THE SHOWS will go on at Worcester’s historic Cathedral despite serious damage to the landmark’s roof from Storm Arwen.
Defiant Cathedral voices have vowed to maintain their packed festive programme despite serious damage to the roof when part of a pinnacle from the side of the tower fell through it over the north quire aisle on Friday (November 26).
Visiting and services are currently restricted to the nave and the cloister which were unaffected and open and safe for services and visiting. The shop and cafe are open as usual.
During the storm Cathedral staff and professional advisers worked hard to assess the damage and ensure the safety of visitors. Experts made the area affected by roof water weather-proof.
The roof’s ribbed vault appears to have buckled under the impact but has not given way. A programme of repair is being planned and a rope access team have assessed the tower.
Worcester Festival Choral Society’s evening at the Cathedral was axed at the 11th hour because of the impact of Storm Arwen but the Society has confirmed it will return with Handel’s Messiah on December 11.
The Dean of Worcester, the Very Rev Peter Atkinson, hailed the work of those unnamed masons who built the east end of the Cathedral in the 13th century which he believes limited the damage.
“We do not yet know how long the programme of repair will take, nor how much it will cost, and it is the knock-on effect that we cannot account for.
“We have already lost income over the weekend and are sadly unable to release additional tickets for our popular Christmas Carol and Crib Services as we had planned to this week, as a result of losing capacity in the north transept.”
Temporary measures have been put in place to maximise the use of the building which is available but it will take time to get back to normal.
Peter said everyone was grateful to still have the use of the nave and cloister and were so looking forward to welcoming the community to come together and celebrate Christmas.
He said: “To help us to enable this to go ahead, and for the Cathedral to continue into the future, please consider making a donation to our Christmas Appeal.
“We thank you, in advance, for your generosity and support, without which, we would not be able to open our doors.”
Visit www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/christmas2021 to donate to the Christmas appeal and to find details of upcoming services and concerts.
