Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral

Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral stands in the heart of Cardiff, a few minutes’ walk from the castle. Built in the 19th century by Pugin and Pugin Architects, it replaced an earlier church destroyed in the Second World War. The building became the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff in 1916 and was raised to cathedral status in 1920. The cathedral is one of only three Catholic cathedrals in the United Kingdom with its own choir school. The Boys’ Choir was founded in 1959 and now includes 65 boys and girls, student choral scholars and professional lay clerks. Under David Neville and later his son Dominic, the choir has sung at Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame and St Paul’s Cathedral, and appeared on BBC Radio 4 and in Doctor Who. Inside, the cathedral offers a single nave with a high vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows. The choir stalls and organ case date from the 1880s restoration. The cathedral is the spiritual heart of the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia and hosts regular services and concerts.