17 hours ago
Grade I listed? Liverpool's ghastly cathedral should never have been built at all
However, by the 1990s, when the building was barely 25 years old, the cheapness of its construction had made it a liability. An extensive and expensive programme of renovation began. That was probably the last opportunity to pull the thing down and return to the Lutyens plan (which Rome itself could have helped fund). To have done so would have created huge numbers of skilled jobs for decades, and made Liverpool a place of religious and artistic pilgrimage. But it was not to be.
Those who praise the Wigwam – and they have been out in force since its new listing – often argue that much of its merit lies in its interior, notably some John Piper stained glass, and a crucifix by Elisabeth Frink. Pevsner otherwise laments that the original 'harmony' of the abstract art that Gibberd wanted in the building has been compromised by much more traditional works that have arrived since.
I fear the main consequence of the Grade I listing will be to preserve a monument to the ugliness of the 1960s, perhaps as a warning to architects and their patrons in the indefinite future. One can only imagine how people in 500 years' time will view the Wigwam: if it can manage to stand that long.
