People in their thousands turned out to welcome Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on their arrival at Hereford Cathedral today. Their visit was the first point of call in the Herefordshire Diamond Day event, to formally open Hereford Cathedral’s recently refurbished Cathedral Close.
(All photographs on this website are protected by the copyright ownership of Jonathan Myles-Lea).
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were greeted by The Right Reverend Anthony Priddis Bishop of Hereford and The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor Dean of Hereford, before meeting representatives from the cathedral clergy and the Cathedral Close Project team who undertook the Heritage Lottery supported restoration between 2009 and 2012.
In his Decanal address, The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford said “The newly refurbished Cathedral Close is something of which we can all be immensely proud, and this space at the heart of our community will be a reminder to us all, not only of Your Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, but also of your constant and devoted service to Church & State".
Decanal Speech to Her Majesty The Queen and
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Hereford Cathedral, 11 July 2012
The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor :
"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness
Your first visit to Hereford Cathedral was in 1957, then the first time a reigning monarch is believed to have come to the city since the visit of Charles I.
You returned to the cathedral in 1976 for the Royal Maundy, the year in which the diocese celebrated its 1300th anniversary. Latterly, in 1996 you visited us again to open the Mappa Mundi building.
Now, ma’am, you return to help us celebrate not only your own Jubilee but also the completion of a project conceived around the time of your Golden Jubilee and brought to its completion, ten years later, in this diamond year.
The Cathedral Close is a much loved and used space at the heart of the city, county & diocese, expressing God’s welcome to all, and its refurbishment not only enhances its own quality but also helps to enhance the setting of the cathedral itself.
Ma’am, might I record my thanks to all those who have contributed to and worked on the project– the contractors and craftsmen - the many generous funders, not least the Heritage Lottery Fund -
those who developed and planned the project- those who have supported the work as volunteers.
The end result is something of which we can all, I believe, be immensely proud and this space at the heart of our community will, from today, be a reminder to us all, not only of Your Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, but also of your constant and devoted service to Church & State.
Ma’am, may I now invite you to unveil the stone officially opening the Cathedral Close".
