The Chairman s Report. Issue 14 Winter 2013

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1 Issue 14 Winter 2013 The Cathedral The Chairman s Report The Cathedral Trust and the Fitzhardinge Society within it have had a good year, and it is encouraging for me as Hugh Pye s successor to inherit a strong financial position. We hope that the end of 2013 will show another increase in the Fitzhardinge Endowment during the year. (Continued. p.3)

2 Christmas BC:AD The Chairman s Report Cont d 2 The New Chamber Organ Main Contents Front Cover/Page 3: Chairman s Report Page 2: BC:AD Page 4: The Dean Writes... Page 5: New Precentor/ Young Chorister of the Year Page 6: New Chamber Organ Page 7: Advent & Christmas Page 8/9: Thomas the First Page 10: Appointment of New Honorary Canons/Amy White/ A Day in the Life of The Cathedral Page 11: Messy Cathedral Back Cover: Bells Refurbishment This was the moment when Before Turned into After, and the future s Uninvented timekeepers presented arms. This was the moment when nothing Happened. Only dull peace Sprawled boringly over the earth. This was the moment when even energetic Romans Could find nothing better to do Than counting heads in remote provinces. And this was the moment When a few farm workers and three Members of an obscure Persian sect Walked haphazard by starlight straight Into the kingdom of heaven. U.A. Fanthorpe (from U.A. Fanthorpe, New and Collected Poems, Enitharmon, 2010; copyright permission from Dr Rosie Bailey.) At the end of 2011, it was decided that after several years of considerable expenditure the Trust should recoup its reserves for a period, so that it could then place itself in a position to assist the Dean and Chapter financially with whatever the next range of projects at the Cathedral might show themselves to be. It is a pleasure to report that the Trust will continue to make a difference to the Cathedral and we will support refurbishments, repairs and other projects in 2014, including the restoration of a set of early seventeenth-century plaster panels belonging to the Cathedral which are at present stored in the Sacristy. It is envisaged that the panels will be displayed when work on them has been completed, and they will become a compelling new reason to visit Bristol Cathedral. On a less glamorous note we also plan to enable a long overdue refurbishment of the Cathedral s public toilets. Exterior works at the West End of the Cathedral have also been identified and we will assist in financing the work which is planned. Chris Harries steps down from his role as Secretary of the Cathedral Trust at the year end, and the process of appointing a fundraiser is in hand. I take this opportunity to thank Chris for his careful stewardship of the Trust and for all that has been achieved whilst he has been with us. We wish him a happy retirement. The future holds two large and costly refurbishment projects for the Cathedral and the Trust which must be addressed, relating to the Cathedral Organ and the building s heating system. Both need sustained attention. Much more on this in due course. Two diary dates for 2014: first, on Saturday, 7th Stephen Parsons Chairman, Bristol Cathedral Trust June the High Sheriff s concert will take place in the Cathedral, featuring the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, the City of Bristol Choir and the Bristol Schools Chamber Choir, under David Ogden. The programme will be of works by twentieth-century English composers, including Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Butterworth and Parry, with some other additions, not necessarily musical, being considered as well. Second, the annual dinner of the Fitzhardinge Society will be held on Friday, 30th May, also in the Cathedral. The dinner was very wellattended this year and raised nearly This is a page-turn moment for us all as we again thank those who have laid a firm foundation from which we can step off and tackle future financial challenges. I wish you all an enjoyable Christmas and a happy New Year. Stephen Parsons Chairman, Bristol Cathedral Trust 3

