The extraordinary civil war engulfing one of Britain's greatest cathedrals

Telegraph

10-03-2025

In 2020, in the shadow of Winchester Cathedral, the Rev Canon Andy Trenier gave an address for the Holy Week on Judas and how betrayal 'lies at the heart of human existence'.
Those were apt words from the cathedral's new Precentor and Sacrist, as for the next five years, he would become embroiled in an extraordinary civil war that would engulf one of Britain's greatest places of worship.
Last week, the Bishop of Winchester, the Right Rev Philip Mounstephen, unveiled a review of the latest turbulence to hit the Church of England, which centres on allegations that Trenier bullied the Cathedral's world-famous choir.
Winchester Cathedral has been hit by a slew of controversial departures, protests, rebellion within the congregation, public appeals and media reports focused on the allegations against Trenier.
The Bishop's highly critical summary presents a damning picture of 'significant failures' in culture and leadership and 'particularly bad behaviour' within staff and congregation.
With the publication of the report, the Very Rev Catherine Ogle announced her intention to retire two months earlier than previously intended.
Rev Ogle said: 'Following receipt of the Bishop's Review…I have decided to hand over leadership responsibilities…(and) on behalf of the chapter, I would like to say sorry to everyone…'
Remarkably, the review, which provides only a summary of a 'secret' report, warns against a 'culture of secrecy' and yet does not mention Canon Trenier's name once, which has infuriated many.
This is no idle matter because the cathedral's choirs have a stellar reputation, which includes winning a Grammy last year for the soundtrack to a high-profile Star Wars video game, quickly followed by an Ivor Novello award.
But readers, going through the 10-page summary, which one critic called a 'masterpiece of obfuscation', will likely be left puzzled because at no point are the allegations that sparked the investigation made explicit.
Rev Philip instead cites confidentiality for the review's secrecy but, for some, forgiveness and healing within the congregation can only truly come in the wake of one additional departure.
Composer Stephen Barton, a former Winchester chorister, said: 'The cathedral has still not announced whether Canon Andy Trenier will be leaving or not. The review talks about 'radical candour' so it would be a substantial step towards reconciliation if they could clarify his position, which I absolutely view as untenable.'
When Trenier joined Winchester in 2019, he could be secure in the knowledge that he was now a leading light in one of the most prestigious cathedrals in the UK, which dates from 1079, and is also one of the largest in northern Europe.
It is the resting place of Jane Austen and an odd array of medieval figures, including Cnut the Great, Saint Swithun, and William II (commonly known as William Rufus), the son of William the Conqueror, who died in famously murky circumstances.
Murky also best describes the ongoing battle over Canon Trenier, who oversees the cathedral's musical chapter, which includes 22 boy choristers, 20 girl choristers and 12 lay clerks, who are professional singers.
Trenier was tasked, according to the review, with a brief to 'bring change by delivering a new music strategy'. However, exactly what this strategy encompassed is unclear and key figures say that they were never told.
But whatever this meant in musical theory, in practice, first blood was drawn when the long-serving assistant director of music George Castle was made redundant in 2021.
Castle, in a letter submitted to the Bishop and seen by The Telegraph, accused Trenier of 'habitual bullying, belittling and manipulation' and said that his redundancy had been 'timed to coincide with the birth of my first child'.
Although Castle's grievances were largely rejected by an internal review, on appeal, 'certain elements' were upheld. Jean Ritchie KC's final report found that: 'In my judgment, the Precentor did behave inappropriately to the appellant on occasions in 2020. Also, in my judgment on occasions the appellant also witnessed inappropriate behaviour to other members of the MD.'
She added: 'I recommend that an apology from the Cathedral to the appellant would be appropriate.'
Toshi Ogita, a classically trained singer and former deputy lay clerk, was one of the first to publicly raise the alarm.
He said: 'I sat next to one of the other adult professional singers and, as Canon Trenier was delivering the reading, my colleague opened a water bottle, and it made a slight noise. Then, after he finished the reading, Canon Trenier walked over and shouted at him 'Don't you dare do that again whilst I am reading with the boys in front.' That was all caught on camera because it was on livestream.'
The correspondence seen by The Telegraph suggests that the issue of the cathedral's livestreaming of performances was a bone of contention.
Barton, in a formal letter submitted to the review, said that 'acrimonious negotiations' between Trenier and lay clerks over payment for the broadcasting rights helped fuel the discord.
Such has been the toll that at one point, only six lay clerks remained of the usual cohort of 12.
Barton goes on to suggest that money lies at the root of this particular evil, claiming that the cathedral viewed the choir as a 'burdensome expense'.
The cathedral furiously rejects the charge of penny-pinching.
Speaking with The Telegraph, Barton says: 'Nobody in the music department was aware that he was appointed to enact change, nor who was directing this change, nor why that change was necessary.
'The choir is world class, I would know, I won a Grammy with them.'
But it was only the departure last year of feted musical director Andrew Lumsden that brought matters to a head. In the ensuing outcry, the bishop called for the review.
The review notes that investigators had found people in 'extreme pain at what had happened to the institution', though it didn't identify individuals.
Barton said that the review's statement that 'Dr Lumsden has been publicly silent about the reasons for his departure' raised serious questions about whether he had been the subject of a gagging clause.
In 2021, the then-Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that the Church of England should stop using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
The cathedral has denied that there was any NDA in place.
The review's conviction that press articles and toxic social media posts had been at least partly to blame for the crisis is given short-shrift by Barton.
He says: 'If there is a culture of silence, and wrongdoing within it, what on earth do they think people should do about it, other than speak publicly and go to the media?'
Paul Wing, a former usher and member of the cathedral community, became involved in a protest over Dr Lumsden's departure, taking part in a 'hunger strike' where members of the congregation refused to take the sacrament. 'I felt uncomfortable taking the sacrament from people like the Dean and Chapter who were saying one thing and doing another,' he says.
'They were not answering our questions about why Dr Lumsden was leaving and the atmosphere at the Cathedral was so bad. There was this cloak of secrecy.'
For all the bad blood, Barton, for one, believes that the music department is now on the mend and is optimistic about its future. Both Ogita and Barton are also careful to welcome the report and the departure of the Dean.
A Winchester diocese spokeswoman said they will not be commenting further on the review but that its confidentiality reflected guarantees given to participants and followed Church Commissioners' guidance.
The interim Dean Canon Roland Riem told The Telegraph that they were 'unable to comment on the current work status' of Trenier and 'strongly takes issue' with the suggestion that the cathedral views the choir as a 'burdensome expense'.
Canon Riem said that they had 'one of the best-funded choirs outside London' and denied that they had been at 'loggerheads' with the lay clerks, with all contractual issues resolved in June 2024.
Canon Trenier and Dr Lumsden did not respond to requests to comment.