| Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King | |
 Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Mount Pleasant | |
  Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Shown within Liverpool | |
| 53°24′17″N2°58′08″W / 53.4047°N 2.9688°W /53.4047; -2.9688 | |
| Location | Liverpool, England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Sir Edwin Lutyens Sir Frederick Gibberd |
| Architectural type | Modern |
| Groundbreaking | 1962 |
| Completed | 1967 |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 84.86m[1] |
| Diameter | 59.43m |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province of Liverpool |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Liverpool |
| Clergy | |
| Bishops | |
| Provost | Canon Anthony O'Brien |
| Dean | Canon Anthony O'Brien |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Dr Christopher McElroy |
| Organists |
|
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as theMetropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King[2] and locally nicknamed "Paddy's Wigwam" or "The Mersey Funnel",[3][4] is theseat of theArchbishop of Liverpool and themother church of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool inLiverpool, England.[5][6] The Grade I Metropolitan Cathedral is one of Liverpool's manylisted buildings.
The cathedral'sarchitect,Frederick Gibberd, was the winner of a worldwidedesign competition. Construction began in 1962 and was completed in 1967. Earlier designs for a cathedral were proposed in 1933 and 1953, but neither was completed.
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Pugin’s design atchristophermcelroy.org.First design for Liverpool’s catholic cathedral, byEdward Pugin, 1853 |
During theGreat Irish Famine (1845–1852) theCatholic population ofLiverpool increased dramatically. About half a millionIrish, who were predominantly Catholic, fled to England to escape the famine; many embarked from Liverpool to travel to North America while others remained in the city.[7] Because of the increase in the Catholic population,[dubious –discuss] theco-adjutorBishop of Liverpool,Alexander Goss (1814–1872), saw the need for a cathedral. The location he chose was the grounds ofSt. Edward's College on St. Domingo Road,Everton.[8]
In 1853 Goss, then bishop, awarded the commission for the building of the new cathedral toEdward Welby Pugin (1833–1875).[9] By 1856 theLady chapel of the new cathedral had been completed. Due to financial resources being diverted to the education of Catholic children, work on the building ceased at this point and the Lady chapel – now named Our Lady Immaculate – served asparish church to the local Catholic population until its demolition in the 1980s.[10]
Following the purchase of the 9-acre (36,000 m2) formerBrownlow Hill workhouse site in 1930,[8]Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944) was commissioned to provide a design which would be an appropriate response to theGiles Gilbert Scott-designedNeo-gothicAnglican cathedral then partially complete further alongHope Street.[11]
Lutyens' design was intended to create a massive structure that would have become the second-largest church in the world. It would have had the world's largestdome, with a diameter of 168 feet (51 m) compared to the 137.7 feet (42.0 m) diameter onSt. Peter's Basilica inVatican City.[12] Building work based on Lutyens' design began onWhit Monday, 5 June 1933,[12] being paid for mostly by the contributions ofworking class Catholics of the burgeoning industrial port.[13] In 1941, the restrictions ofWorld War IIwartime and a rising cost from £3 million to £27 million[14] (£1.69 billion in 2023),[15] forced construction to stop. In 1956, work recommenced on thecrypt, which was finished in 1958. Thereafter, Lutyens' design for the cathedral was considered too costly and was abandoned with only the crypt complete.[12] The restored architectural model of the Lutyens cathedral is on display at theMuseum of Liverpool.[16]
After the ambitious design by Lutyens fell through,Adrian Gilbert Scott, brother ofSir Giles Gilbert Scott (architect of the Anglican Cathedral), was commissioned in 1953 to work on a smaller cathedral design with a £4 million budget (£141 million in 2023).[15] He proposed a scaled-down version of Lutyens' building, retaining the massive dome. Scott's plans were criticised and the building did not go ahead.[8]
