Manchester Cathedral, formerly the parish and collegiate church of St Mary, St Denys and St George and now a cathedral, was largely rebuilt in the 15th century and has the widest nave of any medieval church in England. However, it had to go through multiple rounds of restoration and rebuilding due to the poor aging of the original sandstone, damage from an ill-advised attempt to lighten the interior, and damage from bomb explosions in World War II that destroyed the lady chapel and much of the north-east corner.
Despite the changes, the cathedral still retains some medieval woodwork in the roofs and furnishings, including the early 16th century choir stalls with some of the finest late medieval wood carving in the country. The pre-war gloomy Victorian stained glass windows were lost and replaced with contemporary stained glass by Anthony Holloway, providing bold splashes of color in an abstract expressionist style.
Manchester is considered a successful upgrade from a parish church to a cathedral and has the scale, interest, and dignity of one. The cathedral is open to visitors daily.
Posted by Aidan McRae Thomson on 2019-09-03 19:11:24