CHRISTCHURCH 

The Priory

The Nave

The view from the west end towards the east is one of the finest ecclesiastical vistas in the country.  Either side, the towering Norman arches surmounted by further triforium arches (these have only two windows although the name comes from Canterbury, where there are three windows) on which stands the clerestory to provide illumination and a profoundly uplifting atmosphere.  But the eye is naturally drawn forwards to the parish altar and the beautiful choir screen brought here in 1320, above which would have been a rood loft before the Reformation.  Beyond can be glimpsed the top of the Jesse screen in the Great Quire and above again, the fabulous 1967 mural by Hans Feibusch, of the Ascension.

Originally, the nave would have had no seating, but along the length of both the north and south aisles is a low stone bench, which gave rise to the expression 'the weakest go to the wall'.

The ceiling above the nave is by the Winchester architect, William Garbett, and is a Victorian (1819) structure of wood and plaster moulded to give the appearance of vaulting to hide the massive 13c wooden roof beams and maybe to conserve heat.  It is a sensitive alteration and we must be grateful that this is all the Victorians did because, given almost any excuse, they tore down the ancient and replaced it with their own idea of how it should have been built!