Heritage Now #10

CASEWORK

and unacceptable. We urged a return to First Prin ciples – is the extension necessary and viable? If it is, it needs to be pushed back so it projects west ward from the outer aisle. The rectilinear form needs to be dropped in favour of more informal massing, the footprint needs to be the minimum required and external materials chosen to match the quality of the existing. And there needs to be no truck with large expanses of glazing. Amended proposals are expected.

SALFORD, GREATER MANCHESTER ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL

Salford Roman Catholic Cathedral (1844-48, by M. E. Hadfield) is on a welcome trajectory. Having been a by-word for emasculation in 1970-71 to make it conform with the demands of Vatican 11 (the image shows some of the effects, particularly the destruction of the impressive reredos of 1855 by George Goldie) the cathedral has been beauti fully, if partially, reinstated in recent years at the hands of Purcells, the conservation practice. HB&P have been consulted at each of the stages and in 2024 we have been able to welcome the projected recovery of the lost mural which used to grace the chancel arch, shown here. This was wholly painted over in 1971 but used to portray the ‘Bishops Tree’, Salford’s equivalent of the

Apostolic Succession. We appreciated that there is no exact ‘original’ schema to uncover in that at least two patterns, occasionally in conflict, have been identified but the programme (the line age of the bishops) suffers where there are gaps more than other less precise depictions would. We therefore raised no objection if key lost elements significant to the programme had to be recreated. The historic photos suggest that the wording, the coats of arms and the repeated background should be capable of recapture by a skilled artist (which would be less true of a more pictorial, more free-flowing design). The view would be from a distance which increases the chance that the ‘new’ and ‘old’ would merge well.

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HERITAGE NOW (03/2024) WINTER 2024