Canterbury Cathedral Trust Annual Report 2017

The Dean and Darren McCulloch-Smith,Senior Stonemason, lead Cathedral staff incelebrating the completion of the 8-yearGreat South Window conservation project.Canterbury Cathedral TrustAnnual Report 2017Thank you to all our supporters

Having only been in post since June, I am hardly qualified to comment on thelast twelve month’s achievements, although I am delighted to be writing my firstintroduction to the Cathedral Trust’s Annual Report. As this report makes clear, TheCanterbury Journey has begun in earnest, bringing with it a huge change to theappearance of the Cathedral, whilst respecting the wonderful rhythm of daily life here.We have been very lucky to be able to thank some of our donors by providing a rareopportunity to view the cathedral’s famous flying buttresses, from above. The trip tothe top of the Great West Towers, facilitated by vast scaffold platforms and externallift, gives those brave enough to undertake it the most spectacular views out over the City of Canterbury andsurrounding Kent countryside. The Project’s Director, Mark Hosea describes the works in more detail in this report.Meanwhile, the Trust has turned its attention to supporting musical expression at the Cathedral, continuing thesuccesses achieved through The Canterbury Journey. At the heart of our campaign sits the mighty Quire Organ andsurrounding historic fabric, the restoration and re-siting of which comprises nearly half of our campaign total. Assome readers will know, the Organ was reduced in size in the 1970s, which had a dramatic effect on the rangeand quality of its voice. To rectify this, contractors Harrison and Harrison will spread the restored and new pipesacross both triforum spaces above the Quire to create the fullest voice possible. This will very excitingly include anew solo department featuring flutes, clarinet, oboe, horn and string sounds.Many of you know that Canterbury maintains one of the oldest and most celebrated choral traditions in theworld, which began in the 6th century with the sound of the monastic office of St Augustine’s community.Today, the Cathedral is host to a vibrant music community - enriching worship and inspiring people. With music,the magnificent building comes alive and we wish to ensure that both tradition and innovation are given everyopportunity to ring out proudly. The Cathedral is also a place for communities to gather at concerts, lectures,exhibitions and award ceremonies including graduations.For these reasons the three main strands of our proposed campaign to 2022 are: restoration, scholarships andcommunity outreach, each of which will be supported sustainably through enhancing our current endowment.The creation of new rehearsal space within the Precincts and a lively programme of events will support these aims.Sarah Frankland, Chief Executive

Thank you from the Chairman of the Development BoardSince our last report, the Trust hasundergone significant change,not least in bidding farewell toAndrew Edwards in December asChief Executive and welcomingSarah Frankland in June totake over at the helm. UnderSarah’s leadership the team hascontinued to work in benefittingthe priority projects here atCanterbury Cathedral, throughyour generosity.With the kindness of many, theCathedral delivers a wide range ofprojects, from apprenticeships tourgent repairs, public exhibitionsand the performance of music.It is this last facet of Cathedrallife, choral music, which hasbeen a keen focus for the Trustsince Sarah joined. We are nowpreparing to embark on a newcampaign in 2018 which will buildon the success of The CanterburyJourney and celebrate one ofCanterbury’s greatest traditions.Thank you to everyone whohas supported CanterburyCathedral this past year, we aretremendously grateful.Rt Hon Sir Hugh RobertsonKCMG DLDevelopment Board ChairmanRecent AchievementsThe last year has been a period ofimmense change at CanterburyCathedral. Longstanding projectssuch as works to the North WestTransept and the rebuilding of theGreat South Window have beencompleted, whilst The CanterburyJourney successfully began itsintensive five-year delivery phase.These projects became a realitythrough the hard work of the1,000 staff and volunteers at theCathedral - in service to the millionpeople who make their ownjourney to the Cathedral each year.By supporting the Trust, you helpensure the scale of works neededcan be achieved and keep theCathedral at the heart of the city,the nation and with internationalaudiences. Thank you so much.The efforts we make now toconserve the Cathedral’s fabric andcreate a welcoming space for allare in many ways the continuationof those made by the generationsthat came before us. However, asour understanding of both thebuilding itself and the expectationsof our visitors grows, so too do ouraspirations for the future.With the generosity of many wehave secured the 24.7m neededto deliver The Canterbury Journeyprogramme. As works commence,the Trust has turned its effortsto the Cathedral’s next priority,safeguarding its musical heritage.Stone Auction ResultsIn September 2016, 210,000 was raisedthrough the auctioning of stones fromthe Cathedral’s Great South Window.This was truly recycling at its best, withproceeds from un-usable masonry nowsupporting future conservation. We wishto give special thanks to all who bid onthe day and to The Canterbury AuctionGalleries, without whom the event wouldnot have been possible.The Canterbury SoundWith a working title of TheCanterbury Sound, this campaignmarks the next step on theCanterbury Journey. It will extendour attention to equally urgentconservation of the Quire and itsOrgan, as well as recognising theneed to tell our story of choralmusic and write the next chapter.Working closely with colleaguesacross the Cathedral, we havebeen developing a campaign thatwill address urgent capital works,secure a sustainable financialfuture for our choristers, andwelcome new audiences to sharein the enjoyment of choral music.The Canterbury Sound will take intwo significant milestones for theCathedral. It will launch in 2018as Canterbury marks the 30thanniversary of UNESCO WorldHeritage Status. The restorationand enhancement of the QuireOrgan will complete in 2020, asthe Cathedral celebrates 600 yearsas the home of a permanent choir.We look forward to keeping youupdated with our progress andhow you can get involved soon.From top left: a family pause to admire Bell HarryTower’s fan ceiling; fan ceiling detail; choristers andlay clerks process for a mid-week Evensong service; astained glass panel being created for the new CanterburyJourney Loan Box scheme; a child practises stone carvingskills with one of the Cathedral’s apprentices duringCathedral Discovery Week; the Quire Organ pipeworkstands ready for its annual maintenance service.

