Footslogging

This detail from our statue of St Peter signals yet another break - until the end of May. I'll continue the blog when I return, but issue advanced (and regretful) warning that the blog will conclude in June, as I prepare for a new post.

Hitchcock and Westminster Cathedral

Alfred Hitchcock featured Westminster Cathedral in his 1940 thriller 'Foreign Correspondent'. Johnny Jones, the hero, is attacked by a Nazi assassin, who attempts to throw him from the Campanile. Jones steps aside in time, and the evil thug plunges instead to his death.

The film shows the entrance onto Ambrosden Avenue, now used for the Gift Shop, but in those days the principal public entrance to the Cathedral.

As Jones enters the Cathedral (the interior is not shown), it is pleasing to note two Daughters of Charity approaching, in their old wimples. This shows accurate local knowledge - the Daughters of Charity Convent is nearby in Carlisle Place.

The 'accident' is reported in the Press, with a helpful broken line marking the unfortunate assassin's trajectory.

Hitchcock was a Catholic, having attended St Ignatius Jesuit School in Enfield. Following his death in 1980, a Memorial Mass was held at Westminster Cathedral.

The Millennium Cross

The Millennium Cross was erected in the Piazza to mark the Holy year 2000, as a visible proclamation of our Christian faith. Many Christians of all denominations contributed to it - most notably Her Majesty the Queen.

It was unveiled at a magnificent ceremony attended by Church leaders, and Prince Andrew. For many people, it also served as a memorial to the lately deceased Cardinal Basil Hume.

The cross was a striking image from Victoria Street; the Cathedral does not reveal its identity easily to unsuspecting passers-by, and it provoked much interest and comment.

The cross was removed at the end of the year and taken (by helicopter) to Ampleforth Abbey in Yorkshire where - minus titulus - it stands as a memorial to Cardinal Hume.

The Guild of St Gregory

The Cathedral Altar Servers are organised in the Guild of St Gregory, which exists alongside the larger national body of the Guild of St Stephen. Here they are, above the porch of the Cathedral, in 1910.

The Howard Connexion

A fine, large print of Cardinal Philip Howard (1629 - 1694) hangs in Clergy House. A Dominican, he is buried in Cardinal Cormac's titular church, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, in Rome. The Howard family, which includes the Dukes of Norfolk, is one of the oldest English families and holds the premier Dukedom; despite high office under successive English monarchs, they retained their Catholic faith. Over the generations, the Howard family has had close connexions with Westminster Cathedral.

Henry Fitzalan-Howard (1847 - 1917), the 15th Duke, was a major supporter of the Catholic Church in the years following Catholic Emancipation, and founded the Catholic cathedrals at Arundel and Norwich. He was a significant contributor to funds for the building of Westminster Cathedral.

Miles Fitzalan-Howard (1915 - 2002), the 17th Duke, was a familiar figure at Westminster Cathedral and patron of several of our fundraising appeals. A warm and generous man, he provided considerable personal support to several Administrators (including me). On many occasions he welcomed the Friends of Westminster Cathedral to his home at Arundel Castle, and was a close person friend of Cardinal Cormac, who had previously been Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

Edward Fitzalan Howard, the current Duke, continues the family tradition of support for Westminster Cathedral. Above, he and the Duchess view Elgar's manuscript of the Dream of Gerontius in the sacristy in 2003. The occasion was the centenary of the first London performance; on that previous occasion, the 15th Duke had been present in the Cathedral - a report is here. Looking on is Archbishop Michael Bowen, emeritus Archbishop of Southwark.

One of the highlights of the visit came when the Duke inspected the Howard plate or, as he jokingly called it, the 'family silver'. Above, Fr Tim Dean describes the pieces to the Duke.

The Howard plate was bequeathed to Westminster Cathedral by another illustrious member of the family, Cardinal Edward Henry Howard (1829 - 1892). Having served on the missions in India, Cardinal Howard became Archpriest of St Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is interesting to note that at that time there were three English members of the Sacred College (Cardinals Howard, Newman and Manning).

The Howard plate is italian silver-gilt. Each piece is decorated in 17th century style with scrolls, foliage and clouds, and set with bloodstones. Most display the coat of arms of the Cardinal.

Earlier Scaffolding

The last time the interior of the Cathedral was inconvenienced by scaffolding was in 1995 when, for the Cathedral's centenary, the mosaic above the sanctuary was cleaned. The Administrator, Mgr Stack, was nothing averse to ascending on high - dressed, it would seem, for the job!

Work begins

Preparations for the scaffolding that will soon go up inside the cathedral, for the works on the vaults. Here the floors and marble columns are being protected.

We will have to get used to living with this disruption for months to come.