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| Candlestick Press May 2026 My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this pamphlet |
Cathedrals are monumental buildings, often standing in the heart of our cities like a timeless centre of gravity. They can be seen from far away – from trains and motorways – competing on the skyline with office blocks and other modern constructions. Even in our more secular era, cathedrals carry a grandeur that gives us pause for thought. Perhaps this is because we know that they have probably taken longer to build than a human lifetime.
These wonderfully varied poems celebrate the majesty and meaning of all sorts of cathedrals. We encounter York Minster, St Davids and St Paul’s during the blitz. We experience their rather solemn silence and the beauty of stained glass:
“Let your eyes walk
Through a glass garden –
All of these colours
Are born from one light.”
from ‘Rules for Visiting a Cathedral’ by Andrew Rudd
The poems will delight anyone who loves cathedrals for their beauty, their history or for the sense of peace we can feel when we go inside.
Poems by Carole Bromley, Gillian Clarke, Elizabeth Gibson, Malcolm Guite, Keith Jarrett, Richard Jones, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Ormond, Kate Rhodes and Andrew Rudd.
Cover illustration by Sarah Kirby.
📖 My Review..
I love a good cathedral and we are blessed to have some beauties in this country, sharing their majesty and sense of history over centuries. Whether soaring high above the skyline of our cities or tucked away in quiet countryside there is something timeless and elegant about these wonderful buildings where peace and quiet from the hurly-burly of life can be found.
“Sixty-five per cent
Said they made a special trip,
Travelled long distances
In search of history and calm”
From ‘Reasons to Visit a Cathedral’ by Kate Rhodes
This mini anthology of Ten poems about Cathedrals reminds us of their steadfastness, their allure and their quiet dignity, whether from a religious perspective or of simple cultural curiosity we can each take something positive from the experience of sharing space with all those who have gone before and those who are yet to come.
“They climbed on sketchy ladders towards God
With winch and pulley hoisted hewn rock into heaven,
Inhabited sky with hammers, defied gravity,
Deified stone, took up God’s house to meet him”.
From ‘Cathedral Builders, by John Ormond
The first cathedral I remember visiting was on a primary school trip to York Minster where I stood in awe looking up at the sheer size of the Rose Window, so much bigger than me, and the most recent was on a trip north when we took in the quiet beauty, that is Carlisle Cathedral.
With its stunning cover, and swooping end papers, Ten Poems about Cathedrals is a nostalgic trip into our past and would be the perfect gift instead of a card for anyone who loves cathedrals, history or the quiet constancy of these serene reminders of our shared past.
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| Star Ceiling Carlisle Cathedral ©️ Jaffareadstoo |
About the Publisher
Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Mountains, Clouds, Walking, Birds, Wine and Happiness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.
Twitter/X @poetrycandle
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