St Giles' Cathedral

Fourteen years on from my last visit to St Giles’ Cathedral I had only the vaguest of memories of the building so it was interesting to return and see what I’d forgotten.

Tourist season had definitely kicked in so it was tricky to capture wide, sweeping views of the Cathedral but I found plenty of lovely corners to aim my camera at and the low spring sun created some beautiful contrasts.

One clear memory I did have from last time was the many regimental flags, some of which have aged so much they’re translucent.

My favourite part of the building was the Thistle Chapel, with its ornate ceiling and wonderful characters on the pews.

Just before I left I spent some time sitting in the nave, taking in the architectural shapes and noticing where the Cathedral had been altered over the centuries. A rather more modern addition are the extraordinary ‘space ship’ lights which I rather like!

Photos taken 3rd April 2023

Feline supervision

My stroll through London on Thursday took me past Southwark Cathedral and it would have been rude of me not to pop and say hello to Hodge, the Cathedral cat. Named after Samuel Johnson’s cat, Hodge has now been in residence for over two years and he’s thoroughly settled in.

Last time we met he was lounging around in the nave, but today Hodge was supervising in the Cathedral shop, although quite how anyone was supposed to use the computer was a mystery as he was sitting on the keyboard!

After a quick stroll around the Cathedral I discovered Hodge sitting outside the vestry door, hoping to be let in. We had a brief chat (you can see him meowing in this photo!) and I knocked on the door to see if anyone was home. Sadly there was no reply, but the steward at the Cathedral entrance assured me it wouldn’t be long before he was let in!

Photos taken 12 January 2023