Rochester Cathedral were honoured to welcome HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh to Rochester Cathedral on the evening of the 14th November. The Duchess joined other esteemed guests for a special dinner inaugurating the campaign for a new Song School at the Cathedral. The Duchess of Edinburgh is the Royal Patron of the Rochester Cathedral Trust who organised the dinner.

The undisputed centrepiece of the evening was the remarkable Fenland Black Oak Table, a stunning 13 metre long table crafted from the wood of a 5,000 year old fossilised black oak tree. Poignantly, the table is also known as the Jubilee Oak Table and was dedicated to HM Queen Elizabeth II. The fossilised remains of the tree were discovered in 2012, the year of her Diamond Jubilee and the table was completed in 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee. For the evening, the table was adorned with beautiful flower displays created by the Rochester Cathedral Flower Guild.

 The Duchess of Edinburgh first previewed an incredible new Triptych by artist Scott Norwood-Witts which is being created for the Cathedral. Guests were treated to a magical performance by soprano Faryl Smith who was accompanied by Rochester Cathedral’s Director of Music, Adrian Bawtree.

Rochester has the oldest choral school in Britain mentioned in the 7th century by the Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical History. There are plans to repurpose a Cathedral building to provide space for rehearsals, a music library and robing facilities. The new building will become a hub for all musical activities at Rochester Cathedral including outreach in the community.