# Salford Cathedral > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Salford_Cathedral > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Salford_Cathedral.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salford_Cathedral > Source revision: 1354368822 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Catholic cathedral in Salford, Greater Manchester, England Church in Greater Manchester, England Salford Cathedral Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist Exterior of Salford Cathedral Salford Cathedral Location within Greater Manchester 53°29′01″N 2°15′40″W / 53.4836°N 2.2610°W / 53.4836; -2.2610 Location Salford, Greater Manchester Country England Denomination Catholic Tradition Catholic Website [1] History Status Active Consecrated 1890; 136 years ago (1890) Architecture Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade II* listed[1] Architect Matthew Ellison Hadfield Style Gothic Revival and neo-Gothic Years built 1844–48 Administration Province Liverpool (since 1911) Diocese Salford Deanery Salford Clergy Bishop Rt. Rev. John Arnold Dean Rev. Fr. Michael Jones The **Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist**, usually known as **Salford Cathedral**, is a [Catholic](/source/Catholic) cathedral on Chapel Street in [Salford](/source/Salford), [Greater Manchester](/source/Greater_Manchester), England. It is the seat of the [Bishop of Salford](/source/Bishop_of_Salford) and [mother church](/source/Mother_church) of the [Diocese of Salford](/source/Diocese_of_Salford), and is a Grade II* [listed building](/source/Listed_building).[1] ## History Interior of the Cathedral St. John's Church, Salford, was built between 1844 and 1848 to designs of [Matthew Ellison Hadfield](/source/Matthew_Ellison_Hadfield) (1812–1885) of Weightman and Hadfield of Sheffield,[2][3] by Benjamin Hollins of Manchester. Hadfield's design for St. John's, the first [cruciform](/source/Cruciform) Catholic church to be built in England since the [Reformation](/source/Reformation), was closely modelled on a number of noted medieval churches. The "west" (actually south) front and nave are copied on a reduced scale from [Howden Minster](/source/Church_of_SS_Peter_%26_Paul%2C_Howden) in the [East Riding of Yorkshire](/source/East_Riding_of_Yorkshire); the choir and sanctuary are closely modelled on those of [Selby Abbey](/source/Selby_Abbey) in [North Yorkshire](/source/North_Yorkshire); the decorations of the [groined vault](/source/Groin_vault) are copied from the church of St Jacques in [Liège](/source/Li%C3%A8ge), Belgium; the tower and spire, the latter the tallest in Lancashire at the time of building, are derived from the [church of St Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent](/source/Church_of_St._Mary_Magdalene%2C_Newark-on-Trent) in Nottinghamshire. Two local businessmen, Daniel Lee (d. 1858) and John Leeming (d. 1877), each donated £1,000 towards the cost of the church and furnishings; both benefactors are commemorated in [chantries](/source/Chantries) at the [liturgical east](/source/Liturgical_east) end of the choir. The cathedral's "east" window of 1856, by [William Wailes](/source/William_Wailes) of [Newcastle](/source/Newcastle_upon_Tyne), depicts the history of Catholic Christianity in England, from the conversion of [Ethelbert](/source/%C3%86thelberht_of_Kent) by [St. Augustine](/source/St._Augustine_of_Canterbury) in 597, to the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in 1850. The total cost of building the cathedral was £18,000. Outside the Cathedral The foundation stone was laid in 1844 by Bishop [James Sharples](/source/James_Sharples_(bishop)), [coadjutor](/source/Coadjutor_bishop) to Bishop [George Brown](/source/George_Hilary_Brown), [Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District](/source/Vicar_Apostolic_of_the_Lancashire_District). The church was opened on 9 August 1848: Bishop Brown celebrated a Solemn High Mass in the presence of the Bishops of the other Vicariates of England and Wales. St. John's was elevated to [cathedral](/source/Cathedral) status in 1852 following the erection in September 1850 of the Diocese of Salford, becoming one of the first four Catholic cathedrals in England and Wales since the [English Reformation](/source/English_Reformation).[4] On 25 July 1851, [William Turner](/source/William_Turner_(bishop_of_Salford)) was consecrated the first [Bishop of Salford](/source/Bishop_of_Salford) in St. John's. In the same ceremony the Rector of St. John's, [George Errington](/source/George_Errington_(bishop)) was consecrated first [Bishop of Plymouth](/source/Roman_Catholic_Bishop_of_Plymouth). Thirty years later in October 1881, a violent storm caused serious damage to the cathedral's 240-foot (73.2 m) spire. Canon Beesley, then the administrator, succeeded in raising funds for repairs to the spire and generally refurbishing the fabric of the building. He also oversaw the furnishing of the new chapel of the blessed sacrament in the "south" transept in 1884, to designs of [Peter Paul Pugin](/source/Peter_Paul_Pugin), third son of [A.W.N. Pugin](/source/Augustus_Welby_Northmore_Pugin). By early 1890, the last £1,000 was paid to settle the original debt for the building of the cathedral, which led to the consecration of the cathedral in the same year by the second Bishop of Salford, [Herbert Vaughan](/source/Herbert_Vaughan), later to become Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. In 1919–20, the turrets on the "west" front were found to be in danger of collapsing on to the street below. They were taken down and rebuilt by the Sheffield firm of O'Neill & Son under the direction of Charles M. Hadfield, grandson of the cathedral's original architect. In 1924, the War Memorial Chapel in the "north" transept was opened, commemorating the fallen in World War I. By 1934 the cathedral's spire was found to have strayed from the perpendicular and the civic authorities ordered that some 60 feet (18 m) be removed. Repairs were not completed until 1938. Restoration and repair of damage sustained in the Second World War was carried out in the immediate post-war years. Further restoration and re-ordering were carried out in 1971–72 at a cost of £80,000. This included the erection of a new free-standing altar located under the crossing, following the [Second Vatican Council](/source/Second_Vatican_Council). A further re-ordering of the choir (chancel) took place in 1988, including the removal of the original stone high altar and [reredos](/source/Reredos), installed in 1853–55 to designs by [George Goldie](/source/George_Goldie_(architect)). A new stained-glass west window was installed in 1994, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the laying of the cathedral's foundation stone. Its title is *When I am lifted up I shall draw all to myself*, and it depicts, in somewhat abstract form, the crucified Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and the cathedral's patron, St. John. Restoration of the external stonework to the spire and "west" (i.e. south) front took place in the spring of 2007. Further major repairs to the roof and masonry to stop leaks within the church took place in 2018. In November 2021, it was announced that Salford Cathedral would be closed for the year until 2024 due to a multi-million-pound restoration project. This is set to include reinstalling some of the cathedral's Victorian heritage which was stripped in the 1970s and a new roof being added to the building.[5][6][7] ## Organ A new four-manual digital organ was installed by Makin in 2002. While digital organs are still uncommon in cathedrals, the current instrument has a versatile stop list and is an improvement on its predecessor, with speakers located in the [clerestory](/source/Clerestory) windows above the nave to help with choir and congregational singing. The current organ replaced a two-manual Jardine pipe organ which was installed in 1951; the console located in the south aisle near the crossing, with the pipe case in the west gallery. The Jardine instrument was a rebuild of a short-lived experimental design by Compton of 1938, involving remote pipework relayed into the cathedral by microphones and loudspeakers,[8] with some of the Compton pipework re-used in the Jardine instrument. The earliest instrument in Cathedral records was a four-manual instrument by W.E. Richardson sited in the north transept, installed in 1887.[9] ## Gallery - Aerial view: Salford Cathedral - Exterior: Salford Cathedral - Exterior: Entrance to the Cathedral - Exterior: Pyramid in St John's Square - Interior: Memorial Chapel - Interior: Nave of the Cathedral - Interior: Memorial Chapel - Exterior: Pyramid in St John's Square ## See also - [Catholicism portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Catholicism) - [Greater Manchester portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Greater_Manchester) - [Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester](/source/Grade_II*_listed_buildings_in_Greater_Manchester) - [Listed buildings in Salford, Greater Manchester](/source/Listed_buildings_in_Salford%2C_Greater_Manchester) - [List of tallest buildings and structures in Salford](/source/List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures_in_Salford) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nhle_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nhle_1-1) [Historic England](/source/Historic_England). ["Cathedral of St John and attached Cathedral House, Chapel Street (Grade II*) (1386115)"](https://HistoricEngland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1386115?section=official-list-entry). *[National Heritage List for England](/source/National_Heritage_List_for_England)*. Retrieved 17 September 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Pevsner, Nikolaus (1969). *The Buildings of England. South Lancashire*. Penguin Books. p. 390. