Wakefield Cathedral

The ancient Parish Church of All Saints, Wakefield became the Cathedral Church of All Saints in 1888, when the Diocese of Wakefield was carved out of Ripon Diocese in order to cope with the rapidly expanding population of the industrial north in the 19th century. The Bishop of Wakefield has his 'cathedral' (throne) in the cathedral. The Diocese extends from Todmorden in the west to Kellington in the east and from the southern suburbs of Leeds in the north to Barnsley in the south - a large part of the industrial heartland of West Yorkshire.

The Cathedral's spire at 247 feet is the tallest in Yorkshire and the fourth highest in England after those at Salisbury, Louth and Coventry. It was built in the 15th century. It replaced the central tower which fell down, causing considerable damage in the 14th century. The architecture of the present nave and the main part of the Choir is basically late 15th century Perpendicular but there has been a stone church here since Norman times and some of the earlier fabric is visible.

With only a few exceptions the stained glass windows are the work of Charles Eamer Kempe and includes work from all periods of his long career, lasting from the mid 19th century until the first few years of the 20th century. The nave glass shows scenes from the Old Testament (north wall) and New Testament (south wall), whilst in the choir and new part of the cathedral his work concentrates on individual saints and biblical characters. Kempe glass can often be distinguished by angel's wings looking like peacock's feathers and by the artist's use of a wheatsheaf as a signature in his later work. Both of these are here.

General Information: