Guildford Cathedral
| Guildford Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit | |
 | |
  Guildford Cathedral Shown within Surrey | |
| Location | Guildford, Surrey |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | www.guildford-cathedral.org |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1961 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Edward Maufe |
| Style | Gothic/Art Deco |
| Years built | 1936-1961 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of towers | 1 |
| Tower height | 48.8m (160 feet) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Guildford (since 1927) |
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England, designed by Sir Edward Maufe.
Construction
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.[1] Construction was interrupted by the Second World War, and the cathedral was not consecrated until 17 May 1961. In the intervening period Holy Trinity Church served as pro-cathedral.[1]
Location
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. Its bricks are made from clay taken from the hill on which it stands.
Description
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.'[1] Pevsner described the building as 'sweet-tempered, undramatic Curvilinear Gothic', and that the interior was 'noble and subtle.'
The tower is 160 feet (49 m) high,[1] 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 (just over 1.5 tonnes) and is tuned to the key of D. At the top of the tower stands a 15-foot (4.6 m) 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 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 5 January 1944.[citation needed] The supporting pole for the Angel houses mobile phone antennas for T-Mobile and 3, at a height of 49m.[2]
In 2008 a garden opened at the cathedral, bearing the name of Seeds of Hope.[3]
Music
Organ
The cathedral organ was installed in 1961 by the Liverpool firm of Rushworth and Dreaper. It is a reconstruction of an organ dating from c. 1866, previously in the Rosse Street Baptist Church in Shipley, West Yorkshire.[4]
Organists
- 1961 Barry Rose
- 1974 Philip Moore
- 1983 Andrew Millington (later Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral)
- 1998 Stephen Farr (later Director of Chapel Music at Worcester College, Oxford)
- 2008 Katherine Dienes-Williams
Sub-Organists
- Walter William Lionel Baker 1927 - 1940[5]
- Harry Taylor 1954 - ????
- Gavin Williams 1965(?) - 1970
- James Anthony Froggatt 1970 - 1977 (later Organist of Portsmouth Cathedral)
- Peter Wright 1977 - 1989 (later Organist of Southwark Cathedral)
- Geoffrey Morgan 1989 - 2002 (later Organist of Christchurch Priory)
- Louise Reid 2002 - 2003 (later Director of Ely Cathedral Girls' Choir)
- David Davies 2003 - 2009 (later Assistant Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral)
- Paul Provost 2009 -
 |
See also the List of Organ Scholars at Guildford Cathedral.
In culture
Scenes in the classic horror film The Omen were filmed at the Cathedral.[6]
On Sunday 30 November 2008 an armed man, David Sycamore aged 39,[7] was shot dead by police in the Cathedral grounds. The Cathedral had to postpone an Advent carol service planned for that day.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Guildford Cathedral by Sir Edward Maufe. Pitkin Pictorals Ltd, 1966.
- ^ "Planning Advice Note: PAN 62 Radio Telecommunications". Scotland.gov.uk. 2005-08-17. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ BBC - Youngsters offered seeds of hope
- ^ "Surrey, Guildford Cathedral of The Holy Spirit (A00957)". National Pipe Organ Register. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
- ^ Who's Who in Music. Fourth Edition. 1962. p.12
- ^ a b BBC News - Police 'shoot man near cathedral', 30 November 2008
- ^ BBC news, More BBC news: David Sycamore
External links
