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{{Short description|Church of England cathedral in Worcester, Worcestershire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox church
| denomination     = [[Church of England]]
| previous denomination = [[Roman Catholic]]
| name             = Worcester Cathedral
| fullname         = Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin
| image            = Worcester Cathedral, Worcester.jpg
| imagesize        = 300px
| imagealt         = 
| caption          = Worcester Cathedral
| pushpin map      = United Kingdom Worcestershire
| pushpin label position = 
| pushpin map alt  = 
| pushpin mapsize  = 220
| map caption      = Location within Worcestershire
| coordinates      = {{coord|52|11|20|N|2|13|15|W|region:GB|format=dms|display=title}}
| country          = England
| osgridref        = <!-- {{gbmappingsmall|TEXT}} -->
| osgraw           = <!-- TEXT -->
| location         = [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] ([[Worcestershire]])
| tradition        = 
| membership       = 
| website          = [http://www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/ worcestercathedral.co.uk]
| former name      = Worcester Priory
| bull date        = 
| consecrated date = 
| people           = 
| status           = 
| functional status = Active
| heritage designation = 
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| previous cathedrals = 
| architect        = 
| architectural type = 
| style            = [[Norman architecture|Norman]], [[English Gothic architecture|Gothic]]
| years built      = 1084–1504
| groundbreaking   = 
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| capacity         = 
| length           = {{convert|130|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}
| length nave      = {{convert|53|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}
| length choir     = 
| width            = {{convert|44|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}
| width nave       = {{convert|9|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}
| width transepts  = 
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| height nave      = {{convert|20|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}
| height choir     = 
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| tower quantity   = 1
| tower height     = {{convert|62|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}
| spire quantity   = 
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| bells            = 16 hung for change ringing
| bell weight      = 48cwt - 0qr - 2lb in B
| archdiocese      = 
| metropolis       = 
| diocese          = [[Anglican Diocese of Worcester|Worcester]]
| province         = [[Province of Canterbury|Canterbury]]
| diocese start    = 670
| archbishop       = 
| bishop           = vacant
| provost          = 
| dean             = [[Stephen Edwards (priest)|Stephen Edwards]]
| precentor        = vacant
| canon            = Kimberly Bohan (Canon Librarian)
| honpriest        = Minor Canons: Mark Dorsett & Robin Parry
| organist         = {{ubl|Samuel Hudson (Director of Music)|Nicholas Freestone (Assistant Director of Music)}}
| logo             = 
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}}
[[File:Coat of Arms of Worcester Cathedral.svg|thumb|right|Arms of Worcester Cathedral]]
[[File:Worcester Cathedral Flag.svg|thumb|right|Flag of Worcester Cathedral, consisting of the cathedral's arms in the canton of a Saint George's Cross, usually flown from the cathedral tower]]
'''Worcester Cathedral''', formally the '''Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin''', is a [[Church of England]] cathedral in [[Worcester, England|Worcester]], England. The cathedral is the seat of the [[bishop of Worcester]] and is the [[Mother Church#Cathedral|mother church]] of the [[Anglican Diocese of Worcester|diocese of Worcester]]; it is administered by its [[Dean of Worcester|dean]] and [[Chapter (religion)|chapter]]. The cathedral is a [[grade I listed building]] and part of a [[scheduled monument]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST AND ST MARY, Non Civil Parish - 1389728 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1389728 |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Worcester city centre, Non Civil Parish - 1005277 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1005277 |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}</ref>

The cathedral was founded in 680. The earliest surviving fabric dates from 1084, when the cathedral was rebuilt in the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style by Bishop [[Wulfstan (died 1095)|Wulfstan]]. The [[chapter house]] dates from 1120, and the [[nave]] was extended in the 1170s. Between 1224 and 1269 the east end was rebuilt in the [[Early English Gothic]] style. The remainder of the nave was rebuilt in the 1360s, and the "exquisite" central tower completed in 1374.<ref name="ACT" /> The cathedral retains a set of medieval [[Misericord|misericords]], now set into Victorian choir stalls; the cathedral was [[Victorian restoration|heavily restored in the nineteenth century]], and contains a set of furnishings by [[George Gilbert Scott]]. It contains several funerary monuments, including those of [[John of England|King John]]; [[Arthur, Prince of Wales]]; and the prime minister [[Stanley Baldwin]].

==History==
{{see also|History of Worcestershire}}

===Early history===
The cathedral was founded in 680, with a Northumbrian priest, Tatwine, appointed as its first bishop. Tatwine died before he could be consecrated, however, so his successor [[Bosel|Bishop Bosel]] may be regarded as Worcester's first serving bishop.<ref>{{harvnb|Barrow|2013}} electronic edition, loc. 22608</ref> The first cathedral church, dedicated to Saints [[St Peter|Peter]] and [[St Paul|Paul]], was built in this period, but no remains of its architecture survive. The [[crypt]] of the present-day cathedral dates from the 11th century and the time of Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester.

