Cathedrals at Night – Bradford and St Edmundsbury

Cathedrals at Night: Bradford and St Edmundsbury cathedrals invite visitors to see their historic, sacred space in a new light.

Bradford and St Edmundsbury cathedrals are getting ready to open their doors after hours and welcome in visitors for free, part of the first coordinated Cathedrals at Night campaign in the UK.

The unique Cathedrals at Night comes to Bradford and St Edmundsbury this October

Bradford’s Cathedral at Night event will take place on Saturday 15 October and visitors will be able to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the culture and spirituality of its sacred space in a multi-sensory experience.

The cathedral will be lit only by candles, there will be gentle music, a short organ recital, self-tours with guides on hand, a short choral performance, and lazy compline will close the night at 9pm – people are asked to bring their own rugs, bean bags or cushions to better sit a while and soak up the atmosphere.

The event runs from 7 – 10 pm and FREE tickets can be booked here.

Here’s a little taster of what you can expect.

Visitors will get a very special chance to explore St Edmundsbury Cathedral at night on Friday 21 October which will celebrate the creative and artistic inspiration throughout the building.

From 6.30 pm to 9.00 pm the Cathedral will be open, free of charge, for visitors of all ages, with torchlight tours from knowledgeable guides highlighting the artwork and architecture of the Cathedral, LEGO activities, and an art trail to discover new treasures.

There will be musical interludes throughout the evening and it will finish with compline at 8.30pm – this service was sung by the monks in the Abbey of St Edmund.

In keeping with our art and creativity theme, there will be an ‘artist in residence’ throughout the evening. Clint Rose, a woodcarver, will be working on a small carving, depicting Edmund and the Wolf for the benefit of St Edmund’s Catholic Church, Bury St Edmunds. The carving will be completed on 19 November when one of the final Abbey 1000 events, the celebration of a Civic Mass will be held in that Church.

There will also be an embroidery of the Cathedral on display, which was stitched by members of STARS – Stitch and Textile Art in Suffolk and the Suffolk Art Society Art Exhibition will be launched too and runs until 29 October.

Sarah Friswell, Visitor Experience Manager said:

“We’re delighted to be holding another Cathedrals at Night event. By opening the doors a little later than usual, we hope to welcome both new visitors and people who know the space but want to see it in a new light. Our creativity theme also gives us the opportunity to showcase some of our beautiful works of art.”

Book your free ticket here. Like Bradford all the tickets are FREE.

Bradford and St Eds are the latest cathedrals to offer a Cathedrals At Night experience. Earlier this year , in May participating Church of England cathedrals opened their doors after hours and offered visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in these beautiful buildings and enjoy a taste of cathedral life for free.

The campaign, postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic, has been co-ordinated by the Association of English Cathedrals (AEC) and is the first nationwide project that brings together Church of England cathedrals, Cathedral Isle of Man, and St Davids from the Church in Wales, around a single, simple campaign.

It has been inspired by Les Nuits des Cathedrales which was first launched in 2008, when participating European cathedrals open their doors after hours on the second Saturday in May to offer a cultural and spiritual experience for free.

It is hoped Cathedrals At Night will become a regular event in the diary for English Cathedrals and their partners too beyond 2022.

Bristol, Coventry, Derby, Durham, Ely, Exeter, Gloucester, Hereford, Cathedral Isle of Man, Lichfield, Portsmouth, York Minster, Wells, and St Davids from the Church in Wales  opened after hours in May.

Other cathedrals like Bradford, St Eds, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Worcester plan to offer Cathedrals at Night events on other dates throughout the year.

More about ‘Cathedrals at Night’ here.