From Truro to Carlisle, Liverpool to Lincoln and everywhere in between – all our cathedrals are getting ready to celebrate Heritage Open Days inviting visitors to come and discover the stories of their buildings and the people who made them.
What will you discover at Cathedrals during Heritage Open Days?
The annual national festival of culture and heritage this year runs between 12-21 September and welcomes everyone to discover hidden histories and local stories – for free.
All our cathedrals have free tours and other events – here is a selection – do check the website of your local cathedral for up-to-date times and information for their Heritage Open Day events this year
Chelmsford Cathedral is offering introductory tours of the Cathedral and a rare opportunity to visit their hidden gem, the Knightbridge Library. Guildford too has bookable free of charge tours for visitors to learn more about the story of how the cathedral was built – brick by brick. Ely has tours of its lady chapel and presbytery and monastic tours too.
Norwich Cathedral has some surprises in store with a delve into its lost canal, an exploration of its graffiti and it is also offering behind the scene tours of its Broderers’ Guild who repair and care for the cathedral’s textiles.
Derby Cathedral too is showing off the talents of its Broderers’ team, with an exhibition that explores seventy years of stitch. Both the broderer teams at Norwich and Derby are part of the 13-strong cathedral teams currently involved in the modern day Opus Anglicanum. You can find out more about this spectacular modern day Opus Anglicanum, the greatest team of needleworkers ever assembled here.
St Edmundsbury is sharing the art of bellringing alongside a history of its Norman Tower, Canterbury is opening the doors on its smaller places of worship not usually open to the public with its Hidden Chapels Tour and Leicester Cathedral too has a new tour that explores its unusual treasures that tell its story.
Newcastle has a tour exploring its churchyard mysteries, including its vampire rabbit, and Peterborough Cathedral has a highlights tour.
Gloucester has walking tours of its cathedral precincts and is opening at night for a special event that allows visitors to see the cathedral in a new light. Portsmouth has a specialist organ tour and an inside architecture tour and Hereford is showcasing its Audley Chapel with a free talk and tour from its archivist.
Carlisle is opening up its Methodist Tapestries Collection and Winchester is exploring the history of the British Empire through the art and language of its memorials.
Coventry has an exhibition of archive photography that tells the story of those who physically built the cathedral including little known stories about the involvement of workers from the colonies. It also has a tapestry exhibition featuring the women who brought its Graham Sutherland design to life. The tapestry measures 23m in height and was woven in one continuous piece by hand on a 500-year-old loom by twelve women in France. It took them two years.
Bradford Cathedral too is celebrating female embroiderers, textile designers and a stained glass artist all of whom have work currently on display in the cathedral as part of a range of events and exhibitions during the city’s year as UK City Of Culture.
And Durham Cathedral has a new talk exploring the life and work of its draughtsman W G Footitt through his newly discovered diary and sketchbooks.
Everything that is going on at Cathedrals from the 12-21 September for Heritage Open Days can be found here.
