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Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Wakefield Cathedral


Wakefield Cathedral enjoys a prime site right in the middle of the central shopping area in the city. The area round it is often used for festivals and events. At the moment the cathedral nave is undergoing a huge renovation, Project 2013, the better to meet the needs of worship and community use for the future. I shall have to return later in the year when it has been opened.
I like Wakefield Cathedral. It's not one of Britain's vast soaring ecclesiastical treasures but it has an accessible and friendly feel, and is not without beauty. Originally All Saints parish church, it became a cathedral in 1888 when the Diocese of Wakefield was created.  The site has held a church since Saxon times and the medieval building has been extended and altered many times.  Most of the building you see now is a Victorian restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott, who designed London's St Pancras station and the Albert Memorial.
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7 comments:

  1. Martin27 February 2013 at 08:37

    Wakefield Cathedral looks to be a fine building. The silhouettes of the spire and finials could have been cut out with pinking shears!

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  2. Malyss27 February 2013 at 14:21

    Wakefield, I remember a book with that name in title. By Thomas Hardy? I like this cathedral very much, beautiful , with "human size", not too big.

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  3. Ian and Karen27 February 2013 at 19:06

    Gilbert Scott was responsible for our traditional red telephone boxes too.
    Karen

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  4. Betsy Brock27 February 2013 at 21:31

    it's gorgeous...I love all the little intricate architectural details!

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  5. Jack27 February 2013 at 22:15

    It looks pretty appealing to me, in a serious and dark way. I have never figured out the difference between a church and a cathedral.

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    1. jennyfreckles27 February 2013 at 22:40

      In England it's about the church hierarchy, Jack. Parish (churches) are gathered into area Dioceses with a Diocesan Bishop at the head. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop. Usually, but not always, it's the biggest ecclesiastical building. But some of our cathedrals are smaller than others as they used to be parish churches. The Diocesan boundaries have changed over the years and bigger Dioceses got split into smaller ones so they had to designate a cathedral. Now the process is happening in reverse. It's likely that soon Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds/Ripon will all merge to become one Diocese.

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  6. diane b28 February 2013 at 13:04

    Its a beauty. I love the scalloping up the spire.

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