Chelmsford Cathedral

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Chelmsford Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd
Chelmsford Cathedral Exterior, Essex, UK - Diliff.jpg
Chelmsford Cathedral, July 2014
Essex UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Chelmsford Cathedral
51°44′08″N0°28′27″E / 51.7355°N 0.4741°E / 51.7355; 0.4741
Location Chelmsford, Essex
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
Previous denomination Catholic Church
Website chelmsfordcathedral.org.uk
Architecture
Style Gothic
Years builtc.1200 – c.1520
Administration
Province Canterbury
Diocese Chelmsford (since 1914)
Clergy
Bishop(s) Guli Francis-Dehqani
Dean The Very Revd Dr Jessica Martin
Precentor Revd Canon Sebastian Harries
Canon(s) Revd Canon Kate Moore (Canon for Education and Safeguarding)
Laity
Director of music Emma Gibbins
Organist(s) Samuel Bristow (Assistant Director of Music)

Chelmsford Cathedral, formally titled the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Chelmsford, Essex, England, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd. It became a cathedral when the Anglican Diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914 and is the seat of the Bishop of Chelmsford. [1]

Contents

History

Parish church

The nave Chelmsford Cathedral Nave 1, Essex, UK - Diliff.jpg
The nave

The church of St Mary the Virgin in Chelmsford was probably first built along with the town around 1200. It was rebuilt in the 15th and early 16th centuries (starting around 1520), with walls of flint rubble, stone and brick.

The church has a tower with a spire and a ring of thirteen bells, twelve of which were cast by John Warner & Sons at Cripplegate, and were dedicated in 1913. [2] The nave partially collapsed in 1800, and was rebuilt by the County architect John Johnson, retaining the Perpendicular design, but using Coade stone piers and tracery, [3] and a plaster ceiling. The upper part of the chancel was rebuilt in 1878. [4]

Cathedral

The chancel, looking east Chelmsford Cathedral Chancel, Essex, UK - Diliff.jpg
The chancel, looking east

In 1914 the church became the cathedral for the newly created Diocese of Chelmsford. [4]

The south porch was extended in 1953 to mark Anglo-American friendship after World War II and the many US airmen stationed in Essex. In 1954, the cathedral was additionally dedicated to Saints Peter and Cedd. In 1983, the interior of the cathedral was extensively refurbished, with a new floor, seating, altar, bishop's throne, font and artwork. In 1994 and 1995 two pipe organs were installed, the first in the nave and the second in the chancel. The stained-glass windows were all installed in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In 2000 a sculpture, Christ in Glory by Peter Eugene Ball, was placed above the chancel arch. In 2004 two further major works of art were commissioned, and are now in place: Mark Cazelet's Tree of Life painting in the North Transept, and Philip Sanderson's altar frontal in the Mildmay Chapel.

The cathedral celebrates its links with Thomas Hooker, who was Chelmsford Town Lecturer between 1626 and 1629. He fled to the New World because of his Puritan views and founded the town of Hartford, Connecticut and was one of the founders of American democracy.

Dean and Chapter

As of August 2025: [5]

Cathedral Clergy


Cathedral Chapter

Music

The Nave organ Chelmsford Cathedral Organ, Essex, UK - Diliff.jpg
The Nave organ

Cathedral organs

A specification of the organs can be found at the National Pipe Organ Register.

Directors of Music

Assistant Organists

Assistant Directors of Music

See also

References

  1. Christ Church Cathedral – Miscellany
  2. Centenary Peal at Chelmsford Cathedral The Ringing World No 5385 11 July 2014 p719
  3. Bettley, James; Nikolaus, Pevsner (2007). Essex. Buildings of England. Yale University Press. p. 53. ISBN   9780300116144.
  4. 1 2 Bumpus, T. Francis (1930). The Cathedrals of England and Wales. London: T. Werner Laurie. pp. 388–390.
  5. Chelmsford Cathedral — Contact Directory (Accessed 10 February 2019)

Bibliography