Latest news with #FrederickGibberd
ITV News
4 hours ago
- General
- ITV News
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral has listing status upgraded to recognise ‘architectural brilliance'
A cathedral which is said to have transformed British design has had its listing status upgraded to recognise the building's 'architectural brilliance'. The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool, often referred to locally as a 'wigwam' due to its unique shape, has been awarded Grade I listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, following advice from Historic England. The listing recognises the building, previously graded as Grade II*, as 'of exceptional interest' and is a standard only awarded to about 2.5% of listed buildings. Archbishop of Liverpool John Sherrington said: 'I welcome the announcement that Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King has been recognised as a Grade I listed building. 'It commands the Liverpool skyline and is visible for miles around. The building has been described as 'the soul of the city' and brings hope to thousands who visit each year.' The Catholic cathedral, which sits at the opposite end of Hope Street to its Anglican counterpart, was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd and built between 1962 and 1967. The structure features a central lantern which was filled with coloured glass, using a technique designed specifically for the building. Sarah Charlesworth, from Historic England, said: 'Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral transformed British cathedral design with its revolutionary centralised plan, representing a radical departure from traditional designs.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said the building was an 'instantly recognisable symbol of Liverpool'. She said: 'This recognition rightly honours its architectural significance and the prominent place it holds in our skyline – a true jewel in Liverpool's crown.' Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram added: 'Liverpool is a city with a proud architectural and cultural heritage, and the Metropolitan Cathedral is one of its most iconic landmarks. 'The bold, modern design broke new ground and has become a beacon of faith, hope and innovation, not just for our region but across the world.' The cathedral was built over a crypt, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, which was intended to be part of a grand classical-style building that began in the 1930s, before financial constraints and the outbreak of the Second World War led to construction being halted. Historic England said the upgrade of listing status reflected a deeper understand of Sir Frederick's architectural vision and 'the cathedral's significance as an international example of progressive Roman Catholic architecture during the mid-20th century'. Catherine Croft, director of The Twentieth Century Society, a charity which campaigns to save modern architectural and design heritage, said: 'The 'Wigwam' or 'The Mersey Funnel', as it's affectionately known among locals, is unique in world architecture and has long been a powerful homecoming beacon for Liverpudlians. 'Liverpool now rightly has two magnificent Grade I listed cathedrals which together demonstrate just how varied, exciting, and emotionally uplifting 20th century architecture can be. 'A great vessel of post-war glass, sculpture and design, the listing upgrade will help ensure the modernist cathedral's careful long-term conservation and appreciation by all who visit – to worship or just to marvel.' Historic England has also enhanced the existing Grade II listing for Hopwood Hall Chapel in Middleton, Greater Manchester, which was built in 1964 to Sir Frederick's designs and shares features including the lantern tower of concrete and glass.
Glasgow Times
4 hours ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
Cathedral has listing status upgraded to recognise ‘architectural brilliance'
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool, often referred to locally as a 'wigwam' due to its unique shape, has been awarded Grade I listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, following advice from Historic England. The listing recognises the building, previously graded as Grade II*, as 'of exceptional interest' and is a standard only awarded to about 2.5% of listed buildings. Archbishop of Liverpool John Sherrington said: 'I welcome the announcement that Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King has been recognised as a Grade I listed building. 'It commands the Liverpool skyline and is visible for miles around. The building has been described as 'the soul of the city' and brings hope to thousands who visit each year.' The Catholic cathedral, which sits at the opposite end of Hope Street to its Anglican counterpart, was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd and built between 1962 and 1967. London architect Frederick Gibberd with a perspective drawing of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool (PA) The structure features a central lantern which was filled with coloured glass, using a technique designed specifically for the building. Sarah Charlesworth, from Historic England, said: 'Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral transformed British cathedral design with its revolutionary centralised plan, representing a radical departure from traditional designs.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said the building was an 'instantly recognisable symbol of Liverpool'. She said: 'This recognition rightly honours its architectural significance and the prominent place it holds in our skyline – a true jewel in Liverpool's crown.' Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram added: 'Liverpool is a city with a proud architectural and cultural heritage, and the Metropolitan Cathedral is one of its most iconic landmarks. 'The bold, modern design broke new ground and has become a beacon of faith, hope and innovation, not just for our region but across the world.' The cathedral was built over a crypt, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, which was intended to be part of a grand classical-style building that began in the 1930s, before financial constraints and the outbreak of the Second World War led to construction being halted. The sun sets on the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA) Historic England said the upgrade of listing status reflected a deeper understand of Sir Frederick's architectural vision and 'the cathedral's significance as an international example of progressive Roman Catholic architecture during the mid-20th century'. Catherine Croft, director of The Twentieth Century Society, a charity which campaigns to save modern architectural and design heritage, said: 'The 'Wigwam' or 'The Mersey Funnel', as it's affectionately known among locals, is unique in world architecture and has long been a powerful homecoming beacon for Liverpudlians. 'Liverpool now rightly has two magnificent Grade I listed cathedrals which together demonstrate just how varied, exciting, and emotionally uplifting 20th century architecture can be. 'A great vessel of post-war glass, sculpture and design, the listing upgrade will help ensure the modernist cathedral's careful long-term conservation and appreciation by all who visit – to worship or just to marvel.' Historic England has also enhanced the existing Grade II listing for Hopwood Hall Chapel in Middleton, Greater Manchester, which was built in 1964 to Sir Frederick's designs and shares features including the lantern tower of concrete and glass.
