Dismantling of the Cathedral’s Old Song School building has begun as work gets underway on the Leicester Cathedral Revealed (LCR) project.
Fundraising for the £12.65m needed, including more than £41k from a recent Crowdfunding mini-appeal has been completed and before work started, specialist contractors removed two heavy and historic memorial stones from the Old Song School building. This was a complex operation requiring careful planning and execution using specialised lifting equipment. You can read about the stones and other project updates by clicking here.
Dean of Leicester, the Very Revd David Monteith, said: “We are delighted to be able to start work on this long-awaited project, thanks to the exceptional generosity of individual people, businesses and organisations across the city and county as well as support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other grant-making bodies.
“The Cathedral holds such a special place in people’s hearts for so many reasons: the worship and prayer we lead on civic occasions; royal visits; memorials and vigils in difficult times; as well as the social action projects and art installations we host to highlight and address current challenges from the suffering of refugees to the threat to our planet from climate change.”
Leicester Cathedral Revealed will restore and renew the building and construct a new extension on the site of the Old Song School – providing learning and exhibition spaces, vergers and volunteer’s facilities, visitor’s toilets, and storage.
The project will have a transformative effect on what the Cathedral will be able to do, including an improved experience of being within the building; better facilities for ministry and learning about the Christian faith; expansion of musical and cultural provision; greater integration with city; strengthening its mission and social cohesion.
More details of the project can be found here: Project Vision – Leicester Cathedral.
The Cathedral remains open for visitors and services until next year when it will hold some routine services at nearby locations and will go on tour, holding Sunday afternoon events and services with host churches, worshipping communities and schools across Leicester and Leicestershire in an iniative called 'Together with Leicester Cathedral'. More details will be published this winter.