3 The Dean Writes... Before we look around at what is happening in the Cathedral and look forward to what is planned, we will look back. We will begin with a bit of history. The reign of the Emperor Augustus (63 BC 14 AD) was celebrated as an age of peace. Harries who has committed himself so deeply to our life and work. Our Education Officer, Amy White, has just left us for work elsewhere and our Finance Manager, Matthew Hall has been deservedly promoted by the Diocese: both go with our heartfelt thanks. New Precentor Young Choristers of The Year So, Christ was born, in a Roman province, under the pax augusta. In Rome, men and women worshiped at the ara pacis, the altar of peace. Once we know that, the words that the angels sing over Bethlehem, Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth acquire a kind of electric charge. This turns out to be a song of defiance; a claim that whatever Roman might and main has delivered you should not call it peace. Real peace, the angels declare, comes to the world in the baby in the manger. The peace we all hope for is not internal security guaranteed by swords and spears at every border; it is something much richer and deeper than that. It is the peace of God. We are invited to hope for more. The last year in the Cathedral has been the busiest I have known (even if the months we shared with Occupy remain the most challenging). The refurbishment of the shop, the new website, signage, the appointment of a new Precentor and other significant staff changes, plus the regular round of worship which manages to be both routine and still extraordinary, has been a huge achievement. This Christmas you will also see a commitment to relieve food poverty as we become a collection point for 5K and their partners. I am constantly reminded how much I depend on some gifted and busy colleagues. Echoing the words of the new Chairman of the Trust, I want to thank Hugh Pye for his boundless enthusiasm and energy and to acknowledge a deep gratitude to Chris The year ahead is already committed to some not very glamorous, but necessary housekeeping work on toilets. We also have an eye to renewing our heating and the redevelopment of the west end. We will welcome a new Precentor and a Trust fund-raiser; there will be a major new initiative in education and a discipleship course. I am enthused by all this and (once again) indebted to those who will make it happen. We all share though, a deeper responsibility to put some substance to our hope, to offer a glimpse of the Kingdom that is to come. At Christmas God gives flesh to that hope. It is not dreams and aspirations we preach, it is life lived abundantly and love at work in our midst. That is what the Cathedral must try to embody. In that hope I wish you a very Happy Christmas. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle Dean of Bristol The Dean and Chapter are delighted to announce that the Reverend Nicola Stanley, Vicar of All Hallows, Twickenham, is to be the new Canon Precentor at the Cathedral. Rev. Stanley says I am very much looking forward to being Precentor of this historic Cathedral in the vibrant city of Bristol. I got to know the city when my son was a student here and I love it. It is tremendously exciting, and a great privilege, to be able to come and minister alongside you as we share in the rhythm of prayer and worship for which the Cathedral is rightly praised. Rev. Stanley will be formally installed on 1 March, Henry Lewis, former chorister at the Cathedral and a member of the Diamond Choir specially formed to sing at the Jubilee Service in St Paul s Cathedral in June, 2012, has been taking part in the BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of The Year Award. Henry auditioned for the national competition in July. He was notified by the BBC in September that he had been selected to be one of the eight competition finalists, four girls and four boys. The finals took place at St Martin s in the Fields in London on 28thOctober. Henry was runner-up to the winner, having sung as his solo pieces Quia Respexit from Bach Magnificat, and the hymn Just As I Am (Saffron Walden). 4 5

4 Image David Harries Advent & Christmas Sunday 1st December 6.30pm Advent Carol Service Thursday 5th December 7.30pm An Advent Pilgrimage and Meditation Friday, 20th December 7.30pm Carols by Candlelight, with Bristol Cathedral Choir and Bristol Voices Compère: BBC s Dave Harvey. Tickets 10/ 8 (Nave), 6/ 4 (Aisles). Available from Opus 13 or Mark Lee, Master of the Choristers and Organist, at the New Chamber Organ New Chamber Organ Earlier this year the Cathedral took delivery of a brand new chamber organ by Kenneth Tickell & Co. This was as a result of a very generous anonymous benefaction, which covered the entire cost of its building, and it was requested that it be given in memory of Ron Apperley, for many years a great supporter of the Cathedral s music in all its shades. The instrument, comprising 4 stops, is beautifully cased in English oak, shaded to match exactly the choir stalls in the Cathedral, in close proximity to which it will spend most of its working life. Its sweet yet positive tone is as beautiful to listen to as the organ is to look at, and to play, and it has already won plaudits for its quality, and for its contribution to our music in the short time it has been with us. Monday, 16th December 7.30pm Concert: Bristol Cabot Choir Carols with Preludes Project Children s Choir and Bristol Brass Consort. Traditional and modern carols with the Hallelujah Chorus as the finale. Tickets 14 and 12 (reserved), 10 (unreserved) with 5 student discount on all tickets. Tickets via tickets@bristolcabotchoir.org or Wednesday, 18th December 7.30pm Bristol Cathedral Concert Choir and Orchestra Carols and Music for Christmas Tickets 15 (reserved) and 10 unreserved. Under 18s free but to be accompanied by an adult in the Nave. Tickets via tickets@concertchoir.co.uk or Sponsored by Smith and Williamson. Thursday, 19th December 7.30pm The Christmas Star Concert A magical evening in aid of Above and Beyond, the charity for Bristol s hospitals. With Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra, the Above and Beyond Singers, Ashley Down School Choir and the Taunton Dean Male Voice Choir. Tickets via Toni Collier on or Monday 23rd December 6.00pm Service of nine Lessons and Carols Tuesday 24th December 3.30pm Service of Nine Lessons and Carols 11.30pm Midnight Eucharist Wednesday 25th December Christmas Day 7.40am Matins 8.00am Holy Communion (BCP) 10.00am Festival Eucharist with Orchestra Monday 6th January 2014 Epiphany 6.00pm Sung Eucharist for Epiphany For the latest information on all Services and Events at Bristol Cathedral, phone or visit 6 7

