--- title: This Cathedral Built an Entire Fairground Ride Inside description: The Norwich Cathedral has put up a 50-foot-tall Helter Skelter ride inside the nave to get visitors to experience something different. canonical: https://time.com/5648787/helter-skelter-cathedral/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-08-09T16:55:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:59:52.466Z og:title: This Cathedral Builds Entire Fairground Ride Inside to Make Things More Fun og:description: The Norwich Cathedral is now home to a giant helter skelter ride og:url: https://time.com/5648787/helter-skelter-cathedral/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c106dd964020fd5/698a012a97cdff2b246b95e2/norwich-cathedral-helter-skelter.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Helter skelter installed inside Norwich Cathedral og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Cathedral Builds Entire Fairground Ride Inside to Make Things More Fun twitter:description: The Norwich Cathedral is now home to a giant helter skelter ride twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c106dd964020fd5/698a012a97cdff2b246b95e2/norwich-cathedral-helter-skelter.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Cathedral Built a 50-Foot Fairground Ride Inside to Make Everything More Fun > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 9, 2019 4:55 PM UTC  People view a 40ft helter skelter installed inside Norwich Cathedral as part of the Seeing It Differently project which aims to give people the chance to experience the Cathedral in an entirely new way. People view a 40ft helter skelter installed inside Norwich Cathedral as part of the Seeing It Differently project which aims to give people the chance to experience the Cathedral in an entirely new way. Joe Giddens—PA Images/Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 9, 2019 4:55 PM UTC [Cathedrals](https://time.com/5634240/notre-dame-fire-france-battle/) are known to induce awe. Sometimes they produce amazement. A feeling of celebration? At [some moments](https://time.com/4051112/live-watch-pope-francis-celebrate-mass-at-the-cathedral-basilica-of-st-peter-and-paul/). But what about fairground-style, straight-up fun? The Norwich Cathedral in Norfolk, England rolled with that concept this week, when they built a giant, 50-foot-tall helter skelter [fairground ride](https://time.com/5624284/why-do-people-eat-state-fair-food/) directly inside the church’s nave, allowing visitors to ride up and see the Cathedral’s detailed wooden ceiling and medieval architecture more closely. It’s part of an initiative called [“seeing it differently”](https://www.englishcathedrals.co.uk/news/2019/08/seeing-differently-ride-50-foot-helter-skelter/) that aims to help tourists and churchgoers access a new part of their visiting experience. And it’s certainly got people talking. “The fun comes in the shape of a helter skelter. The serious comes in creating opportunities for reflective, God-shaped conversations,” [wrote Reverend Canon Andy Bryant](https://www.cathedral.org.uk/about/blog/detail/our-blog/2019/01/28/Seeing-it-Differently-blog) about the installation, which was inspired by his time spent as a tourist in the Sistine Chapel. “It is playful in its intent but also profoundly missional. It is the Cathedral doing what it has always done – encouraging conversations about God.” Not everyone agrees. The Right Reverend Dr. Gavin Ashenden [told the BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-49292493) he saw the ride as a “naff” choice. “For such a place, steeped in mystery and marvel to buy in to sensory pleasure and distraction, is to poison the very medicine it offers the human soul,” he said. Luckily for the naysayers, the helter skelter isn’t a permanent church fixture, just a temporary addition open through Aug. 18\. It’s joined by activities like a “trust rail” and a “walking Salvation tour.” It all sounds like it’s sure to be a unique religious experience. > [](https://twitter.com/Nrw%5FCathedral/status/1159395574895923200) > [](https://twitter.com/Nrw%5FCathedral/status/1159709278766272512) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5648787/helter-skelter-cathedral/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5648787/helter-skelter-cathedral/"},"headline":"This Cathedral Built a 50-Foot Fairground Ride Inside to Make Everything More Fun","datePublished":"2019-08-09T16:55:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:59:52.466Z","description":"It's supposed be both fun and serious","url":"https://time.com/5648787/helter-skelter-cathedral/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","Bizarre","architecture","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c106dd964020fd5/698a012a97cdff2b246b95e2/norwich-cathedral-helter-skelter.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c106dd964020fd5/698a012a97cdff2b246b95e2/norwich-cathedral-helter-skelter.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Helter skelter installed inside Norwich Cathedral","caption":"Helter skelter installed inside Norwich Cathedral","creditText":"Joe Giddens—PA Images/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5648787/helter-skelter-cathedral/","name":"This Cathedral Built a 50-Foot Fairground Ride Inside to Make Everything More Fun"}}]}] ```