Commission Documentary Unit 3: Canterbury Cathedral Research

Our group decided to conduct some research into Canterbury Cathedral so that when we visit it to look around we would know exactly who we are looking for and the parts of the cathedral we are interested in.

In our brief a woman named Heather Newton asked for an edgy, artsy, new and original documentary which doesn't follow the stereotype of a cathedral being old, boring and only historical. Heather wants a 10 minute documentary for the Cathedrals You tube channel to have a fresh NEW look on the cathedral and concentrate on the art and creativity that happens there.

History of the cathedral...

Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt from 1070 to 1077.

The Cathedral’s history goes back to 597AD when St Augustine, sent by Pope Gregory the Great as a missionary, established his seat (or ‘Cathedra’) in Canterbury

Currently, the cathedral has a lot of work happening to it as they are taking a large stone window out of the cathedral and replacing it with new stone-masonry work which will replace the old stone. This is a huge task to be undertaken which would be perfect for our group to look at.

Our group began to think about the stories we could tell by creating a documentary about stone masonry, the stained glass window artwork, or the historical artifacts that have been kept in the cathedrals possession for hundreds of years.

I began looking on the cathedrals You tube channel page and looked at some of the creative videos such as the stained glass windows and stone masonry.

Looking at these short videos allowed me to see a glimpse of the cathedral and what we could film. However, to be able to fully take advantage of what's there at the cathedral we are going to arrange a trip down to the cathedral.

When looking at the different sections we have considered STONE MASONRY and STAINED GLASS. 

Andrei did some research and found that 

''The people who work to conserve the Cathedral’s fabric are highly skilled artists and craftspeople. Their work requires sensitivity to the spirit of the building. The aim is to slow down the process of decay, and to replace only those parts that have lost the battle for survival.

Canterbury Cathedral currently employs 17 stonemasons, including two apprentices and one trainee. In the past there has been a tendency for masons to specialise in one area of their trade, but the demands of maintaining and preserving the Cathedral make it essential that today’s Cathedral masons are expert in all aspects of their craft, including the care and conservation of the ancient fabric. The Cathedral is a World Heritage Site and as such should be a centre of excellence for both the training and practice of crafts associated with its upkeep.We will also visit the stone masonry yard as we all discussed about creating a documentary on the stone masonry and the apprentices that work there.''

Heather Newton runs the stone masonry conservation and has frequently been involved in documentaries with the BBC in regards to the cathedral generally but also has talked to them specifically about stone masonry therefore we know she knows a lot about the cathedral and would be a great character to have in our documentary. 

Leonie Seliger is head of the stained glass conservation. Leonie has created work for St. Bartholomew's Chapel in Sandwhich and also All Saints Church in Boughton Aluph.