Six expert-led tours run from 14 September to 20 October, £10 or £20, each starting at midday. They accompany the repair of two storm-hit tower pinnacles.
Worcester Cathedral has opened bookings for six expert-led tours this autumn, running from 14 September to 20 October 2026. Tickets are £10 or £20, and every tour starts at midday. (Worcester Cathedral, Reaching New Heights Autumn Tours 2026)
They are being run as part of a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, and each one is led by a named member of the cathedral’s own staff rather than a general guide. The cathedral architect takes the architecture tours. The cathedral archaeologist takes the archaeology tours.
The six dates
| Tour | Dates | Led by | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graffiti | Monday 14 September and Tuesday 20 October | Dr Ros Gammie FRHistS, Welcome and Engagement Manager | £10 |
| Architecture | Tuesday 22 September and Wednesday 14 October | Camilla Finlay AABC RIBA, Cathedral Architect | £20 |
| Archaeology | Monday 28 September and Wednesday 7 October | Fiona Keith-Lucas, Cathedral Archaeologist | £20 |
The practical details, in the cathedral’s own words:
- Every tour begins at midday and lasts 60 minutes.
- Tours may go outside, so dress for the weather.
- Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult, and both adults and under-18s must buy a ticket. There is no free child place.
- Booking is through Eventbrite, and the cathedral asks you to check you have clicked the correct date and the correct tour at checkout.
The graffiti tour is the cheapest at £10 and covers the masons’ marks and the inscriptions cut by people who built, worked in and visited the building over the centuries.
The pinnacles behind the programme
The tours sit alongside a repair job called Reaching New Heights, which is rebuilding two pinnacles on the cathedral tower.
The reason goes back to November 2021. The cathedral says Storm Arwen’s 100mph winds brought down a pinnacle on the northeast side of the tower. Surveying afterwards found that the northwest pinnacles had been built the same way as the ones on the northeast. They were secured with temporary steel brackets, and the cathedral describes them as in urgent need of rebuilding to prevent further damage.
The replacements will not be like-for-like. The cathedral says the work combines traditional craftsmanship with modern engineering, using Red Hollington stone and integrated steelwork. It is being carried out by the cathedral’s own in-house stonemasonry team, with specialist consultants and volunteers.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £249,956 towards the project. Worcester Cathedral is a registered charity, number 1207427.
What it means for you
If you want a tour, book early and check the date. There are only two dates per subject, each capped by whatever the cathedral sells on Eventbrite, and the first one is on 14 September. The cathedral’s own warning about clicking the right date at checkout suggests people have got this wrong before.
Pick on price as well as subject. The graffiti tour is half the price of the other two. If you are bringing more than one person, that is the difference between £20 and £40 for a pair.
Plan for standing and for weather. An hour on your feet, possibly outside, in September or October.
You do not need a tour to see the work. The pinnacle repairs are on the tower, so the scaffolding and the masons’ work are visible from College Green and from across the river.
Getting there is straightforward on foot from the city centre, and the cathedral sits a short walk from the main shopping streets. If you are driving in, check our roadworks and travel page first, because Newport Street is shut for an anticipated 549 days and several city streets are closed for footway work. For other things happening in the city, see things to do in Worcester.
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