A Glimpse of Heaven, a new book celebrating the beauty and history of more than 100 of the finest Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals in England and Wales, including examples in the North East, is published by English Heritage in collaboration with the Patrimony Committee of the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
The book is aimed at a non-specialist audience and is the first ever of its kind. It argues that Catholic architecture in England and Wales has been undervalued and overlooked despite major achievement in terms of design and originality and its obvious contribution to British architecture. The book includes two impressive examples of Catholic architecture in the North East, St Mary's Cathedral (1842-44) in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and St Cuthbert's Chapel in Ushaw College (1844-8 and 1882-4) in County Durham.
Carol Pyrah, English Heritage Planning and Development Director for the North East said: "I am delighted that our finest Catholic buildings have, for the first time, been gathered together in one volume of work which rightly recognises the contribution they have made, and continue to make, to our shared history.
As a group, they have often been overlooked. What this book illustrates is that Catholic buildings have a quite separate history and development of their own. I am delighted that we are working with both the main North East examples featured in the book to ensure a future for these fantastic buildings. A programme of repairs with English Heritage grant aid is underway at St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle and we have been working with Ushaw College on their plans for the future."
In his foreword to the book, His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor writes: "I have always been susceptible to the beauty of art and architecture. I believe that good architecture can be a bridge to religious experience. However, I do not consider myself an architectural expert which is why this book, intended for the non specialist reader, is such a revelation. The Catholic heritage in this country is in many ways a hidden heritage, under-sung and under-appreciated...this book is a testimony to the renewed interest and sense of pride in its heritage which the Catholic community has developed in recent years."
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Each chapter of A Glimpse of Heaven is devoted to a milestone in the history of the Catholic Church since the Reformation when Catholic worship and the building of Catholic churches became illegal for two hundred years. The Catholic Relief Act of 1791 unleashed a surge of devotion and a huge and diverse programme of church building - a drive that was given urgent impetus by the need to serve those who had remained true to the Faith, the many who converted to Rome and the thousands of Irish Catholics who poured into England's cities during the 19th century.
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St Mary's Cathedral in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, is one such example of the frenetic church building programme which took place in 19th century England. Built in 1842-4, it was done so in response to the local Catholic's call for a new church that would be 'an honour to their religion and an ornament to the Town'. The Cathedral is one of A W N Pugin's sumptuous and confident Gothic inventions, although the enormous tower and spire are later additions. The seven-light window completes an extraordinary ensemble, a brilliantly coloured masterpiece made to Pugin's designs in 1844 by William Wailes. An interestingly personal touch in the design of the church is the memorial windows commemorating local donors and parishioners, including one to a Mrs Elizabeth Dunn who donated £2000 towards the tower and another to Thomas Patterson, a local donor, depicting him kneeling at the alter below a window which shows Doubting Thomas putting his hand on the wounds of Christ. Outside the church is the newly-opened Cardinal Hume Memorial Garden in which a statue of the Cardinal looking thoughtfully towards Central Station. St Mary's Cathedral has a current grant of £16,000 from English Heritage to assist with essential repairs.
Although Ushaw College in County Durham has its origins in the sixteenth century when it operated as an important missionary college, it was in the 1804 when work began to create an ambitious complex of college buildings in the Gothic style for what was to be the seminary for the whole of the north of England. Pugin designed St Cuthbert's Chapel (1844-8) but architects Dunn and Hansom were called in 1882 to create a new one twice the size. The college continued to grow until the 1960's when it was forced to adapt its use to respond to the decline of young men seeking ordination - it remained a seminary but also became a conference centre, a hall of residence for Durham University and an educational institute.
Structurally, much remains of the original buildings, romantically isolated on the outskirts of Durham. Pugin's when it operated as an important missionary college, but it was in the 1804 when work began to create an ambitious complex of college buildings in the Gothic style for what was to be the seminary for the whole of the north of England chapel was dismantled rather than destroyed and incorporated into the 1884 rebuilding, and its interior is a real coup de theatre, the choir stalls have birds, beasts, and foliage elaborating carved into them and the lectern, from a Pugin design, was show to great acclaim at the 1851 Great Exhibition.
English Heritage is currently working in partnership with Ushaw College to develop a comprehensive conservation management plan for the site which will include a condition survey to help to highlight areas requiring urgent repair and maintenance.
But as well as being a celebration of the rich and varied legacy of Catholic cathedrals, churches and chapels, the book also serves as a reminder that in some cases these buildings may face an uncertain future. In his introduction, author Christopher Martin warns that England's Roman Catholic heritage is fragile not just because of the vast cost of maintaining such buildings. Declining congregations in many parts of the country, fewer priestly vocations and demographic change mean some churches will have to close. Others will need substantial funds if they are to remain open.
To tackle this problem before it escalates, English Heritage, in partnership with the Roman Catholic Church, is promoting strategic reviews of historic churches, starting with the RC dioceses of Portsmouth, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Liverpool. These studies, called Taking Stock, are being part-funded by English Heritage and will help provide badly needed advice and information to those tasked with planning for the future. Taking Stock builds on two similar reports on the churches in the Roman Catholic dioceses of Lancaster and Arundel & Brighton commissioned by English Heritage last year.
Carol Pyrah continued: "There is also a call to action in A Glimpse of Heaven - it warns that in some places our Catholic heritage is hanging by a thread and that we must act to protect it. In May this year English Heritage launched Inspired! - a campaign to secure a future for England's 14,500 historic places of worship. Part of that campaign strategy is to be proactive and the Taking Stock surveys are a perfect example of this approach. I would like to thank those Roman Catholic dioceses involved in the surveys for offering to take part despite the many competing demands on their time and resources."
A Glimpse of Heaven is not just about the architecture of Catholic churches. It tells a story of their times - the politics, controversies, the drama. The book argues that more attention must be paid to these churches and that their future is not only a matter for the Catholic Church or for English Heritage but to everyone with an interest in our architectural heritage.
