Profile
Marie-Thérèse Mayne on bringing the past alive in Durham
Marie-Thérèse Mayne is the exhibitions officer at Durham Cathedral.
Open Treasure, the cathedral’s new visitor and exhibition space, hosts a show (19 June to 9 September) marking the 800th anniversary of the 1217 Forest Charter – a companion document to the Magna Carta.
What changes have been made to the old place?
The former monks dormitory, the doorway to which was completed in 1402, has
been remodelled. We have an account describing the dormitory divided into cubicles, each containing a bed and half a window.
The novices were housed at the south end where there were no windows. They obviously made it rough for them so no one was under any illusions about their chosen path. Now it’s a gallery that’s environmentally controlled and monitored.
What are the challenges of keeping collections in a cathedral?
The medieval manuscripts, books and artworks need a lot of care. As well as tourists visiting a World Heritage Site, a lot of academics come here for research. We also have to take into account the needs of the building itself.
The 14th-century kitchen, for example, will soon house the treasures recovered from the tomb of Saint Cuthbert and we are testing new heating systems to ensure the stonework isn’t affected. During restoration work, the Victorians used a cement- based mortar that turned out to be too acidic for sandstone, so that has been replaced with a lime concoction based on a medieval recipe.
It’s nicer to the stone in the long run.
How have you changed, professionally speaking?
If you’d told me a couple of years ago that I was going to develop an interest in the symbolism found in Anglo-Saxon carving, I would have laughed as my specialism
is 19th-century British painting.
But there’s a sense of continuity here; when you handle an 11th-century prayer book, there’s a feeling that you are helping maintain a 1,000-year-old place.
What do you do outside of the cathedral? I’m a folkie and am trying to master the fiddle. I can sing and play separately, and now I’m learning how to do both at the same time.
Open Treasure, the cathedral’s new visitor and exhibition space, hosts a show (19 June to 9 September) marking the 800th anniversary of the 1217 Forest Charter – a companion document to the Magna Carta.
What changes have been made to the old place?
The former monks dormitory, the doorway to which was completed in 1402, has
been remodelled. We have an account describing the dormitory divided into cubicles, each containing a bed and half a window.
The novices were housed at the south end where there were no windows. They obviously made it rough for them so no one was under any illusions about their chosen path. Now it’s a gallery that’s environmentally controlled and monitored.
What are the challenges of keeping collections in a cathedral?
The medieval manuscripts, books and artworks need a lot of care. As well as tourists visiting a World Heritage Site, a lot of academics come here for research. We also have to take into account the needs of the building itself.
The 14th-century kitchen, for example, will soon house the treasures recovered from the tomb of Saint Cuthbert and we are testing new heating systems to ensure the stonework isn’t affected. During restoration work, the Victorians used a cement- based mortar that turned out to be too acidic for sandstone, so that has been replaced with a lime concoction based on a medieval recipe.
It’s nicer to the stone in the long run.
How have you changed, professionally speaking?
If you’d told me a couple of years ago that I was going to develop an interest in the symbolism found in Anglo-Saxon carving, I would have laughed as my specialism
is 19th-century British painting.
But there’s a sense of continuity here; when you handle an 11th-century prayer book, there’s a feeling that you are helping maintain a 1,000-year-old place.
What do you do outside of the cathedral? I’m a folkie and am trying to master the fiddle. I can sing and play separately, and now I’m learning how to do both at the same time.