Latest news with #StDavidsCathedral
Times
01-07-2025
- Times
Seven of the most atmospheric UK cathedrals to visit this summer
Pilgrims travelling to religious sites around the globe were some of the world's first tourists and Gen Zs are following suit with an April YouGov survey showing a significant rise in church-going in the under-25s. Visiting one of Britain's soaring cathedrals is a chance to switch off, admire some of the country's best architecture, tap into a sense of community, listen to music (the acoustics are often superb) or even attend a service. Here are seven of our favourites. St David founded this monastery in Wales's smallest cathedral city in the 6th century, making it one of the oldest religious sites in the UK. Treasures today include the 16th-century carved oak ceiling in the nave and a striking stained glass window created by the William Morris Company (open daily, free; There are plenty of superb options for strolls nearby including the short Wales Coast Path to St Non's Chapel, with a well thought to have healing properties. St Davids Cross Hotel has been a landmark for centuries; it now has 16 stylish bedrooms, with a popular bar and restaurant but is also close to the medieval ruins of the Bishop's Palace (£6.80; Details B&B doubles from £135 ( The sandstone St Magnus Cathedral — the oldest in Scotland — was founded by Viking invaders in 1137 (open daily, free; The hub of the Orkneys, Kirkwall sees ferries travelling to the outer islands, including the neolithic remains at Rousay while boat trips also visit the shipwrecks at Scapa Flow. The Kirkwall Hotel, a quick stroll from St Magnus, has 37 comfortable rooms that nearly all look out onto the harbour. Details B&B doubles from £133 ( • The most beautiful places in Scotland Founded in AD597, this cathedral is enshrined in literary as well as religious history, as the destination for the pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. On July 5, the city's annual Medieval Pageant will bring Canterbury's history alive with a trail featuring costumes and references to Chaucer. Inside the cathedral itself, you can see where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170 along with the tomb of Henry IV and his wife Joan of Navarre, all surrounded by Britain's most beautiful collection of Norman ecclesiastical architecture (open daily, £18; Built in the grounds, Cathedral Lodge has 34 snug rooms and guests get free access to the cathedral as well as access to its gardens before they open to the B&B doubles from £115 ( • Discover our full guide to Kent Dominating this city in the northeast, Durham Cathedral has a history that stretches back to AD995 (open daily, free; This July, for the first time in eight years, all three copies of Magna Carta held here will be on display but you'll also be able to see the cloisters where Ron Weasley vomited slugs and Professor McGonagall taught transfiguration in the Harry Potter films. On the other side of the River Wear, the very glam 40 Winks guesthouse has rooms with views of the cathedral, and a luxurious, gilded ambience that would have appealed to some of the most worldly past Durham bishops. Details Room-only doubles from £170 ( Thanks to the staunchly Catholic Dukes of Norfolk, Arundel's cathedral, consecrated in 1873, is one of the largest and most beautiful Catholic cathedrals in Britain (open daily, free; It's surrounded by streets stuffed with independent shops and restaurants, plus there are also paths by the River Arun to wander (open daily, free; Arundel Castle, where the Norfolk family still lives, has paintings by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds and Canaletto and 38 acres of gardens famous for their roses (£16; Close to both, the Norfolk Arms has evolved from a Georgian coaching inn into a 39-room hotel with its own craft pub serving Sussex beer and Room-only doubles from £90 ( Surrounded by some the city's oldest and most beautiful houses, woven through with public gardens and a path that leads to the River Wensum, Norwich Cathedral has Britain's only surviving medieval altarpiece as well as a font made from two copper bowls that were once used to make toffee at Norwich's former Rowntree Mackintosh factory (open daily, free; A range of organ and orchestra concerts by candlelight take place here throughout the year. Parts of the Maids Head Hotel, next door to the cathedral, date from the 15th century, but the foundations are much older; Norwich's first bishop's palace was built here in the 11th century (open daily, free; Room-only doubles from £117 ( • Best hotels in Norfolk While most cathedrals have a strong music tradition, this small Somerset city shows off its own specialist music school; there are both boy and girl choirs who perform with adult choral scholars as well as weekly lunchtime organ recitals open to the public. It's often considered to be the most beautiful English cathedral, with its gothic architecture dating from 1175. Tours take in the West Front façade with its 300 medieval sculptures, the 14th-century stained-glass Jesse Window and a Romano-British burial chamber (open daily, £15; Pilgrims and travellers have been seeking succour at the Swan Hotel, a three-minute walk away with an excellent restaurant, since B&B doubles from £140 ( • The most luxurious hotels in Somerset Where else do you think should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below
Sky News
16-06-2025
- General
- Sky News
Rare 1588 Welsh Bible to go on public display in Wales for first time
