31/07/2026
For parishioners who went on the SVP trip
Lutyens Cathedral (Liverpool)
One of the greatest buildings never built.
This sketch by my late Great Grandfather in 1935 shows the original plan and design of one of the world most ambitious builds that never came to light.
It would have been the largest Catholic church except for St Peters Basilica but boasting a Dome even larger than it with a plan for a 168ft diameter dome. Rough dimensions cited include length of 608 ft and width of approximately 400 ft in some accounts; short nave with double aisles, transepts, 53 altars, high altar raised 12 ft, and the world’s largest organ planned. The materials and scale involved millions of bricks and tens of thousands of cubic feet of granite in the crypt alone. The crypt is the only part of the design that exists today and is regarded by some as 'Liverpool's third Cathedral'.
Lutyens, known for works such as the Cenotaph, Thiepval Memorial, India Gate, and the Viceroy’s House (Rashtrapati Bhavan) in New Delhi, considered this project to be potentially his greatest achievement. Designs were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1932 and approved by Pope Pius XI who suggested it be dedicated to 'Christ the King'.
The foundation stone was laid in 1933, and works began with approximate costs at the time of around £3 million. The construction work was halted in 1941 due to war-time needs and resources. Following the deaths of Lutyens in 1944 and Archbishop Downey in 1953 the realities of a post-war economy and inflated prices meant that the estimated cost had risen to nearly £30 million (over £1 billion in todays economy). Following the completion of the crypt the original plans of this superstructure were scrapped and a cheaper, modern and circular alternative structure was chosen by the Archdiocese and designed by Frederick Gibberd and was completed and consecrated on the 14th May 1967.
