Walking, tours, exhibition and lectures at 19th-century Nottingham cathedral, designed by Pugin, explaining its history, decoration and furnishings, and presenting the current investigation and restoration of the original scheme for the nave.
Nottingham Cathedral was built between 1841 and 1844 and at its opening was the largest Roman Catholic church to have been built in England since the Reformation. Originally a parish church, it became a cathedral with the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in 1850. The architect and designer of its decoration and main furnishings was the celebrated A. W.N. Pugin. The event will include guided tours of the cathedral, explaining its history, principal features and decoration. There will be a small exhibition in the crypt, which is not normally open to the public, showing the changes in the appearance of the cathedral from the time of Pugin to the present day and some of its treasures, including early vestments. There will also be one or more talks on the history of the cathedral and on the restoration of Pugin’s original decoration, currently in progress. We will be preparing a leaflet to accompany the tours and the exhibition.
The cathedral is currently sponsoring an investigation by expert restorers of the original decoration of the nave roof and walls. Although there are drawings of these important designs as originally envisaged by Pugin, little is known about what was actually accomplished and how it was modified before the whole scheme was entirely obliterated in the early 1960s. The Heritage open days will be an opportunity to present the findings of the project to the public.
No Booking Necessary
Max 30 people per tour/session. Walk takes 45mins - 1 hour It should be noted that the guided tours will include the crypt, not normally open to the public, in which the exhibition items, apart from the cathedral vestments, will be displayed. For safety reasons, between tours, the crypt will be kept locked. We can only open this up for individual visitors if sufficient stewards are available.
Sunday 11 September: 1400-1700 - visiting the cathedral and exhibition. Guided tours will be provided and notes for those who would like to go round on their own.
Wednesday 14 September: 1400 - 1530 guided tours; 1600 short talk on the current programme of restoration of the painted decoration of the cathedral, followed by a guided tour focused on the work.
Saturday 17 September: 1400-1700 - visiting the cathedral and exhibition. Guided tours will be provided and notes for those who would like to go round on their own.
Sunday 18 September: 1400-1700 - visiting the cathedral and exhibition. Guided tours will be provided and notes for those who would like to go round on their own.
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