The community associated with the cathedral in the early eighth century included members of various clerical orders.<ref>{{harvnb|Barrow|2013}}, electronic edition, loc. 22614</ref> The cathedral community was regulated along formal monastic lines as a consequence of the Benedictine reforms in the second half of the tenth century (one author gives the time range 974–977; another considers 969 more likely). There is an important connection with [[Fleury Abbey]] in France, as [[Oswald of Worcester|Oswald]], bishop of Worcester from 961 to 992, was professed at Fleury and introduced the monastic rule of Fleury to the monastery that he established at Worcester around the year 966, which was dedicated – as the present cathedral church is – to St. Mary.<ref>{{harvnb|Barrow|2013}} electronic edition, loc. 22626 and 22638; {{harvnb|Knowles|Hadcock|1971|p=81}}; {{harvnb|Braunfels|1972|p=154}}</ref>

===Medieval===
[[File:Worcester Cathedral Cloister, Worcestershire, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|The medieval cloisters]]
[[Wulfstan (died 1095)|Wulfstan]], bishop of Worcester, was the last surviving Anglo-Saxon bishop, living until 1095. He was later made a saint. The cathedral is the burial place of [[John, King of England|King John]], who died in 1216.

The cathedral [[priory]], one of a number of religious institutions in the city,<ref>{{harvnb|Willis-Bund|Page|1971a}}; {{harvnb|Willis-Bund|Page|1971b}}; {{harvnb|Willis-Bund|Page|1971c}}</ref> was a major landowner and economic force, in both Worcester and the county. Its properties included the priory manor of [[Bromsgrove]].<ref>{{harvnb|Dyer|2000}}</ref> It was a centre of learning, providing schooling, and was associated with hospitals. The Church received a portion of local taxations, and administered [[ecclesiastical law]] as applied to Christian morals, which could result in punishments. It had close political associations with leading gentry and aristocracy. It thus had a central role in the medieval life of the city and county.<ref>{{harvnb|Willis-Bund|Page|1971a}}</ref>

====Relations with the Jewish community of Worcester====
{{more information|Jewish community of Worcester#The Jews in Worcester in the Middle Ages}}
The Diocese was notably hostile to the small Jewish community in Worcester. [[Peter of Blois]] was commissioned by a Bishop of Worcester, probably [[John of Coutances]], to write a significant anti-Judaic treatise ''Against the Perfidy of Jews'' around 1190.<ref>{{harvnb|de Blois|1194}}, {{harvnb|Lazare|1903}}</ref>  [[William de Blois (bishop of Worcester)|William de Blois]], as Bishop of Worcester, imposed particularly strict rules on Jews within the diocese in 1219.<ref>{{harvnb|Vincent|1994|p=217}}</ref> As elsewhere in England, Jews were officially compelled to wear rectangular white badges, supposedly representing tabulae.{{clarify|date=June 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-badge|title=Jewish Badge|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org|language=en|access-date=20 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106150945/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-badge|archive-date=6 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In most places, this requirement was waived as long as fines were paid. In addition to enforcing the church laws on wearing badges, Blois tried to impose additional restrictions on [[usury]], and wrote to [[Pope Gregory IX]] in 1229 to ask for better enforcement and further, harsher measures. In response, the Papacy demanded that Christians be prevented from working in Jewish homes, "lest temporal profit be preferred to the zeal of Christ", and insisted on enforcement of the wearing of badges.<ref>{{harvnb|Vincent|1994|p=209}}</ref>

===Dissolution and Reformation===
The priory came to an end with [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]]'s [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. Shortly beforehand, in 1535, the prior [[William More (prior)|William More]] resigned, and was replaced by [[Henry Holbeach]]. More had a reputation for fine living, although his standards seem in line with other senior ecclesiasts of the time. However, there certainly were problems with the administration of the priory, including divisions within the community.<ref>{{harvnb|Thornton|2018|pp=7–8}}</ref>

The Protestant [[Hugh Latimer]] was bishop from 1535, and preached for reform and iconoclasm. He resigned as bishop in 1539, as a result of a theological turn by Henry VIII towards Roman Catholicism, in the [[Thirty-nine Articles#Six Articles (1539)|Six Articles]]. [[John Bell (bishop of Worcester)|John Bell]], a moderate reformer, was bishop from 1539 to 1543, during the period of the priory's dissolution.

