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The cathedral building and grounds

The Galilee Chapel
The Nave
South Transept
The DLI Chapel
The Central Tower
The Quire
The Shrine of St Cuthbert
The Chapel of the Nine Altars
The North Transept
The Cloister
The Chapter House
The Monks' Dormitory
The Great Kitchen
The Refectory Library
Prior's Hall

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The Nave is the “main room” of the cathedral, and the first space you’ll enter from the front door.

Supported by a series of giant stone pillars, which are 6.6 metres round and 6.6 metres high, the nave’s vaulted stone ceiling towers 22 metres overhead and stretches nearly 150 metres long — a particularly impressive sight considering it was built over 1,000 years ago!

Where is this space?

The Nave forms the largest section of the cathedral, and is the view you are met with when you enter through the North Door.

How is it used today?

This is where most of our services are held today. Take a seat in one of the pews and reflect on the faith and history of the cathedral.

The Nave is open for exploration, a space where you can wander around and see sights including the famous Rose Window, the patterned columns soaring to the ceiling, and the font.

Interesting things to look for here

History

The Nave in the medieval monastery

Traditionally, the Nave was one of the few areas open to visitors. Today, you can see from the Nave and into the Quire, but, historically, the Quire was hidden from view, as a space where only the monastic community could take part in daily worship.

Changes over the past 500 years

The Nave largely looks the same as it did nine centuries ago. However, try to imagine it without seating. Instead of a place to sit and reflect, The Nave would have been used as a space for crowds to attend services or to walk in a procession.

Many of the stained glass windows around the Nave are relatively modern. During the 17th century civil war, Cromwell ordered for the windows to be smashed, so the windows you see today are from no earlier than 1869. If you look closely, you might notice that some of the windows are made up of the fragments left behind from the old windows.

Test pulling out altars

Accessibility

Wheelchair users and visitors with limited mobility

The nave is fully accessible, with ramped access to all areas.

Toilets are located near the cathedral shop, which can be reached via a level route outside the building or via an enclosed platform lift from the nave.

Visitors with a hearing impairment

The information desk at the West End of the cathedral is fitted with an induction loop and interpretation panels with written information can be found around the Nave.

Neurodiverse visitors

During organ tuning there will be frequent loud and sudden noises in the nave, which some visitors may find distressing. For more information on organ tuning please see the cathedral schedule.

The West End of the Nave around the visitor desk can be very busy and noisy during peak visiting hours.

Prayers are projected on the tannoy every hour.

Blind and partially sighted visitors

Light levels in the cathedral can be low depending on the time of day and year.

There are many things to touch and feel in the Nave, including a 3D wooden model of the cathedral, the patterned stone pillars, and Father Smith's carved organ case.

Follow the guided tour

You’re in: The Nave Next stop: Rose Window

  • Turn 180 degrees and look back up the aisle in the centre of the Nave.
  • Up each side of the room, you’ll see a series of stone pillars engraved with different patterns.
  • Make your way towards the nearest pillar, which should be engraved with the diamond pattern (pictured left).
Next item: Rose Window