A New WelcomeThe themes of pilgrimageand welcome are central toThe Canterbury Journey. Alasting part of its legacy willbe the new free-to-enterWelcome Centre withdedicated communityand exhibition spacesand viewing gallery. Thejourney to our new centre isunderway, to open in 2019.The Canterbury JourneyIn 2017, the face of the Cathedral has changedsignificantly. Thanks to the support of so many, ourambitious plans are now being realised. Regularvisitors will have seen the works unfold first-hand,whilst continuing to receive a warm welcome fromthe Cathedral community in the Precincts. Withoutdoubt the largest visual change has been theimmense volume of scaffolding to the West end ofthe Cathedral (some 2km of aluminium tubing!), aswell as the installation of a temporary roof spanningthe entire length of the Nave. These enabling workswill allow our dedicated workforce and specialistcontractors to work in all weather, helping us keepto a complex programme. These significant elementsof the programme have contributed to 3.8m beingspent in the first year of delivery (from October2016), funded in partnership by the Heritage LotteryFund and through your generosity.Throughout the year, the Canterbury ArchaeologicalTrust has led extensive surveys across the Precincts.Visitors to September’s Explore Your Cathedral eventwill have seen the results up close and been ableto speak directly to the team about the importanceof their findings. In the summer, demolition of theprevious Welcome Centre began alongside furtherarchaeological works to ensure the structure has asolid footing and is empathetic to its surroundings.From top: preparations and archaeologicaldigs throughout 2017; displaying our findsat September’s Explore Your Cathedralevent; informative hoardings telling visitorsabout the project; an artist’s impression ofthe completed Welcome Centre.Alongside these more obvious works, teams acrossthe Cathedral have been busy protecting preciousparts of our heritage. The Stained Glass Studioprepared the West window for the installation ofthe Nave safety deck (right) and then worked fromthe deck to remove seven Victorian windows whichare now being worked on in the Studio. Other staffhave been demonstrating Conservation-in-Action toour visitors (below) so they can appreciate the ideasbehind the improvements taking place.Four new apprentices have been recruited - twostonemasons, a leadworker and an electrician. Theywill receive a rounded education in caring for suchan historic building, taking in both traditional andmodern techniques and benefitting from continualmentoring by the project delivery team.Wider learning, participation and communityengagement initiatives have also flourished. In thelast year, almost 2,000 hours of time have beengiven by our growing army of project volunteers. TheCanterbury Journey will provide enhanced trainingto our existing volunteers, including a new series ofGuides Talks, as well as recruiting new people largelyfrom across East Kent to support specific projects.In 2017, this has included new family events andactivities, as well as 20 volunteers working on TheBlack Prince two-day symposium. Others have beensupporting our Collections Management team toassess our many hidden treasures and develop plansfor future public displays and digitisation efforts.Our Loan Box scheme is almost ready for distribution,with Cathedral departments contributing contentto support primary and secondary schools duringterm-time. During the holidays, children have kindlybeen trialling our Explorer Backpacks - with 262issued during the summer holidays alone!Thank you to everyone who has supported andcontributed to The Canterbury Journey - whether bymaking a gift, attending an event, volunteering yourtime or providing feedback. We hope you continuewith us on this exciting journey.Mark Hosea, Project DirectorWe are hugely grateful for the support given by so many and we value yourtrust in us immensely. Please visit www.canterbury-cathedral.org/supportus to view our Fundraising Promise. This is our commitment to carrying outour work in a responsible and transparent way. If you would like to changeyour contact preferences or have any questions, please get in touch with us.