Norwich Cathedral Part 3: How Was Norwich Cathedral Built More Than 900 Years Ago?

Norwich Cathedral Part 3: How Was Norwich Cathedral Built More Than 900 Years Ago?

Today I want to take a look at how Norwich Cathedral grew into one of the finest Norman buildings in Europe. It is amazing to think that everything was built by hand, using the skills of medieval craftsmen more than 900 years ago.

Work on Norwich Cathedral started in 1096 under the direction of Bishop Herbert de Losinga. Building a cathedral on this scale was a massive undertaking and it would take many years to complete. Every stage had to be carefully organised, they needed to obtain the stone and shape each block and then lift it into position.

The finest limestone was brought from Caen in Normandy by ship before it travelled inland to Norwich. Builders also used local flint, which can still be seen in many parts of the cathedral today. The abundance of flint in Norfolk meant it was used to build many medieval buildings, giving the county a lot of its distinctive historic architecture. The combination of these materials created a building that was both strong and beautiful.

Construction was started at the eastern end, where the choir was built first. This allowed the monks to begin holding services even before the rest of the cathedral had been built. Hundreds of workers cut the stone, built scaffolding and carefully put each piece into place. This gave many families a steady income and helping the local economy to grow.

By 1101, the choir was ready to be used. Over the following years, the rest of the cathedral started to take shape. The main building was largely completed by the early 12th century. Later features were added, including the impressive stone spire that was added in the 15th century, it still dominates Norwich’s skyline today.

More than nine centuries after construction began, Norwich Cathedral still shows the power and influence the Normans had on the city.

Next time, we’ll step inside the cathedral to discover what everyday life was like for the Benedictine monks who lived there.

What amazes you most about medieval cathedral building?

Anne Frank Part 8: How Did Eight People Survive Day After Day in the Secret Annex?

Anne Frank Part 8: How Did Eight People Survive Day After Day in the Secret Annex?

 

Today I want to take a look at what everyday life was really like in the annex once all of the eight people were living together. Although they had escaped deportation, every single day was controlled. There was routine and the constant risk of being discovered. The fear must have been overwhelming.

 

From Monday to Saturday, they  followed a strict timetable. Before the warehouse workers arrived, everyone rushed to wash, use the bathroom and eat breakfast. From around 8:30 in the morning until the workers left in the evening, they had to remain almost completely silent. They could not run water, walk heavily, speak loudly or even flush the toilet if there was a risk of being heard below. Even dropping a spoon or moving a chair could have put all eight lives in danger.

 

To pass the many hours, Anne continued with her schoolwork, read books, practised languages and wrote in her diary. Otto Frank spent a lot of his time helping to oversee his businesses from the Annex, discussing important matters with the helpers who carried messages between him and his employees whenever it was safe to do so. He also educated Anne and Margot, while the other adults read, studied or completed household tasks. Fritz Pfeffer often spent part of the day writing letters to his fiancée, Charlotte Kaletta, who he had been separated from because she was not Jewish. The helpers secretly passed on some of his letters whenever they could. Anne, who had to share her tiny bedroom and writing table with Fritz, often became frustrated because he spent so long writing his letters and this left her with little space for her study or writing in her diary. At lunchtime, Miep Gies, Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman and Bep Voskuijl brought food, supplies and news from the outside world. Without their courage, the people in hiding could not have survived as long as they did.

 

When the workers went home, the Annex came to life. Meals could be finally be cooked, the radio was also switched on to listen secretly to BBC broadcasts, conversations became louder and everyone could move around a lot more freely. But these brief moments of normality, didn’t stop arguments from happening. The eight people shared such a small space with almost no privacy so it was inevitable.

 

It is remarkable that they managed to live this way for more than two years.

 

Which part of life in the Secret Annex do you think would have been the hardest to cope with?

