The English Cathedral

In 2008 Peter Marlow was commissioned by Royal Mail on the 300th year anniversary of the completion of St Paul’s Cathedral to photograph six cathedrals. These were to be issued as commemorative stamps.

Peter was inspired to continue this pilgrimage and capture all 42 cathedrals of the Church of England using only natural light. This formed an ethereal collection of images, comparing and contrasting the architectural nuances of the Anglican Cathedrals.

The images appear deceptively simple in their composition and technical set-up. It was after much experimentation that Peter developed the perfect strategy to document these huge interior spaces and to highlight the many varied architectural nuances between the buildings. Shooting on large format film using only natural light, he set up in the same position at nearly all of the cathedrals - looking east towards the nave and altar as the dawn light streamed through the main window. By ensuring all artificial lighting was turned off, a rarity in many of these buildings whose lights remain on constantly, he captured the cathedrals emerging from the darkness as if suspended in time and removed from the modern age.

Peter’s remarkable photographs bring into sharp relief the full splendour of the interiors of some of England’s most magnificent buildings, great symbols of spiritual and architectural power.

About Peter Marlow

Peter Marlow (1952 - 2016) was a renowned, internationally recognised photojournalist, a two-time President of the international photography cooperative, Magnum Photos of which he was a full member since 1986. He was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 2006 and his work is held in 12 public collections worldwide.

His professional work as a photographer spanned 41 years and 84 countries, capturing major world events for prestigious magazines and newspapers and his personal long form projects.

Peter Marlow, Southwark Cathedral, 2010 © Peter Marlow Foundation / Magnum Photos