Manchester Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Manchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester
and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester
. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester. It has also variously been known locally as St Mary's, Christ Church and, simply, t'owd church.
Although extensively refaced, restored and extended in the Victorian period, and then again following severe bomb damage in the 20th century, the main body of the Cathedral largely derives from the wardenship of James Stanley (warden 1485–1506), and is in the Perpendicular Gothic style. Stanley was also primarily responsible for commissioning the spectacular late medieval wooden furnishings, including the pulpitum, the choir stalls, and the nave roof supported by angels with gilded instruments. It is one of the Grade I listed buildings in Manchester.
Since 2005 the Dean of the Cathedral has been the Very Reverend Rogers Morgan Govender
.
Services are currently held on Mondays to Fridays at 9:00 am (Morning Prayer), 1:10 pm (Holy Communion), and 5:30 pm (Evensong
); on Saturdays at 9:00 am (Morning Prayer), 9:15 am (Holy Communion), and 3:30 pm (Evensong
); and on Sundays at 8:45 am (Morning Prayer), 9:00 am (Holy Communion), 10:30 am (Sung Eucharist) and 5:30 pm (Evensong).
of land in Manchester exempt from all customary dues except tax".
Construction of the predecessor church started in 1215 within the confines of the Baron's Court beside the manor house on the site of Manchester Castle
. The occupying lords of the manor were the Grelley family, and their coat of arms
is still associated with the cathedral to this day. The Grelley family acted as stewards of the church, building and endowing
the first chancery
, the St. Nicholas Chancery.
In 1311, for lack of Grelley heirs, the estate
passed by marriage to the de la Warre family
. The 14th century west tower and eastern Lady Chapel
of this building were to be incorporated into the current structure (although little or no fabric of that date is still visible). In 1349 the St. Nicholas Chancery was endowed by the de Trafford family
. The involvement of the de la Warre family was furthered in 1382 when Thomas de la Warre
, later to be appointed Baron of Manchester, became rector
of the parish church
.
In 1421, Thomas de la Warre obtained a licence from King Henry V
and from Pope Martin V
to establish a collegiate foundation
in Manchester, appropriating the parish church for the purpose. The college was established in 1422 by royal charter, with a warden, eight fellows, four singing clerks and eight choristers, an exceptionally large foundation charged with the duty of praying for the souls of those killed in the king's campaigns
in France. The priests of the college were housed in collegiate buildings to the north of the church, built on the site of the former manor house. The buildings survive as Chetham's Hospital school and library, founded in 1653 in accordance with the will of Humphrey Chetham, and converted by his executors. They retain the fifteenth century hall and cloister. The spectacular seventeenth century library
is the oldest surviving public library in Britain and among its readers was Karl Marx
. Chetham's school was refounded in 1969 as Chetham's School of Music
, which rapidly attained international prestige as Britain's leading music academy for pre-university students. The boys and girls of the Cathedral Choir are now drawn from among its students.
John Huntingdon served as the first warden from 1422 to 1458, during which he rebuilt the eastern arm of the parish church to provide a collegiate choir. Traditionally the third warden, Ralph Langley (1465–1481), is credited with rebuilding the nave. However, both nave and choir were substantially reconstructed again by James Stanley a few years later, when he raised the present clerestory and provided the richly decorated timber roofs and choir stalls. James's stepmother was Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and through their alliance with the new Tudor dynasty the Stanley's acquired fabulous wealth, as well as access to architects and craftsmen working on royal commissions. On stylistic grounds, the arcades and clerestory of Manchester Cathedral are attributed to John Wastell
, who was also the architect for the completion of Kings College Chapel. The choir stalls were carved by the workshop of William Brownflet of Ripon; and are the finest of a series by those woodcarvers, which also includes the surviving stalls at Ripon Cathedral, Beverly Minster, and Bridlington Priory. The carving of the misericord
seats is exceptionally fine.
