'Cathedral' is the word on the street!

If you have walked along Victoria Street recently, you would have witnessed the construction of Manchester’s newest religious building – the Cathedral on the Street! The original Cathedral building will be in the hands of contractors from the 3 April until the end of November so that we can replace the heating system.

The current underfloor heating mechanism, which dates from the 1950s, is no longer efficient and is being exchanged for a more up-to-date energy-saving heating scheme. Ground source heat pumps that use natural energy stored in the earth will heat and cool the cathedral, making it one of the greenest in the UK.

The Very Reverend Rogers Govender, Dean of Manchester said, “ I am very pleased with all the work that CityCo and everyone else have done to develop the greenery on Victoria Street. These developments are very welcome as they will attract people into the area and will also make the area look beautiful, especially as we move into spring and the coming holiday season. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts.”

And regular Cathedral worshippers, visitors and those who find the Cathedral to be a place of peace and calm will not be cut adrift during this period when essential maintenance work has to be done. A ‘pop-up’ cathedral designed in conjunction with Manchester Cathedral and constructed and partly sponsored by Nikal Ltd has appeared in front of the old building’s west doors. The building’s design reflects elements of the Old Church, with simple long-arched, church-style windows with coloured leaded glass, a feature door canopy and oversized main door. The design also ‘nods’ to the many Tudor features around the area of the city, from Chetham’s School of Music to the Shambles. The Cathedral’s Sunday morning services will be held here, together with other major services and events, as the structure can hold up to 300 people. And the pop-up Cathedral will be open for prayer and reflection daily. So if you are passing, why not stop and have a look? Not only to visit the Country’s latest cathedral, but to visit a part of the city that is gradually being transformed into a green and pleasant land. This is because the pop-up cathedral is now part of the sixth Manchester Garden City Scheme and will sit alongside a city centre garden (featuring the city centre’s first children’s play area), plenty of new trees, ornamental flowers and allotment-style ‘Grow Boxes’ for residents and businesses to plant their own produce. The new space also includes artificial grass with new seating areas, and chalets to cater for community events and children’s activities. The scheme also sees the introduction of a new cycle lane, connecting Victoria Street to Greengate.

Vaughan Allen, Chief Executive at city centre management company CityCo said: “We are delighted to have worked with the Cathedral and other partners to create a new green space in the heart of the city centre for people to enjoy. The new garden around the pop-up church will be a pleasant, quiet oasis for people to take time out and relax.

For more information about the company responsible for the Pop Up Cathedral visit www.innov8ds.com