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0140710361](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0140710361). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Hill, Rosemary (2008). *God's Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain*. Penguin Books. p. 178. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0140280995](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0140280995). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Decree of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, 21 April 1852. The other churches raised to cathedrals by this decree were [St George's, Southwark](/source/St_George's_Cathedral%2C_Southwark), [St Chad's, Birmingham](/source/St._Chad's_Cathedral%2C_Birmingham) and [St Barnabas, Nottingham](/source/Nottingham_Cathedral): *Decreta Quatuor Conciliorum Provincialium Westmonasteriensium*, (2nd Edn, London: Burns & Oates), p.56; translation in: Robert Guy OSB, *The Synods in English* (Stratford-on-Avon: St Gregory Press, 1886) p.101. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Salford Cathedral to close for major 2023 revamp"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-59459287). *BBC News*. 29 November 2021. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220227232215/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-59459287) from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Keeling, Neal (29 November 2021). ["Salford Cathedral forced to close for year and a half for £18m repairs"](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-cathedral-forced-close-year-22308383). *Manchester Evening News*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240323042304/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-cathedral-forced-close-year-22308383) from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Place North West | Salford Cathedral to close for £18m refresh"](https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/salford-cathedral-to-close-for-18m-refresh/). *Place North West*. 30 November 2021. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220124014142/https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/salford-cathedral-to-close-for-18m-refresh/) from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Elvin_8-0)** Elvin, Laurence (1995). *Pipes and actions: some organ builders in the Midlands and beyond*. L. Elvin. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-9500049-8-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-9500049-8-7). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Lancashire Salford, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Chapel Street \[N04360\]"](http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N04360). National Pipe Organ Register. 2003. Retrieved 16 May 2017. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Salford Cathedral](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Salford_Cathedral). - [Salford Diocese pages on Salford Cathedral](https://web.archive.org/web/20100904040408/http://www.salforddiocese.org.uk/cathedral) v t e Buildings and structures in the City of Salford, England Italics denote building under construction High-rises (over 100 metres) Cortland at Colliers Yard (153m) Anaconda Cut (131m) Bankside at Colliers Yard (129m) Affinity Living Riverview (110m) X1 Michigan Towers Building 3 (109m) Embankment Exchange (107m) Eda (101m) Highrises (over 50 metres) X1 Media City Tower 1 (85m) X1 Media City Tower 2 (85m) X1 Media City Tower 3 (85m) North Tower (80m) Salford Shopping Centre (75m) Peel House (55m) Notable lowrises Boothstown Mines Rescue Station Centenary Building Forest Bank Islington Mill Kersal Priory Lowry Hotel Ordsall Hall Peel Building Port Salford Public Baths Salford Civic Centre Salford Lads' Club Salford Museum and Art Gallery Salford Royal Hospital Salford Town Hall Threlfalls Brewery Wardley Hall Waterpark Hall Working Class Movement Library Worsley Court House Worsley Old Hall Places of worship Salford Cathedral Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation Monton Unitarian Church Sacred Trinity Church St Andrew's St Augustine's St Clement's St James' St Luke's St Mark's St Mary the Virgin, Eccles St Mary the Virgin, Ellenbrook St Paul's St Peter's St Philip's St Thomas' Transportation Anchorage Broadway Clifton Eccles Interchange Eccles Exchange Quay Harbour City Irlam Ladywell Langworthy Manchester Barton Aerodrome Moorside MediaCity UK Patricroft Salford Central Salford Crescent Salford Quays Swinton Walkden Weaste Shopping centres Salford Shopping Centre Swinton Square The Lowry Public houses Black Friar Coach and Horses, Weaste The Crescent The Crown Eagle Inn The Ellesmere The Grapes, Eccles King's Arms Lamb Hotel, Eccles The Maypole