The early 16th century also saw the construction of an almost complete sequence of chantry chapels for local guilds along both north and south sides of the church; in effect creating a double aisle around the parochial nave, which is consequently much wider than it is long. Indeed Manchester is commonly claimed to have the widest nave of any cathedral in England. James Stanley is also responsible for the embellishment of the nave roof with supporters in the form of fourteen life-size angel minstrels, each playing a different late medieval instrument; and for the endowment of his own chantry chapel (now destroyed) at the north-east corner, in which he was buried in 1515.
The college was dissolved in 1547 in the reign of Edward VI
by the Chantries Act, but then refounded by his sister Mary
. Its future continued uncertain when Elizabeth I
succeeded in 1559, but was eventually assured when Elizabeth granted a new charter in 1578, allowing a warden, four fellows, two chaplains, four singing men and four choristers. Consequently, along with Southwell Minster
, Manchester was one of only two medieval collegiate foundations where daily choral worship was maintained after the Reformation; although these two were joined by Ripon when that collegiate foundation was restored in 1607. The most famous of the post-medieval wardens of Manchester was John Dee
, magus and astrologer for Elizabeth I; who was warden from 1595 to 1608, and who occupied the wardens' lodgings now incorporated into Chetham's Library
.
Under the Cathedrals Act of 1840, the Warden and Fellows of the collegiate church of Manchester were translated into Dean and Canons, in preparation for becoming the cathedral of a new diocese of Manchester-–which was effected in 1847. By then both external and internal stonework were in a very poor state, partly due to the poor weathering qualities of the original Binney sandstone, but also due to an ill advised attempt to lighten the interior by coating all internal surfaces of the nave with Roman Cement
. All external stonework was replaced between 1850 and 1870, in a restoration by J. S. Crowther, who also replaced the internal stonework of the nave walls and arcades. The west tower was heightened in 1868 by J. P. Holden, who also replaced all its external stonework. Consequently the cathedral gives the overall impression of a 19th-century structure.
During the Manchester Blitz
of 1940, a German bomb severely damaged the cathedral, completely demolishing both the medieval Lady Chapel and James Stanley's chantry chapel, and blowing out all the Victorian stained glass. It took nearly twenty years to repair all of the destruction, in the course of which the Guy Chapel was rebuilt to the designs of Hubert Worthington
The cathedral became a Grade I listed building on 25 January 1952; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest".
The building was again damaged by an IRA bomb
in June 1996.
The cathedral houses extensive parish and historical archive
s, dating back to 1421. In 2003, a project began to provide an exhaustive catalogue of the archive's contents to the public. It was the setting for a marriage at the start of the 2006 episode of Cracker
.
s, considered to be amongst the finest in Europe. It is worth noting that the misericords have a stylistic similarity to those at Ripon Cathedral
and Beverley Minster
– and although Manchester's post date-these, they were probably carved by the same school at Ripon. One of the most notable is N-08, which is the earliest known mention of backgammon in the UK.
bomb in 1996, the Healing Window by Linda Walton was installed in 2004.
, which were cast in 1925 by Gillett & Johnston
. The tenor (largest) bell has a mass of 1.3 tonnes and is tuned to the key of D.
The bells are rung for church service on a Sunday morning and for special occasions, the latest being for a visit by HM the Queen for The Royal Maundy. One of the recipients of the Maundy Money was the tower Captain, Roland Eccles, for 35 years of service to ringing and to the Cathedral community.
's Founders' Day Service is held in the Cathedral. Before moving to Fallowfield
in the 1930s, MGS was situated in the building that is now occupied by Chetham's School of Music, next to the Cathedral. It is believed that this service is the oldest tradition in Manchester.
. It includes a shop and an exhibition room. The main attraction of the visitor centre is Hanging Bridge
, a 15th-century bridge and Scheduled Monument, which before being displayed in the visitor centre had not been seen by the public for over 100 years.
, Michael Symmons Roberts
, and Linda Chase. In 2010 the Cathedral re-established its Young Poets Competition, a national competition open to all schools and all children from Key Stage 1-5.
