On the eve of Corpus Christi the choristers of Durham Cathedral climbed the tower in their white surplices and sang the Te Deum from the top. Chambers said it was done in memory of the night in 1429 when lightning set the belfry on fire during midnight prayers, and the tower and bells came through almost unharmed, a deliverance put down to St Cuthbert.
The Te Deum on Durham’s tower
59 days after Easter · Durham Cathedral, County Durham
No longer kept
On the eve of the feast of Corpus Christi, to this day, the choristers of Durham Cathedral ascend the tower, and in their fluttering white robes sing the Te Deum.
From Chambers's Book of Days, vol. 2, p. 49. Read the original
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