With Christmas now on the horizon, Knowsley has confirmed an exclusive concert that will make it a particularly special festive time for the borough.
The world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge will host a special carol evening concert in Prescot Parish Church on Saturday 17 December.
Christmas with Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is a major coup for Prescot and will also be the last event for Knowsley’s year as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture, marking the end of the celebrations.
The concert in Prescot will be led by the Choir’s Director of Music, Daniel Hyde, and will be one of only two of the Choir’s performances outside of Cambridge during the festive period, alongside their London concert at the Barbican on 21 December.
As well as traditional carols, there will also be the opportunity for the audience to join in and sing along.
Hosting the Choir in Prescot is a fitting celebration of its unique bond with King’s College, Cambridge. Founded by Henry VI, the college was granted his land in Prescot, which made King’s College the Lord of the Manor and Rectory of Prescot. To this day, King’s College is responsible for appointing every new vicar of Prescot, and the town shares the College’s crest.
Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council commented:
“Prescot’s link to King’s College, Cambridge isn’t widely known – certainly not outside of the town itself. As part of our year as Borough of Culture, we wanted to make sure we could tell this fascinating story and celebrate this connection in some way.
“The Choir is known all over the world and it is wonderful to think they will come to Knowsley and create such a magical experience for us at Christmas.
“And what a way to bring a close to our fantastic year of culture for Knowsley. A year that has been filled with art, music, literature, performance, dance, sport and so much more! And we’ll certainly finish on a high with this magnificent concert.”
How to book tickets
Tickets for this concert are available here. You can book online, or a limited number of tickets will be available to buy in person at Prescot Registrars Office. Details will be announced soon.
The History of Prescot and Kings College Cambridge
For centuries, Prescot and King’s College, Cambridge have enjoyed a special connection, with a unique shared history dating back to the 1440s.
King’s College, Cambridge was founded by Henry VI who subsequently granted the college his land in Prescot, along with the income from tithes and rents. As well as providing financial support to the college, the gift also officially made the College the Lord of the Manor and Rectory of Prescot. The Court Leet, an early form of local government, was set up to run the town on their behalf. King’s College holds the title to this day retaining the responsibility for appointing every new vicar of Prescot, and the town shares the College’s crest.
Hundreds of years of records and correspondence between the College, the vicars of Prescot and the Court Leet have captured the story of the town. This bank of knowledge has been invaluable to historians’ research and supported the development of the Shakespeare North Playhouse.
About the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Founded in the fifteenth century, the Choir is one of the world’s best known with millions of people worldwide tuning in to The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols – a service broadcast on Christmas Eve by the BBC since 1928. The Choir is made up of 16 choristers aged between 9 and 13 years old and 14 undergraduates from Cambridge. You can find out more here www.kings.cam.ac.uk/choir.
