What does Chester Cathedral mean to you?
Meaning fills our building, but some stories etched on our walls and linked to our history have been left untold.
Join Chester Cathedral and the University of Chester in the initial research and exploration of our Cathedral’s place in British history, its empire, and slavery in our exhibition Imperial Legacies, Sacred Space.
The exhibition is available in the South Transept of Chester Cathedral during normal opening times from Thursday 18 – Tuesday 30 May.
There are lots of ways you can engage with the content of the exhibition:
Creative Performance
Experience creative reflections on the uncovered narratives of the exhibition with students from the University of Chester Department of Music, Media, and Performance. Take a journey through stories of abolitionists and Cheshire soldiers caught up in the episodes that connect the Cathedral to British imperial history.
Performances take place in and around Chester Cathedral at the following times:
Thursday 18 May, 3pm
Friday 19 May, 12pm, 3pm, 6.30pm
Lectures
Join Chester Cathedral, the University of Chester, and friends to explore themes from the exhibition Imperial Legacies, Sacred Space in more detail. Tickets are free and booking is essential – book here. Both lectures take place in the South Transept at Chester Cathedral.
Monday 22 May, 1pm Lecture Going deeper into stories of annexation, slavery and abolition Join Dr Hannah Ewence and Dr Ben Fulford of the University of Chester to learn more about their research on the connections between the Cathedral and the struggle for the abolition of the slave trade in the late eighteenth century and the British annexation of Sindh, in 1843.
Thursday 25 May, 6pm Panel Discussion Sacred space and the memory of Britain’s imperial history Dr. Hannah Ewence will chair a conversation between Rev. Dr. Mandy Ford (Dean of Bristol), Dr. Ben Fulford, Julie Okundaye (Chair of the Race and Ethnicity Working Group, Chester Diocese), Rev. Dr. Carlton Turner (Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham) and our audience, reflecting on how to take an inclusive approach to exploring and remembering sensitive heritage in spaces like Chester Cathedral. With a response from Rev. Dr. Tim Stratford, Dean of Chester.
Reflection Session
Join Chester Cathedral and the University of Chester in this opportunity to feedback on Imperial Legacies, Sacred Space and contribute to our ongoing work. Tickets are free and booking is essential – book here. This workshop will be a guided conversation exploring experiences of the exhibition and ways forward for the development of the project. Numbers are limited.
Tuesday 30 May, Cloister Room, Chester Cathedral [times to be announced]
For those unable to make the reflection session please send your feedback to us at hello@chestercathedral.com or by scanning the QR codes within the exhibition.
Please note: there will be restricted access to the exhibition at the following times:
Thursday 18 & 25 May, 1pm-2pm (for our weekly organ recital)
Saturday 20 May, 11am-1.30pm
Monday 22 May, 1pm-2pm (during the first lecture of the project)