Choir Tour to Belgium

The Cathedral Choir embarked on a six-day tour of Belgium during half term, with a busy programme of concerts, sightseeing and opportunities to experience some of the country’s fascinating history.

Our first concert was held at St Catherine’s Church in Hasselt. Before the concert, we were given a very interesting tour of Herkenrode Abbey, which has a special connection with Lichfield Cathedral. Some of the beautiful stained-glass windows now in the Lady Chapel were originally at Herkenrode Abbey and were purchased by Brooke Boothby in 1802 for £200, following the dissolution of the abbey and the buildings being converted into a factory.

Our hosts at Herkenrode generously treated us to a delicious lunch in a beautiful converted barn, which was enjoyed by the children almost as much as the adults. The sun was shining so the children took advantage to have some time out in the fresh air and the chance for a little bit of retail therapy in the little gift shop! The evening concert at St Catherine’s was exceptionally well received by a very large audience.

On Sunday, the choir sang Mass in the beautiful Basilica of Tongeren, before travelling to Philippeville Parish Church for an afternoon concert. After a full day of singing and travelling, we returned to our accommodation for an evening of games and some well-deserved downtime.

The next day we travelled to Brussels, where we explored the city before rehearsing in the magnificent setting of Brussels Cathedral. The Cathedral provided the most wonderful acoustics for our afternoon concert, and it was lovely to see so many of our chorister parents in the audience!

After the concert, we travelled to Lo-Reninge, where we checked into our accommodation for the remainder of the tour. On our last full day, we had time to explore the small town of Lo and climb the church tower. Quite a few of us were very proud of our achievement in reaching the top, and the views almost made up for the fear! Of course, we still had to get back down again!

We then travelled to Ypres, where the children were keen to sample some delicious Belgian hot chocolate before visiting the Flanders Fields Museum, an incredibly moving and thought-provoking experience.

We ended the day and the tour with the tremendous honour of singing at the daily Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate and laying a wreath on behalf of the Choir, Lichfield Cathedral and the School. This was a deeply moving experience and a very special moment for the choir, creating memories that we will treasure for years to come.