On 23 January 2010, the Cathedral announced the appointment of its first Poet-in-Residence, Rachel Mann http://www.manchestercathedral.org/news/441-our-new-poet-in-residence. Rachel Mann is also Priest-in-Charge of the Church of St Nicholas, Manchester.
as a literary form. The inaugural sermon was delivered by the internationally known novelist Jeanette Winterson
.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester
Bishop of Manchester
The Bishop of Manchester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.The current bishop is the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, the 11th Lord Bishop of Manchester, who signs Nigel Manchester. The bishop's official residence is Bishopscourt, Bury New Road,...
. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester. It has also variously been known locally as St Mary's, Christ Church and, simply, t'owd church.
Although extensively refaced, restored and extended in the Victorian period, and then again following severe bomb damage in the 20th century, the main body of the Cathedral largely derives from the wardenship of James Stanley (warden 1485–1506), and is in the Perpendicular Gothic style. Stanley was also primarily responsible for commissioning the spectacular late medieval wooden furnishings, including the pulpitum, the choir stalls, and the nave roof supported by angels with gilded instruments. It is one of the Grade I listed buildings in Manchester.
Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester
-See also:*Architecture of Manchester*Conservation in the United Kingdom*Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester*List of tallest buildings in Manchester*Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester-Bibliography:...
Since 2005 the Dean of the Cathedral has been the Very Reverend Rogers Morgan Govender
Rogers Morgan Govender
The Very Reverend Rogers Morgan Govender is the current Dean of Manchester.- Life and career :He was originally from Durban in Natal, and was ordained in 1985. He was Rector of St Matthew's Hayfields in Pietermaritzburg and then of St Thomas's Musgrave Road before emigrating in 2002 to the UK after...
.
Services are currently held on Mondays to Fridays at 9:00 am (Morning Prayer), 1:10 pm (Holy Communion), and 5:30 pm (Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
); on Saturdays at 9:00 am (Morning Prayer), 9:15 am (Holy Communion), and 3:30 pm (Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
); and on Sundays at 8:45 am (Morning Prayer), 9:00 am (Holy Communion), 10:30 am (Sung Eucharist) and 5:30 pm (Evensong).
The Middle Ages
A church dedicated to St Mary is recorded in the Domesday Survey, although the only surviving evidence from this period is a small carving of an angel with a scroll, preserved in the Cathedral nave; the Old English inscription on the stone translates as "into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit". The Domesday Book entry for Manchester reads "the Church of St Mary and the Church of St Michael hold one carucateCarucate
The carucate or ploughland was a unit of assessment for tax used in most Danelaw counties of England, and is found for example in Domesday Book. The carucate was based on the area a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season...
of land in Manchester exempt from all customary dues except tax".
Manchester Castle
Manchester Castle was a medieval fortified manor house, probably located on a bluff where the rivers Irk and Irwell meet, near to Manchester Cathedral, underneath where Chetham's School of Music now is, putting it near the edge of the medieval township of Manchester .-History:Manchester Castle was...
. The occupying lords of the manor were the Grelley family, and their coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is still associated with the cathedral to this day. The Grelley family acted as stewards of the church, building and endowing
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
the first chancery
Diocesan chancery
A diocesan chancery is the branch of administration which handles all written documents used in the official government of a Roman Catholic or Anglican diocese....
, the St. Nicholas Chancery.
In 1311, for lack of Grelley heirs, the estate
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
passed by marriage to the de la Warre family
Earl De La Warr
Earl De La Warr is a title created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1761.In the United States, Thomas West, 3rd baron is often named in history books simply as Lord Delaware. He served as governor of the Jamestown Colony, and the Delaware Bay was named after him...
. The 14th century west tower and eastern Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
of this building were to be incorporated into the current structure (although little or no fabric of that date is still visible). In 1349 the St. Nicholas Chancery was endowed by the de Trafford family
De Trafford Baronets
The de Trafford Baronetcy, of Trafford Park in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was restored after the Catholic Emancipation, by Royal Decree on 7 September 1841, for Thomas de Trafford...
