The Hostry has been designed to achieve the following objectives:
- to broaden access and increase the quality, value and number of educational visits,
- to engage new and existing users in the heritage of the Cathedral,
- to meet existing, changing and growing needs of visitors to the Cathedral,
- to preserve the unique heritage and atmosphere of the Cathedral,
- to preserve and enhance Britain's unique choral heritage.
What are the different areas used for?
There are six distinct areas.
- Central Atrium – Reception. Rising impressively to the full height of the building, the atrium offers views of the Cathedral spire through the rooflights. This is where all visitors now normally enter and are welcomed to the Cathedral.
- Education Room. Situated on the ground floor this is a well-equipped, flexible space for use by schools during the day and community groups after school hours.
- Exhibition Room. Leading off the Atrium opposite the Education Room is an open plan area equipped and lit to mount temporary exhibitions.
- Locutory. Visitors enter the Locutory from the Exhibition Room, via a glazed link. This is the area where the monks were allowed to meet and talk to visitors. In the 21st century this space houses a digital Interpretative Exhibition focusing on the role of the Cathedral in the past and present, and preparing visitors for a tour of the complex. Visitors pass from here into the Cathedral.
- Song School and Music Library. Situated on the first floor, this provides a rehearsal room for all the Cathedral choirs, a small recital space and purpose-built shelves to house the music library.
- The Weston Room. This will comfortably accommodate 150 people seated and has been designed so that the room can adapted for many purposes. It has full modern conferencing facilities.
What does this mean for the visitor?
The Hostry enables the Cathedral to welcome visitors in a completely different way. Rather than recite a long list, here are just a few of the changes it is making to visitors’ experience of the Cathedral.
- Visitors now enter the Cathedral after seeing a digital presentation which sets the building in its historical and architectural context, explains its mission, and shows the people who make up today’s Cathedral at work and worship.
- We can now offer specially-designed education areas with facilities for school visits and family learning activities eg a wet area and somewhere warm and dry to eat packed lunches.
- We now have modern, flexible conference facilities, complete with breakout rooms, for use by the Cathedral and Diocese, for hire by businesses and available at special rates for community use.
- We now have disabled access throughout the Cathedral complex.
- We can now display exhibitions with appropriate lighting and temperature control.
- You can now come to the many wonderful activities organised by our Community Learning Officer and not have to wrap up warm!