Chairman's Newsletter - October 2025

October 2025
 

 

 

Who was this international star folksinger
photographed in the
Chapel of Gethsemane in the 1960s?
 

     She is Carolyn Hester, an American folk singer who rose to international stardom during the folk boom of the 1960s.   I met Carolyn Hester in Coventry Cathedral when she was at the height of her fame and she came to take part in a TV recording in Coventry Cathedral.  
     Hester sang folk melodies with a beautifully clear yet delicate voice, like Joan Baez.   She is famous for discovering Bob Dylan whom she invited to one of her recording sessions, which lifted him onto the first rung of the ladder of fame.   Carolyn came to the Cathedral in 1967 to record three songs for an ABC television programme called “One Hundred Human Cries” that was broadcast a few weeks later on New Year’s Eve.   My photograph shows her rehearsing in the Chapel of Gethsemane.
     Carolyn was the only singer in the programme and was chosen because she had spoken out publicly on anti-poverty and human rights issues.   The 1960s was a decade of youth protest.   The theme of the programme was in support of Human Rights.  
     The programme was a celebration of the dying hours of the year, another year for the historian to dissect while at the same time it looked forward to 1968 (the International Year of the Child)  asking what would be our future response – “How can we answer a hundred human cries?”  
     For the programme Carolyn sang “ Blowing In The Wind”, “ Times They Are A’changin” and “Times of War” – all of them songs that were composed by Bob Dylan.   The filming in early December at the Cathedral took place during a period of icy winter weather.   The Coventry Evening Telegraph reported a protest by a local folk singer, Barry Skinner, who complained that a local musician should have been invited to perform rather than an American singer.

 

        In 2018 Carolyn wrote to me about her memories of that night in the Cathedral ruins:  
“It was very cold, INDEED!.   For one song they filmed me outside that evening in the bombed out shell of the Cathedral.   Still makes me feel emotional.   I was born in 1937, so I knew about dangerous times, and specially Great Britain’s pride and bravery.”
     Born in Texas, Carolyn moved to New York, and rose up on the crest of the folk music revival that was closely associated with Greenwich.   I have followed her music over the years because I am a keen fan of Buddy Holly, a fellow Texan, who composed the song “Take Your Time” for her.   He also played guitar on some of her early recordings .   They both recorded their first hits in the recording studio of Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, a historic site well worth visiting today.
     Filming at the Cathedral started in the early hours of the morning and finished 20 hours later that day at midnight.   Part of the recording took place at night in the Cathedral Ruins in front of black and white images projected onto a huge eidophor screen set up in front of the spire.   Eidophor projection technology required heavy equipment and was originally developed by NASA.   Its use in 1967 was mainly in the USA at large pop concerts.   No one has heard of it today because digital projection has taken its place and digital screens are commonly used in TV production and at popular music concerts.
     The cast for the ABC television programme included Earl Cameron, Michael Bryant, Paul Tortelier, John Williams, Derek Garside, and Colette O’Neil.  
     I watched rehearsals that night in the ruins – but not for long.   The air was so bitterly cold that the actors were wrapped in huge blankets to shut out the weather until the very last minute before the cameras went live.   I had no blanket so I did not hang around!   The programme included organ music from David Lepine (photo right), the first Cathedral Director of Music of the 1960s.  
     Enquiries made of ABC TV have indicated that no recording of the television programme survives.   Carolyn Hester is now aged 88 years.   She can be heard in numerous videos on YouTube.

 

The Chairman’s thanks.   As my term of office draws to a close, I thank members of the Friends for their support in the last 9 years.  
The support and encouragement of members is vital to all that the Friends achieves, so do keep it up!  