. The involvement of the de la Warre family was furthered in 1382 when Thomas de la Warre
Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr
Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr was the second son of Roger la Warr, 3rd Baron De La Warr and Elizabeth de Welle, daughter of Adam, 3rd Baron Welles, and was intended for the church. In 1363, he received a dispensation, permitting him to be ordained at the age of twenty, and was made a canon...
, later to be appointed Baron of Manchester, became rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
.
In 1421, Thomas de la Warre obtained a licence from King Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
and from Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
to establish a collegiate foundation
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
in Manchester, appropriating the parish church for the purpose. The college was established in 1422 by royal charter, with a warden, eight fellows, four singing clerks and eight choristers, an exceptionally large foundation charged with the duty of praying for the souls of those killed in the king's campaigns
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
in France. The priests of the college were housed in collegiate buildings to the north of the church, built on the site of the former manor house. The buildings survive as Chetham's Hospital school and library, founded in 1653 in accordance with the will of Humphrey Chetham, and converted by his executors. They retain the fifteenth century hall and cloister. The spectacular seventeenth century library
Chetham's Library
Chetham's Library in Manchester, England is the oldest free public reference library in the United Kingdom. Chetham's Hospital, which contains both the library and Chetham's School of Music, was established in 1653 under the will of Humphrey Chetham , for the education of "the sons of honest,...
is the oldest surviving public library in Britain and among its readers was Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
. Chetham's school was refounded in 1969 as Chetham's School of Music
Chetham's School of Music
Chetham's School of Music , familiarly known as "Chets", is a specialist independent co-educational music school, situated in Manchester city centre, in North West England. It was established in 1969, incorporating Chetham's Hospital School, founded as a charity school by Humphrey Chetham in 1653...
, which rapidly attained international prestige as Britain's leading music academy for pre-university students. The boys and girls of the Cathedral Choir are now drawn from among its students.
John Huntingdon served as the first warden from 1422 to 1458, during which he rebuilt the eastern arm of the parish church to provide a collegiate choir. Traditionally the third warden, Ralph Langley (1465–1481), is credited with rebuilding the nave. However, both nave and choir were substantially reconstructed again by James Stanley a few years later, when he raised the present clerestory and provided the richly decorated timber roofs and choir stalls. James's stepmother was Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and through their alliance with the new Tudor dynasty the Stanley's acquired fabulous wealth, as well as access to architects and craftsmen working on royal commissions. On stylistic grounds, the arcades and clerestory of Manchester Cathedral are attributed to John Wastell
John Wastell
John Wastell was an English gothic architect responsible for Manchester Cathedral, parts of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, the crossing tower of Canterbury Cathedral, and the fan vaulted section of Peterborough Cathedral. He also worked on Bury St Edmunds Abbey....
, who was also the architect for the completion of Kings College Chapel. The choir stalls were carved by the workshop of William Brownflet of Ripon; and are the finest of a series by those woodcarvers, which also includes the surviving stalls at Ripon Cathedral, Beverly Minster, and Bridlington Priory. The carving of the misericord
Misericord
A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer.-Origins:...
seats is exceptionally fine.
The early 16th century also saw the construction of an almost complete sequence of chantry chapels for local guilds along both north and south sides of the church; in effect creating a double aisle around the parochial nave, which is consequently much wider than it is long. Indeed Manchester is commonly claimed to have the widest nave of any cathedral in England. James Stanley is also responsible for the embellishment of the nave roof with supporters in the form of fourteen life-size angel minstrels, each playing a different late medieval instrument; and for the endowment of his own chantry chapel (now destroyed) at the north-east corner, in which he was buried in 1515.
The college was dissolved in 1547 in the reign of Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
by the Chantries Act, but then refounded by his sister Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. Its future continued uncertain when Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
succeeded in 1559, but was eventually assured when Elizabeth granted a new charter in 1578, allowing a warden, four fellows, two chaplains, four singing men and four choristers. Consequently, along with Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster is a minster and cathedral, in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is six miles away from Newark-on-Trent and thirteen miles from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.It is considered an outstanding...
, Manchester was one of only two medieval collegiate foundations where daily choral worship was maintained after the Reformation; although these two were joined by Ripon when that collegiate foundation was restored in 1607. The most famous of the post-medieval wardens of Manchester was John Dee
John Dee
John Dee was a Welsh mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I.John Dee may also refer to:* John Dee , Basketball coach...
