Critics be damned, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral gets Grade I status on advice from Historic England

Affectionately known to locals as ‘Paddy’s Wigwam’, Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King’s listed status has been upgraded to Grade I on advice from Historic England. It was built in the 1960s to the groundbreaking vision of Modern architect Sir Frederick Gibberd on top of an earlier Sir Edwin Lutyens-designed crypt; construction of a grand, classical cathedral had begun in the 1930s but was scuppered by the war and ‘The Mersey Funnel’, as it is also known, became Britain’s greatest Roman Catholic post-war architectural commission.

Constructed of concrete, Portland stone and stainless steel, giving the appearance, perhaps, of a large piece of moon-landing equipment on which you’d best not sit, with indoor lighting that wouldn’t look out of place in a nightclub, the building has ever divided opinions.

Mass is designed to be a visual drama in the progressive, circular, open space, fit for a world post the Second Vatican Council and ensuing changes, including greater congregational involvement. Sixty years later, its appearance is still somewhat shocking and, although it can’t boast the neon writing of Dame Tracey Emin, as its Anglican counterpart (by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott) in the city can, the site is an art lover’s dream.

A special method of cementing coloured glass was invented for installing the central lantern by John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens and other striking artwork includes Elisabeth Frink’s crucifix, bronze relief doors by sculptor William Mitchell showing symbols of the Four Evangelists, various stained-glass windows by Margaret Traherne, Stations of the Cross by sculptor Sean Rice and an enormous crown of thorns or ‘baldacchino’ above the altar designed by Gibberd, made of aluminium rods and incorporating loudspeakers and lights.

Some would argue that the real shock is that Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral wasn’t already listed Grade I. It certainly could have used assistance over the years. In the 1980s, a high-profile court case saw the Archdiocese sue both Gibberd and the engineers over a leaking roof, pieces of mosaic falling from the buttresses and a bell tower that was too narrow for the drive wheel it required. ‘After four weeks of trial, the case was settled,’ explains Paul Walton, former solicitor for the Archdiocese. ‘Even so, once the cathedral got the money, nobody new how to fix the issues. When Archbishop Kelly was installed in the 1996, the roof was still leaking. It rained on the day of his installation and the water dripped onto his family and guests. The roof was finally fixed later that decade.’

Controversy aside, the cathedral has certainly achieved Gibberd’s aim of giving the city a ‘unique topography’. ‘It commands the Liverpool skyline and is visible for miles around,’ adds Archbishop John Sherrington, Archbishop of Liverpool. ‘The building has been described as “the soul of the city” and brings hope to thousands who visit each year. The colours of the stained glass and revolutionary architectural style help raise their minds and hearts beyond this world to the transcendent and to God.’