Durham Cathedral photography evening

Durham Cathedral does not allow photography inside, but occasionally they have ticket-only photography evenings.  There was one this Thursday, and I went along.

It was a perfect summer evening, and Durham looked beautiful.

The evening was very well attended - we all spent a lot of time trying to keep out of other people's shots!

I must admit to a particular fondness for stone, particularly carved and worn stone, so a lot of my photos were of that (there's plenty to choose from in a building over 900 years old), but that tends to get a bit dull for everyone else, so I've left (most of) that out here.  I've also left out the photos I took of the various textiles on display - next month, I'm booked on a guided tour of the Cathedral's textile collection, so I'll use the pictures I took this week as part of a post on that.

There's still plenty to see, though - it's a stunning building.

The high altar and the carved stone screen behind it:

The medieval clock:

The Bishop's throne, above the ornate tomb of one of his predecessors:

And of course St Cuthbert's shrine:

There are also some striking examples of contemporary devotional art, including a huge pieta in wood in the Chapel of the Nine Altars:

While in the Galilee Chapel there's a sculpture of the Last Supper:

A piece representing the Annunciation looked stunning in the evening sunshine streaming through the windows:

The tomb of the Venerable Bede is in the Galilee Chapel, with a carved and gilded text behind it:

And a lamp hanging over it:

The Chapel also has some surviving fragments of medieval wall paintings:

The Chapel itself:

And the main body of the Cathedral, with the view down the nave:

Some carved stone:

And some more:

And the amazing Romanesque architecture:

And again:

I couldn't leave without a photo of the Sanctuary Knocker:

As I left, the bells were ringing, so with apologies for the incompetent video, I'll leave you with them.