Manchester Cathedral facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manchester Cathedral |
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| Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George | |
Manchester Cathedral and skyline
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| Location | Victoria Street, Manchester M3 1SX |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Tradition | Central churchmanship |
| Website | Cathedral website |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Architectural type | gothic revival |
| Style | Gothic (Perpendicular) |
| Years built | 1421–1882 |
| Specifications | |
| Tower height | 135ft |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Manchester (since 1847) |
| Province | York |
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Manchester Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, is a famous church in Manchester, England. It is the main church for the Anglican Diocese of Manchester and the home of the Bishop of Manchester. You can find it on Victoria Street in the city centre. This historic building is listed as Grade I listed, meaning it is very important.
The church was rebuilt in the Perpendicular Gothic style after a college of priests was founded here in 1421. In the late 1400s, James Stanley II helped rebuild the main part of the church (the nave) and the choir. He added tall clerestory windows. He also ordered beautiful wooden furnishings inside, like the pulpitum (a screen), choir stalls, and the nave roof. This roof is special because it is held up by angels playing musical instruments. In 1847, the church became the cathedral for the new Diocese of Manchester. It was repaired and expanded many times, especially after being damaged during World War II bombings. It is one of fifteen Grade I listed buildings in Manchester.
Contents
History of Manchester Cathedral
Early Beginnings
We don't know much about Manchester's very first churches. A small carving of an angel, called the Angel Stone, is kept in the cathedral. It was found in a wall and suggests there was an earlier church, perhaps from the Anglo-Saxon period (around 700 AD). Its Latin words mean "into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
A church dedicated to St Mary was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. This church might have been built by King Edward the Elder. The Domesday Book says that the Churches of St Mary and St Michael owned land in Manchester.
Becoming a Parish Church
Building the first parish church began in 1215. It was located between the Irk and Irwell rivers, near an old water crossing called the Hanging Bridge. The Grelley family, who were the lords of the manor, helped build and support the first part of the church, called the St Nicholas Chancery. Later, in 1311, the de la Warre family took over the Grelley estate. In 1382, Thomas de la Warre became the church's rector.
The church was built in the Perpendicular style. It had a main area (nave) with six sections and side aisles. It also had a long choir area with aisles and a tall tower at the west end.
The Collegiate Church Era
In 1421, Thomas de la Warre received permission from King Henry V and Pope Martin V to create a collegiate church in Manchester. This meant it would be run by a college of priests. The church was dedicated to St Mary, and then also to St George (England's patron saint) and St Denys (perhaps because of de la Warre's French background).
The first warden, John Huntingdon, rebuilt the eastern part of the church between 1422 and 1458. This created the collegiate choir. You can still see carvings that remember Huntingdon, showing a man hunting and a man with a tun (barrel).
Later, James Stanley II (who was warden from 1485 to 1506) greatly rebuilt the nave and choir. He made the clerestory windows higher and added the richly decorated wooden roofs and choir stalls. His family was connected to the Tudor kings, which gave them wealth and access to skilled builders. The chancel arches and high windows are thought to be by John Wastell, who also worked on Kings College Chapel, Cambridge.
The choir stalls, made in Ripon, are some of the best in Europe. They have amazing carvings on the misericord seats. James Stanley also added the famous angel minstrels to the nave roof. These are fourteen life-sized angels playing musical instruments.
The college was closed in 1547 during the reign of Edward VI, but it was reopened by his sister Mary in 1553. When Elizabeth I became queen, she gave it a new charter in 1578. The college's dedication changed to the college of Christ. John Dee, a famous scholar, was warden from 1595 to 1608.
Side Chapels
In the early 1500s, many small chapels were built along the north and south sides of the church. These chapels created a double aisle around the main part of the church, making the nave very wide. Manchester Cathedral is often said to have the widest nave of any cathedral in England.
The oldest chapel, St Nicholas Chapel, was rebuilt in 1470. Other chapels included St George's Chapel (1503), Jesus Chapel (1506), Holy Trinity Chapel (1498), and St James' Chapel (1507). The largest, St John the Baptist Chapel, was started in 1513. The Ely Chapel, a burial chapel for James Stanley, was destroyed by bombing in 1940.
Today, the screens that separated these chapels have been removed. This makes the side aisles look like one large, open space.
Many Marriages
Until 1850, the Collegiate Church was the only place in Manchester where people could legally get married without paying extra fees to other chapels. Because of this, huge numbers of weddings took place here. In 1821, over 1,900 marriages happened in the church. By 1838, there were over 2,600 weddings, along with thousands of christenings and funerals.
