The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, situated on Mount Pleasant in Liverpool, is a captivating architectural marvel, colloquially known as Paddy's Wigwam or The Mersey Funnel. This cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool, stands out as a city landmark.
Constructed between 1962 and 1967 on the former Brownlow Hill workhouse site, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King was designed by Frederick Gibberd. This impressive structure is a Grade I listed building and is one of Liverpool’s many notable architectural treasures.
The cathedral's unique shape and design are immediately striking. It is built with Portland stone cladding, an aluminium roof, and supported by concrete trusses. The structure forms a football-shaped dome, with a diameter of 195 feet (59 meters) and 13 chapels around its perimeter. The roof is supported by 16 boomerang-shaped concrete trusses and features flying buttresses, giving the cathedral its distinctive tent-like appearance.
The entrance is located at the top of a wide flight of steps leading up from Hope Street. Above the entrance is a large wedge-shaped structure that acts as a bell tower. The entrance doors are adorned with geometric relief sculptures by William Mitchell. To the sides of the entrance doors are reliefs in fibreglass by Mitchell, which represent the symbols of the Evangelists. The focus of the interior is the altar, sculpted from white marble imported from Skopje, North Macedonia. The floor is of marble in grey and white, designed by David Atkins. The benches are concentric with the interior and were designed by Frank Knight.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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