Paddy's Wigwam. Liverpool. August 22

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, was constructed in the 1960's it was given the nickname Paddy's Wigwam due to the vast number of Irish Catholic immigrants that arrived and stayed in the city following the Irish potato famine of the mid 19th C.

There had been many discussions and designs since the 19th C for the building of a catholic cathedral, one of the most ambitious that never came to fruition was designed by Edward Lutyen, he who designed the greater part of New Dehli. His ambitious plans would have seen the 2nd largest church in the world being built. Although construction started it was never completed due to the financial costs (£21 billion in todays money). More on this later.

The tower housing the cathedral's four bells

Designed by Fredrick Gibberd and built in the 1960's it is constructed out of concrete faced with Portland stone. It had to undergo major repairs in the 1990's the building being described as thin and brittle.

View of Liverpool Cathedral, just a stone's throw away.

Gibberd's Cathedral

No, we haven't walked into a tart's boudoir and no I haven't played around with any fancy editing. It really is this bright and garish, still makes a change from the normal austere churches.

High above, the central altar, the only one in Europe apparently. (Constructed so the 2,500 members of the audience can see what is going on) hangs a symbolic crown of the king. Does not resemble a crown of thorns to me.

Mosaics.

The subtle lighting did make for some colourful snaps, from the blazing white of the christening room to the Chapel of Holy Oils, which sounds terribly mysterious, but it is just olive oil with a few bits of stuff mixed in.

Abraham and the Ram

Madonna and child in the lady chapel.

Lutyen's Crypt

If we travel back to 1956, work on the construction of Lutyen's designed cathedral was stopped. However work continued for another two years which ensured completion of the crypt, upon which the cathedral would have stood

The buttresses and vaulted ceilings, a work of art in themselves were built using 7 million bricks and Cornish granite.

During construction of the wig wam the crypt was used as a place of worship, and still does at certain times in it's own chapel, which was out of bounds on my visit due to a service being conducted.

The annual Liverpool real ale festival is held in the crypt hall and concert room, it is also used as an examination venue for students from the nearby University.

That is as far as I got with my camera before being told by security " No photography of the Treasury". So I had a look, I have never seen so many security cameras in such a small area, and what seemed to be strengthened and alarmed glass display cases, containing, yes precious jewels, oodles of relics and a shed load of gold and silver objects. Quite obscene really that there are so many people starving in the world yet this religious order hordes so much wealth. Was not their saviour a simple man born as the son of a carpenter, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man through the gates of heaven.

Hypocrisy