chestercathedral.co.uk – information on chester’s cathedral



Chester Cathedral is located within the heart of the city centre and was formerly St Werburghs abbey church of a Benedictine monastery. The building is highly regarded and due to this it is a Grade 1 listed building. A building is usually listed in order to protect its heritage, any changes to the building must be applied for and granted, which is often a lengthy process. Money is made available to help keep any listed buildings within their original state. It is thought that the cathedral originates from 1093, from this time to the present day the cathedral has been renovated several times. A bell tower was added to the cathedral during the 20th century, although this addition and other work carried out sparked controversy between many. The explanation for these changes was due to the large number of tourists which the cathedral attracts. Similar to any other cathedral, regular services are held within it, although also other events such as concerts and exhibitions are also held here.
The appearance of this cathedral is similar to those of Carlisle, Lichfield and Worcester. It is constructed with red sandstone which is renowned for being extremely poor during in weathering conditions, due to this; considerable erosion to the building is visible. The building is viewed by many as holding extremely important architectural heritage, which also contributed to the number of tourists visiting each year.
As well of its external beauty and architectural heritage, the cathedral offers some rare items which also help to increase the tourists visiting the city of Chester. The choir stalls and also the 17th century furnishing is believed to very rare within cathedrals. The choir stalls are extremely old and date back as far as 1380, due to this it is vital that their upkeep is maintained to the highest standard.
Just like any other cathedral, the stained glass is always a piece of considerable beauty. Unfortunately for the Chester cathedral many of its stained glass was ruined by the Parliamentary troops. Therefore due to this, the stained glass which the cathedral does have dates to around the 19th century. There have also been other windows which have been recently fitted in just 2001.
Another major part to any cathedral is the organ, 1844 saw an organ being fitted within the Chester cathedral. This replaced previous instruments which date back considerably to the year 1626. After the organ was first fitted in 1844 it was than made larger and added to in 1876. In 1910 the position of the organ within the cathedral was moved and the organ was also considerably renovated with new pipes being fitted. Just under 59 years later, the organ was renovated yet again with modern parts being added, this work was carried out by a firm based in Liverpool. From 1991 the care and health of the organ has become the responsibility of David Wells of Liverpool.