In the early 16th century, Worcester had around 40 monks. This declined slightly in the years immediately before 1540, as recruitment seems to have halted. There were 35 Benedictine monks plus the [[Priors of Worcester|Prior]] Holbeach at the time of dissolution, probably 16 January 1540; eleven were immediately given pensions, while the remainder became secular canons in the new Royal College. Holbeach was re-appointed as the first Dean. A further five former monks were pensioned from the college in July 1540.<ref>{{harvnb|Thornton|2018}}</ref>

The former monastic library of Worcester contained a considerable number of manuscripts which are now scattered over, among other libraries, [[Cambridge University Library|Cambridge]], London ([[British Library]]), Oxford ([[Bodleian Library|Bodleian]]), and the Cathedral library at Worcester of today.<ref name="Ker205">{{harvnb|Ker|1964|pp=205–215}}</ref> Remains of the priory dating from the 12th and 13th centuries can still be seen.

John Bell's successor as bishop, [[Nicholas Heath]], was religiously much more conservative and Catholic.

===Civil War===
{{more information|Worcestershire in the English Civil War}}
During the [[English Civil War|Civil War]], the cathedral was used to store arms, possibly as early as September 1642.<ref>{{harvnb|Atkin|2004|p=50}}</ref> Worcester declared itself for the Crown and was quickly occupied by extra [[Royalist]] forces, who were using the building to store munitions when the [[Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex|Earl of Essex]] briefly retook the city after a skirmish on its outskirts. The Parliamentary troops then ransacked the Cathedral building. Stained glass was smashed and the organ destroyed, along with library books and monuments.<ref>{{harvnb|Atkin|2004|pp=52–53}}</ref>

The See was abolished during the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth]] and the [[The Protectorate|Protectorate]], approximately 1646–1660.<ref>{{harvnb|King|1968|pp=523–537}}</ref> The bell tower was demolished in 1647 and the building used as a prison in the aftermath of the 1651 battle.<ref>{{harvnb|Atkin|2004|pp=52–53}} and {{harvnb|Atkin|2004|p=133}}</ref>

===Victorian to present===

In the 1860s, the cathedral was subject to [[Victorian restoration|major restoration work]] planned by [[George Gilbert Scott|Sir George Gilbert Scott]] and A. E. Perkins.

An image of the cathedral's west facade appeared on the reverse of the Series E British [[British banknotes|£20 note]] commemorating Sir Edward Elgar, issued between 1999 and 2007, remaining in circulation as legal tender until 30 June 2010.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/archive/Documents/historicpubs/news/2010/024.pdf|quote=The Elgar notes are being withdrawn under authority given to the Bank by virtue of Section 1 (5) of the Currency and Banknotes Act 1954. The Elgar £20 banknote was first issued on 22 June 1999 |agency=Bank of England |title=Withdrawal of Elgar £20 Note |date=2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815211956/http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/archive/Documents/historicpubs/news/2010/024.pdf|archive-date=15 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/withdrawn/default.aspx|title=£20 Sir Edward Elgar (Introduction 22.06.1999 - Withdrawal 30.06.2010)|website=Withdrawn bank notes|publisher=Bank of England|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729164248/http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/BANKNOTES/Pages/withdrawn/default.aspx|archive-date=29 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Architecture==
[[File:Worcester Cathedral Nave, Worcestershire, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|The nave]]
Worcester Cathedral embodies many features that are highly typical of an English medieval cathedral. Like the cathedrals of [[Salisbury Cathedral|Salisbury]] and [[Lincoln Cathedral|Lincoln]], it has two [[transept]]s crossing the [[nave]], rather than the single [[transept]] usual on the Continent. This feature of English cathedrals was to facilitate the private saying of the [[Liturgy of the Hours|Holy Office]] by many clergy or monks. Worcester is also typical of English cathedrals in having a [[chapter house]] and [[cloister]]. To the north side of the cathedral is an entrance porch, a feature designed to eliminate the draught which, prior to the installation of modern swing doors, would blow through cathedrals whenever the western doors were open.

