Lancaster Cathedral

Lancaster Cathedral
St Peter's Cathedral, Lancaster
Lancaster Cathedral showing the apsical east end, the steeple and the baptistry
Lancaster Cathedral Location in Lancaster
Coordinates: 54°02′49″N 2°47′38″W / 54.0470°N 2.7939°W / 54.0470; -2.7939
OS grid reference	SD 481,615
Location	St Peter's Road, Lancaster, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Lancaster Cathedral
History
Dedication	Saint Peter
Architecture
Status	Cathedral
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	10 November 1994
Architect(s)	E. G. Paley Austin and Paley
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1857
Completed	1901
Specifications
Spire height	240 feet (73 m)
Materials	Sandstone, with slate and copper roofs
Administration
Diocese	Lancaster
Province	Liverpool
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Rt Revd Michael Campbell
Dean	Very Rev Canon Stephen Shield
Laity
Director of music	Damian Howard

Lancaster Cathedral, also known as The Cathedral Church of St Peter and Saint Peter's Cathedral, is in St Peter's Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It was a Roman Catholic parish church until 1924, when it was elevated to the status of a cathedral. It started as a mission church in 1798, and the present church was built on a different site in 1857–59. It was designed by E. G. Paley in the Gothic Revival style. In 1901 a baptistry was added by Austin and Paley, and the east end was reordered in 1995 by Francis Roberts. The cathedral is in active use, arranging services, concerts and other events, and is open to visitors. The building is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

Until the passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act in 1791 Lancaster's Roman Catholics met in a makeshift chapel in St Leonardsgate. Building the first Catholic church in the town began with the laying of the foundation stone for the Lancaster Catholic Mission in Dalton Square on 13 March 1798. The chapel was consecrated during the following year. By the middle of the 19th century, there was a need for a larger church. Land for this was purchased on a different site near to the mission church, and the parish church dedicated to Saint Peter was built. It was designed by the local architect E. G. Paley. Before the church was built, Paley had already designed schools, a convent, and a presbytery which were built on this land. Tenders for the church were invited in March 1857, the foundation stone was laid on 29 April, and the new church was consecrated on 4 October 1859 by Dr Alexander Goss, the bishop of Liverpool. The church and its associated buildings cost a total of £15,000 (£1,360,000 in 2015), of which £2,000 was bequeathed by Thomas Coulston. During future years, additions and alterations were made to the church by Paley and his future partner in the practice, Hubert Austin, and by his own son Henry Paley. These included the addition of a font in 1860, an organ gallery in 1888,chancel stalls in 1899, and a new baptistry in 1901; the baptistry cost £4,000 (£390,000 in 2015).