Westbank Antiques

Description

Absolutely stunning pen and ink drawing
Reredos Liverpool cathedral.
The detail in this work is outstanding.
Signed and dated 1931
Original frame.

In June 1901 Francis James Chavasse, 2nd Bishop of Liverpool embarked upon plans for an Anglican Cathedral on St James' Mount. An earlier scheme in 1885 for a cathedral designed by Sir William Emerson next to St George's Hall had already failed. Sir William Forwood offered his support to the bishop, along with the Earl of Derby who donated an initial £10,000. In 1902 a competition was held to find an architect and a suitable design. Out of 103 entries judged by G F Bodley and R Norman Shaw, five were shortlisted including that of Giles Gilbert Scott (son of George Gilbert Scott and grandson of Sir George Gilbert Scott, both renowned architects). Scott's Gothic design was finally selected in 1903, and he was a controversial choice for some due to his youth, inexperience and Catholicism. A compromise was reached whereby G F Bodley would act as joint architect.

Funding for the cathedral throughout its construction was raised by local subscription, including over £300,000 that was donated by Lord Vestey and his brother Sir Edmund Vestey for the construction of the Vestey Tower in memory of their parents. The builders of the cathedral were William Morrison & Son. The cathedral's sandstone came from the nearby Woolton Quarry, owned by the Marquis of Salisbury who later presented the quarry to the Cathedral Committee.

The foundation stone (inscribed by Herbert Tyson Smith) was laid on 19 July 1904 by King Edward VII. The partnership between Scott and Bodley was not happy and Scott was about to resign when Bodley died in 1907. The Lady Chapel (funded by Arthur Earle on behalf of the Earle and Langton families) was under construction at this time and the design had been heavily influenced by Bodley. Scott subsequently redesigned everything above the arcades that had not yet been constructed, and the Lady Chapel opened in 1910.

On 19 July 1924 the main part of the cathedral, including the Sanctuary, Chapter House, Chancel and Eastern Transepts, was consecrated in a ceremony attended by King George V and Queen Mary. The following day Giles Gilbert Scott received a knighthood. He was later appointed to the Order of Merit in 1944.

Work on the cathedral was delayed during both World Wars due to a shortage of labour and money, and damage sustained during the Second World War.

Scott's design evolved continuously right up until his death in 1960, and the finished building bears little resemblance to that chosen in the competition of 1903, which had a longer nave and twin towers instead of the final central tower. His 1942 design for the West Wall was redesigned by Frederick G Thomas and Roger Arthur Philip Pinkney in 1967 due to a lack of funding. The final consecration service took place on 25 October 1978 when the Cathedral was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

A visitor centre/shop and refectory were created in the Welsford Porch and North-West Transept in 1984, and the Western Rooms were also converted into a dining area for larger groups in the 1980s. The statue of the Welcoming Christ by Dame Elisabeth Frink above the West Door was unveiled on 11 April 1993 by her son, Lin.