The Archbishop of York and Bishop of Leeds will be at Ripon Cathedral for a special service tomorrow to mark the culmination of the cathedral’s 1350th anniversary celebrations.

The Most Revd and Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell and Rt Revd Nick Baines, will be at the 10.30am Eucharist Service, which will conclude with the dedication of a ledger stone honouring the cathedral’s founding father St Wilfrid

Throughout this year, the cathedral community has been telling the story of the missionary bishop and patron saint of the city, with art installations, son et lumieres, lectures and worship.

The ledger stone has been laid under the central tower, above the crypt dedicated by St. Wilfrid in 672AD and near to where the saint was buried. The crypt is the oldest built fabric of any English cathedral.

The stone has been created by letter carver Charlotte Howarth from Making Marks in Norfolk, who worked round the clock for four weeks to complete the work on time.

Her previous projects include the carving of the gilt lettering into the oak for the Remember Me memorial portico entrance at St Paul’s Cathedral, dedicated to those who died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carving the ledger stone was highly skilled and physically demanding work, using an extremely hard stone called Stanhoe Framp.

Ms Howarth, said:

“You become emotionally involved with a project when you work on it. I do think it looks fabulous, there is an overwhelming feeling of relief to see it laid in the floor of the cathedral.”