Newcastle's St.Nicholas' Cathedral is currently offering tours of its famous lantern tower. So I thought I'd give it a whirl last week. It only cost a tenner for an hour's wander of one of the city's greatest landmarks - well worth it, even if just to say that you've done it.
Our cathedral may not be as large and imposing as most, but its recently restored form presents an impressive tourist attraction (so do pop in for a wander when you've a moment). The tower, though - which is only accessible via online booking - is a rather special feature in its own right. The fifteenth century creation is arguably the best 'crown' of any ecclesiastical building in the UK, stretching to a delicately graceful 200ft, with its flurry of flying buttresses and intricate stonework.
Suitably kitted out with hard hats, our two guides took half a dozen of us through the little access point tucked just inside the west door, and onwards and upwards via the spiral staircase toward our destination. The climb is a two-stage affair: the first ending at the Ringing Room. Here was to be found, obviously, the bell-ringing ropes (or whatever the technical term is for them), various commemorative peel-ringing boards and the workings of the tower clock. One is also offered the chance to peer out over the roof of the main body of the cathedral from this vantage point, as well as listen to a few facts about the old place from the guides.
The board celebrating the 'Peace Peel' following WWI/Versailles. Apparently, Newcastle Cathedral was the only ecclesiastical venue in the country able to raise a bell-ringing team at the moment peace broke out in 1918.
Then its up to the roof level, via the ever-narrowing spiral staircase. It's a pretty tight affair is this stretch - rather claustrophobic, and with a minor obstruction along the way in the form of a strengthening iron bar/brace. The last of the 162 steps is a big one, before you emerge into the daylight, directly underneath the giant lantern itself.
You need that hard hat for your trip, especially so on the roof due to the many head-height obstructions hereabouts. What you don't realise from ground level is the amount of 'bracing' the tower/lantern has in place. The delicate structure (and indeed the tower as a whole) has been known to move an inch or two over the years and, in order to prevent potential collapse, various support devices have been put in place to prop it up. Originally, it seems, there were the (still existing) wooden beams, which were later strengthened with iron, then coated with lead flashing - and some very heavy-duty Victorian-age iron girders and bracing were added later. Everything is tightly clasped together - and there is plenty to bang your head on!
You are given plenty of time to carefully crawl your way round the roof space and peer out over the city and its environs. But do hang onto your hat when looking over the parapets, and likewise your phone/camera when taking a few snaps!
Afterwards, you will be taken back down into the Ringing Room for another little story or two (including the famous one about the Scottish prisoners being held in the room during the Civil Wars to prevent it being destroyed by Scottish cannon fire). Then down the stairs to ground level, and out. Apparently, there is usually a short film to watch, but this was not available for whatever reason when I visited.
All-to-often we Novocastrians are denied access to historic corners of our city (back alleys, private buildings, and the like), so it was nice to be able to have a poke around one of the most interesting few square metres of Newcastle such as this.
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