, magus and astrologer for Elizabeth I; who was warden from 1595 to 1608, and who occupied the wardens' lodgings now incorporated into Chetham's Library
Chetham's Library
Chetham's Library in Manchester, England is the oldest free public reference library in the United Kingdom. Chetham's Hospital, which contains both the library and Chetham's School of Music, was established in 1653 under the will of Humphrey Chetham , for the education of "the sons of honest,...
.
Modern period
Roman cement
For the architectural material actually used by the ancient Romans, see Roman concrete."Roman cement" is a substance developed by James Parker in the 1780s, and finally patented in 1796...
. All external stonework was replaced between 1850 and 1870, in a restoration by J. S. Crowther, who also replaced the internal stonework of the nave walls and arcades. The west tower was heightened in 1868 by J. P. Holden, who also replaced all its external stonework. Consequently the cathedral gives the overall impression of a 19th-century structure.
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
of 1940, a German bomb severely damaged the cathedral, completely demolishing both the medieval Lady Chapel and James Stanley's chantry chapel, and blowing out all the Victorian stained glass. It took nearly twenty years to repair all of the destruction, in the course of which the Guy Chapel was rebuilt to the designs of Hubert Worthington
Hubert Worthington
-Early life:Worthington was born at Chorley, Alderley Edge, the youngest son of the architect Thomas Worthington. He was educated at Sedbergh School from 1900–1905 and then at the Manchester University school of architecture, before being articled to his half-brother Percy...
The cathedral became a Grade I listed building on 25 January 1952; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest".
The building was again damaged by an IRA bomb
1996 Manchester bombing
The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on 15 June 1996 in Manchester, England. The bomb, placed in a van on Corporation Street in city centre, targeted the city's infrastructure and economy and caused widespread damage, estimated by...
in June 1996.
The cathedral houses extensive parish and historical archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
s, dating back to 1421. In 2003, a project began to provide an exhaustive catalogue of the archive's contents to the public. It was the setting for a marriage at the start of the 2006 episode of Cracker
Cracker (UK TV series)
Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The series is centered on a criminal psychologist , Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane. Set in Manchester, it consists of three series which were...
.
Misericords
The Cathedral has thirty 16th-century misericordMisericord
A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer.-Origins:...
s, considered to be amongst the finest in Europe. It is worth noting that the misericords have a stylistic similarity to those at Ripon Cathedral
Ripon Cathedral
Ripon Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds and the mother church of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, situated in the small North Yorkshire city of Ripon, England.-Background:...
and Beverley Minster
Beverley Minster
Beverley Minster, in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire is a parish church in the Church of England. It is said to be the largest parish church in the UK....
– and although Manchester's post date-these, they were probably carved by the same school at Ripon. One of the most notable is N-08, which is the earliest known mention of backgammon in the UK.
Stained glass
All the Victorian stained glass in the cathedral was destroyed during the second world war – and until the late 1960s, only two windows had been replaced, notably the Fire Window by Margaret Traherne (1966). The Dean and Chapter commissioned Anthony Hollaway to prepare a scheme for reglazing the cathedral, with particular priority to the five western windows; St George (1973), St Denys (1976), St Mary (1980), The Creation (1991) and The Apocalypse (1995). To commemorate the restoration of the cathedral following an IRAProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb in 1996, the Healing Window by Linda Walton was installed in 2004.
Cathedral Bells
There are 10 bells in the cathedral tower hung for change ringingChange ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
, which were cast in 1925 by Gillett & Johnston
Gillett & Johnston
Gillett and Johnston is a clock and formerly bell manufacturing business in Croydon, England.-History:William Gillett started a clock making business on Union Road in Croydon, England in 1844. Charles Bland became a partner in 1854 and the company became known as Gillet and Bland. In 1877, Arthur...
. The tenor (largest) bell has a mass of 1.3 tonnes and is tuned to the key of D.
