What a honour to be asked to arrange flowers in Westminster Abbey and twice in eighteen months.
The first time I was asked I took Christine with me and we had to do the pedestals at the end of the quire stalls and they had to be tall and thin. The pedestals were 4’ high and when finished had to be 9’ tall – Christine is only 4’ 10” but we made it !
When we got to the Abbey we were met by Jane Rowton-Lee who is the co-ordinator for NAFAS. Everything would be supplied, all we had to take were our scissors and any extra foliage we thought we would require. The Devon and Cornwall Area was asked at short notice if members could help out with arranging flowers at Westminster Abbey for the feast of St Edward. The date coincided with the
National AGM in London and as a member of the Executive committee I was asked if I was able to do it and I said yes !
Jenny agreed to go as well so the train fares and hotel were booked. We arrived in London late afternoon and checked into our hotel and then decided to walk the mile to the Abbey to make sure we knew where we were going the next morning as our allotted time was 9.30am to 12noon.
A service delayed our start as did changing the altar cloths (our pedestals were by the high altar) but we used the time to de-foliate and de-thorn our flowers and also to visit the room immediately behind the altar which is the shrine of St Edward and not open to the public. Other flower arrangers did arrangements there in preparation for an evening service which the Prime Minister was due to attend.
Our flowers were the celebratory colours of yellow and white with delphiniums, longiflorum lisianthus, roses and big chrysanths.
The high altar was roped off so we weren’t disturbed by the many visitors there except for a man who was taking photos of the wider Abbey community for the archives so, if nothing else, we’ve gone down in history !! Jane took the obligatory photos of our arrangements as the public can not take photos in the Abbey and so it was time to bid farewell. We got the 4pm train and was back home at around 9.30pm.
The opportunity to arrange flowers in Westminster Abbey was an honour and a wonderful experience and one that I can thoroughly recommend – so if your asked – say YES.