Day of rejoicing at Bradford Cathedral as five major projects celebrated
It was a day of rejoicing on Tuesday April 12th at Bradford Cathedral as the Victorian State Gate, built to connect the cathedral to the city but condemned two years ago as unsafe and dangerous, was reopened following a year -long restoration project.
As the choir sang the Hallelujah chorus, the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Dr Ingrid Roscoe cut the ribbon to mark the official re-opening and paid tribute to the craftsmen and project leaders at the cathedral and for the “love, skill and coming together there has been under the leadership of the Dean."
(The official opening - left to right, Lord Mayor of Bradford,Councillor Joanne Dodds;the Dean, Jerry Lepine: the Lord Lt. of West Yorkshire, Dr Ingrid Roscoe; Cathedral architect Ulrike Knox; Bishop Toby Howarth)
In total five major projects were being celebrated as around 100 civic leaders and community representatives gathered for a service of thanksgiving. In front of the cathedral paths and walkways have been relaid with a new landscaped ‘park’ area, and repairs have also been carried out on the 
roof and the Bell Tower, with as well as at Cathedral Halls and Clergy House which will be used to house families who are temporarily homeless.
About £350,000 from the First World War Centenary Cathedral Fund was used to restore the State Gate, with a further £190,000 spent on high level repairs, including work on the South roof and Lantern Cross, and a new replica of the famous cockerel weather vane.
Dean of Bradford, the Very Revd Jerry Lepine, said the five projects involved a huge amount of hard work which had brought parts of the city's heritage "back from the dead".
Initially, the cathedral couldn't even afford to pay for scaffolding to prevent State Gate collapsing, he said. Now the new State Gate will provide improved access to the cathedral from Bolton Road directly opposite the Broadway shopping centre.
"I am emotional as I attend the opening of State Gate because it is nothing short of miraculous," said Dean Jerry. "The message we are sending out is that Bradford Cathedral has come to the regeneration party and we mean business. It is not just about completing something, it is a statement of intention that we will be here for many, many years."
Introducing some of the contractors who helped on the restoration projects, cathedral architect Ulrike Knox (pictured left) admitted that "never in my wildest dreams" did she think that so many repair projects could be carried out at once.
Robert Thompson, who runs a joinery firm, described his shock at the previous state of the Bell Tower.
"In all my years in construction I have never seen anything as imminently due to fall down....About six hundredweight of masonry was sitting on a board that big (around an inch thick). I could not believe that something major had not happened."
As well as the World War 1 fund, the projects had been funded with help from a variety of organisations including Bradford Council and the Bramall Foundation and Becki Clarke of the Cathedrals Fabric Committee also paid tribute to the work carried out at Bradford. “Bradford made a very good case that without the State Gate being open, it wouldn’t be safe and welcoming to visitors. A panel chaired by Sir Paul Ruddock looked at this and agreed”, she said. “Cathedrals belong to the people and they are held in trust for you” she added.
Wakefield Cathedral
Meanwhile, in Holy Week, a ten foot Saxon cross was installed in front of Wakefield Cathedral to mark its recommitment to the people of the city and region and the end of its refurbishment project.
The cross – hewn from a quarry in Holmfirth and hand carved by local stone carver and calligrapher, Celia Kilner, pictured below in front of the cross, – was raised outside the west door - at the top of the Cathedral precinct.
The Dean, the Very Revd Jonathan Greener explained:
“We are delighted to announce the successful outcome to our renewal programme here at the Cathedral.
“And in this holiest week of the Christian year, we will raise this cross as a sign of our faith, which has been alive in Wakefield for well over a thousand years,” he added.
In the 19th century a fragment of a Saxon Cross Shaft was discovered being used as a doorstep in Wakefield dating from around 970. It would have stood as a central symbol of faith in the town. While its original location is not known, during the archeological excavations of Project 2013, the first phase of the Cathedral’s redevelopment programme, two high status Cist burials were found in the south aisle – and carbon dated to the late 10th and early 11th centuries.
Celia Kilner who carved the new stone crossCelia Kilner, who carved the stone cross, used the fragment of shaft to imagine and bring to life a new cross for Wakefield Cathedral.
Over £6.5m has been spent renewing the Cathedral for the 21st century. York-based specialist contractor William Anelay Ltd started work on Project 2013 with the removal of the pews back in October 2012 and last year work began on Project 2015 - to renew the East End of the cathedral, its windows, the vestry and The Chapter House.
Work is expected to be completed by early May 2016 and Wakefield Cathedral will be launching a festival to celebrate the completion of the work.
Ripon Cathedral
Ripon Cathedral is holding Ripon Cathedral Revealed - A Festival of Flowers, Music, Spirituality, Food & Drink over the Mayday bank holiday weekend..
Jazz, talks, guided tours, plays, spirituality, choral music, floral displays, food and drink are just some of the ingredients of the festival which will showcase the wide variety of Cathedral life with a host of different events.
Ripon Cathedral Revealed runs from Thursday 28 April to Monday 2 May 2016 starting with a preview evening of jazz, wine and canapés and the opportunity for an advance view of the ‘stunning’ flower festival on show throughout the weekend.
The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson said, “This new Cathedral Festival will celebrate the place of Ripon Cathedral in the region it serves and we look forward to welcoming families, friends and visitors to enjoy its rich heritage as well as the beautiful surroundings of Ripon itself.
“The whole festival weekend will offer a variety of activities including a food festival on the Friday and Saturday, children’s entertainment, concerts, live music, white rose workshops, behind the scenes with the Choir, Bell Tower Tours, finishing off with our well known Beer Festival in the Cathedral grounds on May day bank holiday Monday.”
A running feature of the weekend will be a food festival with stalls selling a wide variety of hot and cold food, exhibiting and selling everything from ale, pies and pizzas to seafood, sweets and sausages.
Other highlights in the provisional programme include embroidery display and workshops, drama with Terrible Tales of Ripon, behind the scenes with the choir , a carousel on forecourt, bell tower tours, spirituality and history talks, a charity exhibition and the now traditional Bank Holiday Monday Beer festival on May 2nd.