Guildford Cathedral
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The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England. It is claimed to be the only Anglican cathedral "to be built on a new site in the southern Province of England since the Reformation"[1]. Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid by Dr Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1936[2]. Its building was interrupted by the Second World War between 1939 and 1952, and the cathedral wasn't consecrated until 17 May 1961[2].
It stands in a commanding spot on Stag Hill - so named because the Kings of England used to hunt here - and its solid red brick outline is visible for miles around; it immediately overlooks the University of Surrey beneath it. Its bricks are made from clay taken from the hill on which it stands.
The tower is 160 feet high[2], and contains twelve bells, ten of which were cast by Mears and Stainbank in 1965. The bells were augmented to 12 with two Whitechapel trebles in 1975. The largest bell weighs 30cwt and is tuned to the key of D. At the top of the tower stands a 15 foot gilded angel, which turns in the wind. Inside, the cathedral appears to be filled with light, with pale Somerset limestone pillars and white Italian marble floors.
The vaulting of the South Nave side aisle
Writing in 1932, Sir Edward Maufe said: ‘The ideal has been to produce a design, definitely of our own time, yet in the line of the great English Cathedrals; to build anew on tradition, to rely on proportion, mass, volume and line rather than on elaboration and ornament.'[2] Pevsner described the building as 'sweet-tempered, undramatic Curvilinear Gothic', and that the interior was 'noble and subtle.'
Scenes from the classic horror film The Omen were filmed at the Cathedral.
The Angel on the top of the tower was given in memory of Reginald Adgey-Edgar of the Intelligence Corps, who died on active service on 5th January 1944[citation needed]. The Angel also doubles up as a mobile phone mast for T-Mobile.
On Thursday April 13, 2006, Queen Elizabeth II visited Guildford Cathedral as part of the Maundy Thursday celebrations before going for lunch with the Mayor of Guildford in the Guildhall.
The nearby University of Surrey holds graduation ceremonies for its students at the Cathedral, its location makes this ideal as the students can walk from the campus to the Cathedral. During the graduation services the Cathedral is treated as a secular building.
In September 2007, the Cathedral was granted Fairtrade Church status by the Fairtrade Foundation.
The Cathedral participated in Earth Hour 2008 by switching off its floodlights.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ A Factual Guide to Guildford Cathedral by Anita Basset. 1963.
- ^ a b c d Guildford Cathedral by Sir Edward Maufe. Pitkin Pictorals Ltd, 1966.
[edit] External links
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