After lunch on our first visit to Wappenshall Wharf we drove to Birmingham to get another stamp in my Cathedral passport. Parking in Birmingham became a challenge. Many roads are closed due to work on the HS2 and neither the diversion signs of the in-car SatNav were able to help navigate the mess. We ended up going round in circles. Eventually we found a way to our usual car park but our afternoon challenges did not end there.
We arrived at the Cathedral to find a service was about to start. This wasn’t obvious before entering the Cathedral. We decided to leave and come back later when the service had finished. This was our third attempt at getting my passport stamped. On the first occasion the Cathedral was locked due to children practicing for a concert. We were advised by a teacher waiting outside that the practice session had overrun. On our second attempt we were able to enter the Cathedral but there was no-one around that could help with a passport stamp or the purchase of a guidebook.
On this, our third attempt the only church official available after the service was in deep conversation with a member of the congregation. As we waited we noticed some (passport?) stickers and a guidebook on the the ‘Welcome Desk’. I applied a sticker to my passport, paid some money and took the guidebook.
All was not lost, I enjoyed seeing the artwork ‘The New Nativity 2025′. The New Nativity Set was commissioned by Birmingham Cathedral to weave together the stories of the Birth of Jesus at Christmas, the heritage of Birmingham, the stories of the cathedral community, and the needs of the world.
I left the Cathedral feeling unfulfilled with the uncomfortable feeling that (after three attempts) the Cathedral Church of St Philip was not welcoming me…
