Editing Winchester Cathedral (section)

=== 21st century ===
In February 2000, a three-year project was completed to clean and conserve the nave and west front, which were last cleaned in 1897. For those three years, the nave had been covered with scaffolding both internally and externally. Following the removal of the scaffolding in early 2000, it was the first time the cathedral interior had been free of scaffolding since 1990.<ref>{{Cite web|date=3 February 2000|title=Cathedral glory lovingly restored|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5630920.cathedral-glory-lovingly-restored/|access-date=17 September 2021|website=Southern Daily Echo|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2 March 2000|title=Nave worth raving about|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5630476.nave-worth-raving-about/|access-date=17 September 2021|website=Southern Daily Echo|language=en}}</ref> 
[[File:WinchesterCathedral-west-wyrdlight.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The west front in 2012, after restoration]]
During August 2006, a near-catastrophic fire was narrowly averted, when a flying [[Sky lantern|Chinese lantern]] got caught on the roof and began setting fire to it. Fortunately, no lasting damage took place and the fire was quickly extinguished. A spokesman for [[Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service|Hampshire Fire & Rescue]] said that had it not been spotted, the fire could have been similar in scale to the [[1984 York Minster fire|1984 fire at York Minster]], which almost completely destroyed the south transept.<ref>{{Cite news|date=29 August 2006|title=Cathedral fire alert over lantern|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/5294240.stm|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

In March 2011, a new single-storey extension in the corner of the north presbytery aisle was completed. Called the Fleury building after it was officially opened by the [[Fleury Abbey|Abbot of Fleury]] from L'Abbaye de [[Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire|St-Benôit-sur-Loire]] in France, it was the first new extension on the cathedral building since the lady chapel was extended in the mid 16th century. The new building housed toilet facilities, storage and a new boiler, replacing a remote facility in the Wessex Hotel a short distance away. The new extension cost £820,000, which was raised by the Friends of Winchester Cathedral.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portfolio – Winchester Cathedral Fleury building|url=http://www.caroe.co.uk/portfolio_places_of_worshipDetail.php?Winchester-Cathedral-Fleury-Building-11|url-status=dead|access-date=17 September 2021|website=Caroe and Partners Architects|archive-date=17 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917051430/http://www.caroe.co.uk/portfolio_places_of_worshipDetail.php?Winchester-Cathedral-Fleury-Building-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=6 March 2011|title=Winchester Cathedral celebrates new structure|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-12645621|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

==== 2012–2019 restoration ====
During September 2012, fundraising begins for a planned £19 million programme of repair and expansion. This project aimed to repair and conserve the ancient stained-glass windows of the presbytery clerestory, restore the wooden vault of the presbytery, replace the lead roof of the east end, rewire the building with a new sound system, and open a new exhibition on the Winchester Bible in the south transept triforium.<ref>{{Cite news|date=23 September 2012|title=Winchester Cathedral £19m appeal|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-hampshire-19693883|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

During the end of 2012, a high-level internal access scaffold was erected in the presbytery to enable close inspection of the vault and clerestory windows. The vault was subject to a detailed construction and paint analyses. The results of the inspection and analysis revealed severe corrosion in the windows, many of which had holes in and collapsed glass, and the failure of the lead roof above, which was causing degrading to the 16th-century wooden vault of the presbytery. A trial removal of the 1950s paint revealed the surviving 16th-century paint underneath on the nearly 200 roof bosses.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=|date=Jan 2013|title=Issue 1 – January 2013|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Jan-2013.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015173927/http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Jan-2013.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2015|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> In July 2013, a £10.5 million grant from the [[National Lottery Heritage Fund|Heritage Lottery Fund]] allowed the restoration work to begin.<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 July 2013|title=£47m investment in six UK heritage sites|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-23495577|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

In 2014, a birdcage or suspended scaffold was installed below the vault in the presbytery, where it was expected to stay for four years. This scaffold allowed close contact with the vaults and clerestory windows to be repaired. The scaffold weighed 5 tonnes. Also in 2014, the south transept was removed of all of its items including 7,000 books from the library, to allow it to be restored and made ready for the new exhibition, Kings and Scribes, which was planned to open in the triforium at the end of the restoration project. The south transept was then filled with scaffolding and sealed off at the tower arch from the rest of the cathedral, which was expected to remain for nearly three years.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=December 2014|title=Appeal Update|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Dec-2014.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015173635/http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Dec-2014.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2015|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>   
[[File:An awe inspiring ceiling above the high altar at Winchester Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 1164095.jpg|thumb|The presbytery vault in February 2009, before restoration]]
In January 2015, a massive scaffolding frame began to be assembled in the Outer Close, which would be raised to cover the entire presbytery roof.<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 March 2015|title=Winchester Cathedral roof frame lift postponed|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-31928502|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> In March 2015, a 300 tonne crane lifted the 27 tonne scaffolding frame to a height of {{convert|80|ft|m}} above the cathedral floor onto the roof. This scaffolding frame, which was moulded to the shape of the roof, was then covered with a waterproof layer to allow the lead underneath to be removed.<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 March 2015|title=Winchester Cathedral roof frame work in place|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-31937294|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> Over the next few weeks, 54 tonnes of lead were removed from the roof, dating back as far as the early 19th century, and sent to [[Leicester]] to be recast.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=March 2015|title=Raising the Roof|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Mar-2015.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015191113/http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Mar-2015.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2015|access-date=17 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=March 2016|title=Project in full swing|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Mar-2016.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> This stage of work was completed in May 2016 with the removal of the external scaffolding and the completion of the lead replacement.<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 May 2016|title=Winchester Cathedral roof scaffolding removal begins|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-36269283|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> 
[[File:Winchester Cathedral prebystery vault.jpg|thumb|The same vault in November 2020, after restoration]]
As part of the works to restore the south transept ahead of its use as an exhibition space, a statue was discovered on its gable end in 2017. The original statue, made of [[Caen stone]], was in a very poor state of repair. Caen stone was too soft as an external stone, especially on the exposed roof ridge on the south transept, where it is exposed to the prevailing wind. The head had sheared off at the neck and several cracks were found elsewhere in the statue. The plinth supporting the statue was also in very poor condition. Examination of the statue revealed it dated back to c. 1330 to 1352. Thanks to a grant from The Radcliffe Trust, the statue was replaced with a newly carved life-sized figure of a medieval ecclesiastic clad in an alb, made of [[Portland stone]].<ref name=":16">{{Cite magazine|date=February 2017|title=A house made of stone|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Winchester-Cathedral-Illumination-February-2017.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> By February 2017, the cathedral were only £200,000 short of their fundraising goal, which had increased to £20.5 million.<ref name=":16" /> Also in February, a pit was created in the south transept floor to allow future insertion of a lift, thus allowing the exhibition on the south transept triforium to be accessible to all. Eight piles were inserted to a depth of {{convert|16.4|m|ft}} below the floor to support the new lift.<ref name=":16" />

