Wells Cathedral Email Newsletter
November 2014
This is a printed copy of the email newsletter from Wells Cathedral. If you would like to
receive this by email please send your details to marketing@wellscathedral.uk.net or follow
the link on our website.
Below is a snapshot of what's coming up this month at the Cathedral. Remember - news and events
are also always available via our website at www.wellscathedral.org.uk and our Facebook page.
What's On in November
Solemn Eucharist Duruflé Requiem Great Choir (All Souls)
Monday 3rd November, 5.15pm - 6.45pm
An opportunity to remember families and friends who have died.
Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society Concert
Saturday 8th November, 7pm
Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem; Brahms Alto Rhapsody; Vaughan
Williams The Lark Ascending. Katherine Broderick (soprano),
Rachael Lloyd (mezzo soprano), Darren Jeffery (baritone), Thomas Kemp (violin), Southern Sinfonia,
Matthew Owens (conductor). Tickets: £10.00 – £25.00; available from Wells Cathedral Shop Box
Office (01749 672773) and at the door.
Remembrance Sunday: Fauré Requiem
Sunday 9th November, 3pm
On Remembrance Sunday, 9 November, the Wells Cathedral Great Choir will give a special
devotional performance of Fauré’s Requiem, which will be interspersed with readings of War poetry.
The piece is considered to include some of the most beautiful melodies the French man ever
composed. This special act of remembrance will begin at 3pm, in place of the normal Evensong
service. Admission is free, and there will be a retiring collection in aid of the Poppy Appeal and Wells
Cathedral Music.
Act of Worship at the Cathedral Clock for Remembrance Day
Tuesday 11th November, 11am
Wells Cathedral School Prestige Series Enchanting Classics
Saturday 15th November, 7pm
Wells Virtuosi perform a programme of well-loved classics. Tickets: £8.00 – £15.00 available from
01749 834483 and at the door.
Vicars Choral Commemoration Concert
Thursday 13th November, 8pm
Our Vicars Choral will perform in their annual Commemoration
Concert on Thursday 13th November at 8pm. The candlelit
concert will take place in the North Transept, and will feature a
selection of some of the finest cathedral music for men’s voices,
and arrangements of popular songs. Tickets, at £15 each, are
available from the Wells Cathedral Shop. This concert usually
sells out, so it is best to buy your tickets in advance as they may
not be available on the night!).
Cathedral Advent Carol Service
Sunday 30th November, 5pm
We invite you to join us for this beautiful and thought-provoking service.
November's Free Lunchtime Organ Recitals
Our programme of free lunchtime organ recitals continues into
November.
Christopher Allsop (Assistant Organist and Assistant Director of
Music at Worcester Cathedral) will give a lunchtime organ recital on
Thursday 13th November from 1.05pm-1.40pm. The programme
will include works by William Mathias, Claude Debussy, and Allsop’s
own arrangement of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture.
Organ students from Wells Cathedral School will give a recital from 1.05pm-1.45pm on Thursday
20th November. Please come along to the Quire to hear these very talented youngsters perform.
Entry to both recitals is free, with a retiring collection in aid of Wells Cathedral Music.
Wells Cathedral Library
Wells Cathedral library welcomed 7,000 visitors during the months
of July and August this year which is more than the entire total of
visitors the library received in 2013. Our library was built in the midfifteenth century over the East Cloister and houses the book
collection of the Chapter in two areas: the Chained Library and the
Reading Room.
Wells Cathedral actually has one of the few chained libraries in
Britain. It is especially attractive as it is still in its original location although the current bookshelves
and chains are 17th Century. The library has a superb collection of some 2,800 volumes, mainly
published in the 1600s, with some early printed books from the 15th century as well as even earlier
manuscript books. The subject coverage includes medicine, science, mathematics, languages,
history, travel and exploration, as well as religious texts and theology. The Chained Library can be
viewed by the public at appointed times in the summer season, when there is a small exhibition of
books and documents, and we welcome tours by groups that make prior arrangements.
