Bishop’s Throne Canopy

The magnificent bishop’s throne canopy is one of the finest examples of medieval furniture. It is a remarkable survival, which even escaped damage when Exeter Cathedral was hit by a bomb during the second world war.

The throne canopy rises 16 metres above the enclosed chair used by the bishop. The existence here of this ‘throne’ or ‘seat’, makes the building a cathedral: the very word originates from a building containing the bishop’s seat (in Latin ‘cathedra’).

The throne canopy is part of the furnishings of the new quire funded by Bishop Walter Stapledon, though the choirstalls from this period have not survived. Oak was felled from local woods owned by the bishop and was seasoned by submerging in a millpond. The main construction took place 1313‑17 with sculptures and paintwork recorded over the next few years. The master carvers responsible were Robert Galmeton and William Membiri, both local men. It has been estimated that 13 craftsmen would be required working full-time in order to complete the work in four years.

Its design is attributed to Thomas of Witney. In 1313 he was advising on the canopy and by 1316 had become master mason in charge of the cathedral’s building work, developing some of the canopy’s characteristic features into the architectural masonry. In some parts of the canopy, pieces of wood were pegged together to form large blocks, similar to blocks of stone, which were then carved.

The throne canopy base was originally open on three sides allowing the bishop to enter from the north. Although the medieval choirstalls were removed in the 17th century, the throne canopy remained in place. When new stalls were made, the base was enclosed with an eastern entrance. During his restoration (1871-76), Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the present choirstalls to coordinate with the canopy. He also replaced the three additional base panels in a style coordinating with the original south panel.

It is unclear when statues were removed from the upper levels and there appears to have been no other damage at the time. The figure now looking down from the centre of the spire is of Bishop William Cecil (1916-36) as St Peter, the patron saint of the cathedral. It was carved in 1938 by the local craftsman, Herbert Read.

Shortly after war was declared in September 1939, plans were in place to remove important items from the cathedral in case Exeter was attacked. However, it wasn’t until May 1941 that the decision was made to transfer the bishop’s throne canopy to another location. The complex task of taking the structure apart was carried out by Herbert Read who commented that ‘it had never entirely been taken to pieces before as we found the original oak pins used in its construction still in place’. As the base panels were considered modern, they remained in place with corner braces to hold them upright. The rest of the structure was stored at Mamhead House (between Exeter and Dawlish) throughout the war. This was a most fortunate decision as the bishop’s throne canopy would have been severely damaged when the adjacent St James Chapel was destroyed during the Exeter blitz in 1942.

These details supplement information provided in the cathedral on the stand Bishop’s Throne.