 

 

 

 

 

The Extraordinary Day Elizabeth I Became Queen of England

The Extraordinary Day Elizabeth I Became Queen of England

Imagine spending years under suspicion...only to wake up one day to find out you were now Queen of England. That is exactly what happened to Elizabeth on the 17th of November 1558.

Elizabeth I

Today I want to take a look at the day Elizabeth I became Queen of England and how her life changed forever.

Tower of London

On the 17th of November 1558, 25-year-old Elizabeth was living at Hatfield Palace in Hertfordshire when news arrived that her half-sister, Queen Mary I, had died after a long illness at the age of 42. She had reigned for just over 5 years.

Elizabeth I

Mary had been seriously ill for several weeks before her death. She had suffered two phantom pregnancies during her reign, which left her physically and emotionally drained. The exact cause of her illness is unknown, but historians believe she may have died from influenza, pneumonia or an underlying illness such as cancer.

Mary I

Elizabeth was not with Mary when she died. The sisters had shared a difficult relationship for many years. After Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554, Mary suspected Elizabeth of supporting the plot to overthrow her. Although no evidence was ever found against her, Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for about two months before she was moved to Woodstock Palace, where she stayed under house arrest for about a year.

Hatfield House

Eventually, Mary allowed Elizabeth to live at Hatfield Palace. She was no longer a prisoner, but she was still kept under close watch and she also needed to get permission to travel. Hatfield had become her main residence during the final years of Mary's reign, so it was there that she waited as Mary's health steadily declined.

When Mary died, members of the Privy Council, including Sir William Cecil, travelled to Hatfield to tell Elizabeth that she was now Queen of England. It is believed that Elizabeth walked into the palace gardens, knelt beneath an oak tree and quoted Psalm 118:23:

"This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes."

In a single moment, everything changed for Elizabeth. She had spent years living under suspicion and uncertainty but now found herself ruling a country that was deeply divided by religion, facing financial difficulties and threatened by powerful enemies.

The news spread across England, but the reaction was mixed. Many Protestants celebrated Elizabeth’s accession, they hoped she would bring an end to the religious persecutions of Mary’s reign. Many Catholics, mourned Mary’s death and feared that England would again move away from the Catholic faith. For most ordinary people, the greatest hope was simply that the new queen would bring peace and stability.

For the six days she stayed at Hatfield, she received members of the Privy Council, welcomed nobles and ambassadors, held her first meetings with advisers and also began making important decisions about her new reign. Although she had only just become queen, the work of governing England had already begun.

Six days after becoming queen, on 23rd of November 1558, Elizabeth made her way to London. There were crowds lining the streets to welcome her, and she took up residence in the Tower of London. Just four years earlier she had entered the Tower as a prisoner. Now, she returned as Queen of England. How dramatically her fortunes had changed!

Against all expectations, Elizabeth would reign for almost 45 years. Her reign became known as the Elizabethan Age, it is remembered for its relative stability, flourishing culture, exploration and some of England's greatest achievements.

How do you think Elizabeth felt that she had survived Mary's reign? 

Anne Frank Part 7: Fritz Pfeffer Joins the Secret Annex

Anne Frank Part 7: Fritz Pfeffer Joins the Secret Annex

Today I want to take a look at the arrival of the final person to join the Secret Annex. By the time Fritz Pfeffer arrived, the Frank family and the Van Pels family had already been there for just over four months. They had settled into a routine, but life was increasingly cramped and stressful.

On the 16th of November 1942, Fritz Pfeffer, a 53-year-old Jewish dentist who had fled Germany years earlier, arrived at the Secret Annex. Otto Frank already knew Fritz through their shared circle of Jewish friends in Amsterdam, and the two had remained in contact as conditions for Jewish families became increasingly dangerous. Fritz had been living alone after he had been separated from his fiancée, Charlotte Kaletta, who was not Jewish. Otto Frank and his helpers decided that Fritz was no longer safe living on his own and offered him a place in the Annex. Once the warehouse workers had gone home for the day, Victor Kugler escorted him to the Secret Annex.