5 Thomas the First Thomas the First What purports to be the tomb of Thomas, Lord Berkeley, - he is probably buried elsewhere in the building - lies in the south aisle of the Cathedral. The inscription above it records that he died in 1243, and that his wife Joan, who lies near him, died in John Smyth, the historian of the Berkeley family, refers to him as Thomas the First because he was the first Lord Berkeley whose name was Thomas. Image David Harries Thomas s predecessor as lord of the Berkeley estates was his older brother Robert ( Robert the Second ) who died in Robert, with Thomas, took part in the baronial uprising against King John which led to the confrontation at Runnymede in 1215 and to the royal seal being affixed to Magna Carta. Berkeley Castle appears to have been one of the places of assembly and rendezvous of the disaffected barons who were making their way to Runnymede. Preceded and influenced by Henry I s Charter of Liberties drawn up in 1100, Magna Carta was as much a peace treaty which failed as a charter of the rights of the subject. King John struck back immediately by persuading the pope, Innocent III, to annul the document and to excommunicate his rebellious subjects, and by launching a powerful military attack on them. The Berkeley family fell into serious disfavour, John even appointing a certain Hugo de Vivon as his own constable of Berkeley Castle. On Robert s death in 1220, many of his estates were placed by the Crown in the custodianship of others, and Thomas was faced with seeking to regain the family position. With a record of participating in rebellion against kingly authority he was not well-placed to do so. Legal and financial obstacles would be many. Circumstances had, however, enabled him to make an astute move two years earlier. Following the death of King John in 1216 and a ceremony in St Peter s Abbey, Gloucester, at which his elder son, Henry III, became king, the Earl Marshal of England, William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, was given responsibility for the protection of the nine-year old Henry and of the kingdom, with the title of rector. Until his death in 1219 William was the most powerful layman in England. He had a niece, the daughter of Sir Ralph de Somery, Lord of Campden. Her name was Joan, and it was she whom Thomas Berkeley married in It may be thought unlikely that the marriage of his own niece in what were tumultuous and violent times would have been permitted without the Earl Marshal of England s approval. Equally, Joan s husband would arguably have advanced, by such a marriage, the process of the rehabilitation of the Berkeley family. In time Thomas obtayned, by the mixt meanes of money, friendship, and marriage, his lands out of the King s hands. And thereafter, in loyalty to the Crown, he ever observed a prudent inclyninge after the strongest powers, [and] ever avoided those Court & Country stormes, which in his tyme blewe downe many stronger Cedars than himself. Smyth writes of him that the life of this lord crowneth the truth, that affliction maketh wife. Joan bore Thomas six sons and two daughters. When her husband died in 1243 she moved to live in the nearby manor of Wotton, part of which consisted of a hamlet of the same name. And such was her affection to that Manor, according to Smyth, that she procured the holding of a market every Friday at Wotton, and a faire every yeare to bee there likewise holden. withall libertyes and free Customs, which to a market and fayre appertayne. In this way she built up the sayd Hamlet of Wotton whereof the whole Manor had the name, and which at this daye wee call the Burrowe or market Towne of Wotton And this was the time, and this the manner of the new Townes begeninge and building, where now it standeth. This presumably all refers to the beginning of the evolution of Wotton the hamlet into the town now called Wotton-under-Edge. Joan survived Thomas by 27 years. John Smyth, who lived in Nibley, was writing in the 1630s. 8 9