The bells are rung for church service on a Sunday morning and for special occasions, the latest being for a visit by HM the Queen for The Royal Maundy. One of the recipients of the Maundy Money was the tower Captain, Roland Eccles, for 35 years of service to ringing and to the Cathedral community.
Manchester Grammar School Founders' Day
Every year, on the third Friday in October, the Manchester Grammar SchoolManchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
's Founders' Day Service is held in the Cathedral. Before moving to Fallowfield
Fallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
in the 1930s, MGS was situated in the building that is now occupied by Chetham's School of Music, next to the Cathedral. It is believed that this service is the oldest tradition in Manchester.
Visitor Centre
The Manchester Cathedral Visitor Centre is next to the cathedral's south porch. It cost £3 million to build and was opened by Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. It includes a shop and an exhibition room. The main attraction of the visitor centre is Hanging Bridge
Hanging Bridge
Hanging Bridge is a medieval bridge spanning the Hanging Ditch, which connected the rivers Irk and Irwell in Manchester, England. The first reference to the bridge was in 1343, when it was called Hengand Brigge, but the present structure was built in 1421, replacing an earlier bridge. Material...
, a 15th-century bridge and Scheduled Monument, which before being displayed in the visitor centre had not been seen by the public for over 100 years.
Organ
Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ RegisterOrganists
- 1635 John Leigh
- 1637 William Garter
- 1666 William Turner
- 1670 William Keys
- 1679 Richard Booth
- 1696 Edward Tetlow
- 1702 James Holland
- 1704 Edward Edge
- 1714 Edward Betts
- 1767 John Wainwright
- 1768 Robert Wainwright
- 1775 Richard Wainwright
- 1783 Grifiith James Cheese
- 1804 William Sudlow
- 1831 William Sudlow and Joseph John Harris
- 1848 Joseph John Harris
- 1869 Frederick BridgeFrederick BridgeSir John Frederick Bridge was an English organist, composer, teacher and writer.From a musical family, Bridge became a church organist before he was 20, and he achieved his ambition to become a cathedral organist by the age of 24, at Manchester Cathedral...
- 1875 James Kendrick PyneJames Kendrick PyneJames Kendrick Pyne was an English organist and composer.-Biography:He was born in Bath into a musical family. His father, also James Kendrick Pyne was organist at Bath Abbey for 53 years and his grandfather, also James Kendrick Pyne was a tenor...
- 1908 Sydney NicholsonSydney NicholsonSir Sydney Hugo Nicholson was an English choir director, organist and composer, now chiefly remembered as the founder of the Royal School of Church Music . He was born in London and educated at Rugby School, New College, Oxford and the Royal College of Music...
- 1919 Archibald W. Wilson
- 1943 Norman Cocker
- 1954 Allan WicksAllan WicksAllan Wicks CBE was an English cathedral organist, who served in Canterbury Cathedral for nearly 30 years. He was an early champion of the music of Olivier Messiaen and Peter Maxwell Davies...
- 1962 Derrick Edward Cantrell
- 1977 Robert Vincent
- 1980–1992 Stuart Beer (Choirmaster)
- 1981–1992 Gordon Brodie Stewart (Organist)
- 1992–1996 Stuart Beer (Director of Music)
- 1992–1996 Christopher Stokes (Organist)
- 1996 – Christopher Stokes (Organist and Master of the Choristers)
Assistant organists
- Joseph Cox Bridge 1869–1871 (later organist of Chester CathedralChester CathedralChester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
) - R.H. Wilson 1876
- Minton Pyne ?-1881
- Samuel MyerscoughSamuel MyerscoughSamuel Myerscough was an acclaimed musician, teacher and examiner. He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and a Fellow of Trinity College London....
- Richard Henry Mort
- Herbert C. Morris 1895–1896 (later organist of St David's CathedralSt David's CathedralSt David's Cathedral is situated in St David's in the county of Pembrokeshire, on the most westerly point of Wales.-Early history:The monastic community was founded by Saint David, Abbot of Menevia, who died in AD589...
