Liverpool, diocese of

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Liverpool, diocese of. Originally part of the far-flung diocese of Lichfield, then of Chester after 1521, the south-west part of Lancashire remained within the see of Chester when the diocese of Manchester was created in 1847, becoming the archdeaconry of Liverpool. It became a diocese in its own right in 1880. A new Anglican cathedral, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, was commenced under the inspiration of Bishop Chavasse in 1904, though, after the death of co-architect George Bodley, Scott simplified the Gothic design. The cathedral was completed in 1978, generally as intended, apart from an economically enforced new west front. Made of the local red sandstone, set on raised ground, and having the highest interior of all English cathedrals, it dominates the Merseyside skyline and awes worshippers. It is linked to its metropolitan counterpart (originally designed by Lutyens but completed by Gibberd) by a street named Hope, and their respective bishops have worked closely together for the community.

A. S. Hargreaves