Clifton Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the city of Bristol (not to be confused with the Church of England Bristol Cathedral). Located in the Clifton area of the city, it is the seat and mother church of the Diocese of Clifton and is known as Clifton Cathedral. It has been a Grade II* Listed Building since 2000. A 2014 study noted it to be the only Catholic church built in the 1970s to have been Grade II* listed. It was the first cathedral built under new guidelines arising from the Second Vatican Council.

History

Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Apostles

Prior to the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791 (31 Geo. 3. c. 32), Roman Catholics in Britain were banned from having public places of worship, and simply being a Catholic priest or running a Catholic school was liable to punishment with life imprisonment. but it was built on a challenging hillside site and had a history of problematic construction work, making work there difficult.

From 1962 to 1965 the Second Vatican Council met in Rome, discussing the renewal of the Church in its relationship to the world. This was to be a strong influence in the design of the new Cathedral and, when built, the cathedral would be the first worldwide to be designed following the new guidelines.

In 1965, architects were commissioned by the Bishop of Clifton, Rt Rev Joseph Rudderham to undertake the design of a new Cathedral on a different site in Clifton. The design was primarily by Ronald J. Weeks, working with Frederick S. Jennett and Antoni Poremba of the Percy Thomas Partnership. Although the firm had little experience in ecclesiastical architecture, Ronald Weeks worked closely with the Church team to develop their ideas for the cathedral. 'We are sure that only...a close working relationship between Architect and Client can achieve the level of 'Architectural Seriousness' advanced by the New Liturgical Movement.' Although Weeks was not a Catholic, he thought that this was an advantage: 'It's surprising how much people take for granted. Not being Catholics we could ask all sorts of questions which appeared naïve – like – "What is an altar?", in which one would get conflicting answers... each question would lead to a discussion which in turn helped to banish pre-conceived notions so we could plan right from scratch.' </blockquote>Kulić, comparing the design to that of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (completed 1967), said: 'Neither its bishop nor its architects appeared to wish to use architecture as a way of leaving a mark for posterity, as did both Heenon and Gibberd [at Liverpool]...Liverpool could be proved to be liturgically conservative and naïvely designed, while Clifton could be seen as a model of liturgically advanced and sophisticated planning...Weeks and the Clifton clergy...should be praised for their intimate and knowledgeable collaboration.' The final design was based on groups of hexagons.

'Its planning is more succinct and successful than that at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral because it places the altar to one side, with a horseshoe of seating for the congregation. This quickly became a preferred alternative to the notion of seating entirely 'in the round' because of the clearer view it gave everybody of the celebration.' a term said to have been popularised by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier during the construction of the Unité d'habitation in 1952. with the contract price agreed at £601,268 – with the additional cost of the site and other fees this brought the total cost of the new building to £800,000. IE Symons & Partners were the Quantity Surveyors, and beneath the stone was placed a copper time capsule. The pro-cathedral was closed and its sale provided fund for the new parish school, SS Peter and Paul on Aberdeen Road, Clifton. The fibreglass render was similar to that found on the Ambo (Lectern). The current glass doors, installed in 1995, The window nearer the Portal of St Peter is titled 'Pentecost'.

alt=Reiger organ, sanctuary and nave, Clifton Cathedral|thumb|Rieger organ, sanctuary and nave, Clifton Cathedral

Organ

The cost of moving the ProCathedral organ was prohibitive, The cathedral is consulting on replacing the now 46-year-old chairs.

The nave and sanctuary lighting is carefully designed.

The nave flooring is made of hexagonal tiles. Richard Gordon, one of the architectural assistants, worked on a ground plan of the building and drew out each tile to determine the number of tiles required. Originally intended to be executed in stone (it was thought that these would be damaged by later building work), It features in a pop music video (see Appearances in Media section).

Also in the Lady Chapel is a Lampedusa Cross [J on Plan]. It is similar to the British Museum's Lampedusa Cross and is intended to reflect Pope Francis's 2017 'Share the Journey' exhortation for the Church to care for, and show solidarity to, all migrants and asylum seekers.

