Every day in English Tourism Week, we are sharing one of our ‘Top Ten Tourist Treats’ here at Bradford Cathedral.
Today’s treat is the History of the site – Saxon stone fragments and outdoor historical timeline in the Cathedral grounds
Saxon Stone Cross fragments
Near to the rood stairs, and now built into the wall, is a fragment of a Saxon preaching cross, over a thousand years old, which was discovered in the rubble of the south nave wall during rebuilding work in the nineteenth century. It is a Celtic design, carved with double ribbons intertwining. This was probably the first Christian landmark on the hillside above the “broad ford from where Bradford gets its name, evidence of a community of faith on this site that stretches back almost 1400 years.
There is a second fragment of Saxon carving from a stone cross, immediately on the left of the entrance to St. Aidan’s Chapel, which was found during the 1960s extension work in this part of the building. This may bear traces of Viking designs, according to one visiting expert, and is possibly 100 years more recent than the other fragment in the North Ambulatory, making it the second oldest feature of this entire site.
Cathedral Timeline
If you visit us in the next 4 months or so, you will also be able to view our historical timeline in the Cathedral grounds, which takes you along the almost 1400 years of history on this site, since the first Christians came to this hillside and established it as their base. The timeline is a temporary feature and will be taken down, probably at the end of the summer.