For information about our Library Tours please contact our Visits Officer via email at
visits@wellscathedral.uk.net, call 01749 674483 or visit our website. Scholars are also welcome but
must make their requirements known and book an appointment in advance with the Librarian, Mr
Kevin Spears, by email at library@wellscathedral.uk.net or by telephone on 01749 674483.
Funding awarded for our North Nave Aisle Roof Repair Project
The Cathedral is delighted to have been awarded £160,000 towards
the cost of our North Nave Aisle Roof Repair Project by the
Cathedral Fabric Repair Fund.
The recent Quinquennial report showed that the Cathedral is facing
a pressing need to make more substantial repairs to the western
half of the North Nave Aisle Roof as the lead on the roof has
reached the end of its lifespan – the number of defects is too great to be addressed by patching
only.
Ensuring the Cathedral is weather tight is a top priority for the team at Wells and although this area
of the roof is largely unseen by our visitors and worshippers it is nevertheless vital as part of the
primary building fabric.
We are delighted to have received the support of the Cathedral Repair Fund for this important
project.
The unveiling of our Jesse Window
The Jesse Window at Wells Cathedral is one of
the most splendid examples of 14th century
stained glass in Europe narrowly escaping
destruction during the English Civil War.
After a long period of conservation the
scaffolding will be removed from our fabulous
window next week - and we can't wait to see it
in all its glory!
Cathedral Choristers perform at ITV's Pride of Britain Awards
You may have spotted our choristers on TV in October when they
sang with pop group The Script at the ITV Pride of Britain Awards.
The choristers joined the group for a special performance of their
hit Superheroes. Organist & Master of the Choristers, Matthew
Owens, said, "It was so exciting for our choristers to perform with
The Script, broadcasting to over five million viewers on ITV. It was
also an honour to perform for the audience inside the Grosvenor
House Hotel which included HRH The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister, and many of the UK's top
celebrities. Most importantly, Wells Cathedral Choir was pleased to be able to support such a
marvellous event, where the good work of so many people who make the world a better place, is
celebrated."
Service information and music list
Our Service Information and Music List for the month of November is available to view on our
website.
Hurry while stocks last!
Our shop's new Christmas range is selling so well we've now ordered a new range of advent
calendars.
Please drop in during your visit to the Cathedral or we can post orders to your home address - simply
call us on 01749 672773 or email shop@wellscathedral.uk.net for details. All profits from your shop
purchases go towards maintaining the fabric of the Cathedral.
And remember! Our 'Spot the Louis' competition will be running from 1st December with a prize
awarded to the first three correct entries drawn on 31st December. Pick up your entry form from the
shop and see how many Louis cats you can find in our shop window!
News from our Music Department
For a round-up of news from our Music Department please visit our website.
Vacancies
We have a couple of vacancies both in the Cathedral and in the Diocese which may be of interest.
Firstly there is a part-time voluntary opportunity for a Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Group
following the retirement of the current Chair. Applicants should have experience of safeguarding
issues at a senior level and of chairing multi-professional meetings, and have a clear understanding
of the issues facing churches and faith communities as they seek to safeguard children and
vulnerable adults. The successful applicant will play an important role within the Diocese in
supporting the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser. An understanding of the Christian faith is essential.
For further information and to express your interest in the role please visit the website for the
Diocese at www.bathandwells.org.uk/diocese/vacancies/9/
Secondly the Cathedral is looking for a cleaner to join our cleaning team. This is a permanent role, 20
hours a week, Monday to Friday and more details can be found on our own Cathedral website at
www.wellscathedral.org.uk/how-you-can-help/current-vacancies
Monthly Calendar of Events
The Calendar of Events for November can be found on our website .
Cathedral Library book of the month - November
Our book of the month for November is Travels of Sir John Chardin
into Persia and the East Indies'' (1686).
Sir John Chardin (1643-1713) was born Jean-Baptiste Chardin, the
son of a wealthy jeweller in France. He decided to travel rather than
enter the family business and set off in 1664 for six years of
travelling in Persia and India. The first volume of his travels was
published in 1686 and then several more volumes followed. His
fluency in Persian and long association with the Safavid court make
his observations valuable to historians and his writing is highly regarded.
