General Information
During the year 2000 D J Clark built a visual record of the Lancaster &
Morecambe district using photographs and information submitted by those that
feature in the pictures. The project was conducted in association with Lancaster
Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district
at the turn of the new Millennium. For more information on the project visit
the information page. If you find a caption is
wrong or there is a fault with the page please e-mail D
J Clark.
Date:
June 19th 2000
Location: Lancaster Cathedral
Photographer's Diary
Monday 19th June - Bishop Brewer's Funeral
30 bishops, hundreds of priests plus the general public was set to make this occasion big. I had known the Bishop quite well, photographing him, and making a video with him once. He was a lovely man, very down to earth but a great academic in his own right. He was sure to be missed.
Father Dennis, the Diocesan Communications officer had set me up to shoot for a pool of newspapers. He kept telling me how big it was going to be. I had wanted to photograph a funeral since the first day of the project and had half approached friends whose relatives had died. It was just too touchy and bad timing. This time I enquired and was welcomed as the official photographer for the day.
Gathering in the sun outside the Cathedral I mixed with the rest of the media and discussed the day ahead with other photographers. I felt very old fashioned with film in my camera, all the papers had gone digital including Lancaster and Morecambe newspapers who were shooting for the first time on brand new Nikon D1's.
I shot the priests coming in and then took my place in the organ loft. I was cursing the fact I had played football the night before as my bones were aching as I knelt on the floor. I shot the ceremony and then moved downstairs to wander a little. I had nothing special and hoped the procession to the grave would give me that opportunity. As they exited I ran up the hill and shot the procession walking. Still unhappy I moved to the graveside and sat by the grave hoping I would not be moved. I wasn't and the other photographers were blocked out as the priests encircled the tomb.
These were strong pictures which I rushed to Boots to process. An hour on they were picked up, rushed home and scanned to make the next days papers. It was a sad but somehow exhilarating experience. I hope the Bishop would not have minded.