We have commissioned a report and strategic plan to support the conservation of our magnificent building
Any building, especially one of such size and grandeur, needs to be kept constantly under review. This is especially true in the case of Liverpool Cathedral, which is approaching its centenary and the first of the major cycles of repair and maintenance that occur naturally to buildings approximately
every hundred years. In this context, this Conservation Plan, in conjunction with the Cathedral Architect’s Quinquennial Inspections, represents a great stock-taking exercise, the first to be undertaken at the Cathedral since it was completed. It provides an opportunity to assess and summarise what is known about the building, including its artefacts and setting, and to examine how it should be cared for at this important moment in its history.
At the heart of this process of review is the attribution of significance, not just to the building but its constituent parts such as the stained glass, sculpture and organs. The significance of much older cathedrals has generally been well tested over time, but at Liverpool, this process is only just beginning.
People are conscious that what was achieved in building the Cathedral is of international importance but this has yet to be fully articulated in detail. This Conservation Plan offers a first engagement with the matter of significance, which no doubt will be amended as more is learned about the building and opinions on it evolve.
Download Conservation Management Plan
The Peregrine Falcons at Liverpool Cathedral
Liverpool Cathedral has been a nesting site for a couple of Peregrine Falcons over many years and we have been working to make sure they have a great environment to live in. Their presence around our building presents us with the challenge of preserving a protected species with maintaining a historic listed building. The cathedral architecture has suffered from many years of damage from a build-up of guano. So we have tried to learn from the falcons’ behaviour over many years to encourage them to parts of our building where they can thrive and be protected. This includes creating a nesting box which we hope they will thrive in. We will also hope to use this to help us ring the chicks and provide valuable scientific information about their breeding patterns.
We have consulted with wildlife experts, including the RSPB, on a solution that we hope provides a safe environment for the birds but protects the rest of the building from the damage their activities cause. We have carried out this work away from their nesting season and tried to create a fresh welcoming environment for them.
Managing this is a complex undertaking however we will work to encourage the falcons into their new home and we will provide updates as and when we have them