Peculiar Geographies

Restoring Canterbury Cathedral

The process of restoration is an ongoing one. April 2014 marked the start of this most recent phase of restoration works for the cathedral. After a successful application bid from the National Lotter Heritage Fund works soon began to restore the Christchurch gate at the butter market. In addition to a 25 million pound regeneration of the nave and a replacement of the lead roof.

The project was awarded a second round of funding in October 2016. however was soon met with severe delays due to the pandemic however works were completed in November 2022 and the scaffolding was removed shortly thereafter.

I felt that this piece would be a good showcase to show a view of the Cathedral which is not normally seen by the public .

These gothic arches contain a hidden wooden structure and form the basis of the ceiling arches of the Nave. What can also be noted is the centuries of patina which has accumulated on the engraved sandstone. whilst there was some discussion to clean the stone it was ultimately decided to preserve the patina whilst this was due to time and budget constraints it also a matter of heritage.
A final thing to note are the visible seams of concrete. A notable comment to raise about these seams showed that a large proportion of the discussions of restoration centred on providing a historically accurate composition for the concrete infilling. A chemical analysis was undertaken to ensure that the concrete would bind with the existing material, in addition to responding to the differences in resonating frequencies of the timber structure and the external stone blockwork.
This showed the working platform of the Nave.
At the end of the the working platform and the six million pound scaffolding provided an amazing view of the choir, the Elizabethan Cathedra, the former shrine of the St Thomas Beckett and the Corona.
Getting a close up view at the ceiling joints. we can see the stone caps which follow a more natural design inspiration in addition to the several family crests which were installed to honour to the benefactors and financiers of this section of the cathedral. However what can be seen in this particular section of the roof is the presence of the face on one of the joints. What makes this face unique is that it is the only one found on the entirety of the Nave, the workers showing us around postulated that this may have been the face of the Architect of the Nave. however this has yet to be confirmed.
I thought that I should draw a focus to the stained glass windows. Whilst these were removed to be re-leaded in the restoration works of the Nave. It was a controversial decision as the stained glass windows were a recent addition from the nineteenth century, there were noticeable damages to original stonework to allow for the installation of the stained glass windows.
External view of Canterbury showing the Archbishop’s Palace and the Northern extent of Canterbury.
A close up of the restored clock tower.
Despite the structure’s prominent use of sandstone in the construction, the clock towers were made using a variety of building materials, which surprisingly included flint.
The external shot of the re-leaded roof of the Nave looking over to Old Harry’s Bell tower.
An intricate detail showing the new sandstone and the recently cleaned sandstone.
A close up of the clock tower on the western side of the Cathedral.