The Office of the Prime Minister has announced today that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Andrew Tremlett, MA, MPhil, PGCCE, Canon of Westminster, to be appointed to the Deanery of the Cathedral Church of Durham, on the resignation of the Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, MA, on 31 December 2015.
The Dean of Durham is pivotal to the mission of Durham Cathedral, providing a leadership role to over 100 members of staff and more than 700 volunteers. The Cathedral was founded in 995 when the community of St Cuthbert arrived in Durham establishing a church and shrine, which was later replaced by the Norman Cathedral, which forms part of the UNESCO Durham World Heritage Site. Today the Cathedral continues to thrive as a living place of worship, welcome and hospitality.
Canon Tremlett says, “I am delighted to have the opportunity of becoming the next Dean of Durham, in a Cathedral rooted in the ancient Christian heritage of the North East and committed to serving the wider communities of the Diocese of Durham and the North East region.
“Durham Cathedral is a huge draw for me to the region – you can feel the presence of all those thousands of pilgrims over many centuries at St Cuthbert’s Shrine who have gone before you. And beyond the city, the North East is an area of great natural diversity: the beauty of the North Pennines and the regenerated Durham Heritage Coast will be new territory to explore. As someone who grew up in the port city of Plymouth and worked in the docks of Rotterdam, I’m also looking forward to getting to know the industrial and maritime areas on the Wear, Tyne and Tees.
“It’s also great to be joining the Cathedral at such an exciting time when its Open Treasure project is coming to fruition and I look forward to working with new colleagues to make the most of this new venture to draw in visitors and pilgrims alike.
“The past five years in Westminster Abbey have been full of national and international occasions: the Royal Wedding of 2011 and the 2014 Vigil commemorating the outbreak of World War One stand out as unforgettable highlights. I will be sorry to say goodbye to wonderful colleagues and many friends. I have particularly enjoyed developing contacts with Parliament, Whitehall and other faith communities. Moving to the North East, I very much hope to continue engaging with people involved in politics, business, local government and the charitable sector.”
The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Paul Butler welcomes the news, “I am delighted that Andrew Tremlett has been appointed as the next Dean of Durham. He brings enormous experience of both cathedral and major church life to the role. He has great gifts in engaging with public life alongside the worship and teaching responsibilities that fall to a Dean. I know that he will see joining in with God’s mission as top priority. I very much look forward to him, and his family, joining us as together we seek to ‘Bless our Communities in Jesus’ name for the transformation of us all.’”
Canon Tremlett has a rich and varied background from parish roles to serving at Bristol Cathedral and latterly Westminster Abbey.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall says, “Andrew Tremlett’s ministry in his five years as Canon of Westminster and Rector of St Margaret’s Church Westminster Abbey, and latterly as Sub-Dean, has greatly extended the relationship between the Abbey and our neighbours around Parliament Square and beyond. He has been the driving force in the establishment of the Westminster Abbey Institute and its first chairman. Just over a hundred years ago Andrew Tremlett’s predecessor as Canon of Westminster and Rector of St Margaret’s, Hensley Henson, became Dean of Durham at about the same age. We congratulate Andrew and the Diocese, County and City of Durham on his appointment as Dean of Durham. Whilst we shall miss the major contribution Andrew has made to the mission of the Abbey, we wish him, his wife Ali and all their family every blessing and happiness for the future.”
The exact date of Canon Tremlett’s installation as Dean of Durham is yet to be confirmed but will be summer 2016.
Canon David Kennedy, Acting Dean of Durham, and Precentor says, “We are thrilled with the appointment of Canon Tremlett and look forward to welcoming him to the Cathedral as Dean of Durham. We lost a wonderful colleague on the retirement of the Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, but are delighted that someone of the calibre of Canon Tremlett has been appointed. Under his leadership the Cathedral looks forward to continuing to enrich the ways in which it engages with people and organisations, deepening the contribution it makes to the life of the North East region.”
