Tag: 43

Cathedrals of England: E-Book Published

I have arranged and published, through an Internet Publisher, the first copy on a 90 page book entitled “Cathedrals of England” which contains images and some introductory information on all 43 Anglican English cathedrals.  The E=Book can be browsed through this link.

What next?

The next step will be to have discussions with various parties including the Church and publishers to see if we can take the project further.  Producing one-offs is very expensive.  Of course, if there is going to be a commercial aspect to this we will need clearance from each Cathedral to include images of their property.

Watch this space – You may be able to order a copy soon.

All 43 English Anglican Cathedrals Photographed

The first Cathedral I photographed was the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington DC.  Then I attended a multi-faith meeting on water representing the World Bank which was held in Salisbury Cathedral in England in July 2009, and I visited the Cathedral of Bath and Wells in Somerset where I have family roots.  I was overawed by these magnificent buildings and the idea dawned to set about photographing them all – which I completed yesterday (3 March 2011) when I flew to the Isle of Man and photographed the Peel Cathedral (see Blog post –Peel Cathedral, Isle of Man – the Friendliest Cathedral in all England).  A selection of the images taken at each cathedral can be seen in the Season Images Gallery.

The purpose

The cathedrals of England hold a tension, an irony, being at once places of devotion and contemplation as well as representing wealth and power from a past era. A tension runs right through most elements – a warmth and a coldness, the familiar with the alien, minute detail overshadowed by vast lines and cavernous spaces. My purpose in these images is to explore these tensions, seeking not to create an architectural record but to capture unique perspectives to be reflected upon and contemplated over. A very real contemporary tension is how these sacred buildings, which have priceless historical value, recreate themselves to hold real significance in the largely secular, urban, 21st century contexts in which they find themselves and remain true to their primary function as places of Christian worship.  My hope is that in a small way these images can bring to life again the dedicated creativity of centuries of artists, architects, builders and masons.

A list ….

  • The most inspiring and my favorite is Wells Cathedral.
  • The most striking font is in Salisbury Cathedral.
  • The friendliest was Peel Cathedral on the Isle of Man.
  • The most informative and amenable guide was in St Alban’s.
  • The most awesome for sheer size was Liverpool.
  • The cross-of-nails in Coventry was thought provoking.
  • The most picturesque surroundings – Lichfield Cathedral.
  • The most expensive was …….. – £120.00 per hour. (Fill in the gaps)
  • The least attended was …….. – I spent an hour there and did not see anyone.
  • The most unsteady – ………  Cathedral did not let me use a tripod.
  • The least friendly – in ……..  we had a run in with very rude University Proctors although the volunteers in the Cathedral were friendly.