The Cathedral Flower Festival

In June 2008 Salisbury Cathedral held a Flower Festival as part of the celebrations taking place to mark the 750th anniversary of the consecration of the newly completed Cathedral in 1258.

Flower arrangers from Churches throughout the Diocese were invited to take part, and three St. Mary's flower arrangers were amongst those who accepted the invitation.

Mary Gray, Doreen Pitman, Lois Wardle and Esther Hussey were amongst those who made the cylinders of flowers in the south aisle near the "flower curtain". The design of closely packed flowers was intended to give a tapestry like effect.

An account by one of the arrangers will be added here soon.

Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.

Ode: "Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" 1807 - William Wordsworth, 1770 - 1850

(You can read the whole poem online here)

Over two years in planning, the results can be seen in the slideshow below (editing of photos and captions to be added when time permits).

Click on pictures to see larger version