Work on the project began in 2015.
To date over 300 stones have been repaired, with particular and significant attention given to the stonework of the gable wall and associated stair turrets and the restoration
of the Apex window. Isothermic glazing has also been added to the great East window in order to better manage and conserve the historic glazing behind.
The Cathedral receives no regular funding from the Church of England or the UK Government. If you would like to contribute towards the costs of restoring and conserving this historic building then we would love to hear from you.
A new pinnacle
A new pinnacle has been carved to replace the existing Victorian pinnacle at the east gable end. As so much of the detail on the south pinnacle had been weathered away, some of the information was also taken from the north pinnacle, including the design of the ‘crockets’.
The stones are hand carved from “Doulting” stone, a limestone, which is quarried from just outside Shepton Mallet in Somerset. They have been given extra strength and stability by the insertion of stainless steel cramps across the joints and a continuous stainless steel rod which will run through the centre of the pinnacle.
This element of the project was completed by the Cathedral’s stonemasons, with a total cost of around £100,000. Four masons each carved a beast head, which now look out over the city from base of the pinnacle itself.
Corbel stones
our new decorative ‘corbel’ stones have been carved by our stonemasons to replace 600 year-old pieces that have failed.
They represent the world in which the Cathedral exists in the 20th and 21st centuries: An eagle owl was in residence around Cathedral Green in 2016 (the bird is also the emblem of the 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron based near Exeter during the Second World War); A poppy remembers those who lost their lives in the First World War (funding for this part of the project came from the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund); A crown for Her Majesty The Queen, in whose Diamond Jubilee Year the project was launched; the club badge of Exeter’s own rugby team, the Exeter Chiefs (celebrating their success, and their contribution to the life of the city).