Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Catholic cathedral in Portsmouth, England
The Cathedral of St John the Evangelist is a Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral in Portsmouth, England, built from Fareham Red Brick with Portland stone details. Inside, the building follows a traditional nave-and-aisle layout, with stained glass windows running along the side walls and a choir area at the east end.
Building work began in 1882 from designs originally drawn by John Crawley and later taken over by architect Joseph Hansom. It was the first cathedral built in Portsmouth, marking the establishment of a permanent Catholic presence in the city.
The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Portsmouth, which makes it a gathering point for Catholics across the wider region. Visitors who attend a Sunday Mass can hear the choir, which sings regularly and gives the services a strong musical character.
The cathedral is open daily to both visitors and worshippers, and a Discovery Centre inside offers background information about the building and its history. Visiting outside of service times gives a quieter experience for those who want to look around at their own pace.
The ground beneath the site was too unstable to support a spire, so the tower planned in the original design was never built, giving the roofline a noticeably flat profile. A bronze statue of St John the Evangelist, standing about 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, was added outside the entrance only in 2010.
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