I am writing this on what feels like one of the first truly autumnal days of this year. There was a dewy chill in the air this morning, and the trees in College Green and the Cathedral precincts are starting to turn different shades of gold, which feels like something of a contrast from the balmy summer temperatures that we experienced last week.
Following on from a busy summer, September has got off to an excellent start. The Costume for Gloucester – a trailblazing community project created by over a hundred different stitchers – has now arrived in the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral, and Longfield’s beautiful Summer Meadow Display is in the Cloister Garth until Sunday 17 September. We also took part in the Heritage Open Days initiative, during which we invited visitors to come and see some of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ areas of the Cathedral, such as the historic Stonemasons’ Workshop. Our Archivist, Rebecca Philips, exhibited a collection of items from our medieval Library in the Chapter House, which enabled all our visitors to come and see them first hand. One hundred and fifty people also joined our expert guides for ‘Highlights and Crypt Tours’ across the two days.
Heritage Open Days are all about breaking down barriers and inviting people to step inside new spaces. It was wonderful, too, to see many other churches in the Diocese taking part as well. The initiative is a chance for people to encounter our amazing buildings, perhaps for the first time, and to engage with their stories and meaning. We hope that many will be inspired to come back again, whether that be for worship, a community event or simply for a moment of reflection, and to know something of the peace, welcome and love of Christ.
There is plenty more to look forward to over the coming weeks at the Cathedral. Our staff teams and volunteers are busy preparing for the arrival of Light Eternal, a remarkable new light and sound installation created by the world-renowned projection art gallery, Luxmuralis. It will be here between 19 and 28 October, and tickets are on sale now via the Cathedral website. Please do come and see it if you can; it promises to be truly remarkable, and we hope it will be an opportunity for people to engage with the Cathedral and its stories in new and innovative ways.
We look forward to welcoming everyone joyfully, whatever their reason may be for visiting.
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