Exeter Cathedral has many claims to fame not least is the 14th century stone vault ceiling. Which is the longest continuous medieval stone vault in the world at a length of 96m.
It has had some resent restoration and the centre bosses have all been finished in gold leaf and it looks amazing.
One of the more bizarre however is the earliest recorded cat door which is said to be the worlds oldest at over 400 years.
I have my doubts as I’m sure the air Shafts in the Kings chamber of the pyramid was just to let the Pharos cat out and would predate the Exeter door by some 4 1/2 thousand years.
The door leads up to the mechanism for the astronomical clock which represents the solar system as it was understood at the time. The earth is the golden orb at the centre. The black globe is the moon and the sun represented by the disk with the The outermost black disc, decorated with fleur-de-lys.
The clock is probably worth a post all on it’s own so back to the cat door. They know how old the door is because cathedral records show a carpenter was paid 8 pence to cut a hole in the door in 1598 by Bishop Cotton, no relation to Dot. To allow his cat entry to the clock mechanism to catch the mice and rats that were feeding on the animal fat used as a lubricant. Cathedral records also show that the cat was paid 13 pence a quarter for the rat catcher job.
One of the souvenirs on sale in the cathedral are small wooden mice.
But Bob the cat is less than impressed with the new toy than she is with Dreamies .
So Hivers if your in Exeter with a few hours to kill a trip to the cathedral is well worth a visit it’s a lot more interesting you might think.
