Walk of Ages

We've made it! Our 'Walk of Ages'   didn't take us ages at all as, in a mere 20 days, the choir members have chalked up the 688.96 miles needed to make it all the way from Canterbury to Helensburgh, 'arriving' at our own home parish church. We do hope you have enjoyed sharing our virtual journey with us as much as we have enjoyed taking part in the challenge. Our aim, however, wasn't just to have fun, but to raise as much money as we can for MacMillan Cancer Support. We want to thank everyone who has generously given to our cause and ask anyone else who is able, to consider making a donation through our Virgin Money Giving page . The Choir intend to take advantage of the easing of some restrictions to gather together on Sunday afternoon to take one final stretch of our legs in walking locally from the Pier to Helensburgh Parish Church in the Square.  It will be an emotional reunion for us all as, although we have faithfully met together each week for the las

 We can hardly believe it, but our daily steps have taken us as far as Glasgow and our 'local' cathedral - only 23 miles from home. While we may only have visited some of the others on our route, 'virtually' through this charity walk, most of the choir (and perhaps our readers) will have spent some time in this particular sacred space. Glasgow Cathedral stands near the heart of Scotland's largest city. It is the only medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland to have survived the Protestant Reformation of 1560 virtually intact, so the building you see remains relatively unchanged. Around it there used to be a chanory, a precinct where the bishop (and later the archbishop) and clergy lived. It dates back to the later 12th century.  The building is a superb example of Gothic architecture with its high arches and beautiful stained glass. The history of the cathedral is linked with that of the city itself and is allegedly located where the patron, St Mungo, built his

As we reach Dunblane Cathedral , another choir member, Betty Colmer, has a very unique reason for her fond connection with the sacred space. Read on to find out... Dunblane Cathedral is a fascinating building that stands on a site which has been sacred for well over 1,000 years. Its beautiful Gothic exterior, conserved by a 19th century restoration, hides a past of neglect and renewal. The distinctive red sandstone tower sits at a strange angle to the later church, which was laid out in one go and survives mainly because it went on to serve as a parish church. The chancel was used for worship up until 1886, when it was deemed too small. The ruined nave was restored to the designs of Robert Rowand Anderson from 1889, with the weathered medieval stonework retained. Today, the church is an active place if worship. Inside are Pictish carved stones, rare 15th century choir stalls and handsome 19th century church furnishings. A strong musical tradition helps to inspire and unite people in th

Choir member, Mary Duncan, grew up in Edinburgh and has things to share about St Giles' Cathedral - our first stop in Scotland. Not a cathedral in the traditional sense of the word, St Giles is the High Kirk of Edinburgh . This medieval church dates back to the 12th century and boasts the crown steeple dated to 1495. John Knox , the famous theologian, leader of the country's reformation and founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland served as minister here and the church has hosted the Scottish Parliament. The origin of St Giles is lost in the midst of time. The oldest features are said to be four pillars, apparently dating back to 1124, but there may have been a church on or near that site since 854 AD. In 1243, the Bishop of St Andrews finally dedicated the church. It was only later that the church was rededicated to St Giles. The church was damaged by a fire in 1385, but was rebuilt and extended with Guild Chapels, Chantria and a chapel set up to hold a relic of St Gile

As we reach Durham, (our last stop south of the border), our Director of Music, Derek Clark, reflects on his alma mater. Situated high on an outcrop above the River Wear, Durham Cathedral has become a well-known landmark on railway journeys down the East Coast of Britain. Built originally to be a fitting resting place for the relics of St. Cuthbert, which were brought from Lindisfarne in 995AD, with its unmistakable twin towers flanking a higher central tower originally designed to support a spire as well, it remains one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain. Building of the present structure dates from 1093 when work on the Choir area was begun by Bishop William of St. Carileph. Though most of this original Choir area was replaced in the 13th century, the roof of the south aisle of the Choir provides one of the earliest examples of ribbed vaulting in the country. But work on the cathedral was slow to gain momentum, and it was 1104 before the interment of St. Cuthbe

'I do not believe there is an atheist in the world who would bulldoze Mecca or Chartres, York Minster or Notre Dame...' - Richard Dawkins On reaching York Minster , choir member Helen Field, offers some interesting reading: I passed through York in late summer 2012 as a happy halfway point to meet up with friends travelling up from south. It was a warm, bright day and the stone from the Minster glowed in the sunshine. There was renovation work going on; part of a five-year project which started in 2011. We did not venture inside, sadly. As a result - until now - I had no knowledge of the strong musical tradition around the choir and organ, also of the story behind the unique window dedicated to the memory of women across the British Empire who had lost their lives during the First World War. According to the York Minster website there have been churches on or near the site where the Minster now stands for nearly 1400 years. The current magnificent cathedral building was constr

