Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool (1)

Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool – Lantern tower in the form of a truncated cone, surmounted by latticework crown featuring 16 pinnacles

Date	22 August 2012
Location	Mount Pleasant, Liverpool	SJ 35658 90129; 53.40402°N, 2.96926°W
Information	The Grade II* listed Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King is one of two cathedrals in Liverpool, the other being the Anglican cathedral, located about half a mile away at the other end of Hope Street. There had been a number of different plans, dating back to the mid 19th century, for a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city, but none was ever completed. In 1930, a nine-acre site at Brownlow Hill, occupied from 1771 until 1928 by a work house, was acquired and in 1933 construction started on a cathedral designed by Edwin Lutyens, which would have become the world’s second largest church, incorporating the largest dome in the world. This was, however, not to be, with the Second World War and costs spiralling out of control getting in the way. Construction of Lutyens’ crypt was completed in 1958, but the rest of his design was thereafter abandoned. Building began again in 1962, this time under architect Frederick Gibberd, whose design comprised a 59m diameter circular plan, with the previously completed crypt being integrated into the structure. Construction of the Metropolitan Cathedral was completed in 1967. Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King; Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (Wikipedia); Other posts about Liverpool

Tower seen through one of the multicoloured glass steles

Four of the sixteen pinnacles surmounting the lantern tower

Sunlight filtering through one of the multicoloured glass steles

‘Mark’ (1,321 kg bell)

‘Matthew’ (4,674 kg bell)

Sunlight filtering through one of the multicoloured glass steles

The cathedral is constructed from concrete clad in Portland stone

Campanario and lantern tower

Metropolitan Cathedral

Bell tower

Relief sculpture by William Mitchell, depicting three crosses

Metropolitan Cathedral

Plaza and open-air altar to the North

Glazed Rotunda, housing the spiral staircase and lift down to The Crypt

Crypt spiral stairwell

Cathedral and plaza, flanked by glass steles

The steles were created by German artist Raphael Seitz

Approach to the main entrance

Detail from one of William Mitchell’s bronze sliding doors depicting emblems of the four evangelists. The bronze doors are closed at night to protect the glass doors.

Steps to main entrance – this flight of steps was only built in 2003 after a building that had been in the way was demolished