Record crowds for Durham Cathedral’s Magna Carta exhibition
Magna Cartas merge with artworks to create record visitor surge for museum. Tony Henderson reports
The magic of the Magna Carta has seen Durham Cathedral Museum achieve its highest-ever attendance this year.
Supporting artworks in the cathedral also played their part in attracting visitors to the display of the three rare Magna Cartas, which ran from July 11 to November 2.
The total of almost 30,000 visitors was more than 40% above the predicted figure.
The last week of the Magna Carta and the North exhibition was the busiest the museum has ever seen since it opened in 2016, resulting in a record-breaking surge of over 2,500 people visiting before the event ended.
Visitors could view the only surviving 1216 Magna Carta, alongside issues from 1225 and 1300, and three Forest Charters. The exhibition celebrated the 800th anniversary of the 1225 issue.
The exhibition has been shortlisted in the North East Marketing Awards, which take place on December 4 at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle.
Commissioned specially for the exhibition was a light-based artwork, The Words That Bind Us, taking centre stage in the Cathedral’s Nave.
The installation by artist Nicola Anthony transformed the historic space into a river of light and language. Projected text, drawn from the Magna Cartas in the Durham Cathedral collection, shifted and rippled as visitors moved through it.
Nicola said: “The Words That Bind Us is a conversation across centuries — rooted in the ideals of the Magna Carta. It’s a living river of light and language, inviting visitors to reflect on justice, compassion, and community.”
Developed through a series of workshops with local community groups and the public through an online portal, The Words That Bind Us created a collective vision of fairness and hope.
Visitors selected words or phrases that resonated with them most, which then grew in size in real time as part of the projection, creating an ever-changing Modern Charter.
Also responding to the themes of Magna Carta were large-scale voiles - artworks on fabric - by artist and photographer Ash Mills, suspended between the columns of the cathedral’s West End and Galilee Chapel.
These vibrant, stained-glass-inspired illustrations focused on the influence of Magna Carta, echoing medieval storytelling.
Andrew Usher, chief officer: visitor experience and enterprise at Durham Cathedral, said: “We’ve been really pleased with the response to the artworks and the volume of people being inspired to see the exhibition.
“It’s been wonderful to see the public interest in the Magna Cartas on display. The last week of the exhibition alone certainly proved that, as people did not want to miss their chance to see a part of global history in the North East.
“These fragile documents have once again gone into storage to allow them to ‘rest’ and be carefully looked after, as they have been for the last 800 years.”
The extraordinary documents remain enduring symbols of social justice in the world today.
Elements of the Magna Carta and the North exhibition can still be viewed online, including how these rare documents are cared for while not on display.