Subject to planning permission and agreements, this summer will see the first steps taken towards delivering the long awaited and much needed new toilet facilities for the Cathedral, replacing the current portacabin in the area next to the Chapter House affectionately known as ‘Little Paradise’.

This work will also prepare the way for the Chapter House portion of the Major Repair Programme (MRP). Because of their close proximity, the two projects need to be planned and delivered together.

They neatly encompass two of Chapter’s main priorities for the coming years, namely working towards the long-running programme to maintain and safeguard the Cathedral’s fabric, together with the provision of substantially improved facilities for visitors and congregation.

Temporary Toilets re-locate

The Chapter House portion of the MRP has been made possible, and brought forward in the programme, thanks to the anonymous donation pledged last December.

The Cathedral is also very grateful to the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral who have pledged the money for the preliminary work and planning for new toilets, and hope to be able to support the project through to a completion date in 2014.

The first visible sign of progress will be the disappearance of the current portable toilets in August. They will re-appear during September, substantially refurbished, at a site just outside the Choristers’ door at the far end of the East Cloister where they will remain until the new toilet block is opened.

For the month that they are being refurbished temporary facilities will be in place on the West Lawn near the West Cloister.

Archaeology begins

With the temporary building removed the area between Chapter House and Cathedral will be clear, ready for the necessary archaeological exploration, which is expected to take place from September to November 2010. This should ensure that the archaeologists are off site before the liturgical peak of Christmas and leaving the way clear for the preliminary photography and scaffolding which will commence the work on the Chapter House.

The completion date for this part of the Major Repair Programme is scheduled for early 2014.

The Cathedral is evaluating the best option for displaying the Magna Carta during this period. It is expected that visitors will continue to access the Chapter House throughout.

Readers of Cathedral News will be kept up to date with progress on the two projects as they take shape, and we also hope to provide a special insight into the findings of the archaeological dig.