Drama at St Columb's Court

In association with St Columb's Cathedral and the NITB, each Thuesday, Thursday and Saturday during July and August at 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm and again at 3pm, the cast of players will stage their little 'drama' in the drawing room of 1 St Columb's Court, offering a unique experience for visitors to the Cathedral Quarter over the summer - be they shoppers, daytrippers or tourists.

With over 100,000 visitors now taking time out to visit the historic Cathedral annually, the emergence of characters from the 18th Century will considerably enhance the visitor attraction amenity in the city centre.

Launched on Wednesday, the Dean of St Columb's Cathedral, Rev Dr William Morton, is enthusiastic about the initiative.

"This is something that is very unusual, innovative and imaginative. It is a period drama featuring some character actors who are playing people from the past here, and giving a glimpse of what civic life would have been like in the precincts of the Cathedral around those yours.

"Why we are doing it is because the Cathedral is under restoration at the moment and we are conscious of the fact that the many tourists that come to the Cathedral are denied access to most of the building because of the work, so we want to try and compensate and provide something that will keep the interest there and give them an insight in a very colourful and pleasant way of what life was like in the 18th Century," the Dean said.

Future plans for the development of the Cathedral Quarter will include the possible retention of 'A Period Drama', the Dean said, and if not, it may be possible to restage it from time to time. The Cathedral Restoration Committee are also looking into the possibility of restoration work on the cellar at the Deanery, with a path leading through the music rooms and into the graveyard at the Cathedral, creating a cyclical tour of the Cathedral Quarter.

To establish the appropriate setting for the drama several teams of experts were drafted in to create the right ‘look’ and in his introduction at the launch the Dean paid tribute not only to Andrew Best, funding and monitoring manager for the NITB, for the funding, but the cast of Northern Period Productions and the firms who had stepped in to undertake the revamp.

Architect Karl Pedersen, who has been to the fore in the restoration and refurbishment at the Cathedral, said his firm Mullarkey Pedersen, was delighted to be associated with the work on the Cathedral, wich was going very much to schedule.

He said that peeling back the layers of a building allowed the history of the building speak to people.

“When we are finished you will be able to go around and the building will speak to its visitors, and we are continuing that here in a more literal way,” he said of the re-enactment.

Thanking everyone involved, he particularly paid tribute to Andrew Best of the NITB, Brian Kelly and Woodvale Construction, the Clerk of Work, the Cathedral’s Restoration Committee, and the retail outlets in the which had worked on the interior fixtures and soft furnishings.

Following the formalities those attending the launch were treated to a preview of the ‘drama’ with the cast in full Georgian dress, and tea was served.