This week, Bradford Cathedral received a legacy gift of £4,000 from the estate of Frank Buzzard – ‘The man who loved Cathedrals’.
Mr Buzzard, who died last year at the age of 95, left every Church of England cathedral a bequest in his will, alongside a short report of his visit to each one, which he did over a 10-year period. He visited Bradford Cathedral in December 1997, as the final Cathedral on his pilgrimage.
This legacy will go towards supporting the ministry and work of the Cathedral.
You can read more about Frank Buzzard and his legacy at https://www.englishcathedrals.co.uk/latest-news/frank-buzzard-the-man-who-loved-cathedrals/
Here are some excerpts from the four pages that made up his report on Bradford Cathedral.
“I looked at the multi-coloured West Window with its many pictures of Women of the Bible, then moved on to the Soldiers and Sailors War Window which was a complete contrast. Mostly greyish brown, reflecting the drab mournful aspect of war.”
“For quite a while I sat reflecting on the war images the window stirred, before a man joined me and asked ‘Where are you from?” … he turned out to be the caretaker and when I said that I had visited every Cathedral in England, and [that] this was my last one – the 42nd – he settled down to talk a lot.”
“Generation succeeds generation – history rolls on. In a 100 years’ time somebody will read about the football tragedy that is recorded on a roundel in the transept… as I grow older I never cease to marvel at the way events around the country interweave and keep coming back to join threads of our life together.
“This plaque makes me recall, as if it were yesterday, travelling by bus and tram from our camp at Wetherby to watch a cup-tie in Bradford, exactly 40 years before this terrible fire.
“When we arrived the ground was full but we helped each other over a ten foot wall; no police or public safety in those days. I remember vividly Len Shackleton dribbling past five opponents and Swift, a mighty goalkeeper, putting his hand on top of the football and picking it up.
“Perhaps I am being a bit verbose today, aware that this is my last English Cathedral piece.”
“In the Song School teenagers were enjoying themselves with drums and guitars, interspersed with periods of racing round the Cathedral, while a young organist practised his art.”
We would like to extend our thanks to Mr Buzzard and his family for their legacy and the records of his visit.
If you would like to explore remembering the Cathedral in your will, please pick up one of our Make a Lasting Gift leaflets, or speak to a member of clergy. Please see our website for more on this.