Saint Mary's Cathedral, also known as Middlesbrough Cathedral, is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Coulby Newham Coulby Newham is an area in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, with a resident population of 10,700, measured at 8,967 (Coulby Newham Ward) at the 2011 Census. History Early Coulby Newham began as farmland and this is ref ...

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is the see of the

Bishop of Middlesbrough The Bishop of Middlesbrough is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough in the Province of Liverpool, England. The diocese covers an area of of the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire together with ...

, who is

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing * "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...

of the

Diocese of Middlesbrough The Diocese of Middlesbrough () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church based in Middlesbrough, England and is part of the province of Liverpool. It was founded on 20 December 1878, with the splitting of the Diocese of Beverley which had cover ...

in the

Province of Liverpool The Catholic dioceses in Great Britain are organised by two separate hierarchies: the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and the Catholic Church in Scotland. Within Great Britain, the Catholic Church in England and Wales has five provinces, su ...

History

The original Cathedral Church of Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour was built from 1876 and was opened on 21 August 1878. It was situated on Sussex Street, in the old St. Hilda's district of Middlesbrough. At the time, the church was located within the

Diocese of Beverley The Roman Catholic Diocese of Beverley is an historical diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in England. It took its name after St John of Beverley, 8th century bishop of York. The episcopal see was located in the city of York. The diocese was ...

as the diocese of Middlesbrough did not exist until December 1878. It was initially built not as a cathedral, but as a church that could hold 1,500 people to serve the people of Middlesbrough. The first

bishop of Middlesbrough The Bishop of Middlesbrough is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough in the Province of Liverpool, England. The diocese covers an area of of the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire together with ...

, Richard Lacy was consecrated there on 18 December 1879. In August 1984, news reports stated that the cathedral had structural problems and may have to be pulled down. As it was a Grade II listed building, any demolition was officially blocked. The shifting population of the town at the time also meant the cathedral had become more and more isolated. A new cathedral building was therefore required to replace the original. The new Saint Mary's Cathedral was built in the suburb of Coulby Newham, in the south of Middlesbrough, with building work commencing in November 1985. The old cathedral was gutted by fire in May 2000. The fire was supposedly started by a group of children playing inside the building, which was by then already in a significant state of disrepair. Due to the extensive fire damage and risk of further collapse, the building was demolished soon after. The site is now the location of the Middlesbrough headquarters of Cleveland Police.

Saint Mary's Cathedral

The original architect of the new cathedral at Coulby Newham was Frank Swainston, who died just after the outline plan had been agreed upon. His assistant Peter Fenton developed the detailed drawings and designed the cathedral furnishings. All this he brought to completion with the advice of J. O. Tarren and Professor Patrik Nuttgens. The foundation stone was blessed on Sunday 3 November 1985 by

Augustine Harris Bishop Augustine Harris (27 October 1917 – 30 August 2007) was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Middlesbrough and former Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool. Thomas Augustine Harris was born in West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool, and was educated at St. Cec ...

, Bishop of Middlesbrough, who went on to consecrate it on Sunday 15 May 1988. The cathedral is a modern, light building similar in some ways to the Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool. The building complex includes the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

, the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

chapel, the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

, the church hall, the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

(the entrance porch) and the

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

. There is also a repository where devotional aids, rosary beads, cards, and the like may be purchased. It was built to match the liturgical changes decreed following the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. The council asked that all new churches should have an altar that is clearly visible to all and a liturgy that is audible to all.

Music

Cathedral organ

Dr John Rowntree of the Organ Advisory Group (Society of St. Gregory), as consultant, established the requirements and design of the organ which was built by the firm of Schumacher of Europe in Belgium. The organ has two manuals and pedals, mechanical key and stop action and 16 stops. The case is of ash, in keeping with the furnishings of the cathedral , and its asymmetric form relates to its location off the central axis of the buildings and to the internal roof lines. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

Cathedral Choral Foundation

The music tradition of the cathedral is encompassed by the cathedral’s Choral Foundation, led by the Cathedral and Diocesan Director of Music. Choirs which are part of the Choral Foundation include: * Cathedral Choir (incorporating the Senior Choristers, Choral Scholars, and Adults) * Cathedral Consort * Cathedral Junior Choristers The Diocesan Choir is formed from singers across the Diocese and sings at major Diocesan events. Although it is not one of the Cathedral's Choirs, it mainly sings at the Cathedral, although it has now started to sing more widely across the Diocese.

Choral service pattern

Currently the Cathedral Choir sings for the main Sunday morning Solemn Mass. Choral Vespers and Benediction is on a Wednesday evening, and these are led by the various other choirs that make up the Choral Foundation of the Cathedral Music Department. Other services at the cathedral are also sung, however they are led by an organist or cantor.

Director of Music

Mr. Timothy Craig Harrison (2010–2021) Mr. Steven Maxson (2022–present)

References

External links

Middlesbrough Cathedral homepage
{{Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the United Kingdom

Churches in Middlesbrough Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough Roman Catholic churches completed in 1998 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom