Wakefield Cathedral, formally the
Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield is the
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
for the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
's
Diocese of WakefieldThe Diocese of Wakefield is a Church of England diocese based in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, covering Wakefield, Barnsley, Kirklees and Calderdale...
and is the seat of the
Bishop of WakefieldThe Bishop of Wakefield is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Wakefield in the Province of York.The diocese covers the south-west County of Yorkshire...
. The Cathedral has the tallest Cathedral spire in Yorkshire, and is the tallest building in the City of Wakefield.
The cathedral stands on the site of a
SaxonAnglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading Germanic tribes in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, to the Norman conquest of 1066...
church in the centre of
WakefieldWakefield is the main settlement of the City of Wakefield metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001.Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in the Middle Ages.-Toponymy:...
in the northern English county of
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
, and the present building was mainly built during the 14th and 15th centuries in the Perpendicular style.
Wakefield Cathedral, formally the
Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield is the
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
for the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
's
Diocese of WakefieldThe Diocese of Wakefield is a Church of England diocese based in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, covering Wakefield, Barnsley, Kirklees and Calderdale...
and is the seat of the
Bishop of WakefieldThe Bishop of Wakefield is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Wakefield in the Province of York.The diocese covers the south-west County of Yorkshire...
. The Cathedral has the tallest Cathedral spire in Yorkshire, and is the tallest building in the City of Wakefield.
History
The cathedral stands on the site of a
SaxonAnglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading Germanic tribes in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, to the Norman conquest of 1066...
church in the centre of
WakefieldWakefield is the main settlement of the City of Wakefield metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001.Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in the Middle Ages.-Toponymy:...
in the northern English county of
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
, and the present building was mainly built during the 14th and 15th centuries in the Perpendicular style. The 15th century
spireA spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from Anglo-Saxon, so it is related to "spear," rather than the Romance languages and "spirit."...
is 247 feet (75 m) tall and is the highest spire in Yorkshire.
The building was restored during the 19th century by
George Gilbert ScottSir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses....
, with the stained glass windows being created being
Charles Eamer KempeCharles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. He studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
. In 1888, the Diocese of Wakefield was created and
All SaintsAll Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on November 1 in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.In terms of Western Christian theology, the day...
church became the diocese's cathedral. Unusually, it also still serves as a
parish churchA parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, meaning that until 2000 the head of the chapter of canons was called the
provostA provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
, rather than the
deanA dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
.
In 1992 Wakefield Cathedral became only the second cathedral in Britain to form a girls'
choirA choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
.
The archives of Wakefield Cathedral are held at
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Wakefield.
Organ
Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ Register
Organists
There have only been 4 organists of the Cathedral in 120 years, with Jonathan Bielby currently being the longest serving Cathedral organist in England today.
- 1886 Joseph Naylor Hardy
- 1930 Newell S. Wallbank
- 1945 Percy George Saunders
- 1970 - present, Jonathan Bielby
Assistant organists
- John George Haigh
John George Haigh , commonly known as the "Acid Bath Murderer", was an English serial killer during the 1940s...
- John Scott
John Gavin Scott LVO is an English-born organist and choirmaster. He directed the Choir of St. Paul's Cathedral in London from 1990 to 2004. He now directs the Choir of Men and Boys of Saint Thomas Church on 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City...
- Gareth Green 1983 - 1985
- Keith Wright 1985 - 1991
- Sean Farrell 1991 - 1997
- Louise Reid 1997 - 2002
- Thomas Moore 2002 - current
2005 Maundy Money Ceremony
In 2005,
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
visited the cathedral for the
Maundy moneyMaundy money, legally called "the Queen's Maundy money" is a welcoming British coinage given to deserving poor people in a religious ceremony performed, in many periods with the participation of the monarch, on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter....
Ceremony.
External links