Take this English Cathedrals Quiz! Tough Trivia | World Sites

Answer: Liverpool

The Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Liverpool, and is located on St John's Mount in the city. The cathedral was built following the establishment of the diocese in 1880 - at that time, the Bishop of Liverpool was forced to use St Peter's Church, which was unsuitable for the task as it was too small for the major church events a cathedral was expected to hold. Although an attempt was made to build a new cathedral next to St George's Hall, this was abandoned due to the site not being able to host such a large building.

In 1900, Bishop Francis Chavesse began a new competition to build a cathedral for the city, which led to the Liverpool Cathedral Act 1902 purchasing the St John's Mount site. A competition was held to design the building, which was won by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Construction began in 1904, but was not completed until 1978, when the building was dedicated. Liverpool Cathedral is the largest religious building in Britain, and is the eighth largest church anywhere in the world.

Answer: Durham

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Durham, and is found in the centre of the city next to Durham Castle. Although there has been a church on the site since the late 10th century, the work on the present cathedral began in 1093 under Bishop William of St. Calais, who had been appointed by King William I. Principal work on the building was complete by 1133, although further additions were subsequently made, most notably the towers, which date from the early 13th century.

However, lightning damage to the central tower saw it replaced in the 15th century. In 1986, alongside neighbouring Durham Castle, the cathedral was named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, on the grounds of it being "...the largest and most perfect monument of 'Norman' style architecture in England"

Answer: Sheffield

The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Sheffield. There has been a church on the site since at least 1200, although the oldest parts of the present building date from around 1430. Further construction took place over the course of the following five centuries, with a vestry chapel added in 1777, and new north and south transepts in 1880.

In 1914, upon the establishment of the new diocese, the church was named as the seat of the Bishop of Sheffield, and saw further additions made to complement its new status, with the most recent being completed in 1966. This has left the building with a mixture of medieval and modernist architecture. In modern times, the cathedral has been the subject of two separate arson attacks; the first, in 1979, caused severe damage to the contents of the belltower, but left the building's structure largely undamaged. The second, in 2020, caused smoke damage to the interior, but again did not affect the structure.

Answer: Lincoln

The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Lincoln. A cathedral has existed on the site since 1092, but the present building was begun after its predecessor was destroyed in what is estimated to be one of the largest earthquakes to have occurred in Great Britain in 1185. Work on the building began in 1192, and continued through until 1311, when the central tower was raised to its present height of 271 feet. The tower at the time featured a spire, raising the overall height of the building to 525 feet, which made it the tallest building in the world at the time (surpassing the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt). Sadly, the spire collapsed in 1548 and was not replaced.

Until 2009, the cathedral housed one of the four existing copies of the original 1215 issue of Magna Carta, which had the then Bishop of Lincoln, Hugh of Wells, as one of its signatories. In 2009, the copy was moved to a new permanent display in Lincoln Castle.

Answer: Chester

The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Chester, having served in this role since 1541. Prior to the establishment of the Diocese, the building served as the abbey church for the Benedictine abbey on the site.

Indeed, the site of the cathedral has a long history, with evidence of a Christian basilica dating back to the Roman occupation. The Benedictine abbey was established in 1093, with the building constructed in the prevailing Norman style. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the church was heavily rebuilt in the Gothic style, while large parts of it were again rebuilt up to the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

The monastery was abandoned in 1538, with the Diocese of Chester established three years later.

The cathedral was subject to major restoration during the 19th century, with much work done by Giles Gilbert Scott, while in the 20th century a new, free-standing campanile was constructed to house the cathedral's bells, the first free-standing cathedral bell tower constructed since the 15th century.

Answer: Derby

The Cathedral Church of All Saints Derby is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Derby. A church has existed on the site since at least 943, with construction of a new building to replace the original beginning in the 1530s. By 1700, the fabric of this building was in dire disrepair and so, in February 1723, the then vicar of the church, Dr Michael Hutchinson, ordered its demolition, which saw all but the tower removed. Subscriptions began to be raised for the construction of a new church for the town, with architect James Gibbs producing a design in the Neo-Classical style, complementing the Perpendicular Gothic of the tower.

The new church was completed in 1725. In 1927, the Diocese of Derby was established, with All Saints Church being named as the cathedral.

The cathedral was extended between 1967 and 1972 with the addition at its eastern end of a new retrochoir.

Answer: York

The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York is the cathedral church of York, and the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second most senior clergy member in the Church of England. Although it is a cathedral church, it is traditionally known as York Minster, with 'minster' being a name given to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period that engaged in missionary teaching. The site has been occupied by a church since the 620s, although construction of the current building dates from 1220, when Archbishop Walter de Grey ordered that the cathedral be rebuilt in the Gothic style to match the cathedral at Canterbury. Construction was eventually completed and the building consecrated in 1472.

Owing to its age and size, restoration work has taken place since the beginning of the 18th century, during which three significant fires have taken place. In 1829, an arson attack caused serious damage to the eastern arm of the building, while in 1840 the roofs of the nave, south-west tower and south aisle were destroyed. In 1984, a lightning strike caused a serious fire that led to the destruction of the roof of the south transept, which also led to the glass in the transept's window shattering. The building was eventually repaired after a £2.2 million restoration, which included new roof bosses being installed that had been designed by viewers of the BBC children's programme "Blue Peter".

Answer: Rochester

The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rochester, the second oldest bishopric in England after Canterbury. The cathedral was founded by Justus, one of the missionaries who accompanied St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, on his mission to convert the English to Christianity in the 7th century.

The construction of the first cathedral was authorised by Æthelberht, King of Kent, and was consecrated in 604. However, over the next 400 years, the building suffered such damage and decay that, by 1077, Bishop Gundulf, the first Norman Bishop of Rochester, decided that a new cathedral was required. Work began in 1080 to replace the original building, with the construction completed and the new cathedral dedicated in 1130.

Although rebuilding work took place, possibly with the intention of replacing the entire nave, this was abandoned following the completion of the south transept around 1255. Since the last major work on the building, the raising of the central tower in 1343, the building has seen many maintenance and restoration projects, including the installation of the current spire in 1904.

Answer: Leicester

The Cathedral Church of Saint Martin, Leicester is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Leicester. The present church was first built in 1086, replacing a Saxon church on the site. However, a significant proportion of the building was subject to restoration and enhancement during the 19th century, most notably the addition of the 220 foot spire, which was added in 1862. Upon the establishment of the Diocese of Leicester in 1926, the church was elevated to the status of a cathedral the following year.

A further significant addition, this time to the cathedral's interior, was made in 2015 when a tomb was built to house the remains of Richard III, which had been rediscovered in 2012 under a car-park in the city. The plans for the king's tomb formed part of a wider reorganisation of the cathedral's interior, which included the creation of a new chapel at the east end of the building. Richard III's remains were reinterred in March 2015.

Answer: Westminster Cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and the cathedral church of the Diocese of Westminster. Following Catholic emancipation and the restoration of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England, plans were begun for the construction of a Roman Catholic cathedral in London. Building work began in 1895, and was largely completed by 1903, with the cathedral was consecrated in 1910.

However, the interior remains largely unfinished, owing to a lack of money to complete the work at the time.

The building was designed by architect John Francis Bentley in a Neo-Byzantine style, and was constructed almost entirely out of red brick, with the distinctive pale stripes made using bands of white stone; the other main building material was concrete, used for the vaulting and domes.

In 1995, as part of the centenary celebrations, the Archbishop of Westminster invited Queen Elizabeth II to attend a choral vespers service at the cathedral, the first time that the Sovereign had attended a Roman Catholic liturgy since the Reformation.