Britain’s Got Treasures

The Final Treasure – Winchester Bible

We’ve got Treasures – 50 Cathedrals, 50 Treasures

We have now posted 50 cathedral treasures, one a day for the last 50 days.

Thousands of you have enjoyed seeing these cathedral treasures unfold every day across our social media platforms.

See the gallery of 50 Treasures here.

One viewer, responding on social media to Gloucester’s amazing cloisters, (Day 8) said:

“Absolutely beautiful. It always exudes stability in an unstable world. Lives have come and gone who cherished this place, but the cathedral endures.”

And in the New Year we will launch a competition to find Britain’s favourite treasure as voted by YOU chosen from the top ten most popular treasures shared during this campaign. So keep liking and sharing our #CathedralTreasures posts.

Save the Date, 11th January 2023

Launched just before Advent Sunday the #CathedralTreasures campaign has revealed historic documents like the Magna Carta and the Mappa Mundi, works of art dedicated to the glory of God like the Newport Cathedral Rood or Rossetti’s The Seed of David triptych and relics such as the Horn of Ulf or 15th-century pilgrim boots.

These are just some of the 50 remarkable treasures cared for and preserved by Anglican Cathedrals in England and Wales to feature in this special social media campaign by the Association of English Cathedrals based on a new publication by Janet Gough, OBE, author, lecturer and advisor on historic churches and cathedrals.

Called Deans’ Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales, Janet’s latest volume 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.

Together the treasures span over 1,000 years of history with the earliest treasure, Ripon Cathedral’s ancient crypt of St Wilfrid (pictured abouve) 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, who chairs 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.”

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

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.

This will be launched on 11 January to coincide with the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s annual Heritage Treasures Day.

The public will then be invited to vote for their favourite and participants (chosen at random) will receive a free copy of Janet’s publication.