There are important parts of the building dating from every century from the 11th to the 16th. Its tower in the [[English Gothic architecture|perpendicular style]] is described by [[Alec Clifton-Taylor]] as "exquisite"<ref name=ACT/> and is seen best across the [[River Severn]].<ref name="TB&C">Tim Tatton-Brown and John Crook, ''The English Cathedral''</ref>

The earliest part of the building at Worcester is the multi-columned [[crypt]] in [[Norman architecture|Norman style]] with cushion [[Capital (architecture)|capital]]s remaining from the original monastic church begun by bishop Saint Wulfstan of Worcester in 1084. Also from the Norman period is the circular [[chapter house]] of 1120, made octagonal on the outside when the walls were reinforced in the 14th century. The nave was built and rebuilt piecemeal and in different styles by several different architects over a period of 200 years, from 1170 to 1374, some bays being a unique and decorative transition between Norman and Gothic.<ref name=ACT>{{harvnb|Clifton-Taylor|1967}}</ref><ref name=JH>John Harvey, ''English Cathedrals''</ref> The oldest parts show alternate layers of green sandstone from [[Highley]] in Shropshire and yellow [[Cotswold stone|Cotswold limestone]].<ref>{{cite news | title = The Normans: A walk around Worcester Cathedral | work = [[BBC Online]] | date = 2 August 2010 | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/herefordandworcester/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8877000/8877742.stm | access-date = 8 August 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130615134930/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/herefordandworcester/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8877000/8877742.stm | archive-date = 15 June 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Worcester Cathedral Lady Chapel, Worcestershire, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|The lady chapel and east window]]
[[File:Worcester Cathedral Crypt.jpg|thumb|upright=0.86|The Norman crypt]]
The east end was rebuilt over the Norman crypt by Alexander Mason between 1224 and 1269, coinciding with, and in a very similar [[English Gothic architecture|Early English style]] to, [[Salisbury Cathedral]]. From 1360, [[John Clyve]] finished off the nave, built its vault, the west front, the north porch and the eastern range of the cloister. He also strengthened the Norman chapter house, added [[buttress]]es and changed its vault. His masterpiece is the central tower of 1374, originally supporting a timber, lead-covered [[spire]], now gone. Between 1404 and 1432, an unknown architect added the north and south ranges to the cloister, which was eventually closed by the western range by John Chapman, 1435–1438. The last important addition is [[Arthur Tudor|Prince Arthur]]’s Chantry Chapel to the right of the south choir aisle, 1502–1504.<ref name=ACT /><ref name=JH />

Worcester Cathedral was [[Victorian restoration|extensively restored]] from 1857 to 1874 by W. A. Perkins and Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]]. Most of the fittings and the stained glass date from this time. Some early 17th century screens and panelling, removed from the choir and organ casing in 1864, are now at [[Holy Trinity Church, Sutton Coldfield]].<ref name="EH1319961">{{NHLE|num=1319961|desc=Church of the Holy Trinity|access-date=27 August 2013}}</ref>

==Dean and chapter==
*Dean – [[Stephen Edwards (priest)|Stephen Edwards]] (installed September 2024)
*Residentiary Canon (Precentor) – vacant
*Residentiary Canon (Librarian & Chaplain to St Oswald's) – Kimberly Bohan (installed January 2023)
*Senior Non-executive Canon – Dr David Bryer
*Non-executive Canon – Anne Penn
*Non-executive Canon – Henry Briggs
*Non-executive Canon – Staffan Engström

==Burials and memorials==
[[File:Worcester cathedral 005.JPG|thumb|The interior, looking east.]]
[[File:Monument to Robert Wilde, clothier.jpg|thumb|Tomb chest in the nave.]]
[[File:Worcester Cathedral UK 16052015 Cloisters5.jpg|thumb|The Cloister gardens.]]
[[File:Worcester Cathedral Baldwin of Bewdley grave.jpg|thumb|Grave of [[Stanley Baldwin]]  and his wife [[Lucy Baldwin, Countess Baldwin of Bewdley|Lucy]]]]

The Cathedral contains the tomb of [[John of England|King John]] in its [[chancel]]. Before his death in [[Newark, England|Newark]] in 1216, John had requested to be buried at Worcester. He is buried between the shrines of St Wulfstan and [[Oswald of Worcester|St Oswald]] (now destroyed).

The cathedral has a memorial, Prince Arthur's Chantry, to the young prince [[Arthur, Prince of Wales|Arthur Tudor]], who is buried here. Arthur's younger brother and next in line for the throne was [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]. Worcester Cathedral suffered badly from [[iconoclasm]] but was spared total destruction by Henry VIII during the English Reformation because of his brother's [[chantry]] in the cathedral.

