More than 4,000 people travelled to Narnia on the first weekend of Chester Cathedral’s Christmas exhibition.
The launch event of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe featured live reindeer, a falconry display and Narnia characters including the White Witch and Mr Tumnus.
The exhibition takes visitors through fur coats and wardrobes via a winter palace on an exciting journey to the magical land of Narnia, transforming spaces within the magnificent building to bring C.S. Lewis’s classic tale to life.
It includes the houses of Mr. Tumnus and the beavers in the cathedral’s medieval Chapter House, the palace of the White Witch in the Refectory Café and a wartime evacuation scene, including a 1940s station platform, in the Undercroft.
The idea for the exhibition was developed by the cathedral’s education department and more than 1000 school pupils from across Chester and Cheshire will visit the building for Narnia-inspired education workshops throughout December.
Education officer Helen Barber, said: “We are thrilled to present The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe exhibition this December. The story and the characters are well-loved and have captured the imagination of generation after generation.
“C S Lewis was a Christian and strong overtones of Christian teaching can be recognised in Narnia. We have tried to reflect this by using extracts from the story at each scene and adding an appropriate quotation from the Bible which helps to explain the Christian message.”
Vice dean Canon Peter Howell-Jones, said: “The exhibition really does have something for everyone – from snarling wolves in the snow and comical beavers in their cosy home to a magnificent life-size animatronic Aslan!
We very much hope people will enjoy it and look forward to welcoming them into our building during this very special time of the year.”
The exhibition is free of charge and runs until January 6, 2015.
The Chester Cathedral Christmas Tree Festival, a community-focused event with trees decorated by local schools and local businesses, is back for a second year.
Services include a crib service for families on Christmas Eve at 5.30pm, and the cathedral choir will perform their ever-popular annual carol concert on December 20 at 7.30pm with seasonal readings and special guests, Inspired Brass.
