Coventry has had three cathedrals. The Priory Church of St Mary was founded as a Benedictine community in 1043, allegedly by the Earl of Mercia, Leofric, and his wife Godiva. It became a cathedral in 1102 but was dissolved and destroyed in 1539. The parish church of St Michael, founded as a chapel in the
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York Minster dominates the City of York, literally (it is allegedly the largest church in northern Europe) and spiritually. The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York is the seat of the Archbishop of York, Bishop of the Diocese of York and the second highest cleric in the Church of England after the
The medieval Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin, Worcester, perches beautifully over the River Severn. Its 14th century tower dominates, but it was founded much earlier, in the 7th century, rebuilt by St Oswald in the 10th century and the present building was begun by St Wulfstan in 1084. The Romanesque
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Wells is England’s smallest city (after the City of London). The Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, or Wells Cathedral, is dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle and is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. There has been a church on the site since 705AD, but the Cathedral itself was built between the
St Paul’s Cathedral 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
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The spire of Salisbury Cathedral is a landmark for miles around. At 404 feet (123 m) high, it is the tallest in Britain. The first cathedral, however, was completed in 1092 at the now deserted site of Old Sarum, about 3 miles to the north of ‘new Sarum’ – modern Salisbury. Work on the present
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Lincoln Cathedral, dedicated to St Mary, is a magnificent Gothic building which, together with the adjacent castle, dominates the city. It dates from the 11th century and is believed to be the fourth largest cathedral in area in Britain (after Liverpool, St Paul’s and York Minster). For almost 240 years, from 1311 to 1549, when
Lichfield Cathedral is the only 3-spired medieval cathedral in England; its spires have long been known as ‘the Ladies of the Vale’. Founded by Chad in the 7th century the present Gothic building fates from the 12th century. The Cathedral is known for its treasures, which date from the Saxon period.
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The magnificent Hereford Cathedral was founded in the year 696, although its current buildings date from the 11th and 12th centuries. It is possibly most famous for its chained library and the Mappa Mundi, a graphical representation of the medieval world, made in the early 14th century.
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Durham Cathedral, formally known as ‘the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham’, was founded in 1093. Historically significant and renowned for its Romanesque arches, it features the shrine of St Cuthbert and is a World Heritage Site, alongside Durham Castle.
