Visiting Blackburn Cathedral
You are warmly invited to visit us – we’re open to all.
Whatever the reason for your visit – be it worship or a special event, sightseeing, a concert or theatre production, there is much to see and we hope that you enjoy your time with us. We have a busy calendar of special events taking place and there is always something going on.
Blackburn Cathedral is open every day of the year and there is no charge for entry during your visit we hope you appreciate the beautiful modern art – said by many to be one of the finest collections of modern religious art in the country – or perhaps experience choral music at one of our services. Not forgetting to call in to the Cathedral café – Checks and Greys.
There are also quiet spaces for prayer and reflection with the opportunity to light a candle and remember a loved one.
Finding us easy – we’re in the heart of Blackburn town centre. The Cathedral is located within a stone’s throw of the bus interchange and railway station and it is less than a minute’s walk from The Mall shopping centre and Blackburn Market and there are a number of public car parks close by.
As you explore this beautiful building, we trust that you will gain a strong sense of a modern, vibrant and diverse community that is weaving faith into everyday life.
A Brief History of Blackburn Cathedral
Blackburn Cathedral, formerly the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin, is one of England’s newest cathedrals yet one of the country’s oldest places of Christian worship.
Today it stands as the result of many transformations and a magnificent example of modern architecture. Situated right in the town centre the earliest documentary evidence of a church in that location is recorded in the Domesday Book compiled in 1086. The architectural history of the old church is known with certainty from the 14th century when it was rebuilt in the decorated style during the reign of King Edward lll.
Designed by architect John Palmer in the early Gothic Revival style the new church was essentially a Georgian building and was consecrated in 1826. The Diocese of Blackburn was created in 1926 and St. Mary’s parish church was raised to cathedral status. Fundraising began in the 1930s to enable the building to be enlarged in keeping with its status. Work began in 1938 with a delay during World War Two and continued into the 1970s, though with changes to the original ‘modern gothic’ design.
In 1961 architect Lawrence King joined the project and designed the distinctive lantern tower which consists of 56 different panes of coloured glass and a slender aluminium spire. The tower was completed in 1967 and the Cathedral itself in 1977, and what had been built over the last almost 40 years was finally consecrated as Blackburn Cathedral that same year.
Also at the same time a new piece of art was commissioned for the building’s exterior, The Healing of The Nations, a sculpture by artist Mark Jalland. A huge abstract steel and copper circular piece, it contains thousands of interwoven fibre optics which create many changing light patterns at night.
More recently, 2016 saw the completion of Cathedral Court – the first significant addition to an English Cathedral for over 500 years – that continues to be a catalyst for regeneration of the town centre.
The extension includes Cathedral offices and conference centre, accommodation, the beautiful Cloister Garth gardens and Checks and Greys Café. The area around the Cathedral was also redeveloped including the creation of a public area – the Cathedral Quarter – featuring offices, restaurants and a hotel.
