NETTING has been installed in Winchester Cathedral after the vaulted ceiling over the nave began to crumble.
Two weeks ago, on Friday, August 9, some pieces of mortar from previous repair work fell down from the vault near the stained glass window by the cathedral's entrance.
No one was hurt and an expert confirmed that the ceiling's original stone was fully intact before the netting was installed and the reception desk has been "slightly rearranged".
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The cathedral released the following statement: "Further inspection later last Friday revealed that it wasn’t stone from the building, but a few pieces of mortar from an old repair that had fallen. Thanks to the prompt action of cathedral staff, we were able to get the netting up quickly to ensure the safety of everyone entering the building. The reception desk has also been slightly rearranged. More inspection work was carried out yesterday and it revealed that the mortar came from a window repair on the south side of the Cathedral.
"Work now begins to inspect the rest of the windows in that part of the Cathedral further to identify any other similar mortar repairs that may need attention. In the meantime the netting will stay in place until the full assessment has been completed."
The Chronicle has contacted the cathedral for further comment.
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