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Your Favourite Cathedral

(126 Posts)
Musicgirl Tue 29-Sept-26 23:48:03

Inspired by a Mumsnet thread, I thought it would be an enjoyable, gentle thread for us. I’ll start. My absolute favourite cathedral has always been Norwich, my home cathedral. The cloisters and the ceiling bosses, which tell the whole story of the Bible, are particular favourite features, as is the cathedral close outside. I am also very fond of Lichfield cathedral with its three spires and Chester cathedral built of red sandstone. We now live about ten miles from Peterborough and, while the rest of the city is somewhat depressed for many reasons, the cathedral is lovely.

Labradora Wed 30-Sept-26 16:43:33

Someone's mention of Liverpool reminded me that I sometimes think I am going senile.
Born and raised in Liverpool I would give a shout out to the Roman Catholic Liverpool Cathedral or the Mersey Funnel as it was once colloquially know by I suspect rather older Liverpudlians.
It's more recent so very modern in design and the stained glass is wonderful. It also has quite a sanctified atmosphere.
I don't like Liverpool's Protestant cathedral much.
This isn't a religion- based judgement just a question of personal taste.
No offence C of E 😊😘😉💐

Thorntrees Wed 30-Sept-26 16:45:08

Gloucester for me. It’s so peaceful and a lovely setting.

Susieq62 Wed 30-Sept-26 16:45:51

Coventry as I like the architecture by Sir Basil Spence and they have saved the bombed out original cathedral
There is a gorgeous one in Dornoch too

shoppinggirl Wed 30-Sept-26 16:47:05

Hereford Cathedral has a feeling of great calm.
Chartres for its amazing stained glass windows and Reims where we went to a Christmas service one year when we were staying.

Susieq62 Wed 30-Sept-26 16:47:21

Beverley Minster is glorious much nicer than York
I too love the Duomo in Milan

Labradora Wed 30-Sept-26 16:53:42

And the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
This one's probably another acquired taste but I find it very unusual and I really like it. That stones should have been sculpted to resemble trees and plants is extraordinary.
They haven't finished it yet !!!
⛪⛪😊🤗

gillyknits Wed 30-Sept-26 17:11:09

I love Ripon cathedral. It’s so beautiful and although, not as big as some others, it is very much part of the community. I went off York when they started charging for admission!

Fara56 Wed 30-Sept-26 17:39:54

Lincoln - utterly stunning

Mollygo Wed 30-Sept-26 19:01:11

Labradora
The older Liverpudlians mostly called it Paddy’s Wigwam. I’ve never heard it referred to as the Mersey funnel.

WithNobsOnIt Wed 30-Sept-26 19:39:24

We are truly blessed in this country to have some wonderful smaller type cathedrals in many of our towns and cities.

As a Mid Century Modern Architecture fan. I was born on 1955.

I think Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral aka Paddys Wig Wam is outstanding. Still very futuristic and a wonderful,peaceful, healing atmosphere

Visited Coventry Cathedral a few years back and was a bit disappointed .Has some memorable features but also some very mundane ones as well.

Some of the building materials and design features were not that great. Probably due to the constant budgetary changes and po faces C of Echanges attitudes imposed on the ground breaking Architect Bassil Spence.

But still with a visit

watermeadow Wed 30-Sept-26 20:34:27

Salisbury. So light and graceful and perfect. The spire looks like an iced wedding cake.
It stands on water meadows with almost no foundations so a miracle that it has stood for nine hundred years. The Close surrounds it with grass, edged with beautiful old houses.
Inside is a ridiculous modern font like a goldfish pond.

cupcake1 Wed 30-Sept-26 20:55:15

Wells Cathedral and the Bishops Palace

JPB123 Wed 30-Sept-26 21:03:02

Winchester is my favourite.

Pearl30 Wed 30-Sept-26 21:44:51

Lincoln since I was a child, and Lisieux. If I remember correctly Lisieux cathedral was built in the 1930s, but is breathtaking.

Deedaa Wed 30-Sept-26 21:51:46

After living in Cornwall for 25 years I do have a soft spot for Truro. Otherwise it would be York Minster or St Mark's Basilica in Venice.

Norah Wed 30-Sept-26 22:03:28

Ely.

StMark's.

Dempie55 Wed 30-Sept-26 22:30:02

Too hard to choose one!

Went to Worcester Cathedral this year, amazing to stand by the tomb of King John, and a lovely, warm atmosphere.

Wells is absolutely beautiful, with the Bishop’s Palace alongside- stunning in Summer.

Liverpool Anglican is jaw dropping in its scale, but feels very austere.

Paddy’s Wigwam is much more human and the glasswork is just beautiful.

But my favourite has to be St Magnus’s in Kirkwall, Orkney. The colour of the stone and the feeling of peace and welcome when you go in is just really special.

ruthiek Wed 30-Sept-26 23:19:08

Liverpool both cathedrals , the Anglican is just so beautiful and the Roman Catholic one whilst modern is beautiful in its own way , very atmospheric

Marzipan22 Thu 01-Oct-26 07:04:40

There is a small room in Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral named the Chapel of the Holy Spirit where I often sat when I lived in the city centre. The atmosphere is beautiful, pure surrounding peace.

Esmay Thu 01-Oct-26 07:09:47

Hereford and Canterbury.
I also love French cathedrals .

Greyduster Thu 01-Oct-26 07:47:26

I remember visiting Cologne Cathedral in the late seventies and marvelling that it made it through the war with so little damage. To see it from the outside is amazing, and the interior is just as impressive; lovely stained glass, the shrine of The Magi, and some wonderful altarpieces. We went on that day to visit the Tutankhamen exhibition. My cup ranneth over!

semperfidelis Thu 01-Oct-26 08:51:30

Exeter, which is also an interesting historic City and Truro in Cornwall.

Funnygran Thu 01-Oct-26 09:09:22

Being a Northerner I would agree about Durham, York and Lincoln. We’re in Palma for a few days and visited the cathedral yesterday. It’s huge and spectacular. I’m not religious but I found it amazing both for the religious decoration and the stained glass.

JenniRen Thu 01-Oct-26 16:06:35

St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta

However, the huge contrast between the many riches in there and how poor the people used to be for centuries is striking.

CarrotTop Thu 01-Oct-26 16:17:23

With few exceptions, I love most cathedrals - the silence, the sense of thousands of feet having passed through before me, the certainty that they once meant something rather more than tourist revenue for the cities. I've visited a lot (my favourites: Canterbury, Chelmsford, Chester) but one I've always wanted to see is Ripon - specifically the woodcarvings on the misericords. There is also a carved wooden hand, placed high up where the choir could see it - an ingenious mechanism which allowed the organist to operate it from his seat, giving the singers a consistent beat.