This Cathedral Belongs to All of Us! Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. (Liverpool Anglican Cathedral (Liverpool))

Member Name: GillMN

Product:	Liverpool Anglican Cathedral (Liverpool)
Date:	19/09/09 (167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A record breaking, inspirational, beautiful building.

Disadvantages: It get's a bit cold in there sometimes.

My relationship with Liverpool Cathedral goes back a long time. Since I was a child I have been aware of this magnificient building dominating the skyline of Liverpool. My Dad took me in there first when I was about five. I read in there at a huge children's service when I was nine. (Quaking in my Clarkes Wayfinders.)

When I was a police cadet I read the Gospel for the annual police service. Imagine me, stood in my best police dress uniform under one of the sets of organ pipes. (The largest organ in the world!) The organist was practising the introit and about half a pound of dust blasted from the pipes and settled on us! Marvellous! I was so busy laughing and beating the dust off myself I forgot to be nervous!

I remember one day walking down the stone stairs to the Lady Chapel and really seeing for the first time the stained glass windows of famous women. It's well worth lingering on the steps and absorbing the detail and the inspiration of these windows.

Or what about standing in the very middle of the nave and knowing that you are standing in the largest enclosed space in Europe? I think I remember hearing that there is an eight seconds echo. Count eight seconds in your head and you will get an idea of the size we are talking about here!

It was started in 1904, in 1924 the Lady Chapel was dedicated. In 1978 The Queen attended a service to mark it's completion! So did I, but I didn't get invited to the bunfight afterwards! My husband did but he was a Vicar then and it was one of the few perks of his job!

The joke in Liverpool was "It's taking an awful long time to demolish that church." because of the years and years that parts of it were surrounded by scaffolding. I was lucky enough to meet one of the stonemasons who spent his whole working life carving the extraordinary statues, arches and gargoyles. Apprenticed at the age of 14 he worked on the local red sandstone that the Cathedral is built from until the day he retired!

The tower is very high. 331 feet! It houses the heaviest and highest peal of bells in the whole world. Sometimes, if atmospheric conditions are right (or wrong, depending on which way you look at it) the warm air moving out from the high tower at night, condenses, and it looks alarmingly as though the tower is on fire. The Fire Brigade have been called out on a number of occasions because of this phenomena.

It is possible to go up to the top of the tower, partly by lift, partly by leg power and the views over Liverpool, Cheshire and Lancashire are magnificient. It's not for the faint hearted though!

The building was designed by Gilbert Scott, and tucked away in a corner is one of his classic red telephone boxes. So you have an amazing juxtaposition of the largest of his creations holding the smallest of his creations. I think it's a nice touch!

The Cathedral virtually escaped war damage. Liverpool received the heaviest bombardment of bombs outside of London, approximately one sixth of the housing was flattened or damaged. Miraculously the massive Cathedral was missed, even though there seemed to be a concerted effort to detroy it and the morale of the people of Liverpool. Much like the Taj Mahal was targeted. Fortunately, both were spared.

Apart from the fabric of the building, the Cathedral is important to the city as a hub of worship and community. It host events all year round. At the moment it is hosting the World Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibition. If you have never seen one of these, go and have a look. The photographs of wildlife from photographers of all ages and abilities are absolutely stunning! Many educational events go on here, parties, graduations, corporate meetings and conferences, you name it!

After exhausting yourself walking around, you can go into the refectory, next to the book shop and have a very reasonably priced meal. The refectory is situated on the side of the cathedral and the glass walls look out over the steps and surrounding gardens and Victorian terraces. Or you can sit outside under the Welsford porch, drink your coffee and enjoy the fresh air whilst you watch the world go by.

The Cathedral shop has a lot of quite interesting Liverpool Memorabilia as well as books and religious items and souvenirs. This is where you can buy tickets to go up the tower, or book seats for concerts and other events. The staff are always friendly and helpful.

You come into the Cathedral usually by the huge Western doors at the end opposite the main altar. This means that you come into a sort of well at one end and the whole length of the building is set out in front of you, with the ethereal bridge spanning the space about one third down. It's hard to describe how imposing and beautiful a sight it is.

The well is a large floor space set about 6 foot lower than the main floor of the Cathedral and it's here that you will usually find the exhibitions and events are held. To the right as you come in is the entrance to the tower and the main steps down to the crypt and various meeting rooms and robing rooms, education centres etc.

Walking up from the well, under the bridge and the magnificence of the high altar is revealed. To the left is the refectory and bookshop and further on is the lovely Chapel of the Armed Services where the colours of all the local regiments are hung and books of remembrance are displayed. The rich regimental flags hang proudly and remind us of the many men and women from the area who have served and still serve their country. My Dad always used to point out his and his brother's colours and My Granddad's too. It brings a lump to my throat even now whenever I visit. My Dad was absolutely (and sometimes rabidly) anti religion, but even he loved this chapel for what it stood for. It is a beautiful serene spot.

Many little chapels and rooms are spaced around the outside of the area East of the High Altar. There are lots of interesting artefacts on display, and guides are always available to answer questions.

On the North side of the Cathedral is a large carpark which is manned from 8am to 6pm when the Cathedral closes. And any time extra events are being held. If you drive around past the Western main entrance you will find a lift for wheelchair access. There are toilets here too.

To me the Cathedral is a wonderful and awe inspiring place. Some of it is austere and chilling, some is highly decorative and exciting. Some is modern and challenging, some is traditional and comforting. It seems to me that the many different parts are held together figuratively and literally by the soaring spaces. The whole definitely adds up to more than the sum of the parts.

I haven't talked about all of the Cathedral. There is literally too much ground to cover. Don't miss it if you are in Liverpool. It is free to enter but a sum of £3.00 is a suggested donation. It is just a suggestion though and you won't be embarassed into making it by anyone. The Cathedral is as friendly to visitors as the rest of the City is.

Drop in and be amazed by one of the most outstanding buildings in the whole of Europe. You might even bump into me having a coffee and cake in the coffee bar!

Summary: I love it! Can't you tell?