CHRISTMAS stamps for 2024 from Royal Mail feature original illustrations of five UK cathedrals: St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh; St Patrick’s (Anglican) Cathedral, Armagh; Liverpool Cathedral; Bangor Cathedral; and the RC Westminster Cathedral.
The Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, David Gold, said at the launch: “Cathedrals are a hugely significant part of our cultural heritage and play an important role in local communities. They also offer space for peaceful reflection and a bit of an escape from the challenges of daily life, which can be especially important at Christmas.”
Designed by the British artist Judy Joel, the stamps were revealed for the first time on 5 November. Royal Mail described the five buildings as “some of the most spectacular cathedrals in the UK”, highlighting the first, Edinburgh, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and consecrated in 1879, as “boldly harking back to upwardly soaring medieval Gothic cathedrals, with its three spires dominating Edinburgh”.
The stamp for St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, marks the church’s origins in the fifth-century hilltop sanctuary founded by the saint. At Christmas, its “hallowed walls echo with the sound of carols and all find a warm welcome within.”
Liverpool, designed by Gilbert Scott’s grandson, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is noted as “the people’s cathedral”, where “breathtaking heights and a sense of space combine with beautiful craftsmanship.” Bangor Cathedral is described as a place where Welsh and English now “coexist in worship and prayer”, after the turbulent history of a region “battered by medieval wars between the princes of Gwynedd and the English kings”.
Candlelit midnight mass at Westminster Cathedral, the largest Roman Catholic church in England and Wales, designed by John Francis Bentley in a neo-Byzantine style, is celebrated as it “ushers in the celebration of the birth of Christ”.
Royal Mail worked closely with Janet Gough, formerly director of cathedrals and church buildings for the Church of England, and an authority on historic churches (Interview, 19 July). “These special stamps are a reminder that, for centuries past, cathedrals have provided sanctuary, community, joy, and wonder at the birth of Christ,” she said.
“And they continue to do so today, standing at the very heart of our cities. All the UK cathedrals will be open over Christmas, ready to welcome people of all faiths and none. For services, prayer, and celebration, to find peace, or to enjoy the splendour of their music, architecture, and treasures, visit a cathedral this Christmas.”
The Bishop of Bardsey, the assistant bishop in the diocese of Bangor, the Rt Revd David Morris, expressed his delight with the stamp of the cathedral. “It really is a beautiful design. I look forward to receiving my first Christmas card with the Bangor Cathedral Royal Mail stamp,” he said.
The stamps, together with a range of collectibles, are now on sale.