Wells City Archives Illustrated Talk
Dr. Julia Wood from the Wells City Archives will be leading an
illustrated talk on Friday 21st November from 7pm. The city
archives is a unique and wonderful collection containing material
dating back nearly 900 years. Dr Wood will be showing vintage
photographs of local churches from Wells & Mendip Museum's
superb collection of historic photographs.The talk will finish with
the challenge of identifying some presently unidentified churches
pictured within the collection! Tickets are £10 including
refreshments and can be purchased by sending a cheque payable to
Somerset Churches Trust (with SAE) to Chris Hawkings, 3,
Glastonbury Road, Wells, Somerset, BA5 1TW or email
chrishawkings@hotmail.co.uk
Cathedral Quiet Day
There will be a Cathedral Quiet Day on Friday 21st November 2014, conducted by the Reverend
John Sclater, Priest Vicar. This will take place at the Abbey House, Glastonbury from 10am until 4pm.
In our thoughts : Amnesty Victim of Injustice
Yousra Elkhateeb, a teacher aged twenty one, and two students were protesting at Mansoura
University, in the Nile Delta, last November. The protests led to clashes between students and
security forces, which used armoured vehicles and tear gas, leaving seventy people injured. On 21
May Mansoura Criminal Court sentenced Yousra Elkhateeb to six years in prison for taking part in
the protest, as well as in an earlier demonstration in October 2013, despite evidence that she had
not taken part. The students were given two year sentences. The women were found guilty of
breaching the protest law, belonging to a banned organisation, thuggery, attacking the security
forces and destroying public property, although eyewitnesses and university security officials
testified that the three had not been involved in the clashes.
Calendar of Events November 2014
Sat
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Sun
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Mon
3
Tues
Weds
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5
Fri
Sat
Sun
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9
Tues
11
Weds
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Thurs
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Fri
Sat
Sun
Tues
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Weds
Thurs
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Mon
Tues
Weds
Thur
Fri
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Sun
30
All Saints Day
2.00 pm Diocesan Confirmation Service
5.15 pm Solemn Eucharist for All Saints Day sung by Wells Cathedral
Voluntary Choir
Wells Cathedral Voluntary Choir to sing all services
6.00 pm Soul Soundings Events
All Souls’ Day
5.15 pm Solemn Eucharist Duruflé Requiem
6.15 pm Taste and See in the Chapter Room
12.25 pm Holy Communion
9.30 am Holy Communion
12 noon Funeral Service in the Nave
5.15 pm Evening Prayer said
7.00 pm Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society Concert – Brahms Requiem
Remembrance Sunday
3.00 pm Service for Remembrance Sunday
11.00 am Act of Worship at the Clock for Armistice Day
12.25 pm Holy Communion
9.30 am Holy Communion
5.15 pm Commemoration of Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury during Evensong
1.05 pm Lunchtime Organ Recital: Christopher Allsop (Worcester
Cathedral)
8.00 pm Vicars Choral Commemoration Concert
5.15 pm Evening Prayer said
7.00 pm Concert: Wells Cathedral School Prestige Series Enchanting Classics
3.00 pm Evensong with Marie Curie Cancer Care
12.25 pm Holy Communion
7.00 pm Millfield School Eucharist
9.30 am Holy Communion
11.30 am Mothers’ Union Prayers
1.05 pm Wells Cathedral School Lunchtime Organ Recital
5.15 pm Evening Prayer said
12 noon Eucharist with Healing
7.00 pm St Cecilia Early Music Wells Concert – Opus Anglicanum
10 am ‘Over by Christmas’ WW1 Drama Day
12.25 pm Holy Communion
9.30 am Holy Communion
5.15 pm Evening Prayer said
St Andrews Day
10.00 am Andrewtide Eucharist
5.15 pm Evening Prayer said
Advent Sunday
7.30 am Matins said
3.00 pm Evening Prayer said (Vicars’ Close Chapel)
7.15 pm Cathedral Advent Carol Service