SALFORD ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL RESTORATION
The Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist
Grade II* Listed
ROLE:
Cathedral Architect, Artistic, Design and Conservation Lead. 2020 to present
THE BUILDING:
The Grade II* listed Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist Salford is the seat of the Bishop of Salford and Mother Church to the Diocese. Construction began in 1844, following the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in 1850 the Diocese was formed and Cathedral Church completed in 1855. The Cathedral is an emblem in Christ of the continuity of the faith, through its ancient past, present and future.
PROJECT SCOPE
Design philosophy: Creating places of sacred encounter and experience, rediscovery of the spatial mysteries of the architecture as an expression of the faith.
As Cathedral Architect and under the leadership of the Bishop John Arnold and Cathedral Dean, Rev. Canon Michael Jones, Chris has led the restoration project and vison with Purcell’s Dr Tom Brigden and Ross Whittle as delivery architect since 2020. The works have included the comprehensive conservation and repair of the external building fabric, with masonry repairs and environmental protective glazing to the exceptional collection of historic windows. The fabric has been upgraded and installation of sustainable technologies to achieve the zero-carbon ambition in response to Pope Francis’s call to Laudato Si. The restoration, reordering and reimagining of the interior spaces to create places of spiritual encounter; restoring the understanding and ambience of the sacred place on traditional values has been an awe-inspiring collaborative challenge. The restored cathedral will bring people closer to the holy presence of the divine.
The collaborative shared endeavour to achieve the vision of our labours was held by an immense team, including Cathedral Project Board, project manager Lisa McDermott, Simpsons as main contractor and joiners, specialist crafts teams including Houghton’s of York joiners; George James Blacksmiths; Barley Glass Studios, Bernard Watson Decorators, James Elliott liturgical stone furnishings, Icons by Aidan Hart and Martin Earle.
DURHAM CATHEDRAL
HEXHAM ABBEY