Delivery of The Canterbury Journey project began in 2016 and will achieve a radical transformation in the accessibility and sustainability of the ancient Grade I listed Canterbury Cathedral. It will safeguard an iconic building which embodies England’s story, increase the number and broaden the range of those who journey to it, and enrich their experience.
The project features a new visitor centre with a free viewing gallery of one of Europe’s most important churches and a dedicated community studio. New trails will guide visitors through the Cathedral and its newly landscaped precincts, interpreting their journey and revealing unseen treasures from Canterbury’s past.
A programme of engagement and outreach to schools and communities will also form part of the overarching project in order to attract new, young, diverse and hard-to-reach audiences.
The visitor centre is now complete, including graphic displays, AV screens and backlit lightbox displays of paintings and illustrations of the Cathedral. As principal contractor of the exhibition spaces Elmwood has the privilege of delivering the new permanent public displays to showcase and share with new generations some of the exquisite, often rarely seen objects from the Cathedral’s historic collections.
Working in historic buildings comes hand-in-hand with being a leading exhibition fit-out specialist in the museums and heritage sector. The firm’s full completed works to date at Canterbury Cathedral have included a complex fit-out of interactives, setworks, conservation grade Display cases, AV displays and graphics to the new visitor centre and water tower spaces, plus the fit-out of spaces around the new Cathedral shop.
Work is ongoing to the crypt, where Elmwood is delivering more exhibition space recounting the fascinating story of the Cathedral’s history via graphics, AV, electrical & lighting, interactives and display cases. All of this work has been undertaken with careful protection of the original building fabric, some of which dates back to Norman times.
The fit-out specialist says it has been “a huge pleasure for our team to work on this project, building on our existing relationships with Artelia and Event Communications, and creating successful new connections with the wonderful team at Canterbury Cathedral”.
The essential work has been made possible courtesy of a major grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Chapter of Canterbury, and funds raised by the Canterbury Cathedral Trust, from The Friends and many other private and charitable sources in the UK and USA.
Go to https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/the-canterbury-journey/ to find out more about The Canterbury Journey project.