     MULTIPLE IMAGES OF the Bishop of Coventry in the pulpit can be seen all around the packed Cathedral at the National Police Memorial Day Service held on 28^th September 2025.
     Strict security measures throughout the preceding week had disturbed some regular Cathedral activities, but they were necessary because the service was attended by the recently-appointed Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood.   The Home Secretary read a lesson from the chancel step (photo below).
     The previous week we were all pleased to meet with Bishop Sophie Jelley who spoke at our Friendly Monday meeting.    Members of the Friends were able to raise a wide range of questions – from favourite church music to her membership of the House of Lords!   Our meeting was part of the Bishop’s full 12-hour fact-finding day spent at the Cathedral.


 

 

   THE FIRST FOUR historic films from the Cathedral Archives have been digitised - and they are real gems that have been saved thanks to members of the FRIENDS!
    There are interviews with Provost Howard, Basil Spence, Provost Williams and others.   See the early Schools Programme and the Industrial Mission in action, and Robert Weddle leading the Cathedral Choir in rehearsal.   The background work behind the 1960s Dresden Project is explained as well as the story of Ottobeuren Abbey where in 1964 the Cathedral Choir joined in the first German performance of Britten's War Requiem in front of members of the German government and a huge television audience.   We look forward to finding opportunities to share these exciting finds with members.   There are many more historic Cathedral films stored in the Cathedral Archives and waiting to be digitised.
     If you would like to contribute towards this Cathedral heritage preservation project initiated by the FRIENDS, please send your gift payable to the

• FRIENDS of COVENTRY CATHEDRAL at 63 Daventry Road, Coventry CV3 5DH or it can be sent direct to our bank
• HSBC, sort code 40-18-17, a/c number 80360244  (IBAN: GB61HBUK40181780360244)

   

THE PRINCESS ROYAL visited St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Warwick in September for the service commemorating the 550^th anniversary of the consecration of the Beauchamp Chapel.    The picture shows Princess Anne unveiling the plaque that marks the occasion (see inset) watched by the Rector, Rev Canon Angus Aagaard.   Standing beside her in MU outfit is Gill James, a member of the Friends of Coventry Cathedral and Deanery Synod Representative for the church.
 

 

 

     RACHEL MAHON, the Cathedral Director of Music, performed Camille Saint-Saëns's "Organ" Symphony on the Royal Albert Hall organ with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Marie Jacquot at the BBC Proms on 28^th August, 2025.   The Symphony concluded a French-themed programme which also featured Bizet, Sarasate, and Augusta Holmès. 
 

     BRITTEN’S “WAR REQUIEM” is music that will be forever associated with Coventry Cathedral.   Commissioned to celebrate the 1962 Consecration of the Cathedral its premiere performance was just days after the Consecration.   Child voices singing like angels from off-stage are an important part of the work.
     Last month boys of Coventry Cathedral Choir were invited to take part in a War Requiem performance in Darmstadt Staatstheatre, Germany.   They arrived on 11^th September, the anniversary of the bombing of Darmstadt during WWII.  At 11.50pm that night some of them even slept through the commemorative ringing out of all the town’s church bells in remembrance!
     On arrival at their hotel the boys were led by Luke Fitzgerald (former Cathedral Assistant Director of Music) in rehearsal (photo above).   Before each of two sell-out performances they were welcomed on stage and presented to the audience. (photo below) 
     The Cathedral Boys not only represented Coventry Cathedral, the originator of the work of art, but as English choirboys singing in Germany they symbolised the links of friendship between nations that have replaced the past hostilities of war.

 

THE FRIENDS ANGEL will be back in Coventry Cathedral in time for Christmas.
   The Friends of Coventry Cathedral acquired the original cartoon design by John Hutton for one of the west screen angels winging across three of the glass panels.   In order to preserve them for posterity the cartoons have been in the hands of Heather Norville-Day, a specialist paper conservator, (photo right) who is stabilising them for re-framing to museum standards.   Inset on the right is an example of the minor damage that she is repairing.
   BBC Midlands Today heard that the Flying Angel will return for Christmas and has filmed some of the conservation work in readiness to announce its arrival.   More details will follow nearer the time.