WALKING WITH THE ANGELS – DURHAM CATHEDRAL - June Gadsby

 The unexpected can bring many things into your life – fear, joy, passion and inspiration to mention but a few.A personal invitation by a volunteer guide to Durham Cathedral came out of the blue. Visitors to this magnificent structure have limited access. My husband and I consider ourselves to be extremely lucky to be taken where few people have ever been.

Standing on a cliff overlooking the River Wear in England, Durham Cathedral began construction in 1093 A.D. and was finally completed in 1133. It was intentionally built just to the south of Durham Castle, so that the two buildings together would present a formidable defensive position against attacks from the north. Because of the constant threat of violence, the architect who designed it was slow to incorporate the light and airy Gothic and Norman style present in cathedral design throughout the rest of England. In this cathedral there’s history and mystery. St. Cuthbert lies here and somewhere there is said to be a carving of a mouse, the subject of a builder’s humour, but, as yet, no one has succeeded in finding it.

After inspecting and admiring the beautiful public places of the Cathedral, we were asked if we would like to climb to the tower. My photographer husband was delighted as we knew it would give him the chance to see and take photographs of the whole of Durham from a height of 67 metres. But to get there we had to climb up the dark and ancient stone steps – all 325 of them. Steps and mysterious doors that were hundreds of years old and looked as if they hadn’t been touched since they were installed. It was an eerie experience, like stepping back in time and we wouldn’t have been surprised to come across a shadowy presence.

We walked along the triforium – a long balcony-like, arched structure and looked down on unsuspecting visitors who appeared like ants or moving figures from the pen of the British artist Lowry, famous for his ‘matchstick men’ drawings. And then our guide took us further into the interior and up into the main vaulted roof. This was constructed of huge beams of untreated oak trees, criss-crossed to hold up the main roof and lots of space beneath. Taking my courage in two hands, I ventured a few feet along one of the beams. I felt no fear as though angels would swoop down and catch me if I fell. Unfortunately, all the photographs taken by my husband, apart from the above, have been mislaid. But that day, so many years ago, is still clear and fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday.

One day, perhaps, I will be inspired to write a novel – a suspense, of course, involving the Cathedral, the steps, the vaulted roof with its rough-hewn trees hundreds of years old holding it up – and a little mouse carved in stone.