Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales: Deans' Choice (Director's Choice)

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The adjacent Palace Gardens complete the visitor’s experience, with exploratory trails tracing the new planting of all the species found in the Chapter House.

Chelmsford Cathedral The Tree Of Life, Mark Cazalet, 2003-4, detail from painting showing the redeemed Judus.The centre panel, featuring both a king and a shepherd visiting simultaneously to pay their respects is quite revolutionary for the time. Showing that Christ can be worshipped by both rich and poor, it was a sumptuous statement on social equality. The infant Christ holds out his hand to be kissed by a poor shepherd and his foot by a king, demonstrating the superiority of poverty over wealth.

Janet’s latest volume, Deans’ Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales tells the story of the treasures from 44 Church of England cathedrals and six cathedrals from the Church in Wales, each one chosen by the Dean or senior clergy of the cathedral featured. The competition to find Britain’s favourite treasure from our winter campaign, #CathedralTreasures has now closed, the votes have been counted, and the winners are in! Cathedral Treasures – The Results We are blessed with an abundance of treasures in our cathedrals. These are a vital part of our heritage and an integral part of our culture, our social history and our identity. In their diversity ultimately each of them is a symbol of what our Cathedrals stand for, to proclaim the glory of God and God’s love for all creation. The Bakewell Screen at Derby Cathedral was our third placed treasure. You can read about that here.One treasure will be revealed every day for 50 days starting today, 22nd November 2022 and ending with the launch of a competition to name Britain’s favourite cathedral treasure on January 11, to coincide with Heritage Fund’s Heritage Treasures Day. Also in 2022 the manuscript known today as Textus Roffensis (‘the Rochester book’), compiled circa 1123 - and comprising Anglo-Saxon laws and early charters for the foundation of the priory that became Rochester cathedral - was added to the UNESCO memory of the world UK register. Inside, its remarkable CathedralTreasure – the early 13th century painted nave ceiling – runs from the east end to the crossing and is the largest medieval painted ceiling in Europe. The cathedrals of England and Wales are remarkable buildings. From the centuries leading up to the Norman Conquest to the tumults of the Reformation and devastating wars of the twentieth century, they carry traces of our nations’ darkest moments and most brilliant endeavours.

This beautifully illustrated new volume tells the stories behind 50 artefacts from the cathedrals of England and Wales. The first Bible in the Welsh language and a pre-Raphaelite work of art are among the treasures from Wales’ cathedrals showcased in a new book.Canterbury Cathedral was founded in 597 by St Augustine who was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to evangelise Anglo-Saxon England and regularise the English church. Canterbury became and remains the seat of one of two Archbishops of the Church of England (the other being York). The Spire, by William Golding (Faber & Faber, 1964), tells the story of one man’s vision – the construction of an enormous spire onto a medieval cathedral (loosely based on Salisbury Cathedral) without foundations Introducing the book, Janet Gough, who is a lecturer and advisor on historic churches and cathedrals, says, “Covering so many different crafts and skills over a timespan of more than 1,000 years, the book pays homage to the generations of craftspeople responsible for creating and maintaining cathedrals as we know them today - including the thousands of kneelers stitched, mostly by women. Last year I asked the deans of all 50 cathedrals of the Church of England and Church in Wales to select one treasure from their cathedrals to feature in my new book Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales(published by Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers) .The 50 chosen objects – one from each cathedral from Carlisle to Cardiff to Canterbury – span over 1,300 years, from 672 to 2020. See cpo.org.uk/books/cathedral-treasures-shop.html

I am fascinated by the choice of the dean of St Paul’s, London - the memorial to John Donne (1572-1631) wrapped in a sheet and standing on a funerary urn, was sculpted by prominent sculptor, Nicholas Stone.Commissioned by Donne himself, it is a monument to the man I knew as one of the pre-eminent metaphysical poets, who enjoyed a racy youth, was a soldier, a sometime MP and most extraordinary Catholic.As some point he converted to the reformed Protestant Church of England and went on to become the most famous dean of St Pauls, with his sermons much admired and published. Equally extraordinary, his is the only statue to survive intact the destruction of St Paul's in the Great Fire of 1666. Set now into the south aisle wall of Sir Christopher Wren's later baroque cathedral, I shall never again just walk past. Also in 2022 the manuscript known today as Textus Roffensis(‘the Rochester book’), compiled circa 1123 - and comprising Anglo-Saxon laws and early charters for the foundation of the priory that became Rochester cathedral - was added to the UNESCO memory of the world UK register. Could the splendid octagonal Chapter House reflect nearby Sherwood Forest, where the natural world bursts with vitality? How do the ‘Leaves’ speak to us, seven centuries later, of harmony and fragility in God’s creation, providing insight as we counter climate emergency? The cathedrals of England and Wales are remarkable buildings. From the centuries leading up to the Norman Conquest to the tumults of the Reformation and devastating wars of the twentieth century, they carry traces of our nations’ darkest moments and most brilliant endeavours.The gloriously-coloured cover shot is the central oil painted panel from Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s The Seed of Davidtriptych (1856-64) in Llandaff cathedral.The Dean of St Albans, the Very Revd Jo Kelly-Moore, and chair of the Association of English Cathedrals said: Almost 4,500 people voted on their favourite cathedral treasure from the top ten finalists in our campaign that showcased 50 remarkable treasures and glories cared for and preserved by cathedrals in England and the Church in Wales taken from the latest publication Deans’ Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales by Janet Gough, OBE, author, lecturer and advisor on historic churches and cathedrals. Amidst the beauty of the architecture are some hidden treasures: medieval games. Boards are scratched into the surface of the seating on the far side of the cloisters. They were used for two medieval games: fox and geese and nine men’s morris.