More than 800 years after work began on Salisbury Cathedral, the space is still being developed and modified – and this weekend two new altars were officially unveiled and consecrated.
Created by the sculptor William Pye in collaboration with the furniture maker Luke Hughes, the altars have been placed at two of the building’s key spots – the Spire Crossing and Trinity Chapel.
It is the first time a new altar has been consecrated in the nave – the main body of the church – in 500 years.
Pye was responsible for the design of the altars, while Hughes took on the task of planning the space and creating the daises. The altars were to link in form and material – Purbeck stone and inscribed bronze – to the William Pye font, which was installed at the great Wiltshire church in 2008.
“I wanted the altars to feel intimate, using the words and symbols that have been inscribed around the base to capture the inner, individual experience of faith as well as he shared experience,” Pye said. “The lettering aims to arrive at something akin to a Roman tablet. I wanted the altars to belong to the space, whilst making a statement. Just as the font has become part of the visitor experience and worship, I hope these two new altars will also form part of that experience.”
Hughes’s daises, made in oak and shaped to mirror each altar, have been designed and constructed in such a way that what looks like a solid structure is made up of a series of interlocking parts that sit on wheels, meaning they – and the altars – can be moved by one person though they weigh several tonnes each.
The Revd Anna Macham, the canon precentor of Salisbury Cathedral with responsibility for liturgy and music, said: “For a long time we have made good with various arrangements of carpeted staging blocks and temporary altars, so to see the new altars in place is inspiring. In both cases the space in which each new altar stands is significant. The Trinity Chapel is where prayer is offered every morning of the year, and the Spire Crossing is where the principal Sunday services and great seasonal liturgies are celebrated.”
The Spire Crossing altar is octagonal, as is the space it occupies beneath the cathedral’s tower and spire. The stone base is inscribed with a text from St Matthew’s Gospel: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
The altar in the Trinity Chapel carries lines by the 17th-century poet George Herbert, who worshipped in the cathedral and whose statue stands in a niche on the West Front.
