Plymouth Cathedral

Plymouth Cathedral stands in the city of Plymouth on a plot bought in 1856 on the edge of the built-up area. The building replaced a small pro-cathedral erected in 1807 and became the seat of the Bishop of Plymouth when the diocese was created in 1850. Its architects were Joseph Hansom and Charles Hansom, both local men from Stonehouse, and local builders carried out the work. During construction a Royal Navy officer fired guns in Plymouth Sound, which caused subsidence in the foundations. The cathedral opened with Mass on 25 March 1858 and was consecrated in 1880 by Bishop William Vaughan. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Boniface, the latter thought to have been born in Crediton within the diocese. The first bishop, George Errington, was consecrated in 1851 and later became coadjutor Archbishop of Westminster. Bishop Vaughan chose the site and raised funds from across the diocese and beyond to buy the land for £3,904. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur arrived in 1860 and ran a convent school near the cathedral until it was destroyed in the Plymouth Blitz of 1941. Visitors find a stone cathedral with a nave and aisles, side chapels and a sanctuary under a pitched roof. The interior contains altars, statues and stained glass, including windows dedicated to Saint Boniface and the Virgin Mary. Royal Navy personnel attend an annual naval Mass each July. The surrounding area includes the former convent site now redeveloped as housing, and the cathedral remains the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth.