 Hello, thank you for joining me today. I'm in a cemetery in the north of Scotland in the town of Elgin Come here to explore the ruins of the fascinating cathedral just behind me here and see the twin towers So what we're going to do we're going to go and look around and I'll explain to you about how the cathedral came a ruin How it may have looked what there is to see today that building over there, which is half a ruin and half Restored that's where some of the cannons would have lived So this would have all been part of the cathedral close and to give you an idea what it looked like There's a painting of it all just up here. So there's the main west front of the cathedral It's two twin towers. I'm gonna go inside them in a minute Look here. Here is the painting that we've all looked So we're currently about there where we are there in front of the towers We're gonna go around to that porch and walk in through as if we were a layman coming to visit the cathedral So as we come around here, we'll see a lot more of the fascinating graveyard It's a very interesting gravestones. I don't know too much about gravestones, but Something quite interesting to see so many different types some of them are so big we'll get on to that later So as we come around here, there'd have been a porch here And this is where the layman would have entered the church. So that's why I thought would come in this way So if you look there Those are like the foundation stones of the porch there have been an archway here would have come in So as we walk through here I'm effectively walking through where the doors would have been and then you can see roughly where the vaulted ceiling would have gone Markings on stonework. So Into the main church we go now. There's not a great deal left of the nave There's a bit more of the chance to see or standing to higher than what we have here We're gonna have a look there that the South wall isle has survived a bit better and so as the south transept the north transept not so well So what happened was the church was ransacked the roof the lead roof was taken off It was stolen sold for scrap and then that was in the 1500s The roof eventually blew off and there had been a big central tower in the middle that collapsed Destroying the nave. So that's why there's not much of it left today, but the big strong towers Above me here They're still standing you can usually go up the towers, but unfortunately I can't put eggs They're doing some cleaning. I can just about hear a hoover So it's a bit of a shame we can't go up to the top and see the views But maybe we can another day, but what we can do is we can go into the towers We can see some of the things if we go into here Some displays of some of the parts of the cathedral they found on display here I'm not going to explain what every single one is because admittedly my knowledge isn't so great But I just thought we'll have a look anyway But this is quite fascinating this here. This would have been above the tomb of Bishop Archibald Now what you can do to see how it would have looked you can They do a light show so you can bring it all back to life So what I should do I'll press this button down here. We see how it may have looked Stand back It's just saying in 1298 Bishop Archibald died and he's late to rest. Oh, I will show you where he was buried But see this is how it looks They don't paint it but unfortunately a fire ripped through the church and destroyed It's really nice. I've got this light show to show you how it would have been When we, so when we get out there, we'll show you where he was buried Let's now go into this tower into this little door here I'm gonna go up the spiral staircase, which I always enjoy Last time I made a video going up the spiral staircase. Well, some were completely different We're in Hackney in London. We were up an old church tower there. If you're interested have a look at the Screen now This is as high as we're gonna go today into this little room here and there's more lights have just come on more exhibits Dating from the 1400s and even 1300s parts of the church they found But this is like a dog Leave that's to warm off evil spirits. I don't want to warm me off Look at these These vault bosses in the scene Quite scary faces So we're gonna go through here now Normally you'd be able to go and see a bit more which as I said is close to see We can't go up any further that way today. Maybe another day. What we can do is this is Northwest town viewing platform the Northwest town is also close, but We can at least see the viewing platform. So it's as high as we're gonna go to not going to the top But we can see out over the nave see the rose window down at the other end of chancel so Another time perhaps we'll come here. We've got to top. So I really would like to see the future top, but Yeah Let's go back down to ground level Let's go back down to ground level While we're up here, I suppose might as well point out a few things So that's why is looking east that would have been just there the north transit behind it is the chapter house South transit is just hidden by the south west town, but we'll go and have a look around that later So next time we come hopefully Now we're going back down to the ground level. It's quite nice there to be inside the towers Still and See we can see it's not many people here today. It's it's a weekday in the spring So it's quite a lot of what it was myself. I expect if I came in the summer Then there are a lot more people here So that was one of the reasons why I wanted to come here today and see the place Almost happened to myself Here and now let's go and look around the main hall So as we walk up the nave you can see remains where these big columns were so imagine, you know You'd be confederal be bolted ceiling And then when we get to the crossing here, I said that's the chance we're in front of us We look behind that's where we were a moment ago See those little arches there before just below the big arch above the doors. That's as high as we went to today Here is that's the north transit there not a lot of it left