A Welsh Bible dating back more than 400 years will go on public display for the first time this week. The rare 1588 Bible has been loaned to St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire by Westminster Abbey, where the text has been kept as part of its library collection. It is the first complete translation of the Bible into the Welsh language and this particular copy was the work of Bishop William Morgan, who had been commissioned to produce a standard Welsh edition. He stayed at Westminster Abbey with his friend and fellow Welshman, Gabriel Goodman, then dean of Westminster, to oversee the printing in London. The book was printed on paper and bound in leather over covers made from wood, a process used at the time. To show his gratitude, Morgan presented a copy to the Abbey's library, writing a note in Latin on the title page. The Bible has remained in Westminster Abbey's collection since and it has never before been taken to Wales. It will go on public display at St Davids Cathedral's treasury between 17 June and 9 July, giving visitors a chance to see the volume up-close. It is believed the text has never been on public display, although it was used in a service at St Benet Paul's Wharf - a church in London with a long association with the Welsh community - in 1988. Dr Tony Trowles, librarian and head of Westminster Abbey's collection, said the copy of the Welsh Bible was a reminder of the "rich collections of printed books and manuscripts which have been cared for and studied over the centuries". "It has been a great pleasure to work with colleagues at the cathedral to facilitate the loan of this Bible so that it can be seen and appreciated in Wales for the first time," he added. Bishop of St Davids, the Right Reverend Dorrien Davies, said he first saw Morgan's Bible when he visited London for St Davids Day this year. "It is a special treasure of the Welsh language, and we are honoured to have it in St Davids Cathedral," he added. The Dean of St Davids, Very Reverend Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, added that it seemed "fitting that its first visit to Wales should be here, to the home of our patron saint".
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
The Welsh Bible translated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I but NEVER taken to Wales
A rare copy of the first complete translation of the Bible into the Welsh language, printed in 1588, is to go on display in Wales for the first time. The book, which is just over 10 inches tall and is described as being of exceptional historical significance, has been kept in Westminster Abbey's library collection but will be available for the public to view at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. It was translated by Bishop William Morgan in the year of the Spanish Armada - when Queen Elizabeth I was monarch - as part of an effort to bring scriptures to people in languages they understood. Morgan had been commissioned to produce a standard Welsh edition by bringing together previous translations of parts of the Bible. He travelled to London to oversee the books go through the press, a process lasting several weeks because the print workers did not speak Welsh. During the work, Morgan stayed at Westminster Abbey's deanery which was the home of then-dean Gabriel Goodman - a fellow Welshman who was also a close friend. Morgan presented the book to Goodman with a Latin inscription, recording that he was making a gift to the library. Tony Trowles, librarian and head of the abbey's collection, said: 'It has been in our library ever since. 'It is in remarkably good condition. The plan was to print 900 copies, with the idea for every chapel and church in Wales to have a copy of the Welsh bible. 'Because they were used weekly or even daily, the ones that survive in Wales are not in such good condition.' Dr Trowles described how the Bible was originally kept on the bookshelves of the abbey library, to which it was chained so it could not be removed, and bears an early shelf mark. He said the printing process was 'highly complex and technical' with each letter arranged backwards and several pages printed on one sheet. The book is printed on paper and bound in leather over covers made from wood, a process used at the time. It is believed that the Bible has never been on public display, although it was used in a service at St Benet Paul's Wharf - a church in London with a long association with the Welsh community - in 1988. 'This is the first time it has gone to Wales and we think the first time it has been exhibited,' Dr Trowles added. The Bible will be presented at the Cathedral Libraries and Collections Association (Calca) conference at St Davids on June 17. It will then go on public display in the cathedral's treasury between June 17 and July 9. The Rt Rev Dorrien Davies, the Bishop of St Davids, said: 'I first saw the Bible that William Morgan gave to Westminster Abbey library when I was in London for St Davids Day earlier this year. 'It is a special treasure of the Welsh language, and we are honoured to have it in St Davids Cathedral.' The Dean of St Davids, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, added: 'It seems fitting that its first visit to Wales should be here, to the home of our patron saint, at our spiritual heart. 'We look forward to having it on show before its return to the abbey, to share with Welsh Christians of all traditions, for whom Y Beibl Cyssegr-Lan of 1588 Bible is a uniquely valuable treasure in our heritage of faith and language.'
