London: Westminster Cathedral
Wheelchair Accessibility:
Yes
Operating Hours:Monday - Friday: 07:00 - 18:00. Saturday - Sunday: 08:00 - 19:00. Campanile Tower: Daily 09:30 - 17:00
The Vibe:Byzantine ambition in striped London brick.
Not to be confused with Westminster Abbey half a mile east, England's principal Roman Catholic cathedral sits in the Victoria district. Its Byzantine-Revival brickwork and unfinished mosaic interior form the mother church of Catholic England and Wales.
Footsteps fall silent on marble floors; mosaics glint in chapel corners while other walls wait bare. Organ chords rise into the vault; the scent of incense lingers from the morning mass.
- • The largest Roman Catholic cathedral in England and Wales
- • Built in Byzantine-Revival style, distinctive among London's churches
- • Consecrated in 1910 after eight years of construction
- • Houses Eric Gill's celebrated Stations of the Cross sculptures
Fit For
- 👨👩👧 Families: Campanile tower climb gives kids a London rooftop reward
- 💕 Couples: Quieter and more contemplative than Westminster Abbey
- 👵 Seniors: Full step-free access; lift to tower viewing platform
- 📸 Photographers: Striped brick-and-stone façade is visually unlike any other London church
Highlights
- Byzantine-Revival architecture — red brick and Portland stone stripes, unique in London
- Campanile bell tower — lift to viewing platform with Central London rooftop panoramas
- Eric Gill's Stations of the Cross — fourteen relief sculptures from 1914-18
- Main altar and baldacchino — canopy over the sanctuary with mosaic angels
- Chapel of the Holy Souls — side chapel with rich Byzantine mosaic decoration
- Unfinished upper walls — the cathedral's mosaic programme remains in progress — Hidden Gem
London Local Expert
Sarah Riches
Table of Contents
Once You Reach
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