Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) created his gloriously coloured The Seed of Davidpainted triptych (1856–64) for Llandaff Cathedral, just outside Cardiff. It was one of the Pre-Raphaelite artist’s first major commissions and he was wildly enthusiastic– ‘a big thing which I shall go into with a howl of delight’. Cathedrals aren’t just buildings – they are treasure houses. So why are they overlooked as museums?’ Fifty treasures. Fifty days. Welcome to our 2022 winter campaign showcasing the treasures and glories of Britain’s cathedrals, #CathedralTreasures. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett (Penguin, 1989) – a gripping novel on the building of a cathedral in the aftermath of the 1130s English Civil War

At the time of the triptych’s making it was the early 16th century in northern Europe, on the cusp of the Reformation. This was an era of heightened religiosity and improved realism. Artists were drawing directly from the world around them – think of Albrecht Dürer’s drawing of a tuft of grass. The competition to find Britain’s favourite treasure from our winter campaign, #CathedralTreasures has now closed, the votes have been counted, and the winners are in! Cathedral Treasures – The Results As some point he converted to the reformed Protestant Church of England and went on to become the most famous dean of St Pauls, with his sermons much admired and published. Equally extraordinary, his is the only statue to survive intact the destruction of St Paul's in the Great Fire of 1666. Set now into the south aisle wall of Sir Christopher Wren's later baroque cathedral, I shall never again just walk past.Spot the vine leaves and grapes, oak leaves and acorns that decorate the capitals in the Chapter House at Southwell – a work known as ‘The Leaves of Southwell’ The glory of the cloisters is the fan vaulting, which dates from between the 1350s and the 1390s. This is a development of the new style of English Perpendicular Gothic architecture, whereby the panels that already covered the walls and windows were extended up onto the ceiling to meet each other overhead. It is called ‘fan vaulting’ because it is formed of hollow cones or ‘fans’, with decorative tracery forming part of each stone. The fans would have been made in a workshop and then assembled piece by piece in situ. This form of ceiling on this scale was invented and first used in Gloucester. A total of 4,477 people took the time to vote for their favourite treasure from the top ten finalists in our campaign that showcased 50 remarkable treasures and glories cared for and preserved by cathedrals in England and the Church in Wales taken from the latest publication Deans’ Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales by Janet Gough, OBE, author, lecturer and advisor on historic churches and cathedrals. The sundial was probably made in the 10th century and is an intricate piece of design. The pin was placed in the hole for the relevant month. When the sundial was suspended from the chain, it used the altitude of the sun to calculate three separate times of the day. The calculations are likely to have been used to indicate times for prayer as part of the seven daily divine offices. If you enjoyed this Instant Expert why not forward this on to a friend who you think would enjoy it too?

The Brougham Triptych (1515–20) is a carved and painted Flemish oak altarpiece depicting the birth and Passion of Christ in intimate contemporary detail. It stands as the altar reredos in the Chapel of St Wilfred in Carlisle Cathedral.

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The windows are rich in painterly detail andcolour – particularly red, gold and blue. They were made using traditional methods, with two layers of glass that Denny then painted and scratched colour away from. I am fascinated by the choice of the dean of St Paul’s, London - the memorial to John Donne (1572-1631) wrapped in a sheet and standing on a funerary urn, was sculpted by prominent sculptor, Nicholas Stone.Commissioned by Donne himself, it is a monument to the man I knew as one of the pre-eminent metaphysical poets, who enjoyed a racy youth, was a soldier, a sometime MP and most extraordinary Catholic.As some point he converted to the reformed Protestant Church of England and went on to become the most famous dean of St Pauls, with his sermons much admired and published. Equally extraordinary, his is the only statue to survive intact the destruction of St Paul's in the Great Fire of 1666. Set now into the south aisle wall of Sir Christopher Wren's later baroque cathedral, I shall never again just walk past. The cloisters are the great architectural treasure of Gloucester Cathedral. They formed the heart of the monks’ lives at Gloucester from the 1090s until the dissolution in 1540. The monks lived, ate, worshipped and worked around the four sides of this garden space.

The cathedrals of England and Wales are remarkable buildings. From the centuries leading up to the Norman Conquest to the tumults of the Reformation and devastating wars of the twentieth century, they carry traces of our nations’ darkest moments and most brilliant endeavours. The gloriously-coloured cover shot is the central oil painted panel from Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s The Seed of David triptych (1856-64) in Llandaff cathedral.Amidst the beauty of the architecture are some hidden treasures: medieval games. Boards are scratched into the surface of the seating on the far side of the cloisters. They were used for two medieval games: fox and geese and nine men’s morris. One treasure will be revealed every day for 50 days and will end with the launch of a competition to name Britain’s favourite cathedral treasure to coincide with Heritage Fund’s Heritage Treasures Day. Read all about the campaign here. We hope that the extraordinary range of fascinating treasures in this book will encourage you to visit and revisit the wonderful cathedrals of the Church of England and the Church in Wales, which are open to visitors for private prayer, divine service and enjoyment 365 days a year. A beautifully illustrated new book tells the stories behind 50 artefacts from the cathedrals of England and Wales.