and What we'll do we'll go around and we're going to the south transit. So there's the chance Let's go through here's another section. I'll have a look how it would look once And as they're doing some work, I can't take you right up to it But I'll show you where Bishop Archibald whose tomb we saw recreated when lights was buried If you look just through there That triangular That is above his tomb It's nice to see the bolted ceiling above us still. There's another tomb there. This one's a bit better Preserved. I really just really enjoy exploring ruins. I do like a non ruined cathedral But it's just something to me about a ruin. It's just such a fascinating Place I've always ever since I went to Tintin Abbey. I was about three years old. I've always always enjoyed coming to ruins Just think they're really nice places to be We'll come this way again now. I'm taking you around to Chepterhouse That we need to go around And that's your south transit there. So as you can see that survives a bit better So better height than the north transit. He's got parts of the windows still in there And then as I said the south transit not a great deal the north transit rather not great to have it left But the Chepterhouse has survived quite nicely. It's not its original roof, but it's um, it's here You can go in here and have a look So if you come up to here It says danger. I've been working over here. Actually it's never been one Well, perhaps there is. Yeah, perhaps there's someone up there who couldn't see them. So people up there working Go through here a little room here. Watch what this is. It's a small room There's the fireplace in there But we're going into the Chepterhouse You can store this So here we are. This is the Chepterhouse. Have a look at the ceiling If you wonder what the cathedral looked like have a look there So that's before the tower collapsed So the gray the gray Um drawing is what's no longer there. It's kind of drawing the stone color drawing is what has survived There we go. That is how the cathedral looks today The Chepterhouses weren't part of Religious services weren't held in Chepterhouses. They were more for meetings to discuss finances So they're not it's not a religious building But it's attached to a religious building I expect in that door there There's another spiral staircase. So it's not part of what we can see but maybe another time we'll come here Go up there. What we'll do now is we'll go back I say go outside. I know we are outside, but we'll go outside of the cathedral to And we'll have a look at some of the gravestones and then we'll have a bit of a look around Let's just have a look here. I was going to go out through that door there in the south transept But I've just noticed over here in the north transept Remains of a staircase It's more interesting graves. I bet I don't know too much about grave here. Look there's a I'll go up this staircase Just say don't climb on the wall, but as this is a staircase. I don't see but I would yeah, but I wouldn't Yeah, go off the end of here, but I just come up the staircase imagine that would have gone around and around and Up there somewhere. Um, let's go back down there Last rooming I went to Was um up in the northeast of England think of Priory over in Durham. I that was quite exciting ruin to Look around. So if you want to see that video look at have a look at the little screen now interesting how It's not symmetrical at all the transept. They often are but this one isn't there's something I really want to show you out there though There's the towers I said about gravestones. There is one out here that really um is You've kind of just got to see now. Where was it? It is somewhere around here And I think it's just around the corner. Lots of gravestones here, but it's one I Think it's very interesting. Yeah, there it is some nice some noble ones as well So there's the chancell pretty the best surviving part of The cathedral if we make our way around to here. There's one particular gravestone It's just that little bit different Have a look at this one here This is the tallest gravestone in scotland Almost could joke and say it's taller than the towers, but that's just the angle of the camera So, yeah, the tallest gravestone in scotland. It's at least Twice the height of me. So it's probably about 12 foot high. So that's quite an impressive feature If you sort of don't get gravestones like this down in england You might in perhaps high gate cemetery be certainly wouldn't in so many of your average churches I'm not saying you don't get any but This really is quite a Fascinating place to be there's also you get these Um, what must be like a family? Sort of an area. It's like a little room. There was one of them there So look in this one. So you sort of actually go in to a room of gravestone So, yeah, there's a small room here. So this must have belonged to one of the families or probably one of the clans As they'd say scotland. I know more. I've got some scottish blood going back along long way And I know my family have connections to one of the clans and Admittedly, I don't know which one though You get a general view of the cathedral Another spoil staircase there in the chancel. I'd love to go up there, but again, that's not open To the public. So pretty much shown you everything. Oh and over there there's a modern bridge On the road outside over the river Lossy goes up to Lossy Muff. You may have heard of Arieth Lossy Muff Um, so here I'm going to now make my way back through the town center back to the railway station And catch the train back to Inverness. Oh, there's another gate out there. That's Part of the cathedral close. Just see over there where that car just drove past That's one of the old cathedral gates. So from behind Elgin Cathedral Thank you very much for watching. As I said, if you are up here, it's about if you come by train It's about 15 minute walk from the railway station and Elgin's quite an interesting town to look around Anyway, so thank you very much for watching. Please do feel free to like subscribe and comment and from Elgin Cathedral. Goodbye