The present Cathedral was designed bySir Frederick Gibberd (1908–84). Construction began in October 1962 and less than five years later, on theFeast of Pentecost 14 May 1967, the completed cathedral wasconsecrated.[8] Soon after its opening, it began to exhibit architectural flaws. This led the cathedral authorities to sue Frederick Gibberd for £1.3 million on five counts, the two most serious being leaks in thealuminium roof covering and defects in themosaic tiles, which had begun to come away from the concrete ribs.[17] The design has been described byStephen Bayley as "a thin and brittle take on anOscar Niemeyeroriginal in Brasilia,"[18] thoughNikolaus Pevsner notes that the resemblance is only superficial.[19] A grade II*listing was given to the Lutyens crypt in 1975, which was amended to include the entire cathedral in 1994.[20] The listing was upgraded to grade I in 2025.[21][22]
The competition to design the cathedral was held in 1959. The requirement was first, seating for a congregation of 3,000 (later reduced to 2,000) all with direct line of sight to thealtar, so they could be more involved in the celebration of theMass; and, second, for the existing Lutyens crypt to be incorporated in the structure. Gibberd achieved these requirements by designing a circular building with thealtar at its centre, and by transforming the roof of the crypt into an elevated platform, with the cathedral standing at one end.[23] The construction contract was let toTaylor Woodrow.[24]
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The cathedral is built in concrete with aPortland stone cladding and an aluminium covering to the roof.[25] Its plan is circular, having a diameter of 195 feet (59 m), with 13 chapels around its perimeter.[26] The shape of the cathedral is conical, and it is surmounted by a tower in the shape of atruncated cone.[25] The building is supported by 16 boomerang-shaped concretetrusses which are held together by two ring beams, one at the bends of the trusses and the other at their tops.Flying buttresses are attached to the trusses, giving the cathedral its tent-like appearance. Rising from the upper ring beam is a lantern tower, containing windows of stained glass, and at its peak is a crown ofpinnacles.[26]
The entrance is at the top of a wide flight of steps leading up fromHope Street. Above the entrance is a large wedge-shaped structure. This acts as a bell tower, the four bells being mounted in rectangular orifices towards the top of the tower. Below these is a geometricrelief sculpture, designed by William Mitchell, which includes three crosses. To the sides of the entrance doors are more reliefs infibreglass by Mitchell, which represent thesymbols of the Evangelists.[25][27] The steps which lead up to the cathedral were only completed in 2003, when a building which obstructed the stairway path was acquired anddemolished by developers.[28]
A much smaller version of the cathedral, also designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, was constructed in 1965 as a chapel for the former De La Salle College of Education,Middleton, Lancashire, a Catholic teacher-training college. The site is now occupied byHopwood Hall College, a further education college of the Borough of Rochdale and the chapel may still be seen.[29]
The focus of the interior is the altar which faces the main entrance. It is made of whitemarble fromSkopje,North Macedonia, and is 10 feet (3 m) long. The floor is also of marble in grey and white designed by David Atkins. The benches,concentric with the interior, were designed by Frank Knight. Around theperimeter is a series ofchapels. Some of the chapels are open, some are closed by almost blank walls, and others consists of a low space under a balcony. Opposite the entrance is theBlessed Sacrament Chapel, above which is the organ. Other chapels include theLady Chapel and the Chapel ofSaint Joseph. To the right of the entrance is theBaptistry.[30]
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4839501.jpg)
Rising centrally over the main altar is a 16-sidedlantern known as theCrown of Glass. Architecturally integral to the building, it is approximately 22.5 metres high and 21 metres in diameter at its base, tapering inward by a few degrees as it rises. Each of the 16 bays are individually glazed with between 9 and 12 panels ofstained glass that were designed and manufactured byJohn Piper andPatrick Reyntiens between 1965 and 1967. Piper and Reyntiens used adalle de verre technique in which the individual glass components was cemented together withepoxy resin within thin concrete ribs, a technique that they invented for the job with the assistance of David Kirby. With a glazed area of approximately 1,120 square metres it is the largest single commission undertaken by Piper and Reyntiens. The abstract design was inspired by a description fromDante'sParadiso of theHoly Trinity as "three great eyes of different colours each one winking at the other", a theme conveyed in shards of blue, green, red and yellow glass.[31][32][33][34]
