Ghosts of You

“What more could the heart desire
In sunshine or in rain
Than a quiet old cottage
In a little English lane.”

— Embroidery in our Bourton-on-the-Water Cottage

Garnering sympathy as we tour England is a tall order. If you’re willing to consider it, however, I will tell you that it was difficult to drive away from Debbie and Nathan in London on Wednesday night.

It was especially difficult to drive through the night in a drenching rain and return to the cottage we had shared and face the stairs they once climbed to their room—knowing they were gone. 😞

In January we returned to the London apartment we had shared with Pam—her bed put away, in February we returned to the Wiltshire cottage we had shared with William—his room empty, and now this from March.

Nearing the five-month-mark, the separation from family and friends is acute. The two days that followed Debbie and Nathan’s departure were a somber affair—the prospect of three months without any visitors and another five+ months of travels remaining an ever-present shadow we could not shake. We long anticipated this struggle, but imagining never truly prepares you for the intensity of an experience.

With a full day left in our Bourton-on-the-Water cottage, we attempted to distract ourselves by visiting The Model Village.

The Model Village in Bourton-on-the-Water represents the town in 1/9th scale, accurately reflecting life as it was in the 1930s.

Despite the impressive creation, both of us were too preoccupied to really appreciate our visit. In fact, after so many months of winter, I was more impressed by the sight of leaves and flowers retuning to the trees.

Before we left our cottage, we did want to include a photo of the cupboard under the stairs—so very British, so very Harry Potter.

That evening, as we headed out the door to get some dinner, we were greeted by this beautiful and encouraging sight.

Gloucester Cathedral

With hours to kill before we could check into our next cottage, we drove to Gloucester to see the cathedral and buy groceries.

On this trip, as in life, we are learning that when things do not go as expected, often something unexpected and amazing is about to reveal itself—if you’re open. Upon arriving at the cathedral, a service was in progress and we were not allowed to enter; instead, they directed us around back to the cloisters.

A **cloister** is a covered walk, usually in the shape of a square, commonly attached to the warm southern side of a cathedral. In the monastic tradition, the cloisters provided an architectural barrier from the outside world. While they are often beautifully designed, the fan vaulted ceilings at Gloucester are an architectural masterpiece. Unusually, these cloisters are also fully enclosed with stained glass windows.
The visually dazzling hallways of the Gloucester cloisters are a popular filming location, seen in productions such as *The Hollow Crown*, *Wolf Hall*, *Father Brown*, *Mary Queen of Scots*, and The Spanish Princess.
It also caught the eye of Harry Potter cinematographers, and this is where the grey of the past few days began to lift a bit—in the dawning realization that the cloister held more than expected, and adventure awaited in walking around, viewing YouTube clips, and identifying where scenes were filmed.

Gryffindor Common Room Entrance

This doorway was used as the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, shortly after Hermione, Ron, & Harry are sorted into their houses in *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone*.

Gryffindor first years led by Percy Weasley to their common room. This is the South Walk of the Cloister, where you’ll find the 20 niche-like spaces seen above. These are called “carrels,” and they would have originally housed desks at which monks could study.
Here a movie clip of entering the Gryffindor Common Room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH4Es3OtMN4&t=5s

The Troll Scene

In *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone*, after Professor Quirrell exclaims there is a troll in the dungeon, Ron and Harry walk through this door before remembering the Hermione is still in the lavoratory. They then run back inside to warn her of the troll. Notice the little carved stone face on top of the pillar.

After Ron and Harry re-enter the castle to find Heroine, they run down a corridor then hide behind the pillar below.

Here is a video of Amanda walking in the footsteps of Harry and Ron when they encounter the troll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmdzfLUk5QY

Notice the stained glass windows above and below.

The pillar Ron and Harry (and Amanda 😂 ) hide behind (at the far end of this image) is along the North Walk next to the “Lavatorium,” a place where monks once washed, using a local stream to bring water inside.

Ron and Harry saw the troll’s shadow cast on the far wall as he approached from the left. This the North Walk, adjacent to the Lavatorium (to the left), looking toward the West Walk.
Here is a movie clip of the troll scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Czofd1MHc&t=1s

The Chamber of Secrets Is Opened

In *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Ron, Hermione, and Harry enter the East Walk from the door on the left after Harry hears the basilisk speaking.

Surprisingly, the cathedral staff allowed them to flood the floor with water for this scene. Harry is hard to make out in the dark image, but the wall details at the left are unmistakable in both of the above images.

As the three walk across the flooded floor, they see a line of spiders crawling from the floor up and out a window.

“I don’t like spiders”! You can just make out where the rectangular plaque was removed.

Shortly after seeing the spiders, the three see this written on the walls. The Cathedral may have let the director run water over the stone floors, but writing in blood on the walls was a step too far. In this case, they build a mock-up of the cloister walls for this portion of the film.
Here’s one more movie clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjNHWwelxN4

Half Blood Prince

In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Professor McGonagall confronts Harry as he and Ron loiter against the Hogwarts hallway walls. The distinct architecture of the adjacent doorway in the West Walk is unmistakable.

They really take the full opportunity to highlight the beautiful cloisters in the short clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTIAvx4Xhzw

The Cathedral

The Nave of Gloucester Cathedral has a very different feel when compared to other cathedrals we visited such as St Paul’s, Canterbury, and Salisbury.
That is largely because the Nave was originally part of a Norman Abbey and it has hardly changed in 900 years! The pillars are an older design—Romanesque: round, and inelegant when compared to the relatively “newer” cathedral designs.
You many also notice that some of the pillars have a reddish-brown color at the bottom. This is thought to be the result of a serious fire in 1122, which caused the original roof to come crashing down; the vault we see today dates from 1242.

The detail of large cathedral windows is always fascinating. Installed in 1859 the current **West Window** of Gloucester Cathedral depicts traditional Bible stories. Across the bottom of the window are three water-themed incidents from the Old Testament: Noah with his family and animals leaving the ark after the flood, the Israelites after passing safely across the Red Sea, and Naaman washing in the Jordan to rid himself of leprosy.
Above are nativity scenes, and above the nativity scenes are the Presentation of Christ by his parents in the temple, the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and John the Baptist preaching by the River Jordan.
Depicted above are three Christian baptisms from the Acts of the Apostles are: Paul, Cornelius, and the jailer of Philippi.

Gloucester Cathedral’s famous organ is one of the most significant cathedral organs in the world. It was originally constructed in 1666 and is the only complete 17th century cathedral organ case surviving in the UK. The pipes displayed on the front of the case still sound to this day.

The organ sits atop the Quire screen and is designed to play both to the Nave in the west and the Quire to the east.

The view of the magnificant organ from the Quire from the east part of the cathedral.

Above the Quire, the impressive Clerestory windows and vault with its 400 bosses and orchestra of heavenly angels.

The South Transept is the earliest surviving example of English Perpendicular architecture.

The high alter and exceptionally ornate altar screen.

The **Great East Window** above the high altar is the size of a tennis court! At the time of its installation in the 1350s, it was the largest window in the world and it continues to be one of the greatest landmarks of European medieval stained glass today. (Note for later the slightly darkened section across the second row of windows.)
The Great East Window was created as part of the reconstruction of the Quire following the burial of King Edward II in September 1327.
The colorful glass was painstakingly designed to reflect the hierarchical nature of medieval society as well as the Church’s interpretation of the Divine Order. Its centerpiece is the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Lord Jesus Christ in majesty, flanked by 12 apostles.
To keep it safe during World War II, the Great East Window was dismantled and stored in the Crypt.

In a timely tribute for Easter, the St Thomas Chapel of the South Aisle. Thomas Denny created these stained-glass windows in 1992 to mark the Cathedral's 900th anniversary, inspired by the theme of “praise.”
The central window shows St Thomas kneeling before Jesus Christ, who has risen from the dead. The side windows are based on Psalm 148, which sings of all creation praising God.

The **Lady Chapel** at the far east end of the Cathedral (behind the high altar).

The remains of **Edward II** lie here. He was an unpopular king who is thought to have been brutally murdered in 1327. Edward's son, Edward Ill, commissioned this tomb around 1330. It spurred on the rebuilding of the East End in a revolutionary new style—the “Perpendicular Gothic.”
In 1540 King Henry VIIl dissolved the Abbey and seized all its treasures. But he did not intend to see the building entirely destroyed, as happened to over 800 other monastic buildings in England—because the body of his ancestor King Edward Il was buried here. In 1541 he created the new Diocese of Gloucester in his new Church of England, and this building became its Cathedral.

Just one more way that Gloucester Cathedral is unique from other cathedrals: to the right is the back of the high altar. To the left is the massive Great East Window, which would typically be the end of the cathedral; instead, the Lady Chapel extends the cathedral significantly to the east (left).
Behind the Great East Window is a narrow passageway (the dark section behind the window mentioned above) that connects the north triforium (from where I am taking this picture) to the south triforium (where Amanda is standing on the other side). They cleverly allow light to pass in front of the passageway so there is only a slight shadow seen through the Great East Window.
The passageway is a **whispering gallery**. Despite the distance, Amanda and I could talk in a normal voice through the passageway and hear each other perfectly. Pretty amazing.

The Tailor of Gloucester

Discovering the amazing cloisters and their Harry Potter connection was the first bit serendipity. As we left the cathedral, we walked through this ancient passageway and noticed this little shop—serendipity struck again!