Cathedral Of St Mary

The Cathedral of St Mary is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Newcastle upon Tyne, built around 1844 and designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. The tower was completed around 1872 by A.M. Dunn and E.J. Hansom. The building features coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings, roofs made of graduated slates with overlapping stone gable copings, and a stone spire.

The cathedral has an aisled nave and chancel that are not divided, with a south-west polygonal chapel that now serves as the entrance porch, and the tower located to the east of this chapel. It is designed in the Decorated style. The west entrance has a double door with elaborate hinges set in a moulded and shafted surround, and above it is a 5-light window flanked by niches with figures. The west aisle windows, which have reticulated tracery, are 3-light and set under gables, supported by gabled buttresses.

The south door, located in the tall tower, is similar to the west door. The upper stages of the tower feature cusped lancets, slits, and 2-light belfry openings under a crocketed dripmould adorned with fantastic beast finials. The tower's quatrefoil pierced parapet has corner pinnacles topped with spirelets, and the tall octagonal spire includes crocketed lucarnes and a weathercock finial. The aisle windows are 3-light, while the east window is 6-light.

Inside, the cathedral has plaster above a boarded dado with a tiled frieze. Angel corbels support the scissor-braced roof trusses, and there are round piers leading to the 7-bay nave and chancel, which feature moulded arches. The altar and reredos are made of Caen stone and are richly carved, and there are similar styles used for the lectern and pulpit.