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Welcome to Chester Cathedral’s website.
We hope it will be both informative and easy to use, keeping you up to date
with activities, concerts and events in the Cathedral.

CLOISTER GARTH RE-OPENING

The Cloister Garden at Chester Cathedral

Work has been in progress for over a year to replant the historic cloister garden at Chester Cathedral which was formally re-opened on Saturday 2nd August by Mrs Elizabeth Bromley-Davenport. The Friends of the Cathedral agreed to finance the project and work began over a year ago, when the plans for the Cloister Garden (or Garth), were adopted by the Cathedral Chapter. New oak benches have also been provided and these were formally dedicated at Evensong when a procession took place from the quire to the garden.
There was also be a talk about the garden by the designer, noted horticulturalist Phil Hunt.
           The starting point of the design was the inherent beauty, peacefulness and atmosphere of the surroundings, and it was essential to make the area more accessible to large groups, to create more intimate secluded seating and to soften the formal aspects of the space. The area was thoroughly analysed, taking into account the way the sunlight fell at different times of the day, the depth of the soil and the configuration of the bedrock. Some existing trees and shrubs had to be removed, such as one of the two Gingko biloba trees, which had the potential to grow to over 100 feet! Exotic species have been chosen for this important site, and the outstanding criteria governing the choice of plants were scent, colour, form, year round interest and of course, the ability to survive in a difficult site. When the planting is fully complete there will be about 3, 000 new plants, including 2, 300 bulbs, 300 herbaceous plants, 30 ferns and 30 woody plants.   
The formal re-opening of the garden and the introduction of the new benches marks an important step in the development of the Garth – but of course, no garden is ever truly complete!

From L - R Steven Broadbent (sculptor), Phil Hunt, Mrs Elizabrth Bromley Davenport, Mr W Brom;ey Davenport

Chester Half Marathon Success!

BBC ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

The BBC recorded the first programme of the 31st series of the Antiques Roadshow in the Cathedral on Thursday, 3rd April. The Estate team helped in the complicated setting up process and Cathedral volunteers acted as stewards for the day.

Simon Shaw, the series editor of the Antiques Roadshow said:
“We couldn’t have hoped for a better location in which to start a brand new series of Antiques Roadshow. Chester Cathedral will prove the most exquisite backdrop for our viewers and, with around 2, 500 visitors patiently queuing to see our team of experts, we’ve been assured a rich day indeed. Dealing with such a large attendance could have been problematic, but the team from the Cathedral who helped steward the event couldn’t have been more efficient and helpful. We hope the Cathedral team have enjoyed their day and may welcome more visitors to this magnificent building as a result.”

Car Parking Available

Three parking spaces are currently available in the Quarry Car Park, off Northgate Street. Initially for 6 months, but by negotiation after that.

The cost is £1020 + VAT per year, and access is restricted by means
of an electronic barrier.

For further details, please contact Martin Witty on 01244 500 955.

The Restoration of
The Chapter House Window

The colourful east window of the Chapter House was installed in 1872 as a memorial to Dean Anson (1839 – 1867), showing the history of  St Werburgh’s Church as
Anglo – Saxon Minster, Benedictine Abbey and Cathedral.

The window is thus a wonderful historical inheritance and one of the most attractive windows in the   building. It is a superb example of Victorian craftsmanship designed and made by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, one of the foremost firms of  designers and manufacturers of stained glass windows in the nineteenth century.

The window is now showing signs of serious decay simply due to age and the effects of 135 years of weathering. Stained glass is made up from a number of elements – small sections of coloured,  textured glass, held within a lead network (although other metals such as zinc and copper foil have also been used) and then secured as a panel within a timber, metal or stone and mortar framework. Lead is by nature soft, malleable and easily soldered. This means that it can also sag easily and lose its structural role.Over time, the waterproofing compounds used to seal a structure go hard, crack, and fall out, leaving the lead and glass  exposed to water  damage, if it is external. At this point the window may be seen to be leaking - letting in water between the lead and the glass.

In a building such as this, the maintenance of stained glass windows is a constant concern and other windows in the Cathedral have already been repaired including the Lady Chapel east window and the south window of the South Transept.

The wnidow has been removed and taken to the workshops of Linley Glass where it will be examined, repaired, re-leaded and then re-instated. The cost of this work will be approximately £32, 000

The ongoing work can be viewed online at www.linleystainedglass.com

August 2008

The window is now being reinstated after cleaning and releading.

‘One of the best libraries of its kind in the North West’
     
A theological Library housed in a magnificent 19th century building.
  
Open for research and public tours.   

  

£3.00 pp or £5.00 pp including admission to the Cathedral

Please telephone 01244 324756 to arrange your visit.

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