other generous, and often long- standing, supporters, the project will provide larger and more accessible spaces over three floors. The South Transept will remain the location for main exhibitions, the Calefactory on the ground floor will be converted to display the Winchester Bible and a new ten person, all glass lift installed to provide access to the mezzanine level and the triforium with its awe- inspiring view across the cathedral. The funding model for these new construction projects has a different objective from the WW1 Cathedrals Fund set up in 2014 by Government. “We want as many of these buildings to be fully open to the public at a time when the nation comes together to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. So the focus is on repairs to keep buildings wind-proof, weather-tight and safe,” says Janet Gough, recent Director of the Cathedrals and Church Building Division of the Church of England. “Meanwhile Heritage Lottery funding can provide money for repairs and for new innovative projects in our ancient cathedrals and churches – for which a compelling case for need and business case is the key that can be considered when assessing any potential impact and harm to significant fabric and archeology.” graphene has encouraged research into the space elevator concept. Just a year ago, the Smithsonian Institute* in Washington reported how the notion of a space elevator continues to appeal, despite major technological obstacle and personality clashes and the cessation of funding from bodies such as NASA. Physicist Edwards, a key player in International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC) believes that the concept will continue to be viewed as a hobby until international support and coordination is obtained. The story of the people who have worked closely on the space elevator concept is told in a film called Sky Line released last year. Mosques The largest mosque in the world, the Great Mosque of Mecca, or Masjid al- Haram, in Saudi Arabia was founded in 630 and underwent two rebuildings in 1570 and 1629. But it is over the last sixty years that the mosque has expanded dramatically through four phased development plans. By the 1980s, the number of pilgrims had risen to more than a million a year, and to ease congestion during the hajj, escalators, pedestrian tunnels and passageways were built. Now the number of pilgrims has risen to two million and the fourth development phase is delivering a huge infrastructure programme including the construction of the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, a skyscraper complex adjacent to the Grand Mosque consisting of a multi- towered skyscraper on a 15 storey podium. The podium has 79 elevators and 111 extra heavy-duty escalators. The clock tower features 94 elevators and 16 extra heavy-duty escalators, and the six adjacent towers each have 12 elevators including two helipad elevators and six extra heavy- duty escalators. Regarded as Europe’s largest mosque, the Moscow Cathedral Mosque was reopened in 2015 after a four year reconstruction programme. Now 20 times larger than the original 1904 complex, it measures more 19,000 square metres and can accommodate 10,000 worshippers. Seven elevators serve the six storey temple. The same year that Moscow Cathedral Mosque re-opened, Britain’s largest mosque, the Faitul Butuh in Morden, South London was burnt down, just two years after it was completed in 2013. The 21,000 square-metre complex is now being rebuilt to a design by Robert McAslan & Partners – there are no plans for lifts or escalators. Synagogues The Jewish law preventing Jews from undertaking various forms of "work" on the Sabbath, including that they may not create sparks or fires, has in recent times been extrapolated to cover the operation of electrical equipment. This has led to the development of Shabbat elevators, which can work in several ways: stopping at every floor, stopping at alternate floors, or rising to the top floor and stopping while going down. The largest Shabbat-compliant lift outside Israel is installed in the Jewish Community Centre for London, which opened in 2013. The multimillion-pound project was conceived by Dame Vivien Duffield, who was inspired by New York’s Jewish Community Centre and committed £25million to launch it. Equipped with a Sabbath mode, the 21-person lift can function automatically at pre-programmed intervals, allowing observant Orthodox Jews to use it while refraining from operating electrical equipment. In buildings without Shabbat elevators, a non-Jew known as a Shabbos goy may be employed to Uplifting places around the world Continued overleaf >> * Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/p eople-are-still-trying-build-space-elevator- 180957877/#ujBXoO4jLCjlKADw.99 press the buttons and hold the door for Jewish people. In other words a bellhop who is not constrained by religious convention. This brings to Moscow Cathedral Mosque. È Opening up the treasure house at Winchester Cathedral. È The Jewish Community Centre, London. È LEIA ANNUAL REVIEW 2017