Editing Chichester Cathedral (section)

== History ==
[[File:Chichester Cathedral about 1650 - Project Gutenberg eText 13331.jpg|thumb|left|Chichester Cathedral, circa 1650|250px]]
Chichester Cathedral was built to replace the [[Selsey Abbey|cathedral founded in 681]] by [[St Wilfrid]] for the [[Kingdom of Sussex|South Saxons]] at [[Selsey]]. The seat of the bishop was transferred in 1075.<ref name="TTB" />

It was consecrated in 1108 under bishop [[Ralph de Luffa]]. An early addition was the Chapel of [[Saint Pantaleon]] off the south transept (now the Canons' Vestry), probably begun just before an 1187 fire which burnt out the cathedral and destroyed much of the town.<ref name="salz105">{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol3/pp105-113|title=Chichester cathedral: Historical survey &#124; British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> That fire necessitated a substantial rebuilding, which included refacing the nave and replacing the destroyed wooden ceiling with the present stone vault, possibly by Walter of Coventry. The cathedral was reconsecrated in 1199.<ref name="JH">John Harvey, ''English Cathedrals'', Batsford (1961)</ref><ref name="TTB" />

In the 13th century, the central tower was completed, the Norman apsidal eastern end rebuilt with a [[Lady chapel]] and a row of chapels added on each side of the nave, forming double aisles such as are found on many French cathedrals. The spire was completed about 1402 and a free-standing bell tower constructed to the north of the west end.<ref name="JH" /><ref name="TTB" />{{efn|The practice of separating the ''[[campanile]]'' from the main building is common in Italy, where ground movement is a problem because of both subsidence and earthquake.}}

In 1262, Richard de la Wyche, who was bishop from 1245 to 1253, was canonised as Saint [[Richard of Chichester]]. His shrine made the cathedral a place of [[pilgrimage]]. The shrine was ordered to be destroyed in 1538 during the first stages of the [[English Reformation]]. In 1642 the cathedral came under [[siege]] by Parliamentary troops.<ref name="TTB" />
[[File:Chichester Cathedral Spire Collapse 1861.jpg|thumb|left|The aftermath of the collapse of the spire in 1861|250px]]
The towers at Chichester have had a particularly unfortunate history because of subsidence, which explains the positioning of the 15th century bell tower at some distance from the cathedral. The south-west tower of the façade collapsed in 1210 and was rebuilt. The north-west tower collapsed in 1635 and was not rebuilt until 1901.<ref name="TTB" /> The masonry spire was built in the 14th century and was repaired in the 17th century by [[Christopher Wren]].<ref name="allen23">{{Cite book|last=Allen|first=David J|page=23|title=Sussex|year=1984|publisher=Shire Publications|location=Aylsbury|isbn=0-85263-684-9}}</ref>

The tower survived a lightning strike in 1721. During the 18th century various works are  recorded including repairs to the upper part of the spire after the lightning strike. However the cathedral was in a poor state of repair. A restoration programme was begun starting in 1812 and in 1829 the cathedral was closed for several months while major repairs and improvements were carried out. [[George Chandler (priest)|George Chandler]] became dean in 1832 and continued with the restoration, the sub-deanery was removed to a brand new church, a project completed by  [[Walter Hook]] who took over as dean in 1849. Then on  21 February 1861, the cathedral spire telescoped in on itself, without loss of life.  Works in the cathedral had included the removal of a stone screen (known as the Arundel screen) that separated the choir from the nave. There was some discussion that its removal had caused the collapse of the spire. A more likely cause was thought to be that the spire's foundations had been subject to subsidence over the years and had become detached from the tower, leaving the tower freestanding; also that the rubble cores of the columns holding the spire had become dust. Thus a weakened tower collapsed in the face of high winds.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Urban|first=Sylvanus|date=1861|journal=The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Review|volume=210|title=Fall of Chichester Spire|pages=526–529|publisher=John Henry and James Parker|location=London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P9whAAAAMAAJ&q=Fall%20of%20Chichester%20526&pg=PA526}}</ref><ref name="allen23" /><ref name="hobbs148">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Tatton-Brown |first=Tim |editor-last=Hobbs |editor-first=Mary |title=Destruction, Repair and Restoration |encyclopedia=Chichester Cathedral an Historical Survey|date=1994|publisher=Phillimore|location=Chichester|isbn=0-85033-924-3|pages=148–153}}</ref> The collapse had apparently inspired [[J. Meade Falkner]] to write his novel [[The Nebuly Coat]].<ref>{{cite journal | last=Heyman | first=Jacques | title=Strainer arches | journal=Construction History | publisher=The Construction History Society | volume=30 | issue=2 | year=2015 | issn=02677768 | jstor=44215905 | pages=1–14 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44215905 | access-date=2024-01-25}}</ref>

A fund was set up to raise the £48,000 needed for the rebuilding, and the contributors included [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]].<ref name=foster>{{Cite book|last=Kelly|first=Tessa|editor-last=Foster|editor-first=Paul|article=The Collapse of the Crossing Tower and Spire – a critical review|series=Otter Memorial Paper|volume=13|title=Chichester Cathedral Spire The Collapse (1861)|publisher=University College Chichester|isbn=0-948765-18-6|page=44|year=2005}}</ref> A replica of the old tower and spire was rebuilt along the original lines by [[George Gilbert Scott]] from drawings which had been made by [[Joseph Butler (architect)|Joseph Butler]], architect to the fabric (1847–1888).<ref name="salz105" /> The construction was raised by about {{convert|6|feet|metre}}, by Scott and was completed in five years. It now rises to a height of {{convert|82|metre|feet}}.<ref name="TTB" /><ref name="ACT" /> The rubble from the original spire was used to construct the former West Ashling [[Funtington#The Old Congregational Chapel|Congregational Chapel]].{{efn|The old Congregational Chapel closed between 1934 and 1938 and became a clock museum run by the Clock trust. The museum closed when the Clock Trust was dissolved in 2018.<ref name=CT>{{Cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07463073|title=The Clock Trust|publisher=Companies House|access-date=21 April 2022}}</ref>}}<ref name="clock1">{{Cite web|title=Time Machine|publisher=Clock Trust|url=http://www.clocktrust.com/museum.html|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413071022/http://www.clocktrust.com/museum.html|archive-date=13 April 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="funt1">{{Cite web|title=Congregational Chapel|publisher=Funtington Archive|url=https://sites.google.com/site/funtingtonarchive/west-ashling/congregational-chapel|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>

In 2008, the cathedral community celebrated the 900th anniversary of the building's consecration. [[Rowan Williams]], then [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], was invited to preach at a festival eucharist and dedicate the new guest house, which was originally named after [[Bishop of Chichester|Bishop]] [[George Bell (bishop)|George Bell]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/7653423.stm|title=Cathedral's 900 years celebrated|date=5 October 2008|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/nov/27/hotel-review-chicester-cathedral-george-bell-house|title=Hotel review {{!}} George Bell House, Chichester|author=Sally Shalam|date=27 November 2010|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>