We've reached Lincoln and this post is written by one of our members, Stephanie Mitchell, who hails from the area. I grew up 20 miles from Lincoln. The position of the cathedral prominently atop the only hill for miles around, meant that it could be seen from a distance whichever way you approached the city. Magnificent! Apart from the beauty of its interior there is such a sense of peace and awe in the Cathedral's atmosphere. Leaving the cathedral, you are surrounded by history; the castle nearby, the Steep Hill with its cobbled streets, second hand book and antique shops, leading down to the centre of Lincoln. The cathedral was built on the site of an old church near Lincoln Castle and consecrated in 1092. Its construction was instigated by William the Conqueror, who acknowledged the loyalty of a Benedictine monk, Regiemus, by making him the Bishop of Dorchester. It was decided to transfer ecclesiastical power from Dorchester to Lincoln and build a cathedral. Over the next 1

We've now 'arrived' in Lichfield where on Christmas Day 700 the consecration of the first cathedral here took place and, as there was a church (St Mary's) here perhaps built in 659, and possibly others in between, Lichfield is among the earliest centres of Christian worship in the UK. After the invasion of 1066 the Normans built a new cathedral (of which only a few traces remain), and a century or so later that was rebuilt in the Gothic style, and completed by c.1340.  Besieged three times in the Civil War, it suffered drastic damage, more than any other cathedral. Rapidly repaired in a mere nine years, its interior was rearranged at the end of the 18th century, and then further 'restored' in the 19th century by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and his son Oldrid - that is the cathedral you see in Lichfield today. Outside statues were replaced on the West Front with over 160 ornate carved figures of kings, queens and saints. The cathedral's interior was refurbishe

The next 'stop' we've reached on our journey is Coventry . There have been three cathedrals in the city of Coventry. The first building, St Mary's Priory and Cathedral was built between 1095 and 1102. This lasted until 1539 when it was the only medieval cathedral to be demolished by Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. The second building, St Michael's Church, had been constructed in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. It was originally a parish church bur was elevated to cathedral status in 1918. On the night of 14th November 1940, a German raid over the city of Coventry destroyed the medieval Parish Church Cathedral of St Michael along with factories and over 4,000 houses. 568 people died in the attack. The decision to rebuild the cathedral was taken the day after its destruction, but it was not until 1951 that a competition was held for the design of a new cathedral. There were 219 entries and the design chosen was by Basil Spence. His design was

Our concerted efforts have brought us to Worcester , where the present Cathedral Church of Christ and our Lady dates from the 13th century, but there has been a religious foundation here since the 7th century. A Norman Cathedral was built in the 11th century but only the crypt remains. It was the burial place of King John (of Magna Carta fame), who had stipulated in his will that he wanted to be buried in the cathedral between St. Wulfstan and St. Oswald. This will, incidentally, is the oldest surviving will of a British monarch and is kept in the cathedral to this day. In the later Middle Ages the cathedral priory was noted for its already-established tradition of Roman chant, and a notable collection of over 100 anonymous pieces of church music from the 13th and 14th centuries has become known as the ' Worcester polyphony ' since all indications point to its being assembled by monks at the cathedral. Following a dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s the cathedral-priory

  We've arrived at Hereford Cathedral, which includes some fine examples of architecture, from its Norman origins to the 20th century New Library building, with features such as four magnificent stained glass windows, a Romanesque Nave and the restored Shrine of St Thomas of Herford. It is home to two great treasures, the Hereford Mappa Mundi and the Chained Library. The Library is the largest surviving chained library in the world, containing about 1,500 books, dating from the 8th to early 19th centuries including many medieval manuscripts. The Mappa Mundi is one of the most celebrated medieval maps still in existence and, at over 5 feet by 4 feet, is the largest to survive. While the image may look confusing at first glance, a simple diagram can de-mystify this and its Biblical origins. It is known as a 'T and O' map. Centred on Jerusalem, the stem of the T is the Mediterranean Sea with the Rivers Don and Nile making its crossbar. This divides the World into three conti

Gloucester Cathedral , formally the Cathedral of St. Peter and the Holy and Invisible Trinity, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It was built in 678 with the foundations of an abbey dedicated to St. Peter: later to be dissolved by Henry III. The cathedral consists of a Norman nave with additions in every style of Gothic architecture. It is 420' long, 144' wide with a fine 16th century central tower rising to 225' topped by 4 pinnacles that are considered to be a local landmark. The crypt, nave and chapter-house date from the 11th century; the crypt being one of four apsidal cathedral crypts in England with the others in Worcester, Winchester and Canterbury. The nave was begun in 1089 and the church largely completed by 1100. In the early 12th century, the western towers were added following the collapse of the south tower in1165. In 1222, a fire damaged the timber roof of the monastic buildings. To repair the damage, and update the architectural style,