A view from the Square II

Slightly further up the road, and somewhat later, here is a view from East Road in the mid-20th century. The garage at the front of the picture was only demolished fairly recently (in the last decade or so) to make way for some new apartments. The trees have certainly grown somewhat since this picture was taken, and - as every Lancaster resident knows - the roads are a good deal busier. Seeing pictures of Lancaster through the ages it is striking how long-standing landmarks, such as the Cathedral, provide reassuring continuity in a rapidly changing city.

A view from the Square I

This image shows the view from Dalton Square as it would have appeared at around the turn of the twentieth century. St Peter's (not yet a cathedral, of course) is clearly visible further along East Road, and the Baptist Church on Nelson Street, which had only recently been built, can also be seen. Among the items which have disappeared are the tram lines and the house to the right of the picture. This belonged to the Coulston family, and was used as Nazareth House when the Sisters of Nazareth came to Lancaster in 1899. The house was demolished to make way for the Town Hall, which opened in 1909.

1928: The Metropolitan See of Liverpool

This banner, which hangs in Liverpool's Catholic Cathedral, reminds us that Liverpool is a 'Metropolitan See'. As such it has an Archbishop, who acts as a figurehead for the seven dioceses of the north of England, even though he has no direct jurisdiction outside of his own diocese. Liverpool was made a Metropolitan See on this day in 1928; today the other six dioceses in this province are: Hallam (Sheffield), Hexham and Newcastle, Lancaster, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Salford.

Another view of the pulpit

Following our earlier post here, today we share another view of the pulpit. This one dates from the 1960s or early 1970s. Note the different lighting and arcading still visible around the Sacred Heart altar. The statues are also in different positions: the Sacred Heart statue is seen to the left of the picture, just outside the chapel of St Charles Borromeo, while the statue of St Joseph can be seen to the right of the pulpit. On the far right it is clear that the confessional is still in use; it was one of four confessionals which were active at the time. This particular space was later converted for use in the preparation of flower arrangements for the Cathedral.

1946: The Visit of Cardinal Griffin

On this day in 1946 Cardinal Bernard Griffin, Archbishop of Westminster, visited Lancaster. It was one of the most important events yet for Catholics in this city, not least because the Cardinal was received with a warm welcome at the Town Hall. A letter from the Town Clerk advises councillors: "The Cardinal will appear in robes, and accordinly the Mayor would be glad if members of the council would robe and wear any badges or decoration to which they are entitled." Cathedral parishioners were also being encouraged to turn out in force, as details of the visit were given - so the notice book entry for 20th October 1946: "Friday is a great day for the Catholics of Lancaster. His Eminence Cardinal Griffin will be received by the Mayor and Corporation at the Town Hall at 11:30am; the Cardinal will come out to speak to the children at 11:45am and will return home at 12noon. If wet, the Cardinal will address the children in the Ashton Hall. Since this is a great event for us, we hope that as many Catholics as possible will assemble at the Town Hall on Friday at 11:15am - adults will be placed on the Town Hall steps, if they wish. The children will be arrayed in front of the Town Hall. Let this be a real Lancashire welcome for the Cardinal; let him see what the Catholics of Lancaster can do, when a Prince of the Church pays a visit to the city." The following week the notice book suggests that everything had gone well: "His Eminence was very much impressed by the welcome which you gave him, and begs to thank you for your grand reception. You responded to the appeal and proved yourselves worthy of the Cathedral and Lancaster. The children were really marvellous and the singing was impressive. A big thank you to all those who took part in this affair and who helped so willingly to make it so great a success."

1981: Music from Lancaster Cathedral

Billington's Blog has often featured music, and the figure of Dr Dixon stands out as one who has appeared many times. After his retirement in 1971, however, much work went on to try to keep the Cathedral's musical tradition alive. In the early 1980s a boys' choir achieved a great deal, even on one occasion singing at the Vatican. In 1981 this LP was produced, and a number of copies are still extant.

Football Team 1945

Thank you to Sister Mary Campion FCJ for sending in this picture of the Cathedral's junior football team, 1945. We even have names for most of the boys pictured: Back row - left to right: Michael Jeffries, Terence Jackson, Colin Atkinson, John McCarren, Kenneth Barnes; Front Row: Bruce Heap, ?, Robert Stirzaker, Ben Connolly, Jimmy Howard, Freddie Carr. Click on the picture to enlarge, and feel free to contact us with any further information or any pictures you would like to share.