An epitaph in Latin to [[Henry Bright (schoolmaster, born 1562)|Henry Bright]], headmaster of the [[King's School, Worcester]], can be found near the north porch.<ref>{{cite web |author=Anna Sander |url=http://archives.balliol.ox.ac.uk/History/gazetteer.asp |title=Balliol Gazetteer |publisher=Archives.balliol.ox.ac.uk |date=18 August 1993 |access-date=8 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003154201/http://archives.balliol.ox.ac.uk/History/gazetteer.asp |archive-date=3 October 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other notable burials include:

* [[Godfrey Giffard]] (c. 1235 – 1302), [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] of [[England]], [[Lord Chancellor of England]], and [[Bishop of Worcester]]
* [[Ivor Atkins]] (1869–1953), choirmaster and organist at Worcester Cathedral from 1897 to 1950
* [[Stanley Baldwin]] (1867—1947), [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] three times, and his wife [[Lucy Ridsdale|Lucy]] (1869-1945)
* [[Alfred Barry]] (1826–1910), one time [[Anglican Archbishop of Sydney|Bishop of Sydney]] and [[Anglican Primate of Australia|Primate of Australia]]
* [[Richard Edes]] (d. 1604), a chaplain to [[Elizabeth I]] and [[James I of England|James I]]
* [[John Gauden]] (1605–1662), Bishop of Worcester, possible author of the [[Eikon Basilike]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worcestercathedrallibrary.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/the-eikon-basilikie-and-how-to-climb-a-17th-career-ladder/ |title=The 'Eikon Basilikie' and how to climb a 17th Career Ladder |work=Worcester Cathedral Library and Archive Blog |date=19 August 2014 |access-date=8 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013140408/https://worcestercathedrallibrary.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/the-eikon-basilikie-and-how-to-climb-a-17th-career-ladder/ |archive-date=13 October 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Philip Goodrich]] (1929–2001), Bishop of Worcester from 1982 to 1996 
* [[William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton]] (1616–1651), Scottish Royalist commander
* [[Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 1st Baronet]] (1593–1650)
* [[William Henry Reed]] (1876–1942), violinist, friend and biographer of [[Edward Elgar]]
* [[Robin Woods]] (1914–1997), Dean of Windsor, Bishop of Worcester from 1971 to 1982
* [[Francis Brett Young]] (1884–1954), Worcestershire author

==Library==
The Cathedral Library at Worcester, located since the 19th century in the loft above the South Nave, contains 289 medieval manuscripts, 55 [[incunabula]], and 6600 post-medieval printed books. The library and archive of Worcester Cathedral also has a total of 19000 archived documents, along with a music collection containing works from famous composers such as Edward Elgar and Thomas Tomkins. Of particular note are the Worcester [[Antiphoner]] (the only book of its kind to survive the Reformation), the will of King John, and a 1225 copy of [[Magna Carta]].<ref name="About Worcester Cathedral Library">[http://worcestercathedrallibrary.wordpress.com/about-the-library/ "About Worcester Cathedral Library"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820044705/http://worcestercathedrallibrary.wordpress.com/about-the-library/ |date=20 August 2014 }}. Retrieved 19 August 2014</ref> The large [[scriptorium]] at Worcester produced many manuscripts and was a place of work for many famous scribes, such as the chronicler [[John of Worcester]] and the unnamed monk identified by his distinctive handwriting as [[The Tremulous Hand of Worcester]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thomson|first1=R. M.|title=A Descriptive Catalogue of the Medieval Manuscripts in Worcester Cathedral Library|date=2001|publisher=D. S. Brewer|location=Woodbridge|isbn=978-0859916189|pages=xvii–xlvii|edition=First}}</ref>

==Misericords==
Thirty-nine of the [[misericord]]s date from 1379 and include a complete set of the [[Labours of the Months]]. The subject matter includes biblical stories, mythology and folklore including N-07, ''The Clever Daughter'', which shows a naked woman draped in a net, riding a goat and carrying a rabbit under her arm. Three of the misericords are Victorian replacements such as N-02, ''Judas in the jaws of Satan''.

==Bells==
The tower has a [[ring of bells|ring]] of twelve bells plus four semitone bells and a 4.1 tonne non-swinging [[Bourdon (bell)|bourdon]].<ref name="Worcester Cathedral church bells">[http://www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/index.php?pr=Bellringing "Worcester Cathedral church bells"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018194906/http://www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/index.php?pr=Bellringing |date=18 October 2008 }}. Retrieved 4 July 2009</ref> The current peal of 15 ringing bells were cast in 1928 by John Taylor & Co., of [[Loughborough]], from the metal of the original ring cast in 1869. The bourdon bell was cast in 1869 and retuned in 1928. It is only used by the clock to strike the hours and sometimes tolls for special events. The ring is the sixth heaviest ring of twelve in the world; only the bells in the cathedrals of Liverpool, Exeter, York, and St Paul's in London, and of [[St Mary Redcliffe]] church in Bristol are heavier. The bells are also considered to be one of the finest toned rings ever cast, a close contender to York Minster. The bells hang in a wooden frame that was constructed in 1869 for the previous ring. Worcester Cathedral is unique in having a purpose-built teaching centre equipped with eight special training bells, linked to computers.<ref name="Worcester Cathedral church bells"/>
The Cathedral is also famous for being the only church in the world to have a ring of ten bells in a harmonic minor key.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

