Like Westminster Abbey, there are grand churches that were once, sometimes for only a short time, cathedral churches but no longer have that status. A cathedral church, you will remember, is a church with a cathedra, i.e. a bishop’s seat.
Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire was the seat of a bishop before the Norman conquest. Traces of the Anglo-Saxon building remain. Dorchester lost its cathedral status when its territory was ceded to Lincoln. It recently benefited from the injection of £4m raised by supporters to refurbish the building, which in its early days had housed Augustinian canons. Like many grand buildings of this kind it is a tourist attraction offering appropriate facilities.
St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney has retained the cathedral title and describes itself as Britain’s most northerly cathedral. In the 16th century it was the cathedral church of the see of Orkney. Like Dorchester, it is a tourist attraction. It has a well-equipped centre to serve visitors and groups looking for a venue for their activities. The Friends of the cathedral have raised £1.5m for improvements to the building. St Magnus’s sees itself functioning as an ecumenical centre and the current cathedral magazine has a feature by the Church of Scotland minister in charge of the building, Fraser Macnaughton, on Julian of Norwich. It serves to confirm that aspect of its ministry. June Freeth, pastoral minister, reminds readers that she is happy to receive phone calls during lockdown from any who are looking for a listening ear.
For a very brief period when Charles I was king, Iona Abbey was the cathedral church of the Bishop of the Isles. After the Reformation it fell into disrepair and was rescued by George MacLeod and others in the 20th century. It was founded in the 6th century by Columba and proved to be a mission centre for the whole of Scotland. It is now served by the Iona Community, an ecumenical venture, and has facilities for visitors. It has a global ministry. A ferry to Mull, a traverse of the island and then a smaller ferry to Iona gives access.
GALWAY FIRST
Lynda Pellow is the first female rector of St Nicholas’s, Galway. The large medieval Church of Ireland church accommodates a congregation of 120-150 on a Sunday morning and also hosts services for Russian Orthodox, Coptic and Mar Thoma Syrians. Recently the church celebrated its 700th anniversary. Lynda and her husband Clive have three children.
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