Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
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View showing connection between new building and existing crypt
Henk Snoek and John Mills Download Original
A Modern Catholic Cathedral that sits on raised ground in central Liverpool, in direct contrast to Giles Gilbert Scott's Gothic revival Anglican Cathedral
The design was a winner of an international competition judged by Basil Spence and Cardinal Heenan. The brief required that the altar and the celebration of Mass could be seen by entire 2,000 strong congregation.
Internally the Portland stone-clad Cathedral is a single 16-sided space with the altar in the exact centre, emphasized externally and internally concrete-ribbed lantern of stained glass, which tapers to a crown of pinnacles 88m above the ground.
The lantern stands on 16 very large reinforced-concrete boomerang-shaped supports clad in white mosaic.
Data
- Begun: Sep 1962
- Completed: May 1967
- Sector: Religious
- Total cost: £1M
- Address: Metropolitan Cathedral, Cathedral House, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5TQ, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Frederick Gibberd and Partners
- Client: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool
- Consultant engineer: Lowe and Rodin
- Acoustic consultant: Henry R. Humphries
- Electrical consultant: Barlow, Leslie and Partners
- Heating consultant: Young, Austen and Young Ltd.
- General Contractor: Taylor Woodrow Construction
Suppliers
- Stained glass: Piper and Reyntiens
- Bells: Mears and Stainbank
- Nave seats: Beresford
- Marble/Portland stone: Masonry (North Western) Ltd.