William Leeming and the Pulpit

William Leeming, who donated the pulpit died on this day in 1912. He had been born in 1827 and was the younger brother of Richard Leeming, donor of the church organ. Canon Billington writes: "In the nave proper one of the ornaments is the pulpit, which stands on the south side against the western pier of the transept arch. It was the gift of Mr. William Leeming, now of West Derby near Liverpool. The body is of light veined marble, semi-octagonal in shape, with four dark-coloured marble shafts on the corners, on each of which stands a white alabastar figure of one of the evangelists." The pulpit is pictured above, in its original position. The image here also gives a rare glimpse of the Pugin arcading which previously surrounded the Sacred Heart altar.

Sadly the pulpit was removed and seemingly destroyed in the 1970s; all that is known to remain is this one panel, which is still in the Cathedral's possession. It is one of four scenes which Canon Billington describes in his book. This appears to be the first scene, that of "St Peter and the other apostles preaching on the day of Pentecost".

1936: STM Foundation Stone

Of all the parishes and churches founded from St Peter's, St Thomas More's on the Marsh has been most closely associated with the Cathedral; today it is again part of the Cathedral parish. The foundation stone for the church was laid on this day in 1936; the building was consecrated the following May.

Cardinal William Allen

This portrait of Cardinal William Allen, who died on this day in 1594, hangs on the wall in Cathedral House. He was born near Fleetwood in 1532. After having refused to take the 1559 Oath of Supremacy, he sought refuge in England but eventually had to flee to the continent in 1565. Soon afterwards he was ordained priest. He is one of the most significant figures of the counter-reformation, as he worked to found seminaries for the training of English priests on foreign soil. In 1568 he established the English College at Douai, and later assisted in the foundation of the Venerable English College in Rome (1575) and the English College at Valladolid (1589). These last two foundations are still used for the training of priests, while Douai, which closed in 1793 as a result of the French Revolution, is the origin of the colleges at Ushaw (Durham) and Allen Hall (Chelsea). Pope Sixtus V made Allen a cardinal in 1587. Cardinal Allen's legacy cannot be overestimated: he provided the colleges which trained many of the priests who kept Catholicism alive in England during the years of persecution (including many of the martyrs). More recently, most of the priests who have served the Cathedral owe their formation to a seminary founded by him.

The Cathedral Newsletter

For long-standing Cathedral parishioners there may be a touch of nostalgia about today's post. Frequently Billington's Blog has referred to the 'notice books', which record announcements made at Mass over the years. Although announcements are often still made, such notice books are no longer kept; their demise was brought about by the introduction of a weekly newsletter. The humble origins of this newsletter (or bulletin) can be seen above. Set out on a typewriter, the bulletin would then have been copied in house. The advent of cheaper printing technology paved the way for this innovation! The example above is from May 1980.
By the early 1990s the newsletter was a little more sophisticated. A folded A4 sheet, produced on a computer, included a cover picture of the Cathedral. This version, from July 1991, also shows that by this time the Cathedral was also serving St Thomas More's parish.

Further changes were to come: on the first Sunday of Lent in 2006 the newsletter saw the introduction of colour. One side was mass-printed, with spaces left for the parts that change from week to week, then overprinted each week in the Cathedral office. In a sense the colour part worked a bit like an elaborate headed notepaper.

Today the entire newsletter is printed at the Cathedral, and the availablity of much cheaper colour printing makes it possible for colours and texts to change whenever necessary. Photographs are also now widely used, and the newsletter is printed on A3 paper, allowing much more space for features and information. This is the current version (front and back covers shown), which includes pictures of the recent 150th anniversary celebrations. The growth of computer technology poses questions, however: will newsletters, like the notice books, one day become a thing of the past? Will we all receive news of the parish only by email in future? Time will tell.

1958: Requiem for Pope Pius

On this day in 1958 a requiem Mass was celebrated for Pope Pius XII, who died on 9th October that year. He had spent almost 20 years in the chair of St Peter, and had led the Church throughout the difficult years of the Second World War. The Cathedral's notice book for 12th October 1958 includes the entry: "Pontifical Requiem for Pope Pius XII tonight at 6.30. It is your duty to be present tonight to pray for the soul of the Pope who has done so much to help you in your spiritual life – so you must all be present. The Mayor and Deputy were to come to the service, but have to attend services already fixed previously."