History buffs who have missed being able to see King John in Worcester Cathedral have been handed a well-timed boost in way of an unusual gift from the British Library.

The infamous 'bad' King John's tomb has been closed off to the public since Storm Arwen caused 'extensive damage' to the cathedral. 

Part of a pinnacle from the side of the tower fell through the roof of the north quire aisle in late November as high winds caused havoc for Worcester's historic landmark.

A spokesperson for the cathedral confirmed plans for the repairs are a "work in progress", and an announcemnet outlining the programme and approximate timings will be made "very soon".

However, in the mean time, the cathedral has been given a scale replica which was produced by the British Library in 2015 for an exhibition marking the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta.

Worcester News: King John | Worcester Cathedral King John | Worcester Cathedral

The replica is on display in the cathedral alongside an interactive touchscreen which tells you all about the 'bad' King.

While plenty of people seem to be enjoying the king's return, he won't be a permanent fixture.

The cathedral team has confirmed once repairs are completed, the replica will be used for occassional events and school trips.

The infamous 'bad' King John, who features as the villain of every Robin Hood tale, is most famous for sealing Magna Carta which some historians regard as the first step towards England’s constitutional monarchy.

Following the death of his older and much more popular brother, Richard the Lionheart, John became king in 1199.

He was an unpopular monarch and at the time of his death he had lost the majority of his lands in France and the English barons were in open rebellion against him.

King John seems to have been fond of Worcester and spent Christmas here in 1214.

He stipulated in his Will he wanted to be buried in Worcester Cathedral, between the shrines of St Wulfstan and St Oswald.

The original Will (the oldest remaining royal will in England) is still kept in the Cathedral Library and can be seen by appointment when the Library is open.

King John is buried in a place of honour in front of the High Altar. His tomb features the Plantaganet badge of three lions (or strictly leopards), and has the oldest royal effigy in England.

John’s son, Henry III visited his father’s tomb and became an important benefactor of the Cathedral.

Information on King John's history courtesy of Worcester Cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following the damage caused by Storm Arwen, we're working on a programme of repairs to enable us to reopen the east end of the Cathedral as soon as we possibly can. More details on this will follow soon.

We know you're missing King John, we are too! So, in the meantime, this scale replica - produced by the British library in 2015 for an exhibition marking the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta - is on display in the Cathedral, along with our interactive touchscreen which tells you all about the 'bad' King!

The replica was kindly donated to us after the exhibition.

Do pop in and see us soon!