6 Appointment of New Honorary Canons A day in the life of the Cathedral There is no such thing as a typical Cathedral day. The following is a montage to give you some idea and yes the characters, events and happenings listed below are all real. 10 A special ceremony of collation and installation of honorary canons took place during Choral Evensong at the Cathedral on 6th October, Stephen Parsons, Chairman of the Cathedral Trust, was one of those so installed. The others were the Revd Catherine Coster (Hon. Curate, St Barnabas, Warmley), the Revd Elspeth Desmond (Curate, St Peter s Filton), the Revd James Wilson (Vicar, St Gregory the Great, Horfield) and the Revd Simon Stevenette (Vicar, Christchurch with St Mary s, Swindon). Amy White The Cathedral was sorry to say goodbye in mid-november to Amy White, its Education Officer for almost six years. At an occasion held to mark Amy s departure Canon Robert Bull paid tribute to her very successful contribution to our education programme and wished her well in her new appointment at Carmel Bible College am the early Verger opens up and notices that a man with nowhere else to go has pitched his tent on the west end am we notice a hole in the east window. A vandal has put a stone through the Virgin s medieval crown am we serenade early visitors with choral music before Morning prayer am the Cathedral volunteers start counting Sunday s collection and the Gardeners get going with the weeding and pruning am the Chapter Clerk talks to the man in the tent, who is trying to get help from the Council am after measuring everyone at least 5 times we send off measurements for new vestments am a member of public rings up to see if we have his relative s tomb am thieves decide to help themselves to some rosaries in the shop am a member of the public rings up to ask if they can protest on College Green am various workmen arrive to lay asphalt and tut about their quote for something urgent and expensive am the new Chamber organ arrives am the Council ring up with an obscure planning query from am the Daily Chaplain and Mother s Union helpers greet our visitors. They spend time with someone who needs to talk am a horse arrives. He and his rider have been travelling around England visiting Cathedrals am the Dean talks to a local community group about a special service am a customer comes into the shop and demands a Cathedral thimble pm a woman drinking water and eating sugar in the café is offered a free bowl of soup pm lunchtime Eucharist pm the BBC come in to record the choir for a television programme pm - the thieves come back and try and tear a cross off the wall. The voice of the Head Verger over the PA arrests their momentum pm the Dean gives a tour to a group of visiting 4-year-olds pm Evensong 7.30 pm evening concert. The End. Jonah and the Whale Messy Cathedral, Jonah and the Whale On Saturday 19th October, the Cathedral threw open its doors to welcome families and Messy Church groups from right across the diocese. The day started with a warm welcome from the Dean. A twenty-foot frame of a giant puppet whale then swept down the length of the nave and the scene was set for Jonah and the whale. Within moments the craft tables were buzzing with activities based on the story of Jonah. Glitter, glue, games, jelly and puppets give a mere glimpse into the unbridled fun on offer. After a picnic in the Chapter House, everyone gathered in the Nave for a big puppet show. The children told the story of Jonah with their newly created puppets, accompanied by Bristol Voices choir with a lively performance of Jonah Man Jazz. For Canon Robert and a small team of volunteers, this was the culmination of many weeks of careful planning and organisation. It was a joy to share the Cathedral space with people and church groups from across the diocese. Chapter, staff, volunteers and visitors all came together in a celebration of creativity, fellowship and worship that made Messy Cathedral a truly memorable event. 11

7 Bells refurbishment The Cathedral s changing bells are housed in the north-west tower, above the Cathedral shop. The 8 bells originally hung in the Temple church and were given to the Cathedral after the church was destroyed in They were cast by Taylor s of Loughborough in The largest tenor bell weighs 21 cwt, and together they make a fine peal. They were last overhauled in 1958 and this year it was decided they needed to be refurbished. The Cathedral bell ringers worked closely with the Dean and Chapter to raise the necessary funding. Grant funding was obtained from the Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers, and the ringers themselves contributed money from their own funds. The Trust then very helpfully agreed to pay the remaining costs. The Dean and Chapter are very grateful to all those who have contributed financially. As a result we have been able to replace the ball races and bearings in each bell and have them re-tuned in time for Christmas. The bells were formally rededicated by the Dean after Evensong on 24 November, with holy water, and a reception was held afterwards at the Deanery for the ringers. Society Membership Form I would like to join / renew my membership of the Fitzhardinge Society Name Address Tel Postcode Mobile Single* membership 100 Dual* membership 150 Other amount* I am a UK tax payer, and would like you to claim Gift Aid on all donations I make until I notify you otherwise. * Must be over 18 years BANKERS ORDER To the Manager Address Postcode Bank Limited Dear Sir Please arrange for the payments to be made and charged to my account per the following details. Credit: Bristol Cathedral Trust Account No: Sort code: At: HSBC, 24 College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TD The annual sum of And thereafter on the same date for three further years, unless cancelled. Signature Name Account No: on Sort code: Please return this completed payment order within an envelope to: The Fitzhardinge Society c/o Bristol Cathedral Trust, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TJ Registered Charity Number The Fitzhardinge Society c/o Bristol Cathedral Trust, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TJ T: , fitzhardinge.society@bristol-cathedral.co.uk