Rhyl Journal
4 hours ago
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Cathedral has listing status upgraded to recognise ‘architectural brilliance'
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool, often referred to locally as a 'wigwam' due to its unique shape, has been awarded Grade I listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, following advice from Historic England. The listing recognises the building, previously graded as Grade II*, as 'of exceptional interest' and is a standard only awarded to about 2.5% of listed buildings. Archbishop of Liverpool John Sherrington said: 'I welcome the announcement that Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King has been recognised as a Grade I listed building. 'It commands the Liverpool skyline and is visible for miles around. The building has been described as 'the soul of the city' and brings hope to thousands who visit each year.' The Catholic cathedral, which sits at the opposite end of Hope Street to its Anglican counterpart, was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd and built between 1962 and 1967. The structure features a central lantern which was filled with coloured glass, using a technique designed specifically for the building. Sarah Charlesworth, from Historic England, said: 'Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral transformed British cathedral design with its revolutionary centralised plan, representing a radical departure from traditional designs.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said the building was an 'instantly recognisable symbol of Liverpool'. She said: 'This recognition rightly honours its architectural significance and the prominent place it holds in our skyline – a true jewel in Liverpool's crown.' Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram added: 'Liverpool is a city with a proud architectural and cultural heritage, and the Metropolitan Cathedral is one of its most iconic landmarks. 'The bold, modern design broke new ground and has become a beacon of faith, hope and innovation, not just for our region but across the world.' The cathedral was built over a crypt, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, which was intended to be part of a grand classical-style building that began in the 1930s, before financial constraints and the outbreak of the Second World War led to construction being halted. Historic England said the upgrade of listing status reflected a deeper understand of Sir Frederick's architectural vision and 'the cathedral's significance as an international example of progressive Roman Catholic architecture during the mid-20th century'. Catherine Croft, director of The Twentieth Century Society, a charity which campaigns to save modern architectural and design heritage, said: 'The 'Wigwam' or 'The Mersey Funnel', as it's affectionately known among locals, is unique in world architecture and has long been a powerful homecoming beacon for Liverpudlians. 'Liverpool now rightly has two magnificent Grade I listed cathedrals which together demonstrate just how varied, exciting, and emotionally uplifting 20th century architecture can be. 'A great vessel of post-war glass, sculpture and design, the listing upgrade will help ensure the modernist cathedral's careful long-term conservation and appreciation by all who visit – to worship or just to marvel.' Historic England has also enhanced the existing Grade II listing for Hopwood Hall Chapel in Middleton, Greater Manchester, which was built in 1964 to Sir Frederick's designs and shares features including the lantern tower of concrete and glass.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
‘A dazzling concrete crown': Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral gets long overdue appreciation
Liverpool's majestic cosmic wigwam has always faced a hard time from critics. Classicists lamented that it replaced an earlier swollen baroque design by Edwin Lutyens, which was cut short by the second world war and rising costs. Modernists found it too prissy, a brittle British version of more muscular concrete creations emerging from sunnier southern climes – a piece of Oscar Niemeyer's Brasília lost in translation between the hemispheres. Time has proved them wrong. Frederick Gibberd's striking upturned funnel is one of the finest postwar buildings in the land, standing as the most prominent Catholic cathedral of any British city, as well as the most original. It is shocking that it wasn't already Grade-I listed – a fact that reflects a broader antipathy for buildings of the era, which is slowly being corrected by a new generation. The building's genius is in its response to the site, bridging history with modernity. Gibberd's competition-winning design of 1959 cleverly drew on the unfinished crypt of Lutyens' 1930s project, using the latter's brick-and-stone vaults as a rugged rocky plinth on which to erect his startling white tent. Made of reinforced concrete clad in Portland stone, the crisp conical pavilion rises from an expansive open platform like a moon lander, extending slender radial ribs out in all directions. These flying buttresses rise to support a 2,000-tonne lantern, a floating stained glass cylinder topped with a crown of toothpick-thin steel pinnacles, ready to impale the sky. 'The great cathedrals of Christendom are generally crowns of the urban composition,' wrote Gibberd. 