MC/13/3/5

MC/13/3/5

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Spire Appeal Scrap-book 5

VOL. V Sep.'89 . . July '91

Sep 1989 - Jul 1991

1 volume

One of a series of six clothbound purpose-made scrap-books with marbled paper covers containing material relating to The Salisbury Cathedral Spire Appeal, 1985-1993. Four of the books have a label on the inside back cover: "Hand Marbled Designed and Produced by Compton Marbling Tisbury, Wiltshire England". The spine of this volume has "VOL.V Sep.'89 .. July '91" printed in gold. The Spire Appeal sought to raise £6.5 million to save the spire and tower of Salisbury Cathedral from collapse and to restore the West Front, and was said to be the largest ever appeal of its kind in England. Among many reports of fundraising initiatives, this volume includes reports on: the "topping out" of the scaffolding erected to facilitate the works to the spire, which had taken ten months to erect and was expected to be in place for seven years, comprising over 20 miles of scaffolding weighing 300 tons; controversies surroundding the location, design and building of the new public toilets, much criticcised by the Royal Fine Art Commission, the Chairman of which, Lord St John of Fawsley, referred to the "depradations" proposed by the Dean and Chapter and alluded to his battle against "philistines"; the appointment of Lord Digby as Chairman of the Salisbury Cathedral Spire Trust Diocesan Appeal in succession to Lady Benson; the presentation to the Cathedral Library by Brigadier Mike Tennant, Commander of the Salisbury Garrison, on behalf of the Officers' Mess at UK Land Forces Headquarters at Wilton, of the first copy of the first colour facsimile of the Wiltshire Domesday Book; by an arrangement with the publisher, sales of copies of the facsimile will benefit the spire Appeal; a concert by the Vienna Boys Choir; potential delays to the restoration work following severe storms; the spire and scaffolding were undamaged but 1,000 sq ft of the Cathedral roof were torn off and seven windows broken; a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Heath, with Grace Bumbry and Paul Badura-Skoda as soloists, followed by a £1,000 a head dinner, which was criticised as "the ultimate in elitism" by Salisbury Cathedral News, albeit that a similar event in Jul 1989 had contributed about £165,000 to the Spire Appeal; a performance of Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand" by the Philharmonia Orchestra, four choirs and distinguished soloists ("more like five or six hundred") conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes and televised live with an introduction by HRH Prince Charles; "Spirit of Salisbury", a flower show of more than 200 arrangements, including tributes relating to historical figures associated with Salisbury and the Cathedral, such as Constable, Handel, Herbert, Walton and Wren; an exhibition of watercolour paintings by HRH Prince Charles; the marriage of Frank Lockyer, police Chief Superintendant and Deputy Director-General of the Spire Appeal, to the singer Rosemary Squires; they had known each other in the 1950s before she left Salisbury and had become re-acquainted when she offered to help with the Spire Appeal; "Biggles and the Golden Arrow", written and performed by The Sarum Clerks (members of the Cathedral Choir), based on the legend of how the site for the new Cathedral was chosen. This volume records that the Spire Appeal reached £4 million in May 1990 and £5 million in Feb 1991.

English