50 Cathedral Treasures

The Association of English Cathedral Winter 2022 Campaign, Discover 50 Cathedral Treasures.

Vote for your favourite here and you could win a copy of “Deans’ Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales.” a brilliant book by Janet Gough.

An Anglo-Saxon portable sundial, the Magna Carta, a pair of 15th-century pilgrim boots, a pre-Raphaelite painted altarpiece and the first Bible in the Welsh Language – just some of the 50 remarkable artefacts cared for and preserved by cathedrals in England and Wales that will feature in a special social media campaign by the Association of English Cathedrals based on a new publication Deans’ Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales.

New winter campaign showcases the treasures and glories of Britain’s cathedrals – #CathedralTreasures

The AEC’s #CathedralTreasures campaign for Advent and Christmas is based on the latest volume by Janet Gough, OBE, author, lecturer and advisor on historic churches and cathedrals, which tells the story of the treasures from 44 Church of England cathedrals and six cathedrals from the Church in Wales, each one chosen by the Dean or senior clergy of the cathedral featured.

All 50 Cathedral Treasures can be seen in our Gallery – just click here – 50 Cathedral Treasures.

One treasure will be revealed every day for 50 days starting today, 22nd November 2022 and ending with the launch of a competition to name Britain’s favourite cathedral treasure on January 11, to coincide with Heritage Fund’s Heritage Treasures Day.

You can buy a copy of the book now by clicking here.

Together the treasures span over 1,000 years of history with the earliest treasure, Ripon Cathedral’s ancient crypt of St Wilfrid established in 672 AD, the oldest building of any English cathedral still in use today, to the newest, the Newport Cathedral Rood. This modern work of art by Singaporean artist Tay Swee Siong was installed in 2020, at the end of the first national lockdown, and is made from wire, and hangs near where the medieval rood would have been.

The Dean of St Albans, the Very Revd  Jo Kelly-Moore, and chair of the Association of English Cathedrals said:

“We are blessed with an abundance of treasures in our cathedrals. These are a vital part of our heritage and an integral part of our culture, our social history and our identity. In their diversity ultimately each of them is a symbol of what our Cathedrals stand for, to proclaim the glory of God and God’s love for all creation.   

“We are very pleased to be able to showcase a treasure a day, revelling in Janet Gough’s latest publication, and we hope it will inspire more people to visit our cathedrals here in England and our partners in the Church in Wales, to discover these and many other treasures within for themselves.

In introducing the book, Janet said:

“This beautifully illustrated compact paperback pays homage to the generations of craftspeople responsible for creating and maintaining cathedrals as we know them today.

“The 50 treasures also bear witness to centuries of Christianity and cathedrals as places of worship glorified by artistic expression – here in rood screens, crosses and liturgical items. These local and national treasures are a vital part of our heritage, testifying to the powerful and enduring links between cathedrals and the wider communities of which they are part.

“The histories and architecture of our cathedrals have been documented and described in many ways by many people over the years in books of all shapes and sizes. But here their stories are revealed afresh in the voice of the cathedral Dean who treasures it.”

The winter campaign, #CathedralTreasures will pop up across all AEC platforms, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and can be found in a specially curated gallery on the website.

The more likes and engagement each treasure gets each day will count towards its popularity for the final competition to find Britain’s favourite cathedral treasure from the top ten most “liked” treasures.

The public will then be invited to vote for their top three and three members of the public who vote will receive a free copy of Janet’s publication – chosen at random.

Get a copy of this fabulous book right now by clicking here.