Cathedral renovation project set to get underway next month

Next month the nave will be sealed off to the public for 366 days as work gets under way on Project 2013.

The major works are part of Project 2013 - a £5m redevelopment scheme to renew and restore the medieval building which is one of the Yorkshire region’s finest churches.

The Grade 1 listed building is expected to re-open, in 2013, the 125th anniversary of the former All Saints Parish church being granted cathedral status – giving the town its city status.

Yesterday the Dean of Wakefield, Jonathan Greener, stressed that some parts of the cathedral would still be in use, with people still able to come in and say a prayer or take the time to light a candle in memory of loved ones.

He added some services would still be held at the cathedral.

He said: “What we want people to realise is that although the nave is shut the cathedral is still alive and open and we hope that people will come in and use the space that is available to them.

“It has been a long project, my predecessor started it and we have had major efforts trying to raise the funds.

“This is the culmination of many efforts by many people to make it fit for purpose and to make it safe because we have got problems with the electrics, problems with the lighting so its to give the building here a future,” Mr Greener added.

Last year it was announced that Wakefield Cathedral had received £1.58m for essential development and conservation work, including improved lighting, flooring, heating and better access and archaeological investigations to reveal more about the church’s history.

Wakefield Cathedral dates back to 1150 and became a cathedral in 1888 with the formation of the Diocese of Wakefield.

Following last year’s Heritage Lottery Fund announcement, match funding has been secured, meaning work can now get underway on Project 2013 – to renew, restore and redevelop the cathedral.

Fundraising is ongoing to reach the target £5m which will allow for a new glass atrium to link the existing Treacy Hall with the cathedral and provide a purpose built coffee shop, book shop, toilets and education centre as well as reception and catering area for people using the cathedral.

There will also be improved lighting, flooring, heating and better access with the removal of the Victorian pews to create a more flexible open space.

The grand plans were revealed back in March 2005 and since then, cathedral officials have been trying to raise the £5m needed to get the work done, which they hope will turn the medieval landmark into a thriving tourist attraction.

Today the cathedral is the city’s most iconic building and the centre of community life with a wide ranging programme of music, worship, arts, heritage and civic events.

Mr Greener said he was keen to emphasise that the cathedral would not be sealed off during the restoration works but stressed that there would need to be a degree of flexibility throughout the works.

He said some services would still be able to be held at the cathedral but said it would be unable to host larger services. He said the works provided the opportunity for some of the larger services to take place at other locations.

We said the project would reshape and revitalise the building, not just for worship, but for use by the whole community.

Last month the figure of a trumpeting angel was placed atop Yorkshire’s highest church to keep a running total of its fundraising target for the renovation project.

The Grade I listed Wakefield Cathedral, which boasts a 247ft tall spire, saw the angel lowered into place, along with a ladder that the angel will ascend as more money comes in.

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