Cathedral open day a success

10:51am Monday 28th April 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

THE sun really does shine on the righteous, if the overwhelming success of Saturday's Salisbury Cathedral open day is anything to go by.

On the hottest day of the year so far, the inner workings of the cathedral and the skills of the people who contribute to its daily life were laid bare as part of a grand initiative to mark the 750th anniversary of the city's most famous landmark.

The Close was bustling with not only the usual tourists, but also local people eager to gain a greater insight into what goes on behind the scenes at the cathedral.

As well as running tours to parts of the building usually hidden from prying eyes such as the library and the vestry, there were chances to get hands-on experience of being a chorister, flower arranger or embroiderer for the day, courtesy of a series of informal workshops.

A small army of members of the cathedral's staff of clergy, stonemasons, conservators and guides were on hand to answer questions about their roles, as the cathedral successfully demonstrated that the 1,500 services it holds per year represent just a tiny fraction of the activity going on there.

There were special concerts by the Cathedral's junior and regular choirs as well as displays put on by a number of organisations with close links to the life of the cathedral.

For more great pictures see this week's Salisbury Journal.