==Clock==
[[File:Worcester Cathedral Intricate Mechanical Clock Workings - geograph.org.uk - 340932.jpg|thumb|The clock mechanism]]
A new clock by [[J. B. Joyce & Co]] was installed in 1871<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Worcester Music Festival |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000051/18720910/008/0003 |newspaper=Daily News (London) |location=England |date=10 September 1872 |access-date=16 November 2025 |via = [[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> at a cost of about £500 ({{Inflation|UK|500|1870|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} It was built to the designs of [[Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe]] using the double three-legged gravity escapement.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Clock Making in Salop and the new Market Hall Clock |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000051/18720910/008/0003 |newspaper=Shrewsbury Chronicle |location=England |date=17 February 1871 |access-date=16 November 2025 |via = [[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Music==
{{see also|List of Worcester Cathedral organists|List of organists, assistant organists and organ scholars at English cathedrals}}
[[File:Worcester Cathedral organ, Worcestershire, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|The transept organ-case]]
[[File:Worcester Cathedral choir, Worcestershire, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|The choir]]
Worcester Cathedral has three choirs: [[Worcester Cathedral Choir]] (the principal choir which has both boys' and girls' sections, normally working independently), [[Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir]], and Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir. All three were involved in the BBC broadcast of the midnight and Christmas morning services in 2007, with the boys and the girls of the Cathedral Choir, respectively, taking the lead in the two services.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/1830184.bbc_will_broadcast_christmas_services_live_from_worcester_cathedral/ |title=BBC will broadcast Christmas services live from Worcester Cathedral |date=14 November 2007 |access-date=28 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001101025/http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/1830184.bbc_will_broadcast_christmas_services_live_from_worcester_cathedral/ |archive-date=1 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since the 18th century, Worcester Cathedral Choir has taken part in the [[Three Choirs Festival]], the oldest music festival in the world.

The composer [[Edward Elgar]] spent most of his life in Worcestershire. The first performance of the revised version of his [[Enigma Variations]] – the version usually performed – took place at the cathedral during the 1899 Three Choirs Festival. He is commemorated in a stained glass window which contains his portrait.

Worcester Cathedral has a long history of [[pipe organ|organ]]s dating back to at least 1417. There have been many re-builds and new organs in the intervening period, including work by [[Thomas Dallam]], William Hill and most famously [[Robert Hope-Jones]] in 1896. The Hope-Jones organ was heavily re-built in 1925 by [[Harrison & Harrison]], and then regular minor works kept it in working order until Wood Wordsworth and Co. were called in 1978.  It was a large four-manual organ with 61 speaking stops. It had a large Gothic Revival case with heavily decorated front pipes as well as two smaller cases either side of the quire.<ref>{{cite web|title=Worcester Cathedral|url=http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N03607|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909093655/http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N03607|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 September 2012|publisher=National Pipe Organ Register (NPOR)|access-date=27 December 2007}}</ref>

This organ (apart from the large transept case and pedal pipes) was removed in 2006 in order to make way for a new instrument by [[Kenneth Tickell]], which was completed in the summer of 2008.<ref>The specification and drawings were on [https://web.archive.org/web/20161009174308/http://www.tickell-organs.co.uk/specInfo/opus65.htm Kenneth Tickell's website].</ref> The nave has a separate three-manual Rodgers organ.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rodgersinstruments.co.uk/R_trilliumT967.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050311025123/http://www.rodgersinstruments.co.uk/R_trilliumT967.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 March 2005|title=Rodgers UK ► a tradition of excellence in classical organs|date=11 March 2005|access-date=20 September 2018}}</ref>

Notable organists at Worcester have included [[Thomas Tomkins]] (from 1596), [[Hugh Blair (composer)|Hugh Blair]] (from 1895), [[Ivor Atkins]] (from 1897) and [[David Willcocks]] (from 1950). From 2012 to 2018, the Director of Music and Organist was [[Peter Nardone]].

==Events==
Worcester Cathedral hosts the annual graduation ceremonies for the [[University of Worcester]]. These ceremonies are presided over by the vice-chancellor of the university, and take place over four days in November.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worcester.ac.uk/community/graduation.html |title=Graduation 2015 |publisher=University of Worcester |date=28 June 2016 |access-date=8 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014074414/http://worcester.ac.uk/community/graduation.html |archive-date=14 October 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 2018, Worcester Cathedral became the host to the annual honours celebration of the [[Royal Life Saving Society UK]], celebrating the long service and meritorious achievements of their lifesaving members.

