Rooftop spectacle is a city highlight
ALEX CHALLIES goes up in the world
“DARE you climb the tower?” is Newcastle Cathedral’s invitation to its lantern tower tours.
Groups of visitors have the opportunity to climb the winding spiral stairs to a wonderful vantage point.
Reaching a height of 60 metres, the Lantern Tower was Newcastle’s tallest structure for hundreds of years and still offers spectacular views towering over much of the city today, with only a few modern buildings matching or surpassing the height.
An unforgettable experience awaits those who reach the top, as you walk across stone blocks and roofing panels around the tower’s peak.
Gathering at the base of the cathedral, with the tower a daunting prospect as you crane your neck to look upwards at the spire, you are met by a smiling tour guide who passes you a hard hat. A quick briefing ensues then you find yourself led through a hidden door.
The winding stone structure grows more narrow with each step as you ascend first to the ringing room, a space adorned with hanging ropes and clockwork for ringing the Cathedral bells.
The true climb is yet to come; you mount the spiralling stones with the promise of spectacular vistas.
Finally, 162 steps later and possibly a bit warmer from the exertion, you’ll come out atop the lantern tower and can take in the breathtaking views of Newcastle, the River Tyne and maybe even a bit of Gateshead, depending on which way you cast your gaze. Unlike many heritage tours, this one brings an element of challenge with it, so you truly earn the treat for your eyes that is the city rooftops.
Rachel Rickwood, learning and activities officer at Newcastle Cathedral, said: “It’s not for the fainthearted. It’s a little bit steep, it’s quite tight in places, but it’s just a really interesting way to view some of the history of our city.
“The tour is ‘dare you climb the tower?’ so we do want to express that it is a challenging tour, but it is really exciting and you get some beautiful viewpoints across the cathedral roof.”
“The majority of the tours will be led by our amazing group of cathedral volunteers.
“It’s a really exciting way to get involved with the cathedral and we’re always looking for new volunteers.”
The extensive team of enthusiastic volunteers is headed by Cathedral Volunteer Coordinator Lucy Cooke, who is equally passionate about growing the team of heritage guides as she is encouraging visitors to explore the Cathedral heights.
“I think it’s fantastic. It gives people the chance to learn a little bit more about the history of the cathedral. It gives them the chance to see some fantastic views of the city, and it’s also a bit of a physical challenge as well, so something a little bit different to get involved in.”
“Across the cathedral in total, we’ve got more than 100 volunteers, but in terms of the Lantern Tower itself we’ve got a group of about 10-15 who are trained to take visitors up there and give them a little bit of an insight into the history of the tower and a bit of history into bell-ringing.” Some lucky tour-goers may even find themselves at the hands of someone with first-hand experience in a ringing room. Lucy said: “One of our volunteers is a former bell-ringer and is loving the opportunity to go up the tower and tell people about the bells themselves.”
The tours last for an hour and tickets are available to book online for tour dates up until Thursday, May 12. After the tours are suspended for a week due to a conference, they will return on May 20.
Details and availability can be found on Eventbrite and the Newcastle Cathedral website.