The Building of Liverpool Cathedral

Liverpool Cathedral is one of the largest and greatest church buildings in the world. Visitors marvel both at the scale and beauty of the great interior, while the building's towering profile dominates the skyline for miles around. This magnificent place of worship was planned and built entirely during the twentieth century, and its construction is therefore fully documented in thousands of letters, papers and photographs. Former Cathedral Education Officer Peter Kennerley has had unlimited access to the vast archives and he has woven the facts into a fascinating and lively narrative which truly brings the characters and events to life. What soon becomes clear is that there are two separate but interwoven threads running through this unique chronicle. First, there is the story of the building itself - its architect and the hundreds of craftsmen who worked in stone, brick, wood and glass. Second, there is also the broader story of the building of a cathedral community in the heart of a great modern city. No one reading this brilliant account could fail to be awed by the vision that conceived of such a structure, nor by the skill and tenacity that went into its creation. It is small wonder that it still plays such an important part in the life of Liverpool in the twenty-first century.