No. 30 August 2018 £2 / Free to members Friendship and Generosity Contents From the Dean 3 From the Chairman 4 Worcester Cathedral Comparisons 6 Report from the Director of Music 8 Friendship and Generosity 10 Three Choirs Festival Commission review 12 Church Crawl 13 Bishop John, Lord High Almoner 14 The Vergers’ Litany 15 John Hardman Powell, 1827-18950 16-18 Reflections of an ex-chorister 19 The Ifkara Bakery Project 20 Group reports 21 A final word about Christ in Majesty 22 New Friends and In Memoriam 23 From the Treasurer 23 Who’s Who 25 Administration 26 No. 30, August 2018 Compiled and edited by Sue Carpenter and Elayne Guest Photography: David Thorpe, Elayne Guest Cover photography: Chris Guy, Newberry Smith Photography Ltd. Design: davewalshcreative.co.uk Print: Modus Print, Independent House, Farrier Street, Worcester WR1 3BH From the Dean The past year has seen the completion of all the repair projects funded by the Government’s English Cathedrals First World War Repair Fund, from which we were fortunate to secure nearly £900,000. This Fund was the first – and so far the last – time that the treasury has directly funded repairs in cathedrals, and there is at present little sign that anything like this will be repeated. The two major projects funded under this scheme were the repairs of the East and West Windows, both carried out to the highest possible standard, on time and practically within budget. Each window was blessed on completion at a liturgy involving some heavenward ascension on the part of different cathedral clergy, but there were no mishaps. Having necessarily been involved in the two window repair projects, our Stonemasons team now resumes work on the Edgar “...the Friends have Tower. Many of you have kindly ‘made your mark’ by sponsoring committed themselves a stone. Gifts from individuals and from trusts, including a major grant from Historic England, mean that we can now to funding the confidently see our way to completing work on the Tower conservation of (including, we hope, the restoration of the great gates) in the ‘Christ in Majesty...” next two years. Alongside this are our plans for the conversion of the Undercroft as our new community learning centre. This is being generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, but as you may know, the Cathedral community has £500k to find. As well as bringing the Undercroft back into use, we will (in collaboration with the King’s School) be installing a lift from down to the Undercroft and up to College Hall. We were warmly encouraged both by the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England and the Heritage Lottery Fund to include the conservation of the ‘Christ in Majesty’ sculpture in College Hall in the project. I am delighted that having invited the Friends, at last year’s AGM, to become a substantial partner in the Undercroft project, the Friends have committed themselves to funding the conservation of ‘Christ in Majesty’ at a cost of £50,000. On behalf of my colleagues of the Chapter, I express my thanks to the Friends for this, and indeed for the ongoing support of the Friends in so many ways. 3 From the Chairman and Cathedral representatives support of the Cathedral’s group, and so an amendment Undercroft Project. The to the Constitution was Cathedral has received initial presented at the AGM and it support from the Heritage read: Lottery Fund to conserve and The officers of the Society bring into use the 13th will invite nominated Century Undercroft of representatives from within College Hall. Later this year the Cathedral community to the Cathedral will apply for meet informally with them at Stage 2 of the grant and part least twice a year. Advice and of this process is to secure information from the £500,000 in match funding. discussions to be reported I am delighted to report that back to the Executive. the Friends Executive has Organisations to include agreed to commit £50,000 Last year I reported that I Education, Welcomers, towards this amount, to be was nearing the end of my Bellringers, Music, raised over three years. The first term as Chairman, and I Embroiderers, Flower Guild, focus of our grant will be am pleased to be able to Stonemasons, Vergers and the conservation and report that I was elected for a Library. interpretation of the medieval second term at our AGM in This amendment was sculpture Christ in Majesty in October 2017. Our Hon. approved by the Friends College Hall. £50,000 is a Secretary, Elayne Guest, was present. The Friends’ and huge sum, but we have made also re-elected. I was pleased Cathedral representatives an amazing start, with and delighted, and I thank group have met three times so Friends making donations Friends for their confidence far hosted by our Treasurer, and also organising their own in me and for their