Fabric
In 1902 Liverpool Cathedral was designed by 22 year old Giles Gilbert Scott. Two years later, the foundation stone was laid in by King Edward VII. The final stone on the tower was put into place 38 years later and the famous Nave (Dulverton) bridge was finished 1961. With craftsmanship, dedication and tenacity and through world wars, Liverpool Cathedral was triumphantly completed in 1978, and opened by opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The Cathedral was built in sections as funds permitted with financial support predominantly coming from the local community, and with every single piece of sandstone coming from local quarries. Any additional work or maintenance undertaken on the Cathedral’s stonework even now, is completed by hand by qualified stone masons, passing down the tradition from generation to generation. Although one single family (the Vestey family) had donated over £250,000 for the tower, after whom the structure was then named (The Vestey Tower), fundraisers went about gathering funds from individuals, industry and commerce across the Diocese.
Re pointing of the Cathedral Tower
Liverpool Cathedral boasts the titles of largest Cathedral in England and the 5th largest Anglican Cathedral in the world. As a beacon on Merseyside the position and prominence of the tower (at an amazing height of 331 ft) means that it is exposed to extremely high winds and other adverse weather conditions.
Re-pointing the Tower is an ongoing project. While several donations have already been received we still need an additional £3m to invest in repointing over the next 7 years.
Lady Chapel/ Nave/ Chapter House rooves
The Lady Chapel was the first part of the Cathedral to be completed in 1910. It is approximately 120 ft long and 55 ft wide. Thought by many to be one of the most beautiful areas in the Cathedral, this Chapel also bears the artistic influence of G F Bodley, before he sadly passed away three years into the building project.
The roofs of the Lady Chapel, the Nave, and Chapter House are all made from copper, laid in panels, then flat locked, soldered and seamed. Piece-meal maintenance of this form of roofing is extremely difficult, often resulting in seams splitting and cracking. It is recommended that copper roofs be replaced every hundred years, much less if the weather conditions are extreme. The cost of replacing the copper roofs in the Cathedral runs into many hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Lighting and Power
The rising costs of heating and lighting the Cathedral present daily concern and we constantly search for the most economical of power sources, often involving the newer advances in utility innovation. During the Visitor Centre project, the Chapter widened the scope of the project to include one replacement boiler (out of two) and a complete replacement of our electrical switchgear - both hugely valuable improvements to our plant infrastructure. In some parts of the Cathedral, significant runs of electrical wiring are due for replacement.
Windows
The Cathedral is rightly proud of its many beautiful stained glass windows. All tell an amazingly colourful story of Christianity and the history of this great building, with the window of Liverpool’s noble women at the entrance to the Lady Chapel being a fine example. Considerable sums of money must be allocated in order to preserve and maintain such intricate works of art.