as begun by Archbishop Tenison; he himself presented a
wainscoted throne with lofty Corinthian canopy adorned with carving by
Gibbons, while the altar, the pulpit, and the stalls for the dean and
vice-dean were provided with rich fittings by Queen Mary II. The tracery
of the screen was hidden by a lining of wainscoting, which was put before
it. This arrangement lasted little more than a century. In the time of
Archbishop Howley, who held office from 1828 to 1848, the wainscoting
which concealed the screen was taken away, and Archbishop Tenison's throne
has made way for a lofty canopy of tabernacle work. Some carved work,
which has been ascribed to Gibbons, still remains before the eastern front
of the screen, between the choir and the nave.

The position of the organ has been frequently shifted. In Conrad's choir
it was placed upon the vault of the south transept; afterwards it was set
up upon a large corbel of stone, over the arch of St. Michael in the same
transept. This corbel has now been removed; subsequently it was placed
between two pillars on the north side of the choir, and, later on, it was
again transferred to a position over the west door of the choir, the usual
place for the organ in cathedral churches; finally it has been
"ingeniously deposited out of sight in the triforium of the south aisle of
the choir; a low pedestal with its keys stands in the choir itself, so as
to place the organist close to the singers, as he ought to be, and the
communication between the keys and the organ is effected by trackers
passing under the pavement of the side aisles, and conducted up to the
triforium, through a trunk let into the south wall." This arrangement not
only secures the retirement from view of the organ, which, with its
tedious rows of straight and unsightly pipes, is generally more or less an
eyesore in cathedrals, but is said to have caused a great improvement in
the effect of its music. The present organ, which was built by Samuel
Green, is believed to have been used at the Handel Festival in Westminster
Abbey in 1784. It was enlarged by Hill in 1842, and entirely reconstructed
in 1886. In this connection we may mention that Archbishop Theodore first
introduced the ecclesiastical chant in Canterbury Cathedral.

The tombs in the choir are all occupied by famous archbishops and
cardinals. On the south side, hard by the site of the shrine of St.
Dunstan, is the tomb of Simon of Sudbury, who was archbishop from 13