Westminster Cathedral – one of the main cathedrals throughout London
Westminster Cathedral is known to be one of the main cathedrals throughout London. The cathedral is decorated with a beautiful mosaic and friezes pattern. Often times people will confuse the Westminster Cathedral with the Westminster Abbey.
The cathedral sits on a piece of land that was known to be the land of the Tothill Fields Prison. The church was built on the land in 1884 and it was the location for Roman Catholics of Great Britain.
In 1895 is when the cornerstone of the building was laid for the structure. Within a time frame of 8 years the construction of the cathedral had been completed.
It was not until 1910 that the cathedral was consecrated. The main goal was for the building to have been completed in 1867, but the time had been delayed since the Catholic Church hierarchy was just restored.
During this time is also when it became a;bit difficult to raise the funds that were needed to continue the building process of the Westminster Cathedral; this is why it was not finished until a later date.
John Francis Bentley was chosen by Cardinal Vaughn in 1894 to be the architect of the cathedral. Bentley’s work was generally known to be of the Victorian style; however when he started the building work on the cathedral the style was Neo-Byzantine-style.
The Cardinal was interested in something different and unique; he did not want the cathedral to look similar to the Westminster Abbey that was nearby. Many have mentioned that Bentley’s design of the cathedral was inspired by a Mediterranean example of the Christian Churches.
You can get to the Cathedral by subway, just get off at the closest tube and train station Vyctoria, or you can take some of the following buses – 11, 24, 148, 507 and 211 which stop right in front of the Cathedral Square, on Victoria Street. From the Cathedral tower you can enjoy stunning views over London.
