On 17 March, representatives from The University of Kent and Canterbury Cathedral renewed the Memorandum of Understanding they first signed in 2014.
The signing ceremony took place in the Cathedral Archives & Library with Dr Simon Kirchin, Kent’s Dean for the Humanities, and Canon Librarian The Revd Christopher Irvine ratifying the new three-year agreement.
The signing was attended by: Dr Juliette Pattinson, Head of the University’s School of History; Cressida Williams, Head of Archives & Library, Canterbury Cathedral; Jeremy Carrette, Professor of Philosophy, Religion and Culture and Head of the School of European Culture and Languages; Catherine Richardson, Professor of Early Modern Studies in the School of English; and John Sotillo, Kent’s Director of Information Services, among others.
The first MOU resulted in a number of very successful projects. These included:
- a Festival of Ideas (‘Questions of Space’) which presented a series of public interactive talks, walks, sights and sounds created by Humanities staff at Kent and hosted by the Cathedral;
work opportunities and placements at the Cathedral for students;
a number of research and public events around the Gateways to the First World War project;
Shakespeare 400, with the University and the Cathedral, alongside other partners, offering a local view of the Bard’s work.
The MOU also resulted in a strong and evolving relationship between the Cathedral and Kent’s Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, as well as a close partnership between the Cathedral Archives & Library and the University’s Special Collections & Archives.
Anticipated notable events and projects for the next three years include a second Festival of Ideas and the delivery of the Heritage Lottery-funded project ‘The Canterbury Journey’.