A unique opportunity to picnic in the heart of Durham Cathedral is on offer as part of the city landmark's week-long programme of events to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Visitors are invited to take along blankets and hampers to the cathedral and enjoy an al fresco lunch-time picnic in the usually out-of-bounds green space bordered by the Cloisters. The area will be open for picnics from 11am to 1pm each day between May 28 and June 5.
From the enclosure guests will be able to take in a different aspect of the cathedral as they relax on the grass, where they will be asked to avoid the fragile stone basin - the lavabo - at the centre, where monks of the former monastery once washed and which is now feeling the effects of having stood outside for hundreds of years. And anyone wanting to supplement their picnic during their visit can do so from the café which will be selling drinks, savouries and scones.
Read more: North East Jubilee celebrations
The cathedral has dedicated a week to its jubilee celebrations and one stand-out moment will see the building join landmarks across the UK on June 2 to be lit up in red, white and blue. On June 3 it will be hosting a celebratory concert Summer in the City: Fanfare!, when Music Durham’s annual showcase event will take on a celebratory theme.
Also on the programme is a Service of Thanksgiving to be held on June 4 at 3pm which will include music from a children’s choir being brought together specially to mark the Queen’s milestone.
On the June 4-5 weekend the cathedral will be also host a workshop for children aged seven-plus to show how to hand-sew a patchwork flag to take home. Other activities on offer throughout the week will include making a Jubilee crown and a trail to spot Bede the Bear around the cathedral.
Visitors will be able to discover why people including kings and queens have made pilgrimage journeys to the cathedral over the years and the cathedral's recently re-opened museum has an exhibition reflecting its royal connections over the years.
Crown and Cathedral: Durham’s Royal Stories reveals, for instance, which king's head is buried at the cathedral and features the royal cope worn at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. For more information about the Jubilee programme and to book activities (picnic spaces do not need to be booked) see here.
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