SALISBURY Cathedral is set to mark an impressive 800 years of worship with a special service and exhibition.

September 28 marks 800 years to the day of the dedication of the first three altars and the completion of the East End.

To mark the occasion, a special Evensong service will take place later this month alongside an exhibition of items from the archive will be available for visitors to view in the Cathedral Library.

The Choral Evensong at 4.30pm on September 28 will mark the dedication of the three altars in the Cathedral’s East End, which is now known as the Trinity Chapel, on the same day 800 years ago in 1225.

The service will be sung by the Cathedral Choir, and the preacher will be the treasurer, Canon Kenneth Padley.

It will conclude with a procession to the Trinity Chapel, where prayers will be said, and the choir will sing a special anthem.

At the first service in 1225, Bishop Richard Poore dedicated three altars with the Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton and King Henry III later joining the celebrations.

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Archive print by T Hearne, engraved by W Byrne and J Sparrow 1790 Picture: Salisbury Cathedral

The exhibition, called Salisbury Cathedral: A New Beginning, will contain a variety of items from the Cathedral Archive, including a piece of carved stone from the Beauchamp chantry chapel, which was attached to the East End but demolished in the 18th century, and some of the original medieval floor tiles.

There will also be a document about St Osmund’s shrine which was built in the East End in the 15th century, and more recent documents about the unveiling of the Prisoners of Conscience Window in the 1980s.

The Very Revd Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, said: “800 years ago Salisbury Cathedral became what it remains today: a working Christian church, where prayer and worship are offered daily to almighty God.

“On this significant anniversary we give thanks for the skill, dedication, and foresight of our ancestors in faith, and look forward to sharing the wonderful inheritance we have received.”

Salisbury Cathedral: A New Beginning will be on display from September 22 to 28 and will also give visitors a rare opportunity to see the Cathedral Library.

The exhibition is included with a general admission ticket to Salisbury Cathedral at no additional cost. More information can be found at salisburycathedral.org.uk.