Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool
Posted by: 
Norfolk12
N 53° 23.826 W 002° 58.350
30U E 501828 N 5916446
This large Cathedral dominates the Liverpool skyline,along with the Roman Catholic Cathedral which is nearby.
Waymark Code: WM3QCV
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/04/2008
Views: 86
Liverpool Cathedral is the Church of England cathedral of Liverpool, England, built on St. James' Mount in the centre of the city. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool.
The Anglican cathedral is one of the two cathedrals in the city. The other, the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Liverpool, is situated around a mile to the north. Appropriately, in view of the divisions within Christianity, and particularly between the Anglican and Catholic Communions, the cathedrals are linked by Hope Street.
John Charles Ryle was installed as the first Bishop of Liverpool in 1880, but the diocese had no cathedral, merely a "pro-cathedral" in the rather ordinary parish church of St. Peter's, Liverpool. Following much debate, church and civic leaders agreed a new cathedral should be built and in 1902 held an open competition to select a design.
For architects, this was a very significant event; not only was it to be one of the largest building projects of the 20th century, but this was only the third opportunity to build an Anglican cathedral in England following the Reformation of the 16th century (St. Paul's Cathedral being the first, rebuilt from scratch after the Great Fire of London in 1666, and Truro Cathedral being the second, built in the 19th century).
The competition attracted over 100 entries including designs from noted architects such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Charles Herbert Reilly. In 1903 the assessors, George Bodley and Norman Shaw, selected a proposal submitted by the 22-year-old student Giles Gilbert Scott despite the fact that he had no previous buildings to his credit. The choice of winner was even more contentious with the cathedral committee when it was discovered that Scott was a Roman Catholic, but the decision stood. (Ironically and conversely, the original architect of the Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool, Sir Edwin Lutyens, was an Anglican.)
Drawing of Gilbert Scott's original twin towered design
The Lady Chapel was the first part of the cathedral to be completed. It is noticeably more elaborate than the rest of the cathedral and retains features of Scott's original Gothic design, whilst also showing the influence of George Frederick Bodley.Although young, Scott was steeped in ecclesiastical design and well versed in the Gothic revival style with his grandfather, George Gilbert Scott, and father both designing numerous churches. Due to Scott's inexperience, the cathedral committee appointed Bodley to oversee the detailed architectural design and building work. Bodley and Scott's collaboration, however, was a stormy one, with Scott reportedly verging on resigning before Bodley's death in 1907.The foundation stone was laid by King Edward VII in 1904, with the first element, the Lady Chapel, opening in 1910. It was at this time that Scott, free of Bodley and growing in confidence, submitted an entirely new design for the remaining (main) part of the structure. Scott's original design was based on Durham Cathedral and had two towers at the west end, the revised plan called for a single central, exceptionally tall tower topped with a lantern. At the same time Scott change the style somewhat, losing much of the gothic detailing and introducing a significantly more modern, monumental style, even incorporating elements from Rennie Mackintosh's competition entry. The cathedral committee approved the new plans, which also made the cathedral's interior much more spacious. With the altar completed, the church was consecrated in 1924, but regular services were not held until 1940. Construction of the tower was finished in 1942, but the Second World War and inflation slowed work and the completion of the building only came in 1978; too late for Scott, who died in 1960 .
The interior of the cathedral, looking up in to the vault below the central belltower.Liverpool Cathedral occupies a total area of 9,600 square metres and was built mainly of sandstone quarried from the Liverpool suburb of Woolton. The cathedral's belltower is the largest, and also one of the tallest in the world (see List of tallest churches in the world), rising to a height of 100 metres. It houses the highest (66 metres) and heaviest (31 tonnes) ringing peal of bells in the world. One of the cathedral's stained glass windows shows the artisans who designed and built it — Bodley and Scott are both shown, sitting together.
The cathedral's west window. The uppermost window is the Benedicite window.Admission to the cathedral is free but with a suggested donation of £3. It is open daily year-round from 8 am to 6 pm, and regular services are held every Sunday.
Currently there are plans to link the Cathedral to Hope Street via a bridge over St James Mount and Gardens. This will connect to the north porch, which was originally intended as the main entrance and currently contains a refectory.
Recent events
From summer 2007 on, Liverpool Cathedral will play host to The Liverpool Shakespeare Festival - an annual theatrical highlight introduced with a season of Macbeth from 16 August to 8 September.
On 6 September 2007 the funeral of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was killed in a street-violence incident at Croxteth, took place at the cathedral. The service, presided over by the Bishop, the Right Reverend James Jones was attended by thousands of mourners inside and around the cathedral.
info : taken from wikipedia
Address:
St James Mount
Liverpool L1 7AZ
Religious affiliation: Anglican
Date founded or constructed: built between 1904–1978
Web site: [Web Link]
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