only a suitable place of worship for Arundel parishioners, but a dramatic statement of Catholic identity. Previous issues of Cornerstone have described how his vision was accomplished, working with the architect Joseph Aloysius Hansom. But Arundel was not Henry’s only church. In addition to a whole range of other benefactions he went on to build, or contribute to the building of numerous churches, some of which are described on pages 3 and 4. The memorial to Duke Henry in the Cathedral itself is as modest as he would have wished. A splendid life-size effigy lies in the centre of the Fitzalan Chapel, which Henry had restored, but what seems to me the most telling memorial is in the great east window of the chapel (detail, opposite). Almost lost in the panorama of saints, kings and emperors a small, kneeling figure is assisting the priest at the moment of the elevation. On the priest’s other side is a young boy. The occasion is the funeral mass for Henry’s wife Flora, mother of the son whose life never developed beyond a state of infancy. There could be no more poignant reminder that the trappings of great privilege are no defence against personal tragedy. Duke Henry’s stoical bearing of loss was not least of his many virtues. Described by Cardinal Manning as ‘a man of perfect rectitude of mind and life’, his example is one we can truly cherish. Oliver Hawkins Editor
St John’s Cathedral, Norwich.
Photo Alex Ramsay
HENRY THE CHURCH BUILDER For the Friends of Arundel Cathedral Duke Henry’s greatest monument is certain to be the Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard, now our Cathedral, but this was by no means the only church he built. Over his church-building career Henry adopted different roles. Sometimes, as at Arundel, he took on the entire project, choosing the site, selecting the architect, taking an active part in the design process, and providing the funding from start to finish. In other cases he provided the site, or simply contributed to the funding. In all this he was following in the footsteps of his father Henry Granville, who himself had been a significant benefactor, and his grandfather the XIII Duke, who had built St Marie’s, Sheffield, another parish church destined in due course to become a cathedral (and often attributed erroneously to Duke Henry). Duke Henry’s largest church project was St John the Baptist at Norwich (opposite), now like Arundel elevated to cathedral status, where in 1882 he decided to build a church to celebrate his recent marriage to Lady Flora Hastings. George Gilbert Scott, son of Sir George, the eminent Victorian architect, was awarded the commission. The cost was enormous – four times as much as Arundel, but unlike Arundel, which was completed in three short years, the building of Norwich met with every kind of difficulty, and was only completed in 1910, long after the deaths of Duchess Flora and the architect himself. The rather sombre style, described as ‘unflinchingly Early English’, had come to be preferred by Duke Henry to the lighter French Gothic style which we feel works so well at Arundel. There could hardly be a greater contrast in styles between the rugged simplicity of Norwich and the colourful Roman Baroque of the church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, better known as The London Oratory, opened in 1884. Duke Henry was not directly involved in the project, whose architect Herbert
Gribble had worked with Hansom at Arundel, but his loyalty to the Oratorians guaranteed a major financial contribution to the building, and he was similarly generous to the Cardinal Newman Memorial Church, the Oratory of St Philip Neri, built in Birmingham a few years later. In the case of Our Lady and the English Martyrs in Cambridge Duke Henry was able to provide the site, while the costs were met by a wealthy heiress, Mrs Lyne-Stephens, a former dancer. With a spire as high as Ely Cathedral the church represents a brave Catholic statement in a then staunchly Protestant city. Described as one of the most ambitious churches to be built during the great Catholic revival in England, it is just the sort of project we would expect Duke Henry to have had a hand in. Unsurprisingly Duke Henry was one of the chief benefactors for the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Westminster Cathedral as we know it, the magnificent neo-Byzantine structure begun in 1895 after two earlier false starts, with the architect John Francis Bentley. But a much more modest London church was where Duke Henry chose to worship when in residence at Norfolk House. Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick Street, had been built in the late eighteenth century, in a deliberately unobtrusive style to reduce the likelihood of attack by anti-Catholic mobs. In 1874, at just the period that Duke Henry was embarking on his church-building, there were plans to demolish it and build something more ostentatious. But these came to nothing, and all Duke Henry was able to contribute were a set of internal railings. It was in this church that people were surprised to see the Duke choosing to sit at the back, among the poor people from the neighbouring workhouse. To be a great church builder is not to see oneself as a great man.
