Scaffolding around Salisbury Cathedral to come down after 37 years
A topping out ceremony has been held at the Eastern End of the building
After almost four decades of work, Salisbury Cathedral will soon be without scaffolding.
What has been described as an ‘extraordinary major repair programme' by the Clerk of Works has concluded, with a topping out ceremony being held on Thursday (7th September).
Canon Kenneth Padley, Canon Treasurer for Salisbury Cathedral, blessed the cross at the top of the East End, the last section to have been worked on.
Gary Price, the Cathedral’s Clerk of Works, said it will take about eight weeks to remove the scaffolding around the building, which he says its something to celebrate.
According Gary, the Cathedral is in it’s best state since it was first constructed.
“We've gone around the cathedral photographing, recording, cleaning, pointing, replacing lots and lots of stones,” Gary said.
“It's a brilliant sign to all the visitors that when they do turn up and they don't see any scaffolding on the cathedral, hopefully they'll think the cathedral is in a really good state.”
'We're just the modern custodians'
Gary explained that he, and his colleagues, feel a sense of duty to maintain the Cathedral, saying we are custodians of the modern era in the Cathedral’s history.
“We're just passing through. And then, you know, we will be left to the next generation to pick up where we left off.
“They will conserve the stones that we've replaced and then replaced the stones that we've conserved, so there's always a continuously new stones, new glass, new timber, new lead sort of being added in order to maintain the upkeep of the Cathedral.”
'A magnificent project'
And while Gary says the removal of the scaffolding is something to be celebrated, for him, it’s tinged with some sadness.
“We're not going to get up close and personal to all the carvings and the and the glass and all of the other craftsmen and women who've worked on there and left their mark on the cathedral.”
And Gary also paid special thanks to the craftsmen and women who’ve worked in the works department over the years, saying its ‘such a magnificent project to be involved in.’