01 Sep 2014
A 900-year-old cathedral with the longest nave in the UK is set to become one of the oldest places in the country to host a flower festival.
The 11th-century St Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire, which is also the oldest place of Christian worship in the UK, is hosting a Music in Bloom Festival from 25-28 September, which will feature hundreds of beautiful and imaginative flower displays that will transform the ancient building into a oasis of colour and music for four days.
More than 400 flower arrangers will be working on the displays in the run-up to the festival, which will see 10,000 blooms in total being used in the cathedral's 85-metre-long nave.
The arrangements will be themed on musical titles of every genre including classical pieces from Vivaldi, Handel and Holst will take their place alongside modern classics including songs from Adele, Abba, Lionel Richie, The Kinks, JLS, Katy Perry, Pink Floyd, Spice Girls and Elton John. Some 132 well-known pieces of music and songs will feature in the Festival displays.
As well as viewing the displays, visitors to the festival will be able to take part in a number of events. These include:
- Flower-arranging classes in the comfort of the historic Victorian Deanery where visitors can create a vintage cupcake flower arrangement to take home from the Flower Festival. The hour-long classes will be led by Anita Linderman, founder of the St Albans 'Flower School'. No previous flower arrangement experience is required.
- The Gala Preview Evening on 24 September, which will include a glass of prosecco and canapés, while vistiros listen to performances by the winners of the St Albans Young Musicians Competition 2014.
- Jazz Picnic Concert among the flowers on 27 September. Visitors can bring along a picnic and explore the floral displays while enjoying performances from the Abbey Girls' Choir and the St Albans Jazz Ensemble. There will be a bar open all evening.
Benjamin Britten's War Requiem is at the forefront of a special area to commemorate the centenary of World War I.
The 'props list' for the Festival reads like a challenge for a team on the BBC's Apprentice, and includes: Roman bricks, a plough, World War I uniforms, a tandem, fishing rods and a Harley Davison to form the centre piece of Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell.
How much? Day tickets cost £10 per person and are available from www.stalbanscathedral.org
Tickets for the flower-arranging classes £20, while tickets for the Jazz Picnic Concert cost £15 for adults and £5 for under 12s.
Where to stay? The four-star, boutique hotel St Michael's Manor, just 10-minutes walk from the cathedral. Prices cost from £125 per room per night for a double room.
To book: www.stmichaelsmanor.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
Festival Opening Times
Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am – 5pm
Sunday 1pm – 6pm
Last admission one hour before closing.
Tickets
Adults £10 (under 16s free with a paying adult).
Groups of 15 plus £8
Advanced booking is highly recommended. The Box Office is now open to reserve tickets which will go on sale later in the month. Call 01727 890290 or pop into the Box Office in the Cathedral Gift Shop. Tickets will also be available on the door.
Special Flower Festival Events
A programme of evening events will take place during the Festival as follows:
Gala Preview Party - Wednesday 24th September
A celebration of flowers and music to open the Festival. Includes music, drinks and refreshments. Music performed by the winners of the 2014 St Albans Young Musician of the Year. Tickets £25 available from the Cathedral Box Office on 01727 890290.
Jazz Picnic - Saturday 27th September
An informal evening of musical entertainment among the flowers! Bring your own rug and
picnic, explore the flowers and enjoy music from the St Albans Cathedral Girls Choir and S.T.A.J.E. (St Albans Jazz Ensemble – see notes below). Tickets £15; Under 12s £5. Tickets available from the Cathedral Box Office.
S.T.A.J.E.
Set up by Andy Baddaley in 2010, S.T.A.J.E. (St. Albans Jazz Ensemble) provides a space for local adult musicians to come together and perform a whole range of music that fits under the general heading of 'Jazz'. From Sinatra-style vocal swing, Blues and Latin through to Contemporary Soul, Jazz-Funk and Film-score/Library material S.T.A.J.E. offers it's members the opportunity to explore a wide variety of styles in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. For further details, please go to www.staje.co.uk
On Sunday 28th September, a Community Celebration event will also be taking place in the evening for local charities and organisations.
Saint Alban & St Albans Cathedral
- St Albans City is named after Britain's first saint, Saint Alban. Before that, its Roman name was Verulamium.
- Alban's place of burial quickly became a national place of pilgrimage and thousands of people continue to visit the Shrine of Saint Alban each year.
- St Albans Cathedral stands on the site of Saint Alban's burial.
- It is the oldest place of continuous Christian worship in the country.
- The building itself is a blend of architectural styles spanning a millennia and contains recycled Roman bricks from Verulamium.
- Of special interest are the 13th century wall paintings, a rare watching loft and the medieval shrines of Saint Alban and Amphibalus, the priest who converted Alban to Christianity. The Cathedral also boasts the longest nave in England. All of this can be seen throughout the Festival by visitors.
About St Albans
- St Albans is tone of the best-kept secrets in UK tourism: a historic gem of an English Cathedral City, just a stone's throw from London.
- St Albans stands out as a unique English Cathedral City. St Albans Cathedral is the oldest place of continual Christian worship in the UK, and has the longest nave of any Cathedral, including St Paul's and Westminster Abbey.
- St Albans has the only medieval clock tower in the country.
- St Albans has the oldest public school in Britain where Pope Adrian IV, the only Englishman to occupy the papal chair, and scientist Stephen Hawking were educated.
- The Roman city of Verulamium (now the site of St Albans' Verulamium park) was the second-largest town in Roman Britain after Londinium and was burned and destroyed by Queen Boudicca and her army (St Albans) in AD60
- St Albans' pub Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest pub in the country.
- St Albans Abbey (now Cathedral) was at one time the principal Abbey in England and was the location of the first meeting (in 1213) which ultimately led to the sealing of the Magna Carta (in 1215).
- St Albans has fabulous shopping with many small independent shops amongst the high street stores and a fantastic range of eating and drinking establishments.
- There is a packed calendar of special events throughout the year in the City, many of them family friendly
- It's easy to get here too. We're just 22 minutes from London St Pancras, a short hop off the M1 and M25 motorways, within easy reach of London Luton and Heathrow airports. Come and visit to discover St Albans for yourself - you'll be sure of a warm welcome.
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