Hereford Cathedral has purchased a new flag that will fly from the central tower of the cathedral for the first time on Friday 29 April, the date of the Royal Wedding.
 
‘The old flag was becoming increasingly tattered’, commented the dean, the Very Revd. Michael Tavinor, ‘and we had planned to commission a new one for the completion of the refurbished Cathedral Close, but the Royal Wedding seemed an ideal occasion to launch it instead.   
 
The  St George's flag, measuring 12' x 6' with the arms of the diocese of Hereford in one corner, will be flown from the tower on special occasions such as church festivals and royal birthdays.  ‘The new flag is much bigger than the old and will be seen from miles around’, continued the Dean.  People often see the flag flying and are prompted to ask ‘What is the occasion?  The occasion is always noted on the daily notices placed outside the cathedral’.
 
The arms of the Diocese of Hereford are those of Bishop Thomas Cantilupe, Hereford’s most famous bishop, canonised before the Reformation, depicting three inverted leopards heads. ‘The heads are meant to be upside down and have appeared that way since the fourteenth century’ explains the Dean, ‘but when the flag arrived, the manufacturers (mrflag.com of Swansea) had very helpfully put them the ‘right way up!’.  The flag had to go back for the leopards’ heads to be reversed!’

The background story of the coat of arms is interesting. The three leopards' heads represent England and the fleur-de-lys on which each head is impaled represents either the Blessed Virgin Mary (in whose honour the cathedral is dedicated) or the kingdom of France. In the case of the latter, the fleur-de-lys emerging from the mouths of the leopards seems to represent England's perceived dominance over it's neighbour! And what of the upside-down leopards? It is said that the heads were, for the Cantilupe family always "the right way up" but when Thomas Cantilupe became a bishop in 1275, he insisted that the leopards' heads were reversed to symbolise his turning away from aggression to a life of peace!
 
Anybody who wishes to see the flag hoisted should be outside the cathedral on Friday 29 April at 7.15am. There will be a short service of dedication in the tower before the hoisting. 
 
Visitors hoping for a closer inspection may get the opportunity when the Cathedral Tower is open for tours after Easter, when they will be able to see the ringing chamber, and the wonderful views both into the Cathedral from the lantern gallery, and across the city from the top of the tower.   If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer Tower Guide the Cathedral would like to hear from you.  They are looking for people who can offer a morning or afternoon on a weekly basis, and who are fit enough to climb the 200 steps to the amazing view from the top of the tower.  More information from Kay Garlick, 01432 374214 kay.garlick@herefordcathedral.org