realmedieval said: If I recall correctly, I’ve seen articles lately stating that thi
realmedieval said: If I recall correctly, I’ve seen articles lately stating that this cathedral is again falling into disrepair. Thanks for the comment! As for falling into disrepair, I wouldn’t be surprised, given the history of the cathedral. She is almost 900 years old, and for more than half those years, she stood without a roof to cover her. I imagine the rain, snow and ice getting into all the mortar and joints from the inside did their share of damage. Add to it the bombings in WW2, and I’m amazed she still stands at all. Then there’s always that pesky economy which often diverts money away from things deemed unnecessary, and I would think that a 900 year old church must be very money hungry to keep it looking good. I was last there in 2009, and there was scaffolding in various spots on the exterior and in the interior. But, there has always been scaffolding there whenever I’ve been there. It was explained to me that if they calculated real age on the cathedral the way humans do medically, the real age of the Cathedral is thought to be twice its actual age - but only in its joints, compounds and mortars. I was told most of the stones are strong and weathering quite well, but they must constantly be vigilant to cracks and stresses that are still just beginning to show themselves. I was also told it’s a bit like a game of whack-a-mole; you fix one area and make it strong again, and the area adjacent to it begins to feel the stress more, therefore leading to a constant work in progress. The picture above is one I took in 2009, showing one of the top pieces from one of the spires that was knocked off from a bomb. Except for losing the very top finial, it came down mostly intact, This is perhaps a good indication to the strength of the stones used? Anyone else know additional info? -- source link
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