Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral


 

The Building

Opened in 1967, the Grade I listed cathedral was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd. The Metropolitan Cathedral's exterior is a distinctive architectural marvel. Constructed of concrete and clad in Portland stone, the cathedral's circular plan culminates in a conical tower. This unique form is supported by 16 boomerang-shaped concrete trusses held together by two ring beams. Attached flying buttresses impart the cathedral with its iconic tent-like appearance. Rising from the upper ring beam, a lantern tower filled with stained glass windows dominates, crowned with a series of pinnacles.

The Photograph

I last visited Liverpool in 2023, for a University Open Day with our eldest. That trip lasted two days but was in the nascent days of my journey into fine art black and white photography. 

This latest visit was just for a few hours as I doubled as a taxi for my youngest and three friends to go to a concert at Anfield. However, even though I had just a few hours, I approached the city with a strong sense of purpose and a desire to revisit the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Museum. 

My plan was to walk from the city centre to the Cathedral front entrance, but Google navigated me via the rear of the cathedral expecting me to walk around the streets around the cathedral. Instead I spotted a large stone staircase, one thing I have learnt over the past couple of years is to never pass up a staircase as often you get a better view of the surroundings. In this instance I discovered a much better view of the cathedral than the main entrance, with a large flat and open surface leading to a set of steps with a stone altar as seen here.

For once, I didn't have to spend any time removing people as I had the place almost to myself given that I only arrived around 6pm. The rest of the processing was mainly selections and levels, with a circular gradient put in to create a glow to emphasise the cross above the altar. The selection of the tower was quite complex but worthwhile, as it allowed me to etch out the pinnacles from the deep black sky.

As always, I use a light hand when tidying up brickwork and concrete, as I feel that the wear and tear should be retained and not covered up completely.

This was a single image taken with a Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Shift Lens on a Sony A7RII. 

See more of my photographs at my main website.

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