Winchester Cathedral held its festival of flowers this weekend. The sensations of colour, architecture and music were overwhelmingly beautiful. You might like to see some pictures of the exhibits. The more natural the environment for the bloom, the more pleasing it is to my eye.
The colour theme of the nave was red and red petals covered the stone floor and red merged to the grey of the stone pillars soaring to the ceiling.
A choir practice was in progress and we enjoyed the wonderful flowing music and harmonies, such a welcome change from the usual Boom boom tish that passes for popular music. There were snatches of the most popular anthem, Zadok the Priest.
While visitors walked around, evensong began in the chancel and we were treated to more music. There was a reading from Revelations. That was mystical. Revelations, Kerouac’s On The Road and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kubla Kahn all seem to me to be a part of the ‘Stream of Consciousness’ writing fuelled in most cases by mind-bending substances.
All-in-all it was a wonderful experience and photographs do not fully convey the atmosphere and ambience of the event.
What fantastic displays. Thanks for sharing this, Mike. I must try and get along sometime.
In our family we had this discussion this morning:
Which cathedral is more famous, Salisbury with a “123m spire”, or Winchester with the longest nave in Europe?
Winchester is chunky, masculine with big strong columns and some Roman arches. It leans a bit here and there as it was built on a march. Feels cosy and domestic.
Salisbury is feminine, graceful and elegant. The Purbeck marble is strong, its columns could be made slender. Feels palacial and open.
Yes I love Salisbury Cathedral – the refectory is also graceful. Enjoying lunch there and admiring the spire (as the Russians know it’s 123 metre) is a real treat.
PS. Should be palatial.
St Albans claims the longest Nave as well.