Lantern slide lectures, c.1938
A collection of glass slides in the Chapter Library belonging to Canon Sydney Williams Wheatley, Vicar of St Margaret's Church Rochester from 1915-1947, featured in a series of lectures by Ernest Blackie, Dean of Rochester 1937-1943 and Miss Sandford, Honorary Secretary of the Friends of Rochester Cathedral.
Five boxes of slides are preserved in the Chapter Library along with typewritten descriptions reproduced here. The slides were digitised in 2012 as part of the work in advance of the Hidden Treasures, Fresh Expressions project.
Extract from the Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 1938:
The Chairman and the Hon. Secretary have given lectures during the past year to many kinds of audiences, clergy meetings, Rotary Clubs, Parochial Church Councils, Women's Institutes, Schools, Historical Societies, among them.
During the summer months the Friends have had special photographs taken for new slides, including the work on the Cloister Restoration, tombs of Bishops and Priors, and have therefore considerably widened the scope of the lectures. The object of these lectures is to spread the knowledge of the cathedral and thus to make new Friends. No fee is charged, but the lecturers ask for the payment of their travelling expenses, but very often there is a collection after the lecture for the funds of the Friends or the society makes a donation.
It is hoped that many people will wish to hear the lecture to be given by the Dean of Rochester, on "Rochester Cathedral from the Dissolution to the Present Day" which will be given in the Guildhall, Rochester, on Thursday, 16th March, at 8.00 p.m.
The price of admission will be is. 6d. This is a period in the history of the Cathedral which is little stressed, but during this time many famous men came into connection with the Cathedral and the lecture should prove a most interesting one. Architecturally, it will cover both the work done by Cottingham and Gilbert Scott.
Box 1
Box 2
Box 4
Box 5 ‘The Dean’s Slides’
Alan and Jean Minnerthey,
Chapter Library Volunteers
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