Gloucester cathedral

I have just lost all the text so will rewrite tomorrow as I'm off to bed 

Gloucester cathedral stands in clean, pale stonework, supported by huge Norman columns and has remained largely intact for one very good reason; 
in 1327 Edward II was buried here. Henry VIII could not destroy the tomb of his ancestor and Gloucester was spared the Reformation.

The great East window of 1350 (seen in the mirror provided to admire the ceiling of the choir) contains 3/4 of the original glass. At the time of WWII the window was removed to storage to protect it from damage.

Following the guide provided we examined much of the featured items, ancient and modern: from misericords (yes, quite a few were visible) to memorial windows - to the 9-year-old Boy King, Henry III, the only monarch crowned outside Westminster Abbey, in 1216, to those of familiar composers and organists Samuel Sebastian Wesley, Herbert Howells, Herbert Sumsion and Gerald Finzi.

We whispered in the Whispering Gallery in the Tribune Gallery (a mezzanine level) which runs behind the East Window and gives unique views over the quire; tiptoed round the 1465 Lady Chapel, reserved for quiet contemplation and, after viewing the cloister with its long lavatorium sink, sampled the victuals in the friendly cafe.

(Here a guide informed me that the cake I had selected was 'to die for' so I asked could I be buried here...we decided  'probably not', but I lived to tell the tale).

A guide insisted on pointing out a particular memorial not featured in the booklet, that of John Bower (d 1615) and his wife Anne (d 1613) and sixteen children (not all of whom survived infancy, given the repetition of names Thomas and John ). Their memorial is as a family, each member painted on stone and is protected from fading.

One thing we did not do was climb to the top of the tower, time was pressing and the weather windy and cool so a future visit to this lovely area is highly likely. We bade farewell to the gargoyles on our way to the car.