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Westminster Cathedral Review

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Westminster Cathedral

Address: Ashley Pl., Westminster, London, SW1P 1QW | Map It
Phone: 020/7798-9055
www.westminstercathedral.org.uk

Category: Religious Sites
Location: Westminster and Royal London

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 3.4/5

Fodor's Review:

Amid the concrete jungle of Victoria Street lies this remarkable neo-Byzantine find, seat of the Archbishopof Westminster, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain, and consequently of London's principal Roman Catholic church. Faced with the daunting proximity of Westminster Abbey, the architect, John Francis Bentley, flew in the face of fashion by rejecting neo-Gothic in favor of the Byzantine idiom, which still provides maximum contrast today. The asymmetrical redbrick Byzantine hulk, dating only from 1903, is banded with stripes of Portland stone and abutted by a 273-foot-high bell tower containing Big Edward at the northwest corner, which you can scale by elevator. The interior is still incomplete, but worth seeing for its cavernous, brooding mystery and its rich and colorful marble-work. Look out for the stations of the cross (stopping points for prayer or contemplation) by Eric Gill, the glittering mosaic work on the roof of Holy Souls Chapel, and the striking baldachin—the enormous stone canopy standing over the altar and giant cross suspended in front of it. Since his conversion to Catholicism, and a clearer calendar, ex-prime minister Tony Blair has been seen at the church on Sunday mornings. The nave is the widest in the country and is constructed in green marble, which also has a Byzantine connection—it was cut from the same place as the 6th-century St. Sophia's in Istanbul, and was almost confiscated by warring Turks as it traveled across the country. Just inside the main entrance is the tomb of Cardinal Basil Hume, head of the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom for more than 25 years. There's a café in the crypt.

Cost: Tower £5
Open: Weekdays 7-6, weekends 8-7
Tube: Victoria

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by bachslunch from US on 4/6/08
One of London's better second-tier churches. Unusual brick and marble look to both the exterior and interior as well as attractive mosaics.