Cathedrals Mark History for the Coronation

Six hundred and sixty singers will Sing for the King in Bristol and 150 schoolchildren will do the same in Lichfield, there are floral arrangements fit for a King and new art projects designed to reflect this important moment in the history of our nation.

Just some of the ways our cathedrals will celebrate the Coronation and you can join in too.

The Coronation service will begin at 11am at Westminster Abbey – the start of a weekend of events to mark this historic occasion.

Six hundred and fifty singers have performed Handel’s Coronation piece Zadok the Priest in a unique ‘Sing for the King’ project.

Sing for the King is a project by the RSCM to get choirs across the country singing. Bristol’s mass choral coronation tribute took place in Bristol Cathedral on May Bank Holiday where it was filmed and edited and will be presented to the new King from the city to mark his Coronation and the city’s own 650^th   anniversary.

The singers also sang the RSCM’s specially commissioned coronation anthem composed by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange: The Mountains Shall Bring Peace

Bristol Cathedral will also live screen the Coronation inside the cathedral and its bellringers will take part in Ring for the King.

The Dean of Bristol, The Very Revd Dr Mandy Ford, said:

“We look forward to welcoming people to share in the live stream experience of the Coronation in Bristol Cathedral – which will feel like an extension of Westminster Abbey on 6 May. 

“It is a wonderful opportunity to be together on this day of national importance as we join in this service both of great seriousness and great joy.”

There’s a special Evensong in anticipation of The Coronation of The King on Friday at Chester Cathedral plus a live-stream of the Coronation inside the Cathedral on Saturday and a service of Celebration for the new King on Sunday morning.

Both the Evensong and the Service of Celebration will be live-streamed. Book and find out more here.

Hereford Cathedral will host A Concert for the Coronation on Friday which will feature a programme of uplifting, celebratory and patriotic music to start the celebrations of the weekend.

The fundraiser will be performed by the choirs, concert band and symphony orchestra of Hereford Cathedral School, the programme will feature coronation anthems and music by Parry, Handel, Walton and Vaughan Williams including some favourites from the Last Night of the Proms repertoire.

Dr Michael Gray, Headmaster of Hereford Cathedral School, said:

“Music is such an important aspect of each of our lives and is used in times of joy and in times of mourning alike. On the occasion of His Majesty King Charles III’s coronation, we are privileged to mark this great event by coming together and harnessing the power of music and collective gathering to celebrate and rejoice together.’

Other opportunities to mark the Coronation weekend at Hereford Cathedral include an Orchestral Eucharist on Sunday morning and a County Service to commemorate the Coronation.

The cathedral will host a selection of exhibitions from Wednesday 3 to Friday 19 May including photographs from royal visits throughout the years, an archive display of royal seals and documents and a selection of artwork by local primary school children celebrating the King’s values.

And there will be a new pop-up, Café on the Close will sell a range of refreshments for those looking to take part in The Big Lunch.

For more information on events taking place over the Coronation weekend, please visit: www.herefordcathedral.org/news/coronation-weekend

Lichfield Cathedral will start their celebrations on Friday when more than 150 children from local schools and Lichfield Cathedral Choir will join in ‘Sing for the King!’.

Choirs from all over the country have been invited by the RSCM to learn the specially commissioned coronation anthem composed by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange: The Mountains Shall Bring Peace

There will be special prayers for the eve of the coronation and on Saturday, the Cathedral will be open for reflection and prayer while the audio of the service will be played through the sound system.

There’s a Service of Celebration on Sunday and an invitation for people to picnic on the cathedral grounds for The Big Lunch. More music with a Choral Eucharist and ‘A Night at the Opera” concert.

What music will be played at the Coronation of the King? Find out here. 

The Rt Revd Jan McFarlane, Interim Dean of Lichfield, said:

“I would like to warmly invite everyone to come along to the Cathedral during the coronation bank holiday weekend. It is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to mark this historic occasion, to give thanks for the faith and service of the King, and to contemplate how we can all join together to serve our own communities.”

Throughout the bank holiday weekend craft activities will be available for families in St Stephen’s Chapel in the Cathedral. Postcards for visitors to take home will be available all weekend, they will have a prayer for the King and the nation on the reverse.

Norwich Cathedral will live screen in the nave the BBC coverage of both the Coronation at Westminster Abbey on Saturday and the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday.

There will also be a special Service of Thanksgiving on Sunday with The African Choir of Norfolk singing as people gather for the morning service followed by drinks and a jazz quartet in the Cloister and, later that day, a Festal Evensong.

There are floral displays created by the Cathedral’s Flower Guild. The Dean of Norwich, the Very Revd Dr Andrew Braddock, said:

“Norwich Cathedral looks forward to celebrating the Coronation. The King and Queen Consort are dedicated to serving our nation and the Commonwealth. We give thanks for their commitment to faith and duty. This is a moment to affirm the part we can all play in building up our common life as local communities and a nation. We look forward to welcoming people to our special services and events across the Coronation weekend.”

A special exhibition to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation will be held in the cloisters of Wells Cathedral.

On display will be paintings in a variety of media, as well as mosaics, photography, pottery, sculpture and embroidery.

Visitors to the cathedral will also be entertained by live music from Wells Cathedral school jazz band, the Blue School’s folk orchestra, and there will be family games and craft activities, food and drink stalls and children’s races on the day of the coronation.

Worcester Cathedral has an art installation created especially for the new King by visual artist Sarah Edwards (Spare Room Arts) working with Art & Design students from HOW College Worcester. The artwork will take inspiration from the Cathedral’s stained-glass windows and the finished piece will be on display in the cloister from the Coronation weekend until 2 June.

Worcester’s other Coronation events include a Civic Evensong on Sunday 7 May preceded by a civic procession from the Guildhall.

To celebrate the Coronation, Worcester Cathedral Guild of Bellringers will ring a full-peal from 12-4pm as part of the national ‘Ring for the King’ initiative and the

Cathedral’s Flower Guild will display beautiful Coronation-themed floral arrangements.

Visitors can find out more about volunteering and meet some of the cathedral’s volunteers on The Big Help Out Day.

And there are two special Royal Tours organised that explore Worcester’s rich and varied Royal connections through history and a children’s trail.

For further information, please visit www.worcestercathedral.co.uk

All our cathedrals are offering special events and worship over the Coronation weekend. Please check your local cathedral for up-to-date details. 

Read all of our Coronation news here.

 

Photo credit – Chris Jackson