2015–2018 renovation

The 2015–2018 £3.1 million grant-funded renovation project was carried out by Bristol-based Purcell. It involved replacement of the lower, failed asphalt roofs and associated glazing, which were causing leaks and staining and risked closure of some areas of the building, as well as re-leading the higher roof with 86 tons (95 short tons, 77 long tons) of a thicker gauge of lead, and slight modifications to address leaks, working closely with the Lead Sheet Association to create long-lasting work that matched the building's historic aesthetic. A hexagonal glass roof on the left-hand turret of the Portal of St Paul was added to accommodate the fire escape from the roof terrace above the Baptistery.

Clifton International Festival of Music

The cathedral's 'acoustics are first-rate, making the venue a popular one for some of Europe's top classical ensembles.' showcasing classical, chamber and choral music. [Video available on YouTube]. The votive candelabra features heavily.

1 September 1974, 18:15–18:45 BBC1 Clifton Cathedral, (Narrator Derek Jones, Director Ruth Lovell, Producer James Dewar (BBC West)
Appearances on BBC's Songs of Praise include:
25 December 1980 10:00–11:15 BBC1 Morning Worship: from Clifton Cathedral
16 September 1984 BBC1 Songs of Praise (video)
24 December 1986 23.30-00:35 BBC1 The First Mass of Christmas: Clifton Cathedral
20 May 2001 17:25-18.00 BBC1 Songs of Praise (Wendy Craig)
9 September 2001 BBC1 Songs of Praise
25 December 2005 BBC1 Christmas Day Service, 'Stranger in the Manger'
In 2011, it hosted the filming of 'Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol' an S4C television programme, that translates as 'Start Singing Start Praising'. The cathedral hosted musicians, singers, cameramen and crew filming for the faith and music programme.
On 14 July 2016. the cathedral was featured in a BBC Two documentary, The Hairy Builder, presented by Dave Myers.
In 2020, the cathedral featured as the interior of Captain Jack's spaceship in the Doctor Who episode Fugitive of the Judoon
The Cathedral hosted the live BBC TV broadcast of Midnight Mass on 24 December 2020, with Bishop Declan Lang presiding; Canon Bosco MacDonald preaching, and a specially written Mass setting (Missa Universalis) to comply with prevailing restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, composed by Richard Jeffrey-Gray. <code></code>

The parish

The cathedral welcomes visitors of all denominations, or none, and is usually open during daylight hours. Please respect the dignity of the building, and any ongoing services.

Saturday 10:30, 18:00 (Vigil Mass)
Sunday 08:00, 09:30 (Family Mass), 11:15 (Solemn Mass), 18:00
Masses at St Joseph's Home: Monday-Saturday 10:30, Sunday 11:00, Exposition 16:30, Evening Prayer 15:00

Views of the cathedral architecture

Awards

In 1974 'The Concrete Society' bestowed its annual award on the cathedral in recognition of outstanding merit in the quality of the design and execution of the cathedral. Martin Powell, chief executive of The Concrete Society, said: 'Clifton Cathedral has a pleasing external appearance with little evidence of weathering or deterioration. Internally, the appearance is striking with excellent use of natural light on exposed concrete finishes, such as board mark and other patterned forms creating relief pictures.' It also received a Cembureau award for excellence.

Historic England, listing the cathedral as Grade II* Listed said: 'Clifton Cathedral achieves a rare integration of materials and spatial quality which is remarkable for a cathedral of any period.' described it as 'having a remarkable serenity and delight' coupled with 'an apparent simplicity'.

Mary Haddock, in Building admired 'the hint of theatre in the design; the absence of clutter and garish church ornament; the fine materials and the use of colour; the cold design in stained glass.' </blockquote>and in a later book:<blockquote>'Liverpool Cathedral is something of an architectural precedent for Clifton, especially in the treatment of the podium (Weeks had entered the competition). Inside, the concrete trusses (sic, actually a star beam) over the sanctuary recall the cut-out beams at S. Maria dei Poveri in Milan; and the informal hexagonal geometry is typical of its period. But there is not much point looking for visual precedents with a building so clearly founded on a careful analysis of liturgical function.'...'If the suspicion remains that Clifton Cathedral is not quite as beautiful or exciting as it could have been, it is undeniably intelligent and valuable. Its owners seem to have changed very little in the building in thirty-four years... if Clifton's exterior is, "gaunt and forbidding", as one Catholic newspaper described it, "will not satisfy everyone's picture of what a church should look like", but... the interior and its spatial organisation function took precedence, while the exterior showed that the building was merely an envelope around the real human and divine Church that manifested itself in liturgical action.'