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Bishop John Alcock was successively Lord Chancellor, Lord President of Wales and the Comptroller of the Royal Works and Buildings to King Henry VII. He was a generous benefactor to the University of Cambridge – he gave manuscripts to Peterhouse College and founded Jesus College, and was the builder of the main part of the Bishop’s Palace at Ely. This chapel where he is buried was begun in 1488; it appears that it was originally intended to encompass a much larger area than its current footprint within the Cathedral. It contains many examples of Bishop Alcock’s rebus (a picture to represent words), a cockerel standing on a globe – a pun on his name.*

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Psalm 127:1

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*From a signboard next to the chapel

16 Comments CherryPie on Dec 3rd 2018

16 Responses to “Bishop Alcock’s Chantry Chapel”

  1. lisl says:

    Such delicacy and intricacy all in stone

  2. Hels says:

    A rebus is often such a clever device.

  3. Astrid says:

    This is just mind blowing, so beautiful. I love all those details and the light is amazing. Also the stained glass is wonderful.

  4. The Yum List says:

    Such detail in the design.

  5. Ayush says:

    the details in both your shots are simply staggering, CP.

  6. So ornate! No wonder they charge you to visit this place. ;)
    But it’s better than Salisbury Cathedral though.

  7. ....peter says:

    three magnificent compositions of this chapel Cherie… well done….peter:)

  8. Shabana says:

    Beyond just beautiful Cherie!!!

    I wonder about artists who made this marvellous art!