The Independent
16-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Welsh Bible printed in 1588 to go on display in Wales for first time
A rare copy of the first complete translation of the Bible into the Welsh language, printed in 1588, is to go on display in Wales for the first time. The 26cm tall book, described as being of exceptional historical significance, has been kept in Westminster Abbey's library collection but will be available for the public to view at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. It was translated by Bishop William Morgan in the year of the Spanish Armada – when Queen Elizabeth I was monarch – as part of an effort to bring scriptures to people in languages they understood. Morgan had been commissioned to produce a standard Welsh edition by bringing together previous translations of parts of the Bible. He travelled to London to oversee the books go through the press, a process lasting several weeks because the print workers did not speak Welsh. During the work, Morgan stayed at Westminster Abbey's deanery which was the home of then-dean Gabriel Goodman – a fellow Welshman who was also a close friend. Morgan presented the book to Goodman with a Latin inscription, recording that he was making a gift to the library. Tony Trowles, librarian and head of the abbey's collection, told the PA news agency: 'It has been in our library ever since. 'It is in remarkably good condition. The plan was to print 900 copies, with the idea for every chapel and church in Wales to have a copy of the Welsh bible. 'Because they were used weekly or even daily, the ones that survive in Wales are not in such good condition.' Dr Trowles described how the Bible was originally kept on the bookshelves of the abbey library, to which it was chained so it could not be removed, and bears an early shelf mark. He said the printing process was 'highly complex and technical' with each letter arranged backwards and several pages printed on one sheet. The book is printed on paper and bound in leather over covers made from wood, a process used at the time. It is believed that the Bible has never been on public display, although it was used in a service at St Benet Paul's Wharf – a church in London with a long association with the Welsh community – in 1988. 'This is the first time it has gone to Wales and we think the first time it has been exhibited,' Dr Trowles added. The Bible will be presented at the Cathedral Libraries and Collections Association (Calca) conference at St Davids on June 17. It will then go on public display in the cathedral's treasury between June 17 and July 9. The Rt Rev Dorrien Davies, the Bishop of St Davids, said: 'I first saw the Bible that William Morgan gave to Westminster Abbey library when I was in London for St Davids Day earlier this year. 'It is a special treasure of the Welsh language, and we are honoured to have it in St Davids Cathedral.' The Dean of St Davids, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, added: 'It seems fitting that its first visit to Wales should be here, to the home of our patron saint, at our spiritual heart. 'We look forward to having it on show before its return to the abbey, to share with Welsh Christians of all traditions, for whom Y Beibl Cyssegr-Lan of 1588 Bible is a uniquely valuable treasure in our heritage of faith and language.'
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Welsh Bible printed in 1588 to go on display in Wales for first time
A rare copy of the first complete translation of the Bible into the Welsh language, printed in 1588, is to go on display in Wales for the first time. The 26cm tall book, described as being of exceptional historical significance, has been kept in Westminster Abbey's library collection but will be available for the public to view at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. It was translated by Bishop William Morgan in the year of the Spanish Armada – when Queen Elizabeth I was monarch – as part of an effort to bring scriptures to people in languages they understood. Morgan had been commissioned to produce a standard Welsh edition by bringing together previous translations of parts of the Bible. He travelled to London to oversee the books go through the press, a process lasting several weeks because the print workers did not speak Welsh. During the work, Morgan stayed at Westminster Abbey's deanery which was the home of then-dean Gabriel Goodman – a fellow Welshman who was also a close friend. Morgan presented the book to Goodman with a Latin inscription, recording that he was making a gift to the library. Tony Trowles, librarian and head of the abbey's collection, told the PA news agency: 'It has been in our library ever since. 'It is in remarkably good condition. The plan was to print 900 copies, with the idea for every chapel and church in Wales to have a copy of the Welsh bible. 'Because they were used weekly or even daily, the ones that survive in Wales are not in such good condition.' Dr Trowles described how the Bible was originally kept on the bookshelves of the abbey library, to which it was chained so it could not be removed, and bears an early shelf mark. He said the printing process was 'highly complex and technical' with each letter arranged backwards and several pages printed on one sheet. The book is printed on paper and bound in leather over covers made from wood, a process used at the time. It is believed that the Bible has never been on public display, although it was used in a service at St Benet Paul's Wharf – a church in London with a long association with the Welsh community – in 1988. 'This is the first time it has gone to Wales and we think the first time it has been exhibited,' Dr Trowles added. The Bible will be presented at the Cathedral Libraries and Collections Association (Calca) conference at St Davids on June 17. It will then go on public display in the cathedral's treasury between June 17 and July 9. The Rt Rev Dorrien Davies, the Bishop of St Davids, said: 'I first saw the Bible that William Morgan gave to Westminster Abbey library when I was in London for St Davids Day earlier this year. 'It is a special treasure of the Welsh language, and we are honoured to have it in St Davids Cathedral.' The Dean of St Davids, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, added: 'It seems fitting that its first visit to Wales should be here, to the home of our patron saint, at our spiritual heart. 'We look forward to having it on show before its return to the abbey, to share with Welsh Christians of all traditions, for whom Y Beibl Cyssegr-Lan of 1588 Bible is a uniquely valuable treasure in our heritage of faith and language.'
