Exeter Cathedral

Exeter Cathedral is very grand and beautiful. It costs 5 Pounds for an adult to enter but children are free. Wonderfully, they allow you to take as many photos as you like. I only wish my photos did justice to the the Cathedral Church of St. Peter. Construction began on this site in 1112 and parts of the original survive. The rest of the building dates from the 13th and 14th centuries.

It has the longest continuous medieval vaulted ceiling in the world. There are round stones called 'bosses', which lock the vaults in place. They are carved with flowers, plants, animals and even coats of arms. The ceiling is very impressive!

The Bishop's Throne is massive: 59 ft tall! It was made in 1312 & 1316 without any metal nails or screws; instead it is held together with wooden pegs. The Bishop's Throne and other Cathedral treasures were removed during WWII and stored elsewhere. The Cathedral was bombed in 1942 and one chapel destroyed. It was subsequently rebuilt as a memorial to fallen soldiers.

A very friendly guide, on learning that we are from Canada, pointed out the memorial to Simcoe, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada in 1790s. His memorial plaque is maintained by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, a little-known fact, I'm sure.