Gloucester Cathedral

We spent most of today in Gloucester, starting off in the Docks area and moving on to the cathedral. The main blip shows part of the impressive ceiling in the cloisters.
 
There's a lot of ornate stained glass in the cathedral: to us the most fun bit of this is shown in the extra. It dates from the 1300s, and since at least the 1700s it's been thought to represent a golfer; however golf wasn't known in the UK back in the 1300s, the first surviving reference to the word "golf" in writing dates from Scotland in 1497. There have been many theories as to what sport is, in fact, being played - the most plausible probably being "cambuc", widely played in England in Edward IIIrd's reign, using a ball made of leather filled with feathers. Probably even more odd is the fact that this little window is in amongst others depicting the splendid shields of English noble families! (Note: the original face has gone, being replaced with clear glass bearing shadows giving a hint of facial features - such repairs are quiet common in old stained glass.)
 
After leaving Gloucester we drove to Bath, where we're visiting Son #2 until Monday.