Manchester: the Cathedral and other churches

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Glade of Light and Manchester Cathedral

Manchester Cathedral

Before visiting Manchester Cathedral we took a few moments outside to reflect at the Glade of Light. This circular garden is a memorial to the 22 people who died in the May 2017 terrorist attack on Manchester Arena. We particularly sought out the name of Eilidh MacLeod, aged 14, a promising young piper from Barra, a place we know and love.

Glade of Light and Manchester Cathedral
Eilidh MacLeod

Also outside the Cathedral we admired the statue of Gandhi, a gift from the owners of Boohoo.com which has its headquarters in the city, and a golden Madonna and Child high on a wall.

Gandhi statue
Madonna and Child

The Cathedral isn’t large – it was built at a time when Manchester was a smallish pre-industrial market town – but it packs a punch inside. It has sensational medieval woodwork, particularly in the choir.

Choir
Choir stalls
Choir stalls detail
Choir stalls detail
Woodwork and doves of peace

It also has wonderful stained glass, though this is modern, by Margaret Treharne and Antony Hollaway. The original windows were destroyed when the Cathedral was hit by a bomb in 1940.

Stained glass
Stained glass
Stained glass
Stained glass
Stained glass
Stained glass

The nave ceiling has an orchestra of angels, the organ is splendid, we found a statue of Humphrey Chetham whose library I wrote about in a previous post, and – well, I’m not quite sure what the disembodied hand on this modern altar represents.

Medieval angel musicians
Organ
Statue of Chetham
Modern altar

St Ann’s

St Ann’s Church was consecrated in 1712. Its patroness was Lady Ann Bland – the choice of dedication was a clear reminder of her generosity. The top of the tower was traditionally where mapmakers triangulated distances, so any signs saying, for example, Manchester 20 miles, will be measured from this point.

The church was closed so we couldn’t go inside, but a couple of things about the exterior interested me. On a bench outside is a Homeless Jesus sculpture. Created by Timothy Schmalz in 2013 the original is in Toronto, but copies have now been placed in over 50 places throughout the world, including Glasgow. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. 

Homeless Jesus
Church exterior

A plaque by one of the doors recounts key points in the history of the church, including that John Wesley, founder of Methodism, preached here in 1738.

Door and plaque
Plaque

Church of the Sacred Trinity

Across the River Irwell in Salford we visited the Church of the Sacred Trinity. An attractive little church with a 17th century tower, it holds one of the most moving First World War memorials which holds the names of 353 officers and men of the Salford Battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers who fell on ONE DAY, July 1st, 1916.

Exterior
Altar
War Memorial to those who fell on July 1st 1916
War Memorial 1914-18

St Peter’s Church

St Peter’s Church no longer exists, it was demolished in 1907 to create St Peter’s Square. This commemorative cross by ecclesiastical architect Temple Moore marks the spot it occupied, and the design of the church is etched on the paving slabs.

Cross marking the site of St Peter’s Church
Design of St Peter’s Church

And finally …

Several posts ago I described visiting the home of 19th century author Elizabeth Gaskell whose husband, William, was a minister at Cross Street Unitarian Chapel. The current church dates from 1997, but I couldn’t resist photographing it anyway – and it does, apparently, have a Gaskell Room inside.

Cross Street Unitarian Chapel

Still more to come on Manchester very soon.

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  6. One thing that stood out for me is that you both took time at an unknown lad’s memorial which I think is wonderful due to your mutual connection to Barra. The stained glass windows are stunning.

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  8. I loved my visit to Manchester Cathedral, Anabel, on my trip in 2011. So sedating with a little group praying quietly. The choir is definitely stunning. I discovered one thing, though. If you get off the bus in pelting rain, you don’t take a short cut across the grass. I ended up with water up to my ankles. The sun was out again by the time I left but it was too late for my poor runners – they never quite recovered. One of the many challenges in that trip, covered in my book, ‘Is This the Road to Stratford?’

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  9. Great photos of these very old and, not so old, churches. I l9ve how much importance is placed on the WW1 soldiers and the people who died in that attack I wonder if there are pictures of the original stained glass windows. The eagle face reminds me of the eagle from the Muppet show:). Interesting showcase on these rats..I wonder why?

    Tomorrow, I am going to showcase a new blog created by my ex, Jeff Gaboury. He was on Facebook and Instagram when he was banned!! Of all people, he is the last person that should have been banned but he now believes someone with right wing thoughts got him banned. He was very upset because that’s how he would showcase his photography, his writing and his ..ahem…puns. I hope you can visit him. Thanks

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  14. I’ve walked past Manchester Cathedral a few times when I’ve visited the city, but I’ve never been inside. I had no idea it was so lovely inside or I’d have ventured in. The medieval choir is beautiful. The next time in Manchester, I’ll have to make a point of going in.

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  15. I love ecclesiastical architecture so thank you for sharing your thoughts and photos of these buildings. That statistic about the war memorial is really arresting, isn’t it? The scale of the First World War can be too difficult for me to wrap my head around until it is broken down into little details like that which really drive home the fact that each single digit within those vast numbers is an individual tragedy that devastated a family and, in this case, wiped out a whole generation of young men in one community.

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  20. You certainly got a lot out of your visit to Manchester. Even a bench! I actually like modern stained glass windows in religious buildings and I love the angel orchestra! The Glade of Light is a lovely touch, such a tragic loss of many young lives.

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  22. How interesting! I’ve passed the cathedral in Manchester several times when there on work business but never had the chance to go in. I missed out, clearly! That medieval woodwork is amazing and I always love modern stained glass – these look like great pieces, so vibrant 🙂 That golden Madonna is beautiful too.

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  23. I like the war memorial in the Salford church, it’s lovely. A shame St. Ann’s was closed, it has some lovely stained glass windows and a gorgeous ornate filigree metal screen across the front of the organ pipes. I presume you didn’t find St. Mary’s ‘hidden gem’ church? Definitely worth a look if you visit Manchester again.

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