'Giles Gilbert Scott's tower [of the 1900s Anglican cathedral] already provided one crown for Liverpool and it seemed to me that, if it could be balanced by a tower of the Metropolitan Cathedral, the city would have a unique topography.' Thanks to him, it does, the two mighty buildings standing as spiritual bookends to the axis of Hope Street. The plinth, meanwhile, has become a vital public space, host to ballgames, lunch-hour sandwiches, and fitness fiends jogging up and down the steps. Entered through a monumental wedge-shaped bell tower, carved with abstract reliefs by the sculptor William Mitchell (who also designed the big bronze doors), the cathedral's interior is a radiant Las Vegas vision, washed with electric blue and pink light from the stained glass windows. Sixteen boomerang-shaped concrete columns rise to support the great conical roof, framing a series of side chapels below. Edged with blue glass, they are designed as individual forms, which read from the outside like a conclave of bodies, gathered around in a circle. Eschewing the usual cruciform layout, Gibberd's circular 'altar in the round' form was a direct response to the dictates of the second Vatican council, which encouraged architects to make congregations feel closer to the celebrants. 'The ministers at the altar should not be remote figures,' John Heenan, the archbishop of Liverpool, wrote in his instructions to the architect. 'They must be in sight of the people with whom they offer the sacrifice.' The resulting democratic vision is centred on an altar made of a single colossal slab of white marble – a 19-tonne block sourced from near Skopje in North Macedonia – above which hangs a spiky baldacchino canopy of aluminium rods. It is an extraordinary thing, looking as if a hi-tech spider had been asked to weave its web into a crown of thorns. Such daring comes at a price, and, over the years, the building has suffered its fair share of hiccups. Soon after opening, the aluminium roof leaked and the glass mosaic tiles fell off the concrete frame. Gibberd was sued and the archdiocese was awarded £1.3m in an out-of-court settlement. Repairs of varying quality have continued ever since, but this upgraded listing should hopefully ensure that Liverpool's dazzling concrete crown sticks around for many more generations to marvel at.
North Wales Chronicle
10 hours ago
- General
- North Wales Chronicle
Cathedral has listing status upgraded to recognise ‘architectural brilliance'
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool, often referred to locally as a 'wigwam' due to its unique shape, has been awarded Grade I listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, following advice from Historic England. The listing recognises the building, previously graded as Grade II*, as 'of exceptional interest' and is a standard only awarded to about 2.5% of listed buildings. Archbishop of Liverpool John Sherrington said: 'I welcome the announcement that Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King has been recognised as a Grade I listed building. 'It commands the Liverpool skyline and is visible for miles around. The building has been described as 'the soul of the city' and brings hope to thousands who visit each year.' The Catholic cathedral, which sits at the opposite end of Hope Street to its Anglican counterpart, was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd and built between 1962 and 1967. The structure features a central lantern which was filled with coloured glass, using a technique designed specifically for the building. Sarah Charlesworth, from Historic England, said: 'Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral transformed British cathedral design with its revolutionary centralised plan, representing a radical departure from traditional designs.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said the building was an 'instantly recognisable symbol of Liverpool'. She said: 'This recognition rightly honours its architectural significance and the prominent place it holds in our skyline – a true jewel in Liverpool's crown.' Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram added: 'Liverpool is a city with a proud architectural and cultural heritage, and the Metropolitan Cathedral is one of its most iconic landmarks. 'The bold, modern design broke new ground and has become a beacon of faith, hope and innovation, not just for our region but across the world.' The cathedral was built over a crypt, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, which was intended to be part of a grand classical-style building that began in the 1930s, before financial constraints and the outbreak of the Second World War led to construction being halted. Historic England said the upgrade of listing status reflected a deeper understand of Sir Frederick's architectural vision and 'the cathedral's significance as an international example of progressive Roman Catholic architecture during the mid-20th century'. Catherine Croft, director of The Twentieth Century Society, a charity which campaigns to save modern architectural and design heritage, said: 'The 'Wigwam' or 'The Mersey Funnel', as it's affectionately known among locals, is unique in world architecture and has long been a powerful homecoming beacon for Liverpudlians. 'Liverpool now rightly has two magnificent Grade I listed cathedrals which together demonstrate just how varied, exciting, and emotionally uplifting 20th century architecture can be. 'A great vessel of post-war glass, sculpture and design, the listing upgrade will help ensure the modernist cathedral's careful long-term conservation and appreciation by all who visit – to worship or just to marvel.' Historic England has also enhanced the existing Grade II listing for Hopwood Hall Chapel in Middleton, Greater Manchester, which was built in 1964 to Sir Frederick's designs and shares features including the lantern tower of concrete and glass.
