Gloucester Cathedral to stage first-ever Stone Carving Festival
A celebration of traditional craftsmanship and heritage, the event is taking place over the August bank holiday weekend, from Saturday, August 23 to Monday, August 25, from 10am to 3pm.
Stonemasons from across the country will gather on Cathedral Green to create carvings inspired by the theme of peace and remembrance, marking the 80th anniversary year of VE Day.
Paul Synan, senior stonemason, said: "The Stone Carving Festival is a fantastic opportunity to show people the skill and craftsmanship that goes into carving stone at Gloucester Cathedral.
"We are looking forward to welcoming carvers from around the country to try their hand at creating something truly special.
"It's an extra privilege to know their work will be sold at auction at the end of the event."
Visitors will be able to watch master craftspeople at work, including members of the cathedral's own team, and take part in hands-on activities suitable for all ages.
There will also be a selection of food stalls on the Cathedral Green, including Box Kitchen, Smokingly Good BBQ and Mumma's Meals.
The event is free to attend, with donations encouraged.
Proceeds will support the Cathedral's East Cloister Project, which aims to preserve the 14th-century medieval cloister for future generations.
After the festival, the newly carved stones—along with 12 historic stones that once formed part of the cathedral—will be auctioned online.
Details on how to take part in the auction will be announced soon.
Gloucester Cathedral has extended its thanks to the Cathedrals Workshop Fellowship, the Worshipful Company of Masons, and the Friends of Gloucester Cathedral for their support of the event.
Cathedral stonemasons have looked after the Cathedral, a Grade I listed building, since 1089, preserving aspects of it to maintain its condition and adding intricate designs to the famous structure.
Its stonemasons' team, historically known as the Workshop of St Peter, is one of only ten attached to Cathedrals in England.
The team's work is crucial to ensure the Cathedral remains in the best possible condition for generations to come, and all listed buildings around the Cathedral grounds fall under their care.
More information is available on the Gloucester Cathedral website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mom Complains About the Etiquette of Train Passengers on 2-Hour Journey with Baby — But Is Told She's in the Wrong
'I spoke out and was given a seat, but everyone gave me dirty looks as if I was in the wrong,' she shared NEED TO KNOW A mother was unimpressed by the behavior of her fellow passengers on a recent train journey In a Mumsnet post, she recalled getting "dirty looks" after asking for a seat with her child 'Is there an unwritten rule that you don't get trains with kids? I don't have a car,' she wondered A mother was left unhappy after struggling to get a seat on a crowded train for a 2-hour journey with her baby. She penned a lengthy post on the parenting forum Mumsnet, explaining that she and her husband arrived on the platform in Folkestone, England, two hours before their train to London was set to depart. She said the moment the hourly train arrived, everyone began pushing to get on without regard to them and their 1-year-old child. The situation was worsened by a man with two bikes who was blocking access to another carriage. 'People tutted and moaned because I was having trouble getting on,' the mom said. 'There wasn't space to keep the buggy up, so I had to carry him, and people thought it was acceptable to let me stand holding a [26-pound] toddler, he can't walk yet and is very energetic.' The mother said she eventually spoke up and someone offered her a seat, but she noticed other people giving her 'dirty looks.' 'If I rocked up late or if seats were assigned, I would say fair enough, but I was there early and they all pushed in front,' she said. 'The icing on the cake was that the seat I was given was in the area with the tables, so he was given a makeshift drum and thought it was a social event so he proceeded to babble at everyone for the hour, people were not impressed,' the mom continued. 'Is there an unwritten rule that you don't get trains with kids? I don't have a car,' she added. Many responses to the post argued the woman's husband could've held their child if she didn't want to, while others admitted they weren't surprised passengers weren't empathetic to her situation. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'It's public transport. What did you expect?' one person wrote. 'Your child does not pay a fare and their buggy took up the space of about 2-3 adults standing. The adults with bikes had paid a fare, but you objected to their bikes, and you had a buggy. You expected train etiquette to give way to you? Good luck.' Another commenter said, 'Direct your anger at the train company for not providing enough space (longer and/or more frequent trains), not the other travellers who have every much as right to a seat/space as you. Did you expect them all to stop and let you on first or something?' A third person wrote, 'I'm not sure what day you travelled, but it drives me mad when parents with kids (during the holidays) use the trains at rush hour. And then act so surprised that the trains are absolutely packed. Wish they'd use some common sense. In your case, there's no train etiquette any more, it's every man and woman for themselves, unfortunately.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Sweetest soul' Annie looking for new home after false starts in life
