From the history of a hidden Pax to a Parchment placed at the top of a spire, Blackburn Cathedral’s Archivist Sue Hall details the fascinating stories behind its many treasures and shows us that there’s more than meets the eye to the Cathedral.
The Cathedral contains features which span from the medieval period all the way through to the Georgian and Victorian periods. If you could revisit the Cathedral during one of these periods, which one would it be and why?
At Blackburn we’ve only been a Cathedral since 1926. Before then, we were the Parish Church, which has been on this site since Anglo Saxon times. I would love to have been able to visit the Church during the 16th century as this was a really interesting time for its development.
The first iteration of the Church was probably a simple wooden one, then during the Norman period it was built from stone. We know that there were extensive alterations during the 16th century. For example, Thomas the Second Earl of Derby provided funding for the building of a Chantry Chapel in 1509. This was to include the education of eight boys in Plain Song, Pricke Song and grammar. When Chantry Chapels were suppressed, Queen Elizabeth I gave a charter which allowed the school to continue and it became Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School. The school is still in the town although on a different site. In the North Transept of the Cathedral, you can see a 16th-century bench used by those schoolboys.
We also have part of a memorial to Sir Thomas Walmsley, a Judge of the Common Pleas who was buried in one of the Chantry Chapels. His tomb would have been very ornate but at some point, it disappeared during rebuilding work. On the path leading to the West Doors, we have one pillar from the Norman Church and a few carved stones. I wish I could have seen the Church at this time as we have so little of it now.
We’ve found the Cathedral’s medieval Pax (a small plaque passed around the congregation during services as a sign of peace), to be particularly interesting. With only 13 in the country, we imagine it’s much too valuable to display. Can you tell us more about the recreated version we see before us in the Cathedral today, and how it compares to the actual Pax?
The Pax is one of our most important treasures. Standing at only about 5cm high, you can see a much-enlarged example of what the Pax looked like on the wall of the South Transept. This was given to the Cathedral by The Friends of Blackburn Cathedral in 1970.
The Pax contains a picture of Mary holding the baby Jesus. It is dated from the 15th century and all Churches would have had one at this time. It would sit on the altar and when it came to the point of Passing the Peace, the Priest would take it, kiss it and then it would be passed from person to person in the congregation. During the 16th century, this practice was banned and Priests were instructed to melt down the Pax. Obviously, our Priest couldn’t bring himself to do that so it was hidden. No one knew anything about it until it fell out of an arch on an ornate grave stone when the Church was being rebuilt in 1826. There is a fascinating story as to how it was then verified thanks to a local doctor who found it discarded on a heap of rubbish. There are only 13 Pax in the country, 11 of them in private collections. So as you can imagine, ours is very precious to us.
The Cathedral Spire Cross – we read that one of its arms contains a capsule holding a parchment with the names of everyone holding office in the Cathedral from 1967. Do you know how this idea came about and why the arm of the cross was chosen to bear the parchment?
The Spire with the cross on top marked the completion of the building of the Lantern Tower, which meant the Sanctuary could be opened up to the congregation. This was an important moment, as from 1963 until 1967, the area beyond the end of the Nave had been boarded up whilst the East End was being constructed. The Chapter felt that it was important to acknowledge this significant achievement as the struggle to raise money for the building works had been a long and complex one. The cross being hollow was an ideal place for a capsule, and also it was unlikely to be disturbed even if there was further building work.
A scroll was placed in there on which were inscribed the names of the Bishop and those Clergy working at the Cathedral; also the Churchwardens, Architect, Structural Engineer, Master Builder, Makers and Erectors of the Spire, the Chair of the Campaign Committee and the Donor of the Lantern Tower. I have a nice framed copy of this scroll in the archive. Alongside this was added a copy of the local newspaper and some coins. At the blessing ceremony, the Bishop and the Provost both went up to the top of the Lantern Tower to see the cross erected.
In Liverpool yesterday, we learnt that the red, yellow and blue in its lantern were used as an abstract representation of the Holy Trinity. For Blackburn, we can see that these similar colours were inspired by the Water of Baptism and the Fire of the Holy Spirit. These were both built around the mid-1960s. Were there particular trends or traditions surrounding the towers and their colourings during this period?
Laurence King was the Cathedral Architect appointed in 1963 after the previous architect (William Forsythe) had died. There hadn’t been much work on the Cathedral up to this point as the Second World War had meant all building licenses were cancelled by the government. King had to draw up new plans in order to meet higher building costs. He was interested in the principles of the Liturgical Movement which had gained momentum in the 1940s. One of the ideas which came from this was to design church buildings which had a main focus on the Eucharist. This is where the idea for the Lantern Tower originated. The Sanctuary is at the centre of the crossing and the Altar can be seen from all sides, so that wherever you sit in the Cathedral you can witness the drama of the Eucharist. The octagonal tower illuminates this space.
John Hayward was part of the Faith Craft Organisation with King. He was brought in to design the glass for the tower along with many other pieces of art and sculpture in the Cathedral. He chose the colours specifically to reflect the significant elements of the Christian story. These colours of baptism and the Holy Spirit are particularly popular with modern stained-glass designers. Unfortunately, in the early 1970s the glass began to fall out of the tower (it’s a long story!) which resulted in the whole tower being rebuilt in 1999 and new glass being installed by Linda Walton. She chose to use the same colours but in a different design. On a sunny day, the light reflects the colour into the Sanctuary and it is beautiful to see, whilst in the evening the tower shines out like a beacon above the town.
Is there a particular feature that you would recommend visitors to see and learn more about?
I love this building and there are so many stories to tell about people’s involvement with its construction, so it’s difficult for me to pick out one thing that I think people should come to see. I guess that I would pick the the variety of artwork, sculpture and woodcarving:
• There are beautifully carved misericords from the 14th century.
• Works by Advent Hunstone from the well-known family of Derbyshire Woodcarvers.
• The Tympanum carved by Siegfried Pietsch a renowned German woodcarver who had studios in St Alban’s.
• Sculptures by John Hayward, Josefina de Vasconcellos and Mark Jalland.
• A series of modern art paintings called “The Journey” by Penny Warden.
All of these and many smaller objects reflect the Christian story and the journey of Blackburn Cathedral in its mission to share this story.