In her diary, Anne referred to him by the pseudonym Albert Dussel, in order to protect his identity if the diary was ever discovered. At first, Anne was pleased that someone new had joined them. She hoped he would have news from the outside world. But, her impressions soon changed.

There was no spare bedroom, so Anne had to share her tiny bedroom with Fritz and Margot moved in with her mother and father. For a thirteen-year-old girl who needed privacy, this was a difficult adjustment. Anne was often frustrated that she could never really be alone, and they had arguments over the small desk where she wanted to write her diary.

Anne described Fritz as disciplined, quiet and very set in his ways. He liked order, expected silence and could be quite strict. Anne was the opposite, she was lively, curious and independent. Their different personalities often clashed, and Anne felt he treated her like a child rather than listening to her. Although Anne's diary can make Fritz seem difficult, it is important to remember that we are seeing him through the eyes of a teenage girl living under unimaginable pressure. Fritz, like everyone else in the Annex, was also living with constant fear and he must have felt more alone than the others because he had no family with him.

His arrival also changed what life was like in the Annex. Privacy almost disappeared entirely, and the already limited food and supplies now had to be shared between eight people. Despite the tensions, they continued to rely on one another and on their helpers as they tried to stay hidden.

Next time, I want to take a look at what a day was really like for the people inside the Annex.

How do you think you would have felt having to share one tiny bedroom with a complete stranger?

Why Did Victorians Wear Black for So Long After Someone Died?

Why Did Victorians Wear Black for So Long After Someone Died?

Today I want to take a look at why mourning clothes were so important to Victorians. If you had lived during Queen Victoria's reign, losing a loved one did not just bring grief. Society expected you to show your sadness, sometimes for years.

The custom became especially common after Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861. The Queen was, as you can expect, devastated and wore black for the remaining forty years of her life. Her example influenced millions of people all across Britain. It made long periods of mourning fashionable as well as socially expected.

Image info:

Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and his sisters

Date: 1835

The rules you followed depended on who had died. A widow was expected to wear full mourning for around two years, with the first year usually requiring plain, dull black clothing made from non-shiny fabrics such as crepe. Jewellery was usually limited to jet or pieces containing the hair of the person who had died. A widower often mourned for a much shorter period, usually around three months to a year, while children, parents, siblings and more distant relatives all had different recommended mourning periods.

Mourners could move into half mourning after a while. That meant that instead of wearing only black, they could wear colours like as purple, lavender, mauve, grey and white became acceptable. Purple was especially associated with half mourning because it symbolised dignity, remembrance and the gradual return to everyday life without suggesting that grief was gone.

Although many people genuinely wanted to honour the dead, there was a very strong social pressure. By wearing mourning clothes you showed respect for the deceased and also demonstrated that the family understood duty, reputation and proper behaviour. Failing to follow the expected customs could attract criticism.

Today, mourning is usually a deeper personal experience, but in Victorian Britain it was also to be something that was seen.

Do you think that these strict mourning traditions helped people to cope with grief, or do you think that they made an already difficult time even harder?

Anne Frank Part 6: The Van Pels Family Arrive at the Secret Annex

Anne Frank Part 6: The Van Pels Family Arrive at the Secret Annex

Today I want to take a look at the at when the Frank family were no longer alone in the Secret Annex. After spending just over a week adjusting to their new life, they were joined by another family who would share their cramped living space for more than two years.

The Van Pels family already knew the Franks before they went into hiding. Hermann van Pels worked for one of Otto Frank’s Amsterdam businesses as a specialist in herbs, spices and pectin, and the two men had grown a friendship. As the terrible persecution of Jewish families became increasingly serious, Otto invited the Van Pels family to join them in the Secret Annex. 

On the 13th of July 1942, Hermann and Auguste van Pels and their 15-year-old son Peter, arrived at the Annex. In Anne’s diary they were given the pseudonym Van Daan to help protect their identities if the diary was ever discovered. 

