Michael Till walked the ancient Pilgrims' Way from Canterbury to Winchester to begin his ministry as Dean of Winchester Cathedral.

He was welcomed at St Cross by cathedral precentor, Charles Stewart, who walked the last mile with him.

Nine years and more on, the dean and his wife, Tessa, took leave of colleagues. friends, and worshippers at a choral evensong and farewell in the packed cathedral. And fittingly, Canon Stewart played a part in the service.

It was the dean and Mrs Till's 40th wedding anniversary and the birthday of a grandson. And it was only days after the dean's 40th anniversary of ordination.

The dean, in the sermon, made clear that his life had been a journey and that the pilgrimage would go on. As he and Tessa prepared to go into retirement in Petworth, the dean, soon to be 70, talked about continuing his pilgrimage of encounter with others.

He spoke of people caring for and accompanying each other. "No-one is a triumph and no-one is a disaster. We are put together to get on as best we may. It's all pilgrimage. I have had a wonderful time here and want to thank you for the privilege of your company."

Bishop of Winchester, Michael Scott-Joynt, said he and his wife, Lou, would miss their "friends and neighbours", adding: "There is something larger than life about the two of you. This must be a unique way of spending your 40th wedding anniversary!"

The dean, Bishop Scott-Joynt said, had been at the helm through a period in which cathedrals had seen more radical change in structure of governance than for perhaps hundreds of years

"There have been all kinds of challenges and strains for you and your colleagues to work through. You kept the standard of worship to Anglicans' highest standards."

The bishop said the dean and his wife had transformed the deanery garden, while book sales organised by Tessa had raised £50,000 for L'Arche community for the mentally disabled and their carers. The dean had also given substantial time to diocesan work and for the deaf.

Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Mary Fagan, said: "For nine-and-a-half years, you have had guardianship of this great cathedral and you have hosted many important services. Such is your warmth of welcome that we have felt better after having been to them.

"The girls' choir has become a reality and both of you have shown a real vision to welcome people and children at visits and workshops in the cathedral. Tessa, you have shared your beautiful garden and raised thousands of pounds for the cathedral's musical endowment."

Archdeacon of Winchester, the Ven John Guille, said that in the dean's time, work had started on the cleaning and renovation of the cathedral vaulting. The girls' choir had come into being in 1999. A year later, the Paul Woodhouse Centre opened.

Plans for the development of The Close had just received the dean's signature and would go to the city planners this week. The dean also handed on a balanced budget. And a twinning agreement had been signed with the archdiocese of Florence.

Dean Till will be succeeded in March by the Very Revd James Atwell, Dean of St Edmundsbury. The archdeacon will become acting dean later this month.