On Wednesday 2nd November the Cathedral held our first Archive Study day in our ‘Canvas Cathedral’. Our marquee was filled with over 60 individuals passionate about history, heritage and archives who were eager to listen and learn from our fantastic speakers.
First up we had a talk from Julian Pooley, Public
Services and Engagement Manager at Surrey History Centre. Julian gave us a talk on ‘Making Archives Matter’ it was a very captivating talk about the wonderful work that Julian and the team up at Surrey History Centre do and the varied collections that they have in the purpose built building in Woking.
Next up we were treated to a talk from David Rymill from Winchester Cathedral and Hampshire Records Office. David’s talk was entitled ‘Glimpses of 900 years of a 
Cathedral’s history from its archive’. The talk was a fascinating insight into the relationship with Hampshire Record Office and Winchester Cathedral and the work that is now being down at the Records Office. David presented images of items from the collection that demonstrated how the archive has been looked after in its history and also some of the interesting items – for example the fake Anglo-Saxon Charter and the incorrect recording of the death of Jane Austen.
Last up was Cressida Williams, Head of Archives and Library at Canterbury Cathedral.
The focus of the talk was ‘Church Records over the Centuries: the collections of Canterbury
Cathedral Archives’. The talk was a captivating look into wonderful and varied collections at Canterbury Cathedral Archives, which has the unusual perspective of being Diocesan Record Office, Cathedral Archive as well as Canterbury City archives
During the breaks our audience were treated to an exhibition of items from Guildford Cathedral Archives including the Royal Consecration Cushions, early fundraising papers and plans and designs from the architect of the Guildford Cathedral, Sir Edward Maufe.
The morning was a resounding success and our audience went away happy and filled with knowledge about the fascinating work of Archives and Cathedral Archivists.
The People's Cathedral 