Cathedral Church Of St John The Evangelist

The Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist is a Roman Catholic cathedral built in phases between 1877 and 1906, with subsequent restoration following bomb damage and a re-ordering in 1971. The original design was by J Crawley, with later contributions from J Hansom and Canon Alexander Scoles. The building is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond, with Portland stone dressings, and has a plain tile roof.

The cathedral is built in the Decorated style. It comprises a 6-bay nave with clerestory, 6-bay aisles (the western bays are canted), a new baptistry with an apsidal chapel added to the north in 1925, a west portal, two bell turrets (built in 1906), a crossing with transepts (1886), a chancel with apse, and north and south chapels, with a south porch added in 1893.

The exterior features an offset plinth, strings, eaves bands, gableted buttresses with offsets rising into gableted and crocketed finials, and traceried windows, mostly of 2-lights, with 3-light windows to the clerestory and some spherical triangle windows, all with hoodmoulds and sill strings (the tracery of all but the south transept window was restored between 1945 and 1950). Board doors have decorative iron hinges, set within pointed-arched surrounds of several orders with carved tympana. A brick parapet runs along the nave, with a pierced ashlar parapet to the chancel, and a similar blind parapet to the baptistry; cross finials are present. The west end features an elaborate portal with a central door within a projecting gableted surround, flanked by 3-light windows and doors to each return. The nave has tripled 2-light windows with stepped spherical triangles, flanked by octagonal bell towers with slit windows, louvred belfry openings, spires, and metal finials. The south transept has a blind arcade below a round window with spherical triangle, while the north transept has a 5-light window. A decorative metal gate is located in front of the chancel south door.

Inside, the cathedral has pointed arched arcades and openings with clustered columns and decorative leafy capitals. Vaulted wooden ceilings have moulded ribs, pierced bands, and cusped trusses, the aisles having plainer roofs. Good quality fittings include a marble altar and reredos to the Lady Chapel, tessellated chapel floors, and freestanding stations of the cross.