Punch Bowl Queen's Arms, Patricroft Royal Oak, Eccles White Horse, Swinton Sports and entertainment Broughton Cricket Club Ground The Cliff CorpAcq Stadium Manchester Tennis and Racquet Club Moor Lane Victoria Theatre The White Hotel Memorials Mark Addy Joseph Brotherton Charles Hallé Clifton Hall Colliery Disaster Oliver Heywood Bridges Albert Bridge Barton Road Swing Bridge Barton Swing Aqueduct Blackfriars Bridge Cadishead Viaduct Clifton Aqueduct Clifton Viaduct Irwell Railway bridge Media City Footbridge Palatine Bridge Salford Quays Bridge Southern Railway Viaduct Trinity Bridge Victoria Bridge Lists Castles Churches Grade I listed Grade II* listed Mills Monuments Schools Tallest Listed buildings in Eccles Irlam Salford Swinton and Pendlebury Worsley v t e Diocese of Salford Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford Bishops of Salford I: William Turner II: Herbert Vaughan III: John Bilsborrow IV: Louis Casartelli V: Thomas Henshaw VI: Henry Marshall VII: George Beck VIII: Thomas Holland IX: Patrick Kelly X: Terence Brain (Bishop Emeritus) XI: John Arnold Churches Salford Cathedral - Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist St Anne's Church, Blackburn Pleasington Priory St Patrick's Church, Bolton Church of St Mary of the Assumption, Burnley St Marie's Church, Bury St Michael and St John Church, Clitheroe St Mary's Church, Manchester (Hidden Gem) Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester Manchester Oratory Gorton Monastery St Wilfrid's Church, Hulme Corpus Christi Priory Christ Church, Nelson Our Lady and St Joseph Church, Heywood Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Patrick Church, Oldham St John the Baptist Church, Rochdale St Peter's Church, Stonyhurst St Ann's, Stretford All Saints' Church, Urmston Patronal Feasts of the Diocese Saint Joseph (19 March) Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16 July) Schools Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Accrington St Damian's Roman Catholic Science College, Ashton-under-Lyne Brownedge St Mary's Catholic High School, Bamber Bridge Our Lady and St John Catholic College, Blackburn St Mary's College, Blackburn Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, Burnley Holy Cross College, Bury St Gabriel's Roman Catholic High School, Bury Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School, Colne St Thomas More Roman Catholic College, Denton The Barlow Roman Catholic High School, Didsbury St Patrick's Roman Catholic High School, Eccles Mount St Joseph School, Farnworth Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College, Heywood St Joseph's Roman Catholic High School, Horwich St Cecilia's Roman Catholic High School, Longridge Loreto College, Manchester Our Lady's Roman Catholic High School, Manchester St Bede's College, Manchester St Matthew's Roman Catholic High School, Manchester St Peter's Roman Catholic High School, Manchester Xaverian College, Manchester Blessed John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College, Oldham St Monica's High School, Prestwich All Saints' Catholic High School, Rawtenstall All Hallows Roman Catholic High School, Salford St Anne's RC Voluntary Academy, Stockport Stella Maris School, Stockport Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall St Antony's Roman Catholic School, Urmston St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School, Wardley See also Apostolic Vicariate of the Lancashire District Wardley Hall St Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Wardley John Vaughan Geoffrey Burke Category v t e Cathedrals of the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland England and Wales Province of Westminster Brentwood Norwich Northampton Nottingham Westminster Province of Birmingham Birmingham Clifton Shrewsbury Province of Liverpool Lancaster Leeds Liverpool Middlesbrough Newcastle-upon-Tyne Salford Sheffield Province of Southwark Arundel Plymouth Portsmouth Southwark Province of Cardiff Cardiff Swansea Wrexham Other dioceses Bishopric of the Forces Syro-Malabar Eparchy Ukrainian Eparchy Scotland Province of St Andrews & Edinburgh Aberdeen Ayr Dundee Edinburgh Oban Province of Glasgow Glasgow Motherwell Paisley Ireland Province of Armagh Armagh Belfast Cavan Derry Letterkenny Longford Monaghan Mullingar Newry Province of Cashel Cobh Cork Ennis Killarney Limerick Skibbereen Thurles Waterford Province of Dublin Carlow Dublin Enniscorthy Kilkenny Province of Tuam Ballaghaderreen Ballina Galway Loughrea Sligo Tuam Provincial mother churches are shown in bold Catholicism portal Lists of cathedrals in Ireland England Wales Scotland --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Salford Cathedral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salford_Cathedral) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salford_Cathedral?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.