support. Stephen Tilton, at 5a Collage funding raising events. You I also reported that we Yard. They are very sociable can read more details about proposed to amend the part of gatherings, and give the these elsewhere in The our constitution that related opportunity for the officers of Shield. The Friends had an to the role of Council. It had the Friends and the opportunity to hear more been felt by many (including representatives of Cathedral about the scheme when they the members of Council) that groups to share plans and were invited to a session in its role had become unclear information. It is felt that the College Hall where Jane and to some extent irrelevant. meetings have been enjoyable Rogers, Ben Smith and a So, after discussion and and useful. representative from the consultation with Friends, we One of the main items to Heritage Lottery Fund spoke proposed to form a Friends report this year is the Friends’ about the project and 4 answered questions. delegates, many of whom I the Sung Eucharist on Sunday The principal objective of had met at previous morning which was unusual the Friends is to provide conferences. On the first in that it commemorated the financial support for the evening we were welcomed by Reformation by following the Cathedral by making grants members of the Friends of Ely 1549 Book of Common to the Chapter and other Cathedral and given a guided Prayer. I find these groups within the Cathedral. tour of the Cathedral. On the conferences an excellent I am very pleased that the Saturday we were given a talk opportunity for exchanging Friends are supporting the by the Cathedral ideas and making links with Cathedral in this project, and Administrator (The Ely other Friends. We are all I would like to thank Cathedral Survival Kit), looking forward to the next everyone for their generosity followed by talks on social conference in 2019 at and enthusiasm. and digital media, Friends Peterborough. Moving away from literature and information, A word about GDPR. The Worcester, in October 2017, I and the General Date Cathedral has a working party attended the National Protection Regulations developing a policy about this Conference of Friends of (GDPR). In the evening the for the Cathedral. As we athedrals, Abbeys and Greater Conference dinner was held share a common database Churches, this time held in in the Lady Chapel, and the (Harlequin) I am liaising with Ely, which is a lovely place. guest speaker was the Bishop the Cathedral Steward and in The Cathedral is magnificent, of Ely, The Right Reverend due course we will be and it was good to meet other Stephen Conway. We attended communicating with Friends about this matter. Be assured, it is on our ‘to do list’! Finally, I would like to thank again my fellow officers, Elayne Guest, Stephen Tilton, our social committee members, Liz Wright, Diana Gant, Sue Thomas, Margaret Renney, the Executive and our Administrator Clare Stokes. And especially I would like to thank you, our Friends, for your friendship, enthusiasm and support throughout the Christ in Majesty in College Hall last year. 5 Worcester Cathedral Comparisons Brian Ferris There are about 50 cathedrals other buildings seem to have crypt is equal to it. Secondly, in England, and Worcester is priority (for example, we have the finest cathedral one of the largest and most Canterbury, York, Winchester, tower in England, both for its important of the mediaeval Wells, Gloucester, and Ely). elaborate decoration in contrast examples. In common with We could even say that it is to a plain exterior, and for its other cathedrals and major placed in the second rank along subtle proportions. Then we churches, it is formed with a with Rochester, Chichester, come to the elaborate masonry cross plan (and in this case two St. Albans, Bristol, Lichfield, of the Early English Quire and transepts), and a central tower. Chester, Ripon and so on. Lady Chapel, with their intricate It is of the Northern type with We can boast two royal arch mouldings and foliated its high east end chapels such as tombs, along with Canterbury capitals. This splendid work is we find at York and Lincoln, and Gloucester, amongst one largely ignored by art historians, unlike the Southern type where or two others. Worcester has a who exhaust their energies in the chapels are at a distinctly very cramped site and an extolling the virtues of Wells, lower level, as at Gloucester, unwelcome proliferation of Lincoln, and Salisbury. The Salisbury, and elsewhere. Our heavy traffic outside its front problem here is that they do not Cathedral was combined with a door. But we have many good like the proportions of the quire monastery, in common with points, not least about seven other cathedrals, a the fact that we system unique to England and do not charge for not found elsewhere.