This is a building which has particularly struck me whilst visiting Liverpool to attend talks and gigs. The tension between it and the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, separated from one another only by half a mile of Hope Street, is tangible. The scene is evocative of the historical divide between the indigenous Lancashire inhabitants of Liverpool and its growing Irish Catholic community during its heyday as a key port in the 19th century.
Based on a 1901 competition entry by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, what claims to be the 'largest cathedral in the world' turned out rather differently to how he originally intended it. Its construction was severely delayed by two World Wars, with Scott himself having died by the time of its completion. Having seen other examples of Scott's oeuvre, I was surprised to learn that this was not until the late 70s, given its evident circa-1900 Gothic Revival style and brickwork. Remarkably, the comparatively modern Metropolitan Cathedral was completed over a decade earlier.
The Anglican Cathedral's Lady Chapel is described scathingly by John Thomas as a "feminized building" which would seem designed, in the absence of a Catholic cathedral, for Anglo-Catholic worship. This adds to its contentious character, the most ironic aspect of which is perhaps Scott's Catholic faith, initially unknown to the cathedral committee when selecting a competition winner.
