Wakefield Cathedral

Infobox UK cathedral
building_name =Wakefield Cathedral
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image_size =200px
caption =The spire of Wakefield Cathedral
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location =Wakefield
full_name =Cathedral Church of All Saints
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county =West Yorkshire
country =England
ecclesiastical =yes
denomination =Church of England
tradition =Broad Church
province =York
diocese =Wakefield
bishop =Rt Rev Stephen George Platten
dean =Very Rev Jonathan Greener
precentor =
canons =
archdeacon =
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director_music =Mr Jonathan Bielby
organist =Mr Tom Moore
website = [http://www.wakefield-cathedral.org.uk www.wakefield-cathedral.org.uk]
building =yes
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architecture_style =Gothic
became_cathedral =1888
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year_built =c.1300-1905
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Wakefield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of Wakefield and is the seat of the Bishop of Wakefield. The Cathedral has the tallest Cathedral spire in Yorkshire.

History

The cathedral stands on the site of a Saxon church in the centre of Wakefield in the northern English county of Yorkshire, and the present building was mainly built during the 14th and 15th centuries in the Perpendicular style. The 15th century spire is 247 feet (75 m) tall and is the highest spire in Yorkshire, as well as being the fourth loftiest spire in England.

The building was restored during the 19th century by George Gilbert Scott, with the stained glass windows being created being Charles Eamer Kempe. In 1888, the Diocese of Wakefield was created and All Saints church became the diocese's cathedral. Unusually, it also still serves as a parish church, meaning that until 2000 the head of the chapter of canons was called the provost, rather than the dean.

In 1992 Wakefield Cathedral became only the second cathedral in Britain to form a girls' choir.

Organ and Organists

Organ

[http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D00707 Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ Register]

Organists

There have only been 4 organists of the Cathedral in 120 years, with Jonathan Bielby currently being the longest serving Cathedral organist in England today.
* 1886 Joseph Naylor Hardy
* 1930 Newell S. Wallbank
* 1945 Percy George Saunders
* 1970 Jonathan Bielby

2005 Maundy Money Ceremony

In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II visited the cathedral for the Maundy money Ceremony.

Reference

* G. Nairn-Briggs (2006) "Wakefield Cathedral" Jarrold Publishing ISBN 978-0-7117-4228-4

External links

* [http://www.wakefieldcathedral.org.uk/ Wakefield Cathedral]
* [http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=712 Wakefield Cathedral on Skyscrapernews.com]