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The Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew has its roots in Anglo-Saxon times. The first abbey was established at Peterborough (originally called Medeshamstede) in 655 AD and largely destroyed by Viking raiders in 870. In the mid 10th century a Benedictine Abbey was created from what remained. Some buildings were destroyed in Hereward the Wake's resistance to the Norman Conquest in 1069, but the church survived until an accidental fire swept through it in 1116.  The present building was begun in 1118, consecrated in 1238 and the structure of the building remains essentially as it was on completion. Most significantly the original wooden ceiling survives in the nave, the only one of its type in this country and one of only four wooden ceilings of this period surviving in the whole of Europe, having been completed between 1230 and 1250. There is some fine 16th century fan vaulting at the east end of the church. Peterborough grew to be a wealthy monastic house, with 120 monks just before it was dissolved in 1539. However, the abbey church survived as Peterborough Cathedral. Parliamentary troops caused damage to glass and monuments during the Civil War. Two queens were buried in the Cathedral, Katherine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots: however, in 1612, James I/VI had his mother re-buried in Westminster and her grave is now empty.

The first cathedral was completed in 1092 at the now deserted Old Sarum, about 3 miles to the north of 'new Sarum' - modern Salisbury. Work on the present cathedral began in 1220 and was substantially complete by 1320. Salisbury Cathedral is a soaring Gothic masterpiece. It has the tallest church spire (404 feet - 123 metres), and the largest cloister and cathedral close in Britain, houses the world's oldest working clock, dating from 1386) and holds one of four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta. Famously painted by John Constable, among its notable burials is ex-Prime Minister Edward Heath (1916-2005).

St Albans Cathedral is known as the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain and stands over the place where Alban, Britain's first saint, was buried after the Roman gave his life for his faith more than 1700 years ago. A church was built over the grave and it became a place of pilgrimage.  King Offa of Mercia is said to have founded a monastery here in 793 AD.

William the Conqueror appointed Paul of Caen as the first Norman abbot of St Albans and Paul set about building a new church, using material from the Roman city of Verulamium. Today, St Albans is the only cathedral in Britain with a Norman crossing tower that is still standing – and built of Roman bricks.  It also has the longest nave in England, with medieval paintings on its pillars and wonderful stained glass in its windows. St Albans Abbey was dissolved in December 1539, most of its buildings were destroyed and its valuables disappeared – along with St Alban’s relics.  In 1553, the people of St Albans bought the church for their own use. However, the upkeep was expensive and by 1832, the Abbey was in a poor condition.  Wealthy Victorian benefactors paid for the building to be repaired, which included remodelling the West End, removing medieval features and replacing the statues in the High Altar Screen. In 1877 what had previously been a local parish church became a cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of St Albans.

St Davids Cathedral (usually missing an apostrophe) sits at the bottom of a small hill beneath Britain's smallest city. Next to it are the ruins of the Bishop's Palace. St David, the Patron Saint of Wales, founded a monastery on the site in the 6th century, though this was raided and plundered by Vikings several times. The present cathedral, a trifle austere, dates from 1181. The highlight is probably the Shrine of St David. It is also the burial place of Edmund Tudor, father of King Henry VII, and of the 12th century monk, Gerald of Wales, medieval travel-writer.  The location is gorgeous and the entire complex is one of the most significant historical Christian sites in Britain.

St Paul's is the seat of the Bishop of London and one of London's iconic landmarks. It stands at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, where it is believed the first church, dedicated to St Paul the Apostle, was built on the same spot in 604AD. The present Baroque cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and replaced 'Old St Paul's', which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was built between 1675 and 1708. It famously survived the Blitz of 1940/41 and is the burial place of two of Britain's greatest heroes, Horatio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington (and Christopher Wren). The funeral services of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher were held at St Paul's. It is on most visitors' 'must see' list, but the Cathedral, like Westminster Abbey, charges a hefty entrance fee.