National Cathedral

You can hardly miss seeing great things there ;-) Tours are easy to get, so odds are you won't have a problem there. Check out the needlepoint kneelers in some of the side chapels, especially the children's chapel (which is so darned sweet) and the War Memorial chapel (stitched by English women in thanksgiving for US help during the war, though I think the ones out now are replicas rather than the originals) and St. John's chapel. *DO* bring binoculars, if you can. You can't see some of the cool bits of architecture (like the Darth Vader grotesque) without them. There are carvings everywhere, and the detail is amazing. Some of them are quite amusing. The stained glass windows are also pretty spectacular. If, for some reason, you miss out on a guided tour, they have several brochures for self-guided tours. On most Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30-1:00 pm, there's an organ demonstration. It's a gorgeous organ and you get to hear a mini-recital. If you like, some of the religious services there are quite nice as well, like the 6:30 pm Taizé services on Sunday evenings or the Evensong services. The music there is really lovely, and the organ and choir are great. You can check their website to see if there will be any concerts or recitals while you're there.

Have fun! Ericka

Thanks to you Ericka. I am going on a Wednesday for the tour /tea so hope to see that organ concert too ~ Most kind of you to share. I am rather excited about the trip.barbie

Did you find anything to purchase needlearts related there ?

Hmmm...it's been a while since I've been there and I can't remember for sure. There certainly wasn't a huge amount of needlework-related stuff there, but there might be some.

Best wishes, Ericka

Thought I did a reply to group but did not upload.

They have some small needlepoint pieces for sale in the Gift Shop, both Coaster type and book marks. Will be honest, they are a little on the pricy side.

However, you could easy spend weeks looking at all of the needlework related items in the Cathedral. One little know exhibit is for the Altar Guilds. You can find this off to the left of the main crossing as you look at the high altar.

Hope you enjoy your visit to the Cathedral.

Rusty. Member of the Textiles Group of the Altar Guild

Sounds like it is just best to use the time out of the gift shop then....

Yes, I think if you wanted to look at every piece of needle work in the Cathedral that is on display, you would spend weeks just looking at all of the kneelers. Keep in mind that just about every one differs from the next. I work with the group that helps to maintain the linens used for the Altars and services.

If you live in the DC Metro area, I would encourage you to come to the Annual Open House. The Textiles group last year had on display a lot of the colored fabric pieces in our archive that are not used in services any more. Mostly due to the age of the pieces, but all are great works to see.

Alas, I am way down here in Williamsburg....ahum.