A two-year-old bulldog cross is looking to find her forever home in Suffolk. Annie, is currently being cared for by Suffolk Animal Rescue Centre in Debenham, after having a few false starts with another rescue. Staff at Suffolk Animal Rescue have described Annie as "the sweetest soul" and are hoping that she can find her forever home soon. A spokeswoman for the rescue centre said: "Annie is a gorgeous bulldog cross. "She is chipped, neutered and fully vaccinated. "Annie has had a few false starts with another rescue so we have taken her under our wing to see if we can find her a home. "Annie is the sweetest soul. She is gentle and loving and kind. If you are looking for a family dog Annie is the dog for you." The two-year-old loves human attention and loves other dogs. She enjoys her walks and whilst she can sometimes pull on the lead for the most part she walks nicely. The spokeswoman added: "Annie loves other dogs and we feel she would settle much better into a home with a playful resident dog. "She gets bored easily and having a canine companion helps to keep her occupied." Annie is able to live with children aged over 12 years old, and she would very much like to live with anothe dog. She would also like a cat free home.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
How a 'moth-eaten rag' became a war memorial
A small coastal town is home to an unusual World War Two war memorial created by soldiers in memory of comrades who died while prisoners of war (POW). It was made by men from the 4th Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment, who were captured at the fall of Singapore in 1942. They spent more than three years as slave labourers for the Japanese army, much of it at Chungkai camp in Thailand. The centrepiece of the memorial in Leiston, Suffolk, is a union jack, used in the camp during funeral services and brought home by Corp Herbie Bailey after he and the other survivors were finally liberated. In 1952, the veterans transformed the "moth-eaten rag" into a tribute to the POWs of the 4th Battalion who died and to mark the 10th anniversary of their capture. "Sometimes people just refer to it as a flag, but it's not just a flag - the flag is just the centrepiece of a very, very interesting and unusual war memorial," said Taff Gillingham, chairman of the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment. In 1942, the 4th Battalion was among many Allied divisions rushed to defend Singapore, in the wake of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. After fierce fighting but against impossible odds, the British, Australian and Indian forces were ordered to surrender. Somehow the 11ft by 6ft (3.3m by 1.8m) flag went with the men of the 4th Battalion when they were transferred to Chungkai camp, said Mr Gillingham. This was a POW camp used during the construction of the infamous Burma-Thailand Railway, and today it is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. About 13,000 Allied prisoners of war died during the railway project, plus an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians, according to the commission. Mr Gillingham said the 4th and 5th battalions of the Suffolk Regiment were about 2,000 strong when they disembarked at Singapore in 1942, but more than a third of them had died by the end of the war. The POWs were allowed to build a little wooden chapel at Chungkai for church services, where the flag rested on its altar. "And every time one of the soldiers died, it was used for the funeral service," Mr Gillingham said. "Starved, beaten and executed for the slightest misdemeanours - the thing that inspires me is their resilience and their ingenuity, making medicines from plants that they'd find in the jungle, for example." Every aspect of the memorial has a specific link to the 4th Battalion, a territorial unit which recruited from the Leiston area. Mr Gillingham said: "The frame is just as interesting [as the flag], in that it's made from wood salvaged from Southwold Pier and the metal frame it sits on was made by the engineering works of Garretts, the engineering works in Leiston, so it was a proper local project. "And the colours behind the flag mean something too - they are the colours of the Pacific Star, the medal that all the Far East prisoners of war were given." Today, it is owned by the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment and is on long-term loan to the town's Long Shop Museum. When the men of the 4th Battalion were liberated at the end of the war, many, including Corp Bailey, continued to serve in the territorials for years, with weekly training and annual camps. Underneath the memorial is a plaque which describes it as "a moth-eaten rag on a worm-eaten pole". It also records how the union jack was "hoisted to the top of the pole in the camp by the men of the battalion who survived three years of living hell". Mr Gillingham said: "It's often said to be the only war memorial based on an artefact brought back from the field, and it's certainly the only one I can think of, but it's a lovely thing because it has a direct connection with the place, and the people, with those who died." A service to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of World War Two will be held at the memorial at 10:30 BST. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story 'Death railway' soldiers honoured with exhibition Film to tell regiment's 'poignant' war battles 'VE celebrations muted due to Far East prisoners' Related internet links The Long Shop Museum, Leiston Friends of the Suffolk Regiment
