With a full schedule lined up, volunteers and staff of the Cathedral geared up for a week of tours, talks and displays, one of which ended with a pleasant surprise.
The Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Norwich, was delighted to once again to take part in the national Heritage Open Days in September.
Dr Richard Maguire, Heritage Officer, gave a talk on one of Norwich’s most memorable events. This well attended talk entitled “Nothing fills a hole like a double decker – The Site of the Cathedral of St John the Baptist”, used the famous incident on the 3rd March 1988 where the No. 26 double decker bus fell into a sinkhole only a few hundred yards from the Cathedral, as the basis for examining the history of the Cathedral site from the medieval period to the present day.
Dr Maguire was astonished to learn that the very bus driver of the no.26 double decker, Jim Pightling, had attended his talk. Mr Pightling was delighted to finally understand what caused the incident 36 years ago.
The Cathedral was very grateful for Mr Pightling’s attendance and the support of all those who attended the events during Heritage Open Days 2025.
Around 90 people attended this talk over two sessions, and a further 50 took part in the exclusive Hidden Places Tour, which took in areas of the Cathedral site that are normally inaccessible to the public.
