A head for heights

The minster curator arranged for those of us who were interested to go up the construction elevator of the east front (currently under restoration.)
I'm so glad she did- it was an amazing experience!
Below: a closeup of a saint worn past recognition:

Above: a closeup of the great east window tracery, including archivolt carving that no one can see from the ground (literally!)
Below: a pinnacle of the chapter house under restoration

Glaziers and Stonemasons

Our NEH group got to tour both the glaziers' (glass makers') workshops and the stonemasons' yard.
It was Extremely Cool.
It is absolutely amazing what they can do with conservation these days: take out old leading from previous bad repairs of windows, redo stone bits, and so on.

Ceilings of Peterborough Cathedral

Getting to see Peterborough cathedral was an unexpected bonus this trip.
I will write all about my weekend adventures when I have time.
It's a gorgeous building!

Early Medieval Outing

Last week the whole NEH group went to Jarrow and Wearmouth.

These were two monastery sites founded by Benedict Biscop in the 6th-7th century,

and Jarrow in particular was the home of the Venerable Bede, who wrote a history of the English church (very important for early medieval scholars.)

This is our group standing on the site of the former scriptorium where Bede wrote.

It was a Cold and Rainy day- this is one of the few moments when the rain was not torrential.