Good Knight, Sir Terry

This year is the 800th anniversary of King John's barons forcing him to accept the Magna Carta, a document which aimed to curb his tyrannical rule. Magna Carta is undeniably significant in the development of ideas of law, justice and human rights, so 2015 has seen many events aimed at encouraging people to learn more about it and its relevance to the modern world.

This week, I had the pleasure of visiting Salisbury Cathedral, which is hosting 25 of the Baron's Charter statues before they're auctioned off this Thursday in aid of the Trussell Trust. These incredible, life-sized noblemen were designed by local artists to reflect a range of historic and local themes.

One of the most popular - one which I hope will raise a great deal of money for the charity - was a tribute to the late Sir Terry Pratchett, who lived near Salisbury.  Created by Paul Kidby, the talented artist who has been illustrating Sir Terry's Discworld books since 2002, it featured a portrait of the author and a myriad of his famous characters.

If you're feeling flush, don't miss the auction at 6.30pm in Salisbury Cathedral on Thursday 1st October 2015. If not, there's still time to get face-to-face with this brilliant baron and his brethren before they go under the hammer.  Visit the Baron's Charter website to find out more.

 

 

  

Related Links

Paul Kidby's website
The Baron's Charter website
The Magna Carta 800 website
Salisbury Cathedral

UPDATE

The auction raised over £223,000 and someone bought the Discworld Baron for a fantastic £5000.  Congratulations to the lucky bidder and great job to everyone involved.