Southwell Minster's favourite cathedral treasures win is big boost

The Leaves decorate the minster's chapter house - originally used for church meetings

The dean of a cathedral which won a national competition to find the country's favourite treasure has said the recognition is a big boost.

Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire took top spot in a public vote with its intricate 700-year-old carvings, known as The Leaves.

The sculptures, which feature real and mythical creatures, finished ahead of treasures from Peterborough and Derby.

The Very Rev Nicola Sullivan said the carvings had "amazing significance".

The Green Man is a reoccurring theme among the leaves

The competition was run by the Association of English Cathedrals which asked 50 cathedrals in England and Wales to nominate an item or feature from within the building.

Other nominated treasures included Salisbury's copy of the Magna Carta and and the Astronomical Clock at Wells.

The earliest treasure, Ripon Cathedral's ancient crypt of St Wilfrid dates to 672 AD while newest was the Newport Cathedral Rood, by Singaporean artist Tay Swee Siong, which was installed in 2020.

The Leaves, carved in the 13th Century, decorate Southwell's chapter house and also include a series of human, animal and mythical figures and faces.

The Southwell carvings include detailed animals, both fantastic and real

Dean Sullivan said: "We have got something of amazing significance right here on our doorstep and we just want people to enjoy it.

"So it has given us a big boost and made us rightfully proud of this heritage which still speaks to us today.

"I come in most days and I always spot something new and you just think how many hours, days, years the stone masons must have taken."

The vote was inspired by Janet Gough, lecturer and advisor on historic churches and cathedrals, who put together a book called Deans' Choice: Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales.

The Bakewell Screen is an early example of Industrial Revolution era ironwork

She said: "For eight years I was director of cathedrals and church buildings and obviously I spent quite a bit of time visiting these extraordinary buildings.

"I expected to see great architecture and of course great worship, music and history.

"But the thing that completely surprised me was the number of treasures and I don't think people realise that."

Derby's Bakewell Screen, which claimed third place, is an ornate iron gateway dating from the early 18th Century.

Very Rev Dr Peter Robinson, Dean of Derby, said: "It dates from the time of the Industrial Revolution - the Silk Mill just next door was being built at the same time.

"The screen roots us in that period, it roots us in Derby's history."