In June 2017, the lift shaft and outer frame was installed, comprising 4 tonnes of steel rising {{convert|12.6|m|ft}} from the floor. To enable this, the 12th-century [[groin vault]] of the south transept aisle was opened up in a world first. The lift shaft is entirely free standing, it does not exert any pressure on the vault or walls.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=June 2017|title=Raising things to a new level|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-13-Master.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> By November, the final clerestory window had been reinserted. They had been removed beginning 2015 for restoration and were sent to [[Wells, Somerset]] for restoration. The Great East Window was also restored in this time but was so fragile, the conservation works were completed ''in-situ''. Just as these window repairs were completed, conservation on eight windows in the north transept began, including the oldest stained-glass window in the cathedral, dating from 1330. A new oak [[mezzanine]] floor was installed in the triforium to prevent visitors from walking on the uneven floor. The glass lift was installed in the frame during this time, comprising 18 panels, the largest weighing some 550 kilograms.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=November 2017|title=Reaching new heights in the South Transept|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-14-Master-Final2.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

Starting in January 2018, the birdcage installed in 2014 was slowly removed due to the completion of the vault and window repairs, allowing the vault and windows to be viewed for the first time in nearly four years. The stone [[reredos]], dating from 1450 to 1476, called the Great Screen, was cleaned for the first time since 1890.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=May 2018|title=A vision from above|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-15-Master-FINAL.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

The entire project came to a close on 21 May 2019, with the opening of the Kings and Scribes exhibition in the south transept, the removal of all internal and external scaffolding, and the reopening of the south transept, which had been closed off for five years, some two and a half years longer than originally expected.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=July 2019|title=The newly restored south transept is revealed|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-18-Master_FINAL.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

====2024 independent review====

In June 2024, some cathedral staff and volunteers were reported by the ''[[Hampshire Chronicle]]'' to have concerns about music at the cathedral.<ref name="HC_CA_2024_1">{{cite news |last1=Atkinson |first1=Christopher |title=Concerns continue to be raised over music at Winchester Cathedral |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24393255.concerns-continue-raised-music-winchester-cathedral |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Hampshire Chronicle |date=18 June 2024}}</ref> A senior member of the chapter, [[Mark Byford]], resigned, and the bishop, [[Philip Mounstephen]], commissioned an independent review of the events that had preceded this.<ref name="HC_CA_2024_2">{{cite news |last1=Atkinson |first1=Christopher |title=Winchester Cathedral investigation launched after resignation |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24396823.winchester-cathedral-investigation-launched-resignation |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Hampshire Chronicle |date=19 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="HC_TO_2024_1">{{cite news |last1=Oliver|first1=Toby|title=Winchester Cathedral: Dean Catherine Ogle takes time off work |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24414644.winchester-cathedral-dean-catherine-ogle-takes-time-off-work/ |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Hampshire Chronicle |date=27 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="CT_PA_2024">{{cite news |last1=Ashworth |first1=Pat |title=Winchester Cathedral row: Bishop steps in |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/21-june/news/uk/winchester-cathedral-row-bishop-steps-in |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Church Times |date=18 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="Times_BK_2024">{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Benedict |title=Bishop orders inquiry into bullying at Winchester's choir |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/bishop-orders-inquiry-into-bullying-at-winchesters-choir-2xjw3hxs8 |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Times |date=24 Jun 2024}}</ref> The ''Chronicle'' said that there was "a storm over the departure of the director of music [[Andrew Lumsden (choral director)|Andrew Lumsden]] and widespread concerns about the running of the music department".<ref name="HC_TO_2024_1"/> An article in ''[[The Critic (modern magazine)|The Critic]]'' said that "Sources in the Cathedral Close paint a picture of bullying, micro-management and control-freakery gone wild, with Lumsden the most recent victim".<ref name="TC_GMC_2024">{{cite news |last1=McCormick |first1=Gavin |title=What future for Winchester Cathedral Choir? |url=https://thecritic.co.uk/what-future-for-winchester-cathedral-choir |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Critic |date=28 May 2024}}</ref>