The very Reverend Michael Sadgrove will retire as Dean of Durham on Sunday. (September 27). Mark Tallentire took tea in the Deanery

SITTING in the Deanery at Durham Cathedral, surrounded by walls crowded with books, ancient paintings and photographs of great churchmen of years gone by, one cannot but be struck by the history of the place.

The Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, whose home this is, is Durham Cathedral’s 38th or 39th Dean, depending on how you count, in an unbroken line going back to the Henry VIII and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Before that, there were priors – going back to the founding of the Cathedral in 1093AD, and, before that, to Lindisfarne, St Cuthbert and St Aidan.

It’s quite a heritage. It would be easy to let it all get to one’s head. The Dean agrees. “I could see all this and I think: ‘I must be somebody’,” the London-born, Oxford-educated cleric says. “And then I think of Cuthbert.”

One of the marks of the retiring 65-year-old’s 12 years at Durham Cathedral has been the promotion of the 7th century hermit bishop, whose sacred bones Durham Cathedral was built to house.

In 2005, Cuthbert’s name was restored to the Cathedral’s official title, now the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin, and St Cuthbert, of Durham, for the first time since Henry VIII expunged the saint 450 years ago. It was Dean Sadgrove who made the application.

“He lived an incredibly simple life. He constantly reminds me of what matters most. I love Durham Cathedral, but what matters most is spiritual humility and Christian service.”

The Dean-to-be, formerly a theology lecturer, vicar in Alnwick, Vice-Provost at Coventry Cathedral and Dean at Sheffield Cathedral, arrived in Durham on March 18, 2003, by his favourite form of transport, the train, and was installed in post two days later – St Cuthbert’s Day and the day the US-led coalition invaded Iraq.

In the 12 years since, a period covered by four bishops of Durham, there have been many happy times, such as the historic decision to welcome female choristers for the first time, in 2009. “It was new ground for Durham,” the Dean says, “But what I’m especially proud of is that we had girls alongside boys with the same opportunities.”

There was the return of the Lindisfarne Gospels, created at Lindisfarne and dedicated to Cuthbert, to Durham in 2013. “It was a wonderful summer. It was great to have the Gospels back in Durham where, historically and spiritually, they belong.”

And there was the moment the Dean walked his daughter Joanna down the Cathedral aisle to be married. “Really moving,” the proud father of the bride recalls.

There have also been difficult times: the death of master glass painter Michael Lassen following a fall while working on a new cathedral window; allegations of historic sexual abuse at The Chorister School.

There were chances to move on: he was once asked to consider becoming a bishop, he reveals, but says: “I really didn’t have any conviction in my heart of hearts it was the right kind of ministry for me.”

Looking ahead, the Cathedral is “on the brink of something incredibly exciting”, the Dean says. The £10m Open Treasure project will create world-class exhibition spaces in the Monks’ Dormitory. But, the Dean says: “The real treasure we are opening is the treasure of the Cathedral’s life, community and spirituality. Ultimately, it’s the treasure of the Gospel itself.”

There are challenges on the horizon. The 900-year-old Norman building is incredibly expensive to maintain and, the Dean estimates, more than £20m will be needed over the next generation. Given that potential bill, it is perhaps one of the Cathedral’s biggest achievements of recent years to have maintained free admission. Charging would generate around £2m a year, “addressing our financial challenges at a stroke,” the Dean says. But he adds: “This is God’s space, not our space, and God doesn’t charge for admission – God welcomes us freely.

“The Cathedral should be a place of open doors, welcome and hospitality. We want the Cathedral to be embedded in the life of the city and region, and the people of the region to own it as their place.”

So what does an ex-Dean do in retirement? “I don’t really know,” he laughs, many of his possessions having already been moved to his new home in Haydon Bridge, Northumberland. “I want to be useful to the church and community. I’ve got a bit of energy left.” That might be expended on, among other things, volunteering, consultancy, charity work, spending time with his wife Jenny, children and grandchildren, playing the piano, taking photographs, writing and walking.

“I will miss the daily Evensong most,” he says. His last will be Sunday, September 27, when he is the preacher. “I’m not looking forward to the realisation that this is the last time I shall be doing this at Durham Cathedral. “I’ll be immensely sad to leave. But the cathedral will always be a part of me. I’m not leaving it behind, I’m taking it with me.”

CANON David Kennedy will serve as Acting Dean until a replacement is named later this year or early next year.