Henry, XV Duke of Norfolk. Always pictured fully bearded, he claimed never to have learnt the use of a razor.
CANON TIM’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR The past year has seen frenetic activity in Arundel Cathedral; physically, spiritually and in the sheer number of people who have come through the doors for a variety of reasons. Building and restoration work, Corpus Christi, the Year of Mercy and pilgrimages have accounted for this plus maybe financial implications which meant people this year have experienced a ‘stay-vacation’ in this country. Poignant among the events of the year were two in particular, the death of Provost Tony Whale, covered in the last issue of Cornerstone, and the marriage of Henry, Earl of Arundel to Miss Cecilia Colacicchi in July. Four hundred and twenty ‘close friends and family’ gathered to see the happy couple exchange their vows in front of Cardinal Cormac, Bishop Richard, the Cathedral priests and other clergy friends. It was a beautiful ceremony concluded with a reception in blazing sunshine in the Collector Earl’s Garden followed by dinner in the evening in the Barons’ Hall of the Castle. Although settled in London, it is good to see the Earl and the new Countess often at Mass on Sunday mornings in the Cathedral. On a practical note, the Cathedral is benefitting from its new LED lighting recently fitted in the nave. Apart from snagging and reprogramming, the project is now all but complete both inside and outside the building. It will be interesting to compare the coming year’s electric bills with those previous. The project of the new gates and lamps has now also been completed; the gate lamps shining out each evening to great effect (with LED lamps of course). The next major work will be the re-leading of the rose window – unfortunately we were unsuccessful in getting a second substantial grant from the Government’s First World War Centenary Fund so we will need to timetable the work into the next quinquennial period. On the August Bank Holiday, masonry fell in the baptistry, thankfully without injury. The area was immediately closed off (by a very kind tourist) and was then
filled with scaffolding for a few weeks while masons repaired the damage. On the sanctuary, the wood floors around the rebuilt ambos have been sanded and re-stained to very good effect. The main floor in the nave was the next project to be tackled having not been done when the church was cleaned in 1999. This work was completed in January and looks very good. One interesting bit of restoration work has been the shot-blasting and coating of the original votive candle stands which had been in deplorable corroded condition in the Cathedral House cellars. These now grace the shrine of St Philip Howard and look very attractive too. A highlight in October was the hosting of this year’s Catholic Cathedral Deans’ Conference at Arundel. Eighteen Deans from around England, Wales and Gibraltar gathered for discussion, reflection and good food. Amongst the topics discussed was grant receiving from Government bodies and also the place of Chapters of Canons in the life of Cathedrals (to which I am very grateful to our new Provost, Monsignor Canon John Hull, for giving a thought provoking input). Visits were also made to the Fitzalan Chapel, the castle, to the Diocesan Education Centre in Crawley (DABCEC) and finally to the Carthusian Monastery at Parkminster. This latter for many was the highlight of the conference. Other events celebrated in the Cathedral during the tail end of the old year were the closing of the Holy Door for the year of Mercy on Sunday 13th November, the celebration of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s Diamond Jubilee of Priesthood on Sunday 27 November and the installation of two new Chapter Canons (Frs. Churchill and Wolczak) at Vespers on Sunday 4th December. Finally Canon Golding from Portsmouth Cathedral celebrated the annual December Mass in the Castle Chapel on 7th December. So now we look forward to a busy spring and summer especially Corpus Christi and the Carpet of Flowers which this year, as with this issue of Cornerstone, celebrates the centenary of the death of our founder Henry, XV Duke of Norfolk. With my best wishes Canon Tim Madeley, Cathedral Dean
Arundel Cathedral House. Duke Henry provided a large house, in the hope that the Oratorian order might establish a base in Arundel.
Duke Henry’s parents, Henry Granville, XIV Duke, and Duchess Minna. Effigies erected by Duke Henry in the Fitzalan Chapel, Arundel.
The Friends of Arundel Cathedral registered as a company Limited by guarantee and not having a share capital (No 3792834) Registered Charity No 1078149 The Friends’ Office, Cathedral House, Parsons Hill, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AY Telephone: 01903 884567, Email: aruncathfriends@btconnect.com