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow="5">
File:Worcester_Cathedral_College_Green.jpg|College Green
File:Worcester Cathedral from College Green.jpg|View of the cathedral from College Green
File:The Severn at Worcester from the Cathedral tower.jpg|Worcester and the River Severn
File:Worcester Cathedral Quire Organ and Decorative Ceiling.jpg|Quire organ cases and decorative ceiling
File:Worcester Cathedral looking west.jpg|The rood screen, nave and west window
File:Worcester cathedral 004.JPG|The altar area
File:Worcester cathedral 006.JPG|The high altar
File:Worcester cathedral 013.JPG|Painted ceiling
File:Worcester cathedral 002.JPG|Statues above the portal
File:A plan of Worcester Cathedral made in 1836 (engraved by B.Winkles after a drawing by Benjamin Baud)..jpg|1836 Cathedral floorplan
File:Worcester Cathedral Choir.jpg|Taken from the choir
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
*[[Ealdred (archbishop of York)]]
*[[Bishop of Worcester]]
*[[Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir]]
*[[Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England]]
*[[List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe]]
*[[English Gothic architecture]]
*[[Romanesque architecture]]
*[[Church of England]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Sources and further reading==
===General===
* {{Citation |publisher = Longman |ol = 7145051M |location = London |title = The monastery and cathedral of Worcester |url = https://archive.org/details/monasterycathedr00noakuoft |author = John Noake |author-link1=John Noake |date = 1866 }}
* {{Citation |publisher = Printed for the Camden Society |ol = 14133074M |location = [Westminster] |title = History from marble |url = https://archive.org/details/historyfrommarbl97ding |author = Thomas Dingley |lccn = 17001261 |date = 1867 }}
*''Worcester Cathedral'' (official guidebook), Scala Publishers Ltd. (2004) {{ISBN|1-85759-347-2}}
*{{cite book|first= Tim |last=Tatton-Brown|author2=John Crook |title=The English Cathedral|year=2002|publisher=New Holland Publishers|isbn=978-1-84330-120-2}}
*R. K. Morris, ed. '' Medieval Art and Architecture at Worcester Cathedral'', 1978
* {{cite book |last1=Clifton-Taylor |first1=Alec |author-link1=Alec Clifton-Taylor |title=The Cathedrals of England |url=https://archive.org/details/archaeologische00stargoog |date=1967 |publisher=Thames and Hudson Ltd |isbn=978-0500200629 |edition=2nd}}
* {{Citation |publisher = Yale University Press |ol = 10319229M |isbn = 9780300112986 |title = Worcestershire|edition=Revised|series=The Buildings of England |date = 2007 |first1 = Nikolaus |last1=Pevsner |first2 = Alan |last2=Brookes |pages=672–702 |chapter=Worcester: Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary|location=London }}

===Medieval===
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Willis-Bund |editor1-first=J. W. |editor2-last=Page |editor2-first=William |title=A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 2 |date=1971a |publisher=British History Online |location=London |pages=94–112 |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/worcs/vol2/pp94-112 |access-date=17 June 2018 |chapter=Houses of Benedictine monks: Priory of St Mary, Worcester}}}
* {{cite book|chapter=Hospitals: Worcester |editor1-last=Willis-Bund |editor1-first=J. W. |editor2-last=Page |editor2-first=William |title=A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 2 |date=1971b |publisher=British History Online |location=London |pages=175–179 |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/worcs/vol2/pp175-179 |access-date=20 May 2018}}
* {{cite book|chapter=Friaries: Worcester |editor1-last=Willis-Bund |editor1-first=J. W. |editor2-last=Page |editor2-first=William |title=A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 2 |date=1971c |publisher=British History Online |location=London |pages=167–173 |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/worcs/vol2/pp167-173 |access-date=13 May 2018}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Ker |editor1-first=Neil Ripley|editor1-link=Neil Ripley Ker | year=1964 | title=Medieval Libraries of Great Britain | publisher=[[Royal Historical Society]] | pages=205–215}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Vincent |first1=Nicholas |title=Two Papal Letters on the Wearing of the Jewish Badge, 1221 and 1229 |journal=Jewish Historical Studies |date=1994 |volume=34 |pages=209–24 |jstor=29779960}}
* {{cite book|first1=Robin R. |last1=Mundill|title=England's Jewish Solution: Experiment and Expulsion, 1262-1290|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rD7KpxEhRu8C&q=%22domus+conversorum%22&pg=PA100|date=2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-52026-3}}
*{{cite web |last1=de Blois |first1=Peter |author-link1=Peter de Blois |title=Against the Perfidy of the Jews |date=1194|url=https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/1198peterblois-jews.asp |website=Medieval Sourcebook |publisher=University of Fordham |quote=A treatise addressed to John Bishop of Worcester, probably John of Coutances who held that See, 1194–8.}}
* {{Citation |publisher = The International library publishing co. |ol = 7137045M |location = New York |title = Antisemitism, its history and causes |url = https://archive.org/details/antisemitismitsh00lazaiala |first1=Bernard |last1=Lazare |lccn = 03015369 |date = 1903 |author-link1=Bernard Lazare |oclc = 3055229 }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Lapidge |editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Blair |editor2-first=John |editor3-last=Keynes |editor3-first=Simon |editor4-last=Scragg |editor4-first=Donald |title=The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England |last1=Barrow |first1=Julia |chapter=Worcester |date=2013 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=978-0470656327}}
* {{cite book | first1=David| last1=Knowles |first2=R. Neville |last2=Hadcock | year=1971 | title=Medieval Religious Houses: England & Wales | publisher=[[Longman]] | isbn=978-0-582-11230-8}}
* {{cite book | last=Braunfels | first=Wolfgang | year=1972 | title=Monasteries of Western Europe | publisher=Thames and Hudson | isbn=978-0-691-00313-9 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/monasteriesofwes0000brau }}
* {{cite book |last1=Dyer |first1=Christopher |title=Bromsgrove: a small town in Worcestershire in the Middle Ages |date=2000 |publisher=Worcestershire Historical Society| series = Occasional Publications|volume=9| issn = 0140-9913}}

