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MANILA, Philippines - Where exactly is Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of London located?
The cathedral’s architect, Frederick Gibberd, was the winner of a worldwide design competition. Construction began in 1962 and took five years. Earlier designs for a cathedral were proposed in 1853, 1933, and 1953, but none was completed.
In 1853, Bishop boss awarded the commission for the building of the new cathedral to Edward Welby Pugin (1833–1875). By 1856 the Lady Chapel of the new cathedral had been completed. Due to financial resources being diverted to the education of Catholic children, work on the building ceased at this point and the Lady Chapel — now named Our Lady Immaculate — served as parish church to the local Catholic population until its demolition in the 1980s.
Following the purchase of the present nine-acre site in 1930, Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944) was commissioned to provide a design, which would be an appropriate response to the Giles Gilbert Scott-designed Neo-gothic Anglican cathedral then being built further along Hope Street.
Lutyens’ design was intended to create a massive structure that would have become the second-largest church in the world. It would have had the world’s largest dome, with a diameter of 168 feet compared to the 137.7 feet diameter on St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Building work based on Lutyens’ design began on June 5, 1933, being paid for mostly by the contributions of working class Catholics of the burgeoning industrial port. In 1941, the restrictions of World War II wartime and a rising cost from £3 million to £27 million (£991 million as of 2013), forced construction to stop. In 1956, work recommenced on the crypt, which was finished in 1958. Thereafter, Lutyens’ design for the Cathedral was considered too costly and was abandoned with only the crypt complete.
The present cathedral was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd (1908–84). Construction began in October 1962 and less than five years later the completed cathedral was consecrated. Soon after its opening, it began to exhibit architectural flaws. This led to the cathedral authorities suing Frederick Gibberd for £1.3 million on five counts, the two most serious being leaks in the aluminum roof and defects in the mosaic tiles, which had begun to come away from the concrete ribs.
The competition to design the cathedral was held in 1959. The requirement was first, for a congregation of 3,000 (which was later reduced to 2,000) to be able to see the altar, in order that they could be more involved in the celebration of the Mass, and second, for the Lutyens crypt to be incorporated in the structure. Gibberd achieved these requirements by designing a circular building with the altar at its centre, and by transforming the roof of the crypt into an elevated platform, with the cathedral standing at one end. The construction contract was let to Taylor Woodrow.
The focus of the interior is the altar, which faces the main entrance. It is made of white marble from Skopje, Macedonia, and is 10 feet-long. The floor is also of marble in grey and white designed by David Atkins. The benches, concentric with the interior, were designed by Frank Knight. Above is the tower with large areas of stained glass designed by John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens in three colors, yellow, blue and red, representing the Trinity. The glass is one inch thick, the pieces of glass being bonded with epoxy resin, in concrete frames. Around the perimeter is a series of chapels.
The cathedral had been built quickly and economically, and this led to problems with the fabric of the building, including leaks. A program of repairs was carried out during the 1990s. The building had been faced with mosaic tiles, but these were impossible to repair and were replaced with glass-reinforced plastic, which gave it a thicker appearance.
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Last weeks’ question: Who is the New York based British chef best known for his Michelin-star restaurant Corton and whose clients include Lord Rothschild and Prince Andrew?
Answer: Paul Liebrandt
Winner: Eunice Charis B. Mendoza of Los Baños, Laguna
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