Worcester

Worcester Cathedral is unusual in many respects, not least because entry is by donation (although they do charge for camera passes).

The visitors' entrance is through the cloisters which are glazed, which is odd and gives the place a cosy feel. Inside the pink and brown sandstone, the use of coloured marble, and the beautiful the nineteenth century painted and glided plaster ceiling in the chancel, all add to a feeling of warmth, rare in Anglican churches.

Work on the current building commenced 1084 on the site of an earlier monastery. It was added to over the centuries, and every style of English architecture from Norman to Perpendicular can be found somewhere in the Cathedral. It was completed in 1504.

In the 1860s, the cathedral was heavily restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott and local architect Abraham Perkins, but is none the worse for that. In fact, it helps to reinforce the idea that this is a working building, not a preserved artefact.

One other odd thing, the pulpit is on the right of the nave. I can't ever recall having seen that before.