Becoming a Cathedral
In 1847, the collegiate church officially became the cathedral for the new Diocese of Manchester. The building was greatly renovated in 1882.
During the Manchester Blitz in 1940, a German bomb caused severe damage to the cathedral. The roofs were damaged, and the medieval Lady Chapel and James Stanley's chapel were destroyed. All the stained-glass windows were blown out, and the organ was ruined. It took nearly 20 years to complete the repairs. The Lady Chapel was rebuilt, and the St John the Baptist Chapel became a special chapel for the Manchester Regiment.
The cathedral was damaged again in June 1996 by an IRA bombing.
The cathedral keeps many old records and historical documents, some dating back to 1421. In 2003, a project began to make these records available to the public. The cathedral was given Grade I listed building status in 1952, meaning it is a building of "exceptional interest."
Cathedral Architecture
The cathedral is built from three types of stone. The original walls were made from a dark purple-brown sandstone. This stone can still be seen in parts of the tower and the Jesus Chapel. In the 1800s, much of the stone was replaced with a buff-grey stone from Ramsbottom. The floors in the nave were relaid in the 1960s with limestone that contains fossils.
Repairs and Changes
By the 1840s, the cathedral's stone was in poor condition. Many repairs and replacements were done in the late 1800s. The west tower was made taller in 1868. Other additions included a vestry and porches. Because of all these changes, the cathedral looks much like a 19th-century building today.
In 2013, a temporary wooden cathedral was built on Victoria Street. This allowed services to continue while the main cathedral's heating system was upgraded.
Inside the Cathedral
Angel Minstrels
The nave roof is supported by fourteen angel sculptures. Each angel plays a different medieval musical instrument. These angels are thought to be a gift from James Stanley II.
On the south side, you can see angels playing a Portative organ, harp, psaltery, dulcimer, lute, fiddle, and hurdy-gurdy.
On the north side, angels play a clavicymbal, trumpet, shawm, Scots pipes, Irish pipes, recorder, and tabor.
Most of these instruments were used for secular songs and dances, not usually in church. However, they might have been used in street plays or religious parades.
Misericords
The cathedral has thirty misericords from the 1500s. These are small, carved wooden seats in the choir stalls that could be flipped up to provide a ledge for standing. They are considered some of the best in Europe. One carving, N-08, is the earliest known picture of backgammon in the UK.
Stained Glass
All the Victorian stained glass windows were destroyed during the 1940 bombing. New windows were slowly added. Tony Hollaway designed a plan for replacing the windows, focusing on the five western windows: St George (1973), St Denys (1976), St Mary (1980), The Creation (1991), and The Apocalypse (1995). After the 1996 bombing, the Healing Window by Linda Walton was installed in 2004 to remember the repairs.
Bells
The cathedral tower has ten bells used for change ringing. They were made in 1925 and the largest bell weighs 1.3 tonnes. The bells ring for Sunday services and special events, like visits from Elizabeth II.
Cathedral Leadership
The cathedral is led by a Dean and a team of canons. The current Dean is Rogers Govender. They work together to manage the cathedral and its services.
Visitor Information
A visitor centre is located by the cathedral's south porch. It cost £3 million and was opened by Elizabeth II. It has a shop and an exhibition room. A special attraction is the 15th-century Hanging Bridge, which was once the main way to reach the church. It was buried for over 100 years before being rediscovered.
Music at the Cathedral
Organ
The cathedral has a large organ. The original organ was destroyed in the 1940 bombing. A new organ was installed in 1952. In 2016, an entirely new organ was built and placed above the pulpitum (the screen separating the nave and choir).
Organists
The current Organist and Master of the Choristers is Christopher Stokes. The Sub Organist is Geoffrey Woollatt. Many famous musicians have served as organists here over the years.
Choir
Since 1421, the church has had a choir of adult singers and boys. In 1969, Chetham's School began offering scholarships for boys to sing in the cathedral choir. In the 1970s, scholarships were also offered to girls, making it one of the first Church of England choirs to include both boys' and girls' voices. Today, there are places for 20 choristers and 6 adult singers.
Images for kids
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Manchester Cathedral and skyline
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Manchester Cathedral from the front
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The nave roof supported by angel minstrels viewed from the west door
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The choir stalls
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Collegiate chancel, designed by John Wastell
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Plaque at the cathedral entrance
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Manchester Cathedral in 1903
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A view of the nave inside Manchester Cathedral since 2016, showing the Stoller organ over the pulpitum
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A misericord carving, depicting a hunter gutting a stag
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St Mary Window, Tony Hollaway (1980)
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Detail of modern stained glass in the cathedral; the St Denys window
