Cathedral to open for late night experience on St Edmund’s Eve

On the eve of St Edmund’s Day, Friday, November 19, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, will open its doors for a special late-night experience called “Your Cathedral at Night”.

From 6.30pm to 8.30pm the cathedral will be open, free of charge, for visitors of all ages to explore the building.

As it is the eve of St Edmund’s Day, visitors can follow a St Edmund trail and there will be craft activities linked to the story of St Edmund.

Throughout the evening guides will be on duty, highlighting key features by torchlight. There will be musical interludes and the evening will conclude with Compline at 8pm, a special service, lasting about 20 minutes.

This service used to be sung by monks in the Abbey of St Edmund. On this occasion the Cathedral’s youth choir will be singing. “Edmund” buns, a sticky fruit bun, will be offered free of charge and mulled wine and spicy apple punch will be on sale.

This is part of a national initiative called Cathedrals at Night organised by the Association of English Cathedrals.

Sarah Friswell, visitor experience manager, said: “It’s a very special experience to be inside the Cathedral on a dark November evening. This event gives us the chance to celebrate St Edmund’s Day in a new way and we hope that visitors will take the chance to explore the building in a different light.”