100 Years of Liverpool Cathedral
2024 marks 100 years since the consecration of our Cathedral, so join us in celebrating our centenary.
Timeline
1880 – Liverpool granted city status. Diocese of Liverpool created (separated from Chester). St Peter’s Church on Church Street becomes the pro-cathedral.
11th November – Giles Gilbert Scott is born
1885 – Act of Parliament authorised the building of a cathedral on the site of the existing St John’s Church, adjacent to St George’s Hall. A competition was held for the design, and won by William Emerson. The site proved unsuitable for the erection of a building on the scale proposed, and the scheme was abandoned.
1901 – On Monday 17th June 1901, at a meeting in the Town Hall, the decision was taken to build a worthy Cathedral for the prosperous City of Liverpool. They started another competition for an architect.
1903 – The assessors recommended a proposal submitted by the 22-year-old Giles Gilbert Scott, who was still an articled pupil working in Temple Moore’s practice, and had no existing buildings to his credit. He told the assessors that so far his only major work had been to design a pipe-rack.
1904 – Foundation Stone laid by King Edward VII
1906 – Foundations of the choir, lady chapel and chapter house completed in April
1910 – The Lady Chapel (originally intended to be called the Morning Chapel), the first part of the building to be completed, was consecrated in 1910 by Chavasse in the presence of two Archbishops and 24 other Bishops
1923 – The installation of the Cathedral Organ commenced, and part of the organ was used in the Consecration of the Cathedral.
1924 – Cathedral Consecration
1934 – Vestey brothers donate £226,450 for the building of the Tower – Work commenced on the tower, using GGS 6th revision of the design.
1939 – The Second World War started and slowed down the construction of the Cathedral. The central section was complete by July 1941 to be handed over to the Dean and Chapter No further major works were undertaken during the rest of the war. Scott produced his plans for the nave in 1942, but work on it did not begin until 1948. The bomb damage, particularly to the Lady Chapel, was not fully repaired until 1955.
1949 – Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh formally open the Rankin Porch
1951 – Princess Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh return for the dedication of the peal – the cathedral bells are rung/pealed for the first time.
1960 – Giles Gilbert Scott Died in 1960. Scott was succeeded as architect by Frederick Thomas. Thomas, who had worked with Scott for many years, drew up a new design for the west front of the cathedral.
1978 – On 25th October 1978, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, there was a great service of thanksgiving to mark the completion of the Cathedral, “a triumphant proclamation of hope”.
1980 – Ian Tracey becomes cathedral organist
1991 – the Queen formally opened ‘Queen’s Walk’, a beautiful, very fitting, hard-landscaped area serving as the main thoroughfare to the then main entrance located on the River side of the building.
1999 – Dean Rupert Hoare was installed and oversaw the introduction of the new Constitution and Statutes as required by the Cathedrals Measure 1999. The Chapter was clear that charges to enter the Cathedral should not be introduced for visitors, and sought to make the building more accessible to a wide variety of worshippers, the Diocese of Liverpool, other organisations, visitors and tourists
2004 – The Cathedral’s Centenary was celebrated in 2004, a group from our partner city travelled to Liverpool bringing representatives of the churches in Cologne. The visit was to celebrate the partnership and the start of the Centenary celebrations for Liverpool Cathedral.
2006 – The first two phases of the new Visitor Centre opened in December 2006 and early 2007. The final phase, which involved upgrading the existing restaurant area, was completed in early 2008.
2009 – In 2009, against formidable competition, Liverpool Cathedral won the accolade of ‘Best Large Visitor Attraction’ at the North West’s Annual Tourism Awards hosted by The Mersey Partnership.
2018 – Our current Dean, Sue Jones was installed on 5 May 2018
2021 – In October 2021, the building was one of 142 sites across England to receive part of a £35-million injection into the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
2023 – John Perumbalath appointed 9th Bishop of Liverpool
Liverpool hosted the European Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine
2024 – Centenary of the consecration of the main space of the cathedral