On Tuesday at 1.30pm, an unofficial flag-raising ceremony took place at Bath Abbey as the flag from the top of the Tower was replaced with a new one.
The flag flown from Bath Abbey bears the arms of the Diocese of Bath and Wells shown in the top left hand canton of the St George flag. In 1938, the Earl Marshal of England laid down that the proper flag to be flown on any church within the two Provinces of Canterbury and York is the Cross of St George with the arms of the see in the first quarter.
Charles Curnock from Bath Abbey said: “The Bath & Wells Diocesan flag is flown from the top of the Abbey Tower every day come wind, rain or shine. Unfortunately this has meant it has taken quite a bit of battering over the years from Mother Nature, and despite several repairs is now looking worse for wear.
“One of the people who has made a point of mentioning this to us was Nick Brooks-Sykes, Chief Exec of Bath Tourism Plus, so we invited Nick to help us raise the new and larger version.”
Nick Brooks-Sykes, Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus, said: “From a visitor’s perspective, the Abbey is one of Bath’s most iconic, ‘must see’ buildings. Bath Tourism Plus has a particularly strong partnership with the Abbey, working closely together around events and festivals, including the Christmas Market.
“I was very pleased to be offered the honour of raising the new flag. I am now on a mission to see how we can encourage other buildings in the city to follow suit and fly the flag for Bath!“