) - Frank Radcliffe (later organist of St. Wulfrum's Church, Grantham, and St. Mary's Church, NottinghamSt. Mary's Church, NottinghamThe Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest religious foundation in the City of Nottingham, England, the largest church after the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest mediæval building in Nottingham....
) - Richard Henry ColemanRichard Henry ColemanRichard Henry Coleman was an cathedral organist, who served at Peterborough Cathedral.-Background:Richard Henry Pinwill Coleman was born on 3 April 1888 in Dartmouth...
1908–1912 (later organist of Peterborough CathedralPeterborough CathedralPeterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the...
) - Ernest BullockErnest BullockSir Ernest Bullock was an English organist, composer, and educator.-Education:...
1912–1919 - Arnold Goldsbrough 1919
- Norman Cocker 1920–1925, 1938
- Thomas Armstrong 1922–1923 (afterwards organist of St. Peter's Church, Eaton SquareSt. Peter's Church, Eaton SquareSt. Peter's Church, Eaton Square London SW1 is a large Church of England church which stands at the east end of Eaton Square, Belgravia.The original building for St Peter's was designed in a classical style by the architect Henry Hakewill, and featured a six-columned Ionic portico and a clock...
, London) - Edward Fry 1946-
- Douglas Steele 1950-
- Jonathan Bielby 1968–1970 (afterwards organist of Wakefield CathedralWakefield CathedralWakefield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of Wakefield and is the seat of the Bishop of Wakefield. The cathedral has Anglo Saxon origins and the tallest cathedral spire in Yorkshire...
) - Brian Hodge 1970–1974
- Stephen Drew Pinnock 1975–1980 (afterwards Director of Music at Ardingly College)
- Jeffrey Makinson 1999 – (previously assistant organist of Lincoln Cathedral)
Poetry at the Cathedral
Since 2000, Manchester Cathedral has sponsored The International Religious Poetry Competition. Judges have included Michael SchmidtMichael Schmidt (poet)
Michael Schmidt is a Mexican-British poet, author and scholar. He studied at Harvard and at Wadham College, Oxford. He is currently Professor of Poetry at Glasgow University, where he is convener of the Creative Writing M.Litt programme...
, Michael Symmons Roberts
Michael Symmons Roberts
Michael Symmons Roberts is a British poet. He has published five collections of poetry, all with Cape , and has won the Whitbread Poetry Award, as well as major prizes from the Arts Council and Society of Authors. He has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize twice, the Griffin International...
, and Linda Chase. In 2010 the Cathedral re-established its Young Poets Competition, a national competition open to all schools and all children from Key Stage 1-5.
On 23 January 2010, the Cathedral announced the appointment of its first Poet-in-Residence, Rachel Mann http://www.manchestercathedral.org/news/441-our-new-poet-in-residence. Rachel Mann is also Priest-in-Charge of the Church of St Nicholas, Manchester.
The Manchester Sermon
On 21 October 2010, the cathedral hosted the inaugural Manchester Sermon. Developed in collaboration with the Manchester Literature Festival, the event was aimed at revitalizing the sermonSermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
as a literary form. The inaugural sermon was delivered by the internationally known novelist Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson OBE is a British novelist.-Early years:Winterson was born in Manchester and adopted on 21 January 1960. She was raised in Accrington, Lancashire, by Constance and John William Winterson...
.
See also
- Controversy over the usage of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of ManControversy over the usage of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of ManThe 2006 video game Resistance: Fall of Man, developed by Insomniac Games, published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 3 video game console, features combat scenes that take place within a virtual representation of Manchester Cathedral in England set in an alternate...
- Grade I listed buildings in Manchester
- History of ManchesterHistory of ManchesterThe history of Manchester encompasses its change from a minor Lancastrian township into the pre-eminent industrial metropolis of the United Kingdom and the world. Manchester began expanding "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century as part of a process of unplanned urbanisation...
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- Cathedral StepsManchester Cathedral StepsThe Victoria Arches were a series of arches built in the embankment of the River Irwell in Manchester. They served as business premises, landing stages for Steam packet riverboats, and also as World War II air-raid shelters...