On the altar, the candlesticks are by R. Y. Goodden and the bronzecrucifix is byElisabeth Frink. Above the altar is abaldachino designed by Gibberd as a crown-like structure composed of aluminium rods, which incorporates loudspeakers and lights. Around the interior are metalStations of the Cross, designed by Sean Rice. Rice also designed thelectern, which includes two entwined eagles. In the Chapel ofReconciliation (formerly the Chapel ofSaint Paul of the Cross), the stained glass was designed by Margaret Traherne. Stephen Foster designed, carved and painted the panelling in the Chapel of St. Joseph. The Lady Chapel contains a statue of theVirgin and Child by Robert Brumby and stained glass by Margaret Traherne. In the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is areredos and stained glass byCeri Richards and a small statue of the Risen Christ byArthur Dooley. In the Chapel of Unity (formerly the Chapel ofSaintThomas Aquinas) is a bronzestoup by Virginio Ciminaghi, and a mosaic of thePentecost by Hungarian artistGeorg Mayer-Marton which was moved from the Church of theHoly Ghost,Netherton, when it was demolished in 1989. The gates of the Baptistry were designed by David Atkins.[35]
The cathedral was built quickly and economically, and this led to problems with the fabric of the building, including leaks. A programme of repairs was carried out during the 1990s. The building had been faced withmosaic tiles, but these were impossible to repair and were replaced with glass-reinforced plastic, which gave it a thicker appearance. Thealuminium in the lantern was replaced bystainless steel, and the slate paving of the platform was replaced with concrete flags.[26]
The crypt under Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral is the only part that was built according to Lutyens' design before construction stopped due toWorld War II; in 1962Frederick Gibberd's design was built upon the Lutyens crypt.[12] Structurally the crypt is built ofbrick together withgranite from quarries inPenryn, Cornwall.[36] Each year the crypt plays host to the Liverpool Beer Festival which attracts visitors, not only from all over UK but also Europe and places such as the United States and Australia.[37] The crypt also hosts examinations for students at theUniversity of Liverpool during exam periods.[38]
A £3 million refurbishment of the crypt was completed in 2009 and was officially re-opened on 1 May that year byThe Duke of Gloucester.[39] The refurbishment included new east and west approaches, archive provision, rewiring and new lighting, catering facilities, a newchancel, new toilets and revamped exhibitions.[40]
Built byJ. W. Walker and Sons, the organ was completed only two days before the opening of the cathedral in 1967.[41] Made as an integral part of the new cathedral, the architect, Frederick Gibberd, saw thecasework as part of his brief and so designed the striking front to the organ. Using decorative woodwork, Gibberd was inspired by the innovative use of the pipes atCoventry Cathedral and theRoyal Festival Hall and so arranged the shinyzinc pipes andbrass trumpetsen chamade to contrast strikingly with concrete pillars which surround the organ.[42]
The organ has fourmanuals, 88 speaking stops and 4565 pipes. It works by way ofair pressure, controlled by anelectric current and operated by the keys of theorgan console; this opens and closes valves within the wind chests, allowing the pipes to speak. This type of motion is calledelectro-pneumatic action.[42][43]
| Organ stops | Organ pipes | |
|---|---|---|
| Great Organ | 15 | 1220 |
| Swell organ | 16 | 1159 |
| Positive Organ | 14 | 793 |
| Solo Organ | 15 | 893 |
| Accompanimental Organ | 7 | 0 |
| Pedal organ | 21 | 500 |
Notes
Bibliography
| External media | |
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| Images | |
| Images of Cathedral interior | |
| Blessings Exhibition of 800 Years of Liverpool | |
| Video | |
 Construction of Cathedral Crypt | |
| First mass in Cathedral Crypt |
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