MC/13/3/6

MC/13/3/6

File

Spire Appeal Scrap-book 6

VOL. VI Sep.'91 . . Sep.'92

Aug 1991 - Apr 1993

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.VI Sep.'91 . . Sep '92" 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. By comparison with other volumes in this series, Volume VI deals more with a number of major events surrounding the conclusion of the Spire Appeal than with a multitude of fundraising activities and events. The main event covered is "HRH the Prince of Wales's Symphony for the Spire", a gala performance on 28 July 1992 devised by HRH Prince Charles and attended by both him and HRH Princess Diana. A stage and grandstand seating were erected in the Close to the west of the West Front, onto which images were beamed; a light show - using a computer system never before used anywhere in the world - also sent coloured laser beams 10 miles into the night sky and required special permission from the Civil Aviation Authority; the 10,500 seats were each provided with a plastic raincoat (courtesy of Richard Branson, but not needed); tickets were priced between £25 and £100; people also watched from Queen Elizabeth Gardens, Harnham, Town Path and other nearby areas. Performers included Kenneth Branagh, Phil Collins, Placido Domingo, Peter Donohoe, Ofra Harnoy, Charlton Heston and Jessye Norman. The performance was followed by a firework display accompanied by Handel's "Music for the Royal Fireworks" of 1749. (There is a video recording of the event at MC/15/11). Other events included: a performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the Cathedral by Salisbury Amateur Operatic Society; "Jazz at Vespers" in the Cathedral with the Take 7 Band and Rosemary Squires; "Messiah for All" in the Cathedral, conducted by Sir David Willcocks; "A celebration for and a thank you to the supporters and friends of the Spire Appeal", a gala event in and around the Cathedral with performances by the BBC Big Band conducted by Sir Edward Heath and others, Georgie Fame, Rosemary Squires and Take 7 Jazz Band, and with Beating the Retreat and a "Fireworks Spectacular" (24 and 25 Jul 1992); in preparation for this event Clerk of the Works Roy Spring and stonemason Richard Deane were photographed fixing a firework to the top of the spire; A Service of Thanksgiving for the completion of the Spire Appeal attended by HRH The Prince of Wales, 25 Jul 1992 - a copy of the service book is included; Ceremony of Admission to the Confraternity of Benefactors of Salisbury Cathedral, 18 Sep 1992, at which HRH The Prince of Wales, Lady Benson and Sir Austin Bide were admitted in a 600-year old ceremony revived by the Dean and Chapter in 1989. Other topics covered include: Bishop John Baker "condemned" plans for a new visitor centre and restaurant; an arrangement, not connected with the Spire Appeal, whereby fast-food company McDonalds sponsored the distribution to Cathedral visitors of parchment scrolls which, if presented at the Salisbury branch of McDonalds, entitled them, when buying a "Big Mac" or "McChicken Sandwich", to another one free; a proportion of the expected additional revenue would be given to the Cathedral; a "God or Mammon dilemma" said to have "hit Britain's cash-hungry cathedrals", with headlines such as "Ongoing struggle to save crumbling cathedrals causes clash between commerce and conscience", "Battles in the belfry" and "How England's cathedrals are earning their daily bread"; the making of 13 limited-edition facsimile copies of Magna Carta to be sold "for around £50,000 each" to "wealthy nationals of democratic nations", one of which was presented by HM The Queen to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg; the use of the builder's hoist on the scaffolding to take HRH The Prince of Wales - and paying visitors - 220ft up to the top of the tower. The volume ends with a cutting headed "Spire declared safe as restoration ends". While work on the spire was indeed complete, work on the tower was continuing, and work on the West Front was not scheduled to be completed until 1998. A cutting from The Saturday Star (South Africa) sums up: "It was called 'mission impossible', but after seven years historic Salisbury Cathedral has been saved".

English