The Van Pels family had always been part of Otto Frank’s original plan for the Secret Annex. But, when Margot Frank received her call-up notice, the Frank family were forced to move into hiding earlier than expected on the 6th of July 1942. The Van Pels family followed a week later, after making their own preparations and waiting until it was safe.

Their arrival made the Annex feel much more crowded. Everyone had to learn to live alongside one another. There was very little privacy, and even the smallest disagreements could become difficult when nobody was able to leave.

Anne later wrote in her diary that living together was not always easy. Everyone had different personalities, habits and opinions, and the constant pressure of hiding made small disagreements feel much larger. She described Hermann van Pels as outspoken and quick-tempered at times. She sometimes felt Auguste van Pels could be too critical. Anne also wrote about occasional disagreements with her own mother, Edith. Even so, everyone understood that they had to work together, because their survival depended on keeping the peace and remaining hidden.

Finding enough space for everyone to sleep was another challenge. Anne and Margot Frank initially shared a small bedroom. Otto and Edith Frank slept in the adjoining room. Hermann and Auguste van Pels shared a room, which was the communal kitchen and dining area during the day. Peter van Pels had a tiny room of his own next to the attic, where he also kept his cat, Mouschi. Even at night, privacy was limited, and everyone had to adapt to living in very close quarters.

Anne was especially curious about Peter. At first she thought he was quiet, shy and rather awkward. Although they did not become close friends immediately, Peter would later become one of the most important people in Anne’s life during their time in hiding.

Peter also brought his pet cat, Mouschi, into the Secret Annex. Having a cat in hiding brought some comfort. Anne occasionally wrote about Mouschi in her diary, describing the cat’s movements around the Annex. Even in such difficult circumstances, caring for a pet gave those in hiding a brief escape from the constant fear surrounding them.

With seven people now living inside the Annex, life became even more challenging. Food was even more limited, silence became more challenging but still essential during working hours. The helpers outside had an even greater responsibility to keep everyone safe.

Next time, I want to take a look at how seven people tried to live together inside such a small space, and the rules they had to follow every single day to avoid being discovered.

What do you think would have been the hardest part of sharing such a small hidden space with so many other people?

 

Norwich Cathedral Part 2: Why Did Bishop Herbert Choose Norwich for the Cathedral?

Norwich Cathedral Part 2: Why Did Bishop Herbert Choose Norwich for the Cathedral?

Today I want to take a look at why Bishop Herbert de Losinga decided to build his new cathedral in Norwich rather than keep it at the older bishop’s seat in Thetford. It was a decision that would change the city forever.

Firstly, I want to tell you about who Bishop Herbert de Losinga was. He was the first Norman Bishop of Norwich and the man who was responsible for founding Norwich Cathedral.

He was born in Normandy in the 11th century and became a trusted churchman after the Norman Conquest. In 1091, King William II (William Rufus) appointed him Bishop of Thetford, which was then the seat of the diocese.

In the years after the Norman Conquest, Norwich was becoming one of the most important towns in England. It was larger, wealthier and easier to defend than Thetford. It had a busy marketplace, growing population and strong Norman influence. Herbert recognised that moving the bishop’s seat to Norwich would place the Church at the centre of one of the countries most important cities.

There was also a practical reason for the move. The Normans wanted their bishops to be based in major towns where they could oversee larger populations and work more closely with royal authority. Norwich offered greater opportunities for both religious leadership and administration than Thetford.

Herbert selected land that was close to the River Wensum, where there was enough space not only for a magnificent cathedral but also for a monastery, cloisters and the buildings needed to support a community of Benedictine monks. It was an ambitious plan that would change Norwich for centuries.

Norwich Cathedral became the heart of the new diocese and helped establish the city as one of medieval England’s most significant religious centres.

If you had been Bishop Herbert, would you have moved the cathedral to the growing city of Norwich, or kept it in the older town of Thetford?

On Saturday we will look at how construction of Norwich Cathedral started.