The Cathedrals of Liverpool

There are two cathedrals in the city of Liverpool, with very close proximity between them. One is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Liverpool (Roman Catholic) and another Liverpool Cathedral (Anglican). My first stop was the Roman Catholic one.



Reaching its entrance, I went to the gift shop to get my tickets to enter the cathedral's crypt. I was lucky to have not visited the place on Sunday or I will miss the chance to enter the crypt. A price of GBP3 will eventually worth it. ^^


The interior (and external) of this catholic worship place is so not conventional. The design is somewhat contemporary, special and unique (weird). With the altar in the middle, no one person will be more than 25m away when there is a mass conducted here.


Similar to many old structures in the UK, this church has a pipe organ in it. Maybe not as large as the one in St. George's Hall but it's still humongous. Underneath the organ, there is also a smaller altar.



The layout of this building is also special with the choirs' bench just behind the altar. There are also different rooms that provide different service, such as baptism and reunion.


After some strolling in the right hand side from the entrance, I entered the Lutyens Crypt. The underground structure was the original design when the church was first commissioned to be built. Tourists can enter the crypt either by the elevator or a stairway. It's sad that I was not allowed to take any photos within the crypt. T.T Looks like you guys need to pay to view it there.



Inside the crypt, there are displays of statues of some biblical icon and also portraits of all the bishops and archbishops of Liverpool. There is also a chapel within the crypt, a small, compact, but beautiful one. The best part of the crypt is its treasury. There are so many vessels and vestments dating back few hundred years being displayed. Most of those are made of gold and silver, and the light reflections of these artifacts will blind me. LOLx

I did asked the attendant why photographs are not allowed and was told that it was to safeguard the treasures of the crypt. Reasonable to some extent, but I don't think the security down there is good enough. Nevertheless, thanks to this lovely guy who help took a picture of me at the entrance of the crypt. He also joked that now I knew the whereabouts of the crypt, I will be a suspect if really there's a loss to its treasury. LOLx


I continued my way around this cathedral and took pictures of every chamber there are. There are also the 14 stations of the cross. It was a wonderful tour and felt home. I did write my prayers for my grandfather. Hopefully, he will be discharged from the hospital soon.


If the Metropolitan Cathedral of Liverpool is great, the Liverpool Cathedral is beyond human expression. What an astonishing building it is. One can see the building from most part of the city as it is the third tallest in Liverpool.


One might not think it is so huge until one reaches its entrance and enter the cathedral. The main hall of the structure is so spacious, with a large altar at its end. The main hall is not everything you can see, there are more to be visited.



At the far left end of the cathedral, there is this Chapter House, and the Lady Chapel in the other end. The Lady Chapel's altar is very attractive. Along the walkway connecting both ends, there is this painting of Jesus on the cross flanked by the good and bad thief.




After exploring the free part of the cathedral, I paid for the ticket (GBP3.50 for students) to explore the tower of the cathedral. First, I was elevated to the 4th floor and walked to the second elevator which would take me to the 10th floor. At the 10th floor, it stands the bell of the cathedral. Okay, from this point onwards, I can confirm that I'm acrophobic.



LOLx I felt my palm wet so fast when ascending the 108 steps to the tower-top. =.= And, I also fear the heights when looking out of the tower. Shit. T.T Took some pictures with my hand shaking and full of sweat, but managed some good ones thou. Everything seems so small from the tower, even the very huge Metropolitan Cathedral.



I also met this guy up there on top of the tower - Martin, who teaches in LJMU. He is teaching YeeFang's course. LOLx Had a nice chat with him. A nice guy and even help me took this photo of me up there. Sadly, he did not let me take a photo with him.


Climbing down the stair also scares me, and I try to walk on the inner side of the stairs. =.= Finally got down to the level with internal cathedral viewing platform. At "Level 3", it also scares the shit out of me. Took some photos of the tiny peoples down at the main hall. It was hard to get good photos from up there, even if I do not have acrophobia.



Exiting the building, I walked down the pathway to St. James' Garden. A garden? It's a cemetery. Looks peaceful thou. I felt just like strolling around a park, not the same feeling as in Malaysia's cemetery. Or maybe because the sun is still up on the sky. There are many tombstones held up and also a memorial. I did not climb up the ramp because I thought it was nothing special. The ramp was used during the olden days for funeral procession.




The park is a nice place for evening walks. The two cathedrals are also very worthy to visit. The GBP6.50 I spent in visiting these places is just so totally worth it. Recommended for all visitors.