In recent years during September Heritage Open Days Festival has grown into the country's largest heritage event. It was set up to raise awareness of our rich cultural assets and their need for care and protection. By opening the doors of historic monuments and buildings, many of which are not always accessible to the public, there's the opportunity to learn more about the diverse cultural heritage of England and its communities.
I usually go to Sheffield Cathedral Heritage Day, but this year I was involved with a charity event in my neighbourhood so I did not get into the city. I have written about this before, but here is a compilation of the times I've attended including some aspects I haven't shared before. There's usually a theme each year taken from a period of history, but also music, craft and historical re-enactment societies take part in the event.
musical entertainment
hand bell ringing
lace making and spinning
There were different foods and produce from past times on display
and people in period costume were wandering around.
A period costume was on display in the Shrewsbury Chapel.
The Shrewsbury Chapel was added to the Parish Church in 1520
by the Lord of the Manor of Sheffield, George Talbot, 4th Earl
of Shrewsbury and built as a private family chapel with
a burial vault underneath. The memorial monument to the left (north)
is George's who died in 1538 and also as a memorial to his first and second wives.
His first wife died in 1520 and his second wife died in 1567.
Queen Elizabeth I entrusted George, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury
with the task of acting as custodian to Mary, Queen of Scots
Elizabeth saw her kinswoman as a threat to her position
as sovereign and Mary spent fourteen years in Sheffield
under the earl's custodial supervision.
The 6th Earl's memorial tomb is on the right.
The Catalan-style Giants that have been gifted to the city of Sheffield
danced on the forecourt.
falconry
the medieval tournament
The lord and the ladies of his household appeared from a tent.
Each lady presented a ribbon favour to her group of kneeling knights.
the contests
The winner of each contest was presented with a winner's token.
The ladies danced in the interval.
There is usually an opportunity to go up into the bell tower and learn about the practice of church bell ringing. This involves climbing up and down a narrow flight of stairs, walking across the roof of the Cathedral along a walkway to the bell tower, but worth the effort to see how bell ringing is done and look across the city from high up on the roof during the tour.
Some plaques record some visitors to the Cathedral bell tower
such as the Duke of Norfolk in 1805
the bell ringers' mascot
The group went back across the roof after the demonstration.
Although it was a wet day it was a good experience.