===Dissolution and Civil War===
* {{cite journal |last1=Thornton |first1=David E. |title=The Last Monks of Worcester Cathedral Priory |journal=Midland History |date=2018 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=3–21 |doi=10.1080/0047729X.2018.1461774 |publisher=Routledge|url=http://repository.bilkent.edu.tr/bitstream/11693/50072/1/The_Last_Monks_of_Worcester_Cathedral_Priory.pdf |hdl=11693/50072 |s2cid=159893638 |hdl-access=free }}
* {{Citation |publisher = Printed for the Worcestershire Historical Society, by M. Hughes and Clarke |ol = 23307603M |location = London |title = Journal of Prior William More |editor1-last=Fegan |editor1-first=Ethel S |url = https://archive.org/details/journalofpriorwi00morerich |first1 = William|last1=More |author-link1=William More (prior)|date = 1914 }}
* {{Cite book|title = Worcestershire under arms|last1 = Atkin|first1 = Malcolm|publisher = Pen and Sword|year = 2004|ol = 11908594M|isbn = 978-1-84415-072-4|location = Barnsley}}
* {{cite journal |last=King |first=Peter |date=July 1968 |title=The Episcopate during the Civil Wars, 1642–1649 |journal=[[The English Historical Review]]  |volume= 83 |issue= 328 |pages=523–537 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/ehr/lxxxiii.cccxxviii.523|jstor=564164 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.worcestercathedral.co.uk Worcester Cathedral official web site]. Retrieved 3 June 2009
*[http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=646 Worcester Cathedral at Skyscrapernews.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426100747/http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=646 |date=26 April 2021 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120111160721/http://www.ofchoristers.net/Chapters/Worcester.htm A history of the choristers of Worcester Cathedral]
*[http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/UK/Britain_Centre/Worcester_Cathedral/Worcester_Cathedral.htm Adrian Fletcher’s Paradoxplace – Worcester Cathedral Pages – Photos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222182532/http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/UK/Britain_Centre/Worcester_Cathedral/Worcester_Cathedral.htm |date=22 February 2016 }}
*[https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=Worcester+Cathedral&m=text Flickr images tagged Worcester Cathedral]
*[http://www.worcestercathedralchamberchoir.co.uk/ The Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir]

{{Cathedrals of the Church of England}}
{{Deans of Worcester}}
{{Monasteries in Worcestershire |state=autocollapse}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Worcester Cathedral| ]]
[[Category:Anglican cathedrals in England]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures in Worcester, England|Cathedral]]
[[Category:Monasteries in Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Worcester, England]]
[[Category:Church of England church buildings in Worcestershire]]
[[Category:English churches with Norman architecture]]
[[Category:English Gothic architecture in Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Grade I listed cathedrals]]
[[Category:Grade I listed churches in Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals]]
[[Category:History of Worcester, England|Cathedral]]
[[Category:Christianity in Worcester, England|Cathedral]]
[[Category:Anglican Diocese of Worcester]]
[[Category:Churches in Worcester, England]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the Lyttelton family]]
[[Category:Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the House of Plantagenet]]
[[Category:680 establishments]]
[[Category:Churches completed in the 680s]]
[[Category:Places of worship used as prisons]]