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A Tower of Tradition in Suffolk

THE LAST UNFINISHED cathedral in the Church of England was finally finished this year with the completion of the crossing tower of St. Edmundsbury Cathedral. The tower was not only designed in the Suffolk perpindicular style but also constructed using traditional techniques. The brick and masonry spire is held together by lime mortar, without an inch of steel or concrete.

The Cathedral is built on the grounds which still contain the ruins of the great abbey of Bury St Edmunds. The site of the current cathedral has held a church since 1065, completely rebuilt on three or four occasions. The current chancel dated from 1865, while the nave was begun centuries before in 1503.

Work on the final ingredient of the crossing tower and north transept began in 1999 with a Millennium grant from the government, and construction by the traditional methods actually proved to be more cost-effective than modern modes. The tower was completed this year while a Thanksgiving Service was held to commemorate the event in July, attended by Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Dutchess of Cornwall. The Prince of Wales has praised the thinking behind and execution of the cathedral spire from the start, calling it a “spiritual beacon for the new millennium”.

More on the spire of St. Edmundbury Cathedral:

Triumph of Tenacity (Alan Powers, October 8, 2005)
Return of the Goths: the last Anglican cathedral is nearly finished. And built to last 1,000 years. (Hugh Pearman, March 13, 2005)
Gothic tale of a tower (Aidan Semmens, July 2005)
Cathedral website

Published at 11:57 am on Friday 7 October 2005. Categories: Architecture Great Britain Monarchy.
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