Cuthbert Centre for Pilgrimage and Prayer

The Friends of Durham Cathedral are honoured and delighted to have been able to fund the development of the Cuthbert Centre for Pilgrimage and Prayer.

Lilian Groves MBE, and Friends ex Hon. Secretary, unveiled the commemorative plaque. Pictured with Bishop of Durham, the Right Revd Rick Simpson; The Very Revd Dr Philip Plyming, Dean of Durham; Revd James Shelton Director of the Cuthbert Centre for Pilgrimage and Prayer; The Revd Canon Charlie Allen, Canon Chancellor and Caroline Peacock, Chair of Friends of Durham Cathedral.

From the moment in April 2024, when we first visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross, in its then rather dilapidated state, and saw the adjacent rooms, stacked with discarded office furniture, we could see the potential – but we could also see that a great deal of work would be needed to make this even a functional space, let alone an attractive and welcoming one.

The Before Shot. " Picture it ......"

It is therefore thrilling to see these spaces today, in September 2026, transformed beyond imagination.  The Chapel, now warm and dry, with a subtly inserted ramp to enable step free access, is a place of real beauty and enormous calm.  Next door, the renovations have revealed some magnificent beams in the ceiling, and the entire room has come to life, with a quaint little fireplace that was previously invisible now adding some charm, and the two arched windows also coming into their own.  And that’s before one sees the exquisite woodwork of the new cabinets and the sturdy table.

The joiners and works team have used their skills to craft bespoke furniture and an inviting kitchen area

To explain why all of this delights us so much, there is, we feel, a real empathy between the objectives of Pilgrimage and the function of the Friends.  Pilgrimage is, by its very nature, open to all.  As several recent television programmes have shown, people of deep faith go on pilgrimage, but so do many others who are on an adventure, an exploration, a search for something beyond the everyday.  Indeed, it attracts and embraces some who are not religious at all, and even the occasional self-declared atheist.

The warm, accessible space is ready to welcome pilgrims and visitors.

That breadth of welcome has so many echoes with the Friends, where some members join as a matter of faith, while others focus more on the architecture, the history, the music, the tombs or the stained glass.  This natural synergy makes the CCPP feel very personal to the Friends, and that explains why we are honoured to be the project’s principal funders, and why we are both enchanted and moved to be associated with it. 

By Caroline Peacock

Chair of the Friends of Durham Cathedral

Find out more about the Cuthbert Centre for Pilgrimage and Prayer at www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/explore/cuthbert-centre-for-pilgrimage-and-prayer