What is your favourite UK Cathedral (or Minster/Abbey)?

[Littledidsheknow]

The companion thread to my “favourite castles”thread!
Which is your favourite UK cathedral?
I love side chapels, bell towers, stained glass, cloisters, burial places, flying buttresses, crypts, interesting history… all the classic stuff!

I’ve particularly enjoyed Lincoln, York Minster, Winchester, Wells and Salisbury in recent years.
I used to live in Worcester, and enjoyed popping in there after a bit of shopping, too.

Please recommend your favourites! Thanks!

Tewkesbury. Beautiful medieval Church, saved from Henry 8th by being bought by locals. Some cracking history from the Battle of Tewkesbury and the Duke of Clarence. But the thing that fascinated DH was the heating system.

Near Inverness?

Coventry: the baptistry window is amazing. One of the light switches is labelled “crown of thorns”, for a giant crown of thorns.

Another vote for Ely; I climbed the octagon tower, with its ancient timbers.

Tewkesbury Abbey is lovely: Rosie and Jim have been there. :)

@MeetMeOnTheCorner Wells cathedral has a face!

An interesting one is Hythe church in Kent, which has a crypt full of bones and skulls.

Winchester….. my sons were choristers there so it has been a big part of family life for us. It is objectively magnificent…. but they nearly all are in different ways.

I always wish more people knew about going to Evensong services: you don’t have to pay to enter, it is often only c35mins, there is rarely a sermon and many British Cathedral Choirs are still truly world class…. a spiritual experience hearing beautiful music in a beautiful setting at 17:30 on a weekday (or weekend)….. even if you aren’t a “believer”. Food for the soul and a wonderful opportunity to shut out the noise of modern life and catch your breath and reset.

Ely. Visited earlier this year and as lovely as ever.

@scalt A face? Where?

North of Inverness, yes. I think it’s the most northerly mainland cathedral. It’s small but perfect in my opinion. Also bit of trivia where Madonna and Guy Ritchie has their son Christened.

I used to live there. What a lovely cathedral and close.

I was driven past York minster and its beauty impressed me in a few short seconds.

Ooh, I love a good cathedral. Wells, Norwich, Salisbury and Winchester are probably my faves.

Salisbury is lovely and I've visited quite a lot, but there was something about Liverpool Cathedral which just got to me. I was surprised because it is obviously modern, but I just felt a sense of love, warmth and peace there.

I’ve been to most of the English cathedrals. Parents with a penchant for cheap days out in the 80s and uk holidays.

Durham is the answer. Half church of God, half castle ‘gainst the Scot.

(with apologies to my near neighbours with the pointy spire and soggy crypt)

St Machar’s

I hope you also appreciate the mentions of Liverpool Metropolitan and Clifton Cathedrals too!

Brutalism and Socialist modernism are actually my favourite types of architecture, despite my love of a good old ancient castle or cathedral.

Hereford, particularly the Stanbury chapel

Norwich cathedral. It is my home cathedral and is special in every way. The Cathedral Close, the cloisters and the ceiling bosses that tell the Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation are just a few. I also have soft spots for Lichfield and Chester cathedrals. I now live around ten miles away from Peterborough and like it very much.

York
St Paul’s
Wimborne Minster
Wells
Salisbury

We are so lucky to have these beautiful buildings.

Tewkesbury Abbey is beautiful. I'll definitely check out the others recommended, too!

I love a cloister. They feel so sheltered and tranquil.

Liverpool.

Both of them.

The Anglican is breathtaking and one of my fave spaces ever.

The Catholic is unique - locally affectionately referred to as 'Paddy's Wigwam' (some non Scousers have reservations about the nickname but local Catholics and Irish alike use this term to differentiate between the 2)

They're at opposite end of the same road and are so different they are a must visit.

My fave Basilica is San Luca in Bologna. Sits atop the local hills overlooking the city and can be seen for miles around. The views are wow!

@MadMadaMim My DDs future husband proposed to her outside that cathedral in Bologna!

I would also add Chichester cathedral to the debate. Definitely worth a visit. It has some wonderful glass windows designed by Marc Chagall (others can be seen at Tudeley in Kent) and other notable pieces of modern art.

@MeetMeOnTheCorner, I enjoyed Chichester cathedral very much when I stayed with a friend who lives near there. It is a small cathedral but very interesting nonetheless. I forgot to mention St. Edmundsbury cathedral in Bury St. Edmunds. It is beautiful and the nearby Abbey Gardens add to its charm. The whole town is lovely and well worth a visit. It is a shame that it is not Suffolk’s county town because it is so much nicer than Ipswich.

I'm in Liverpool next week and plan to look around the Anglican cathedral. It looks so sinister when walking past it in the dark as it isn't backlit and you feel like it is looming over you.

I need a trip back to see Liverpool's Catholic cathedral. I fell in love with the whole city and we didn't have long enough to explore.