A CATHEDRAL which appeared in the Harry Potter films is selling stones from its wall to pay for its up keep.
The stones are being sold for prices ranging from £40 to £800 – with shipping already pre-planned for Sussex due to high interest from the county.
The auction, which is due to take place on November 21, is part of a fundraising drive for repairs and an expansion to Gloucester Cathedral.
It featured in the first three Harry Potter movies - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The cathedral philanthropy manager Sonia Bielaszewska said the stones are already in high demand, with eight out of ten stones already exceeding their original bidding price – largely due to the cathedral’s role in Harry Potter.
"We've received some really nice messages accompanying the bids from social media and emails. We've had a lovely mix of the local community, and historical buffs as always,” she said. "And initial bids that have been coming through have far exceeded our expectations.
''Obviously, Covid-19 has hit so many charities and cathedrals particularly hard. We've fortunately been able to raise a significant amount of money to get us through that period, but we have really ambitious plans for the next ten years for the cathedral so we've decided to be more innovative with our fundraising.
“We thought what a better way to connect them more physically to a building which they cherish so much by offering the opportunity to take a piece home.
"We have a really well-maintained pinnacle dating back to the 1950's which is decoratively beautiful which one of the bidders wants to display at the front of their house.
"Some of the stones are small enough to be a paperweight or to sit at the centre of your dining table as a conversation starter - other people want to display the stones in their gardens".
In the second Harry Potter movie, a scene featuring Moaning Myrtle and a flooded girls’ bathroom was filmed at the cathedral, as well as another with a warning written in blood.
Scenes filmed for the first movie were largely cut but included the poltergeist Peeves, played by Rick Mayall.
Sonia said due to recent renovations, the cathedral has built up a backlog of several stones, some of which date back 500 years.
The stones, which are in some cases up to 500-years-old, range from six by six inches to gargoyles weighing more than 200kg.
''As a cathedral, we typically keep some stones in the crypt for archive reasons and some for historical records,” she said
"So, we found ourselves in a position to essentially have an excess of stones that we needed to find a new home for.''
Bids for the stones have already been made from across the country, with shipping being pre-planned for sites in Sussex, south Wales and Cornwall.
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