09 October 2012

The Building and Restoration of Durham Cathedral

A lecture by Rev Canon Dr Michael Jackson

Jointly hosted by Newcomen Society and Institution of Civil Engineers

NONE MEMBERS WELCOME - FREE ENTRY

October 10, 2012 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Durham Cathedral is the only cathedral in England to retain almost all of its Norman craftsmanship, and one of few to preserve the unity and integrity of its original design.  It is recognised both as an exemplar of the Romanesque architecture and as one of the world’s greatest cathedrals and together with Durham Castle it was inscribed as one of Britain's first World Heritage Sites.

Before taking up his present calling Canon Jackson was a practicing civil engineer in industry and, latterly, at the Dept of Civil Engineering in Newcastle. Thus, when a conference on how the cathedral was built was required to mark the ninth centenary of the Cathedral the Dean and Chapter asked him to organise it.

His talk draws on what was presented at that conference and the challenges that the builders faced.  Many of these will be familiar to today’s generation of engineers, such as the search for secure foundations, the logistics of supplying the necessary materials and the suspension of work when funds ran out.  Of particular interest is how the builders pioneered design innovations without the mathematical tools available to us today.

Discovery Museum
Education Room,
Blandford Square
Newcastle Upon Tyne

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