'Christian hub' plan for priceless Gospels

Mar 7 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

CULTURE secretary Andy Burnham was urged to back plans to bring the Lindisfarne Gospels “home” when he met a high-powered delegation from the region yesterday.

On a visit to Beamish Museum in County Durham, he was told of a proposal to create a “sub-section” of the British Library attached to Durham University on the city’s Palace Green, where the priceless manuscripts could form a “Christian hub”.

The plan, supported by the university and by North East MPs, also has the backing of the head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.

But the British Library, in St Pancras, London, remained resolutely against the suggestion last night.

Sir Colin Lucas, chairman of the British Library Board, said: “The Lindisfarne Gospels are of fundamental importance to a heritage that reaches far beyond the region in which the manuscript was produced.

“Visitors and scholars come to the British Library to view and study it as one of an unparalleled collection of devotional manuscripts which form the foundation literature both of Christianity and other great religions. The British Library Board would be seriously derelict in its obligation to provide access to these manuscripts for people of all faiths and nationalities, if we allowed this collection to be broken up by removing one of its greatest treasures.”

Nevertheless, Mr Burnham refused to rule out the proposal yesterday and one of the MPs who attended the meeting, North Durham’s Kevan Jones, described it as “very positive”. The Culture Secretary met a delegation including Mr Jones, Sharon Hodgson, MP for Gateshead East and Washington West, and Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods, as well as Prof Chris Higgins, the vice-chancellor of Durham University, and representatives from the Northumbrian Association and the NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

Mr Jones said afterwards: “The meeting was very positive. We were able to outline our proposal for a sub-section of the British Library to be based in Durham, on what is already a World Heritage Site.

“The Gospels would be an integral part of a Christian hub which would encompass Durham Cathedral, St Cuthbert’s Church in Chester-le-Street, Bede’s World in Jarrow and Lindisfarne in Northumberland.”

Mr Burnham said: “I will certainly try to facilitate talks. I am very much aware of how much the Gospels mean to the North East.”

Ms Blackman-Woods said she had noticed a recent “shifting of opinion” in favour of transferring the Gospels to the North East.

For previous stories on the Lindisfarne Gospels, click the links below

Gospel truth is treasures CAN be loaned out

British Library emails show resistance to return Lindisfarne Gospels

‘It’s too remote for Gospels, Up North’