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The Grade II Listed Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Thomas, a Roman Catholic cathedral on Barrack Road in Northampton, Northamptonshire.
In 1823, Bishop John Milner Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District sent a Father William Foley to Northampton to establish a permanent catholic presence in the town. His first base was a small house, used by a catholic priest for the previous two years, which had one room as a chapel.
Father William Foley bought a piece of land on the site of the original St Andrew's Priory, Northampton, from where Thomas Becket went into exile. It was there that he decided to have a purpose-built chapel constructed. The chapel, dedicated to Saint Andrew, was opened on 25 October 1825.
The origins of the current building date back to 1840 when the first Bishop of Northampton, William Wareing, commissioned Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin to design a collegiate chapel of St Felix. The chapel of St. Andrew was too small for the larger congregation. The new chapel was built in 1844. The number of worshippers soon outgrew the size of the building and Pugin's son Edward Welby Pugin was chosen by Bishop Wareing's successor, Francis Amherst to design an extension to make the building into a cathedral.
This extension came in the form of the current nave, which was opened in 1864, dedicated to Our Lady Immaculate and St Thomas of Canterbury. Dating from 1860's the stained-glass windows were made by John Hardman of Birmingham. Richly coloured, they depict St Peter and other local saints, such as St Edward the Confessor and St Thomas Becket.
Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northampton_Cathedral
48690
The Grade II Listed Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Thomas, a Roman Catholic cathedral on Barrack Road in Northampton, Northamptonshire.
In 1823, Bishop John Milner Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District sent a Father William Foley to Northampton to establish a permanent catholic presence in the town. His first base was a small house, used by a catholic priest for the previous two years, which had one room as a chapel.
Father William Foley bought a piece of land on the site of the original St Andrew's Priory, Northampton, from where Thomas Becket went into exile. It was there that he decided to have a purpose-built chapel constructed. The chapel, dedicated to Saint Andrew, was opened on 25 October 1825.
The origins of the current building date back to 1840 when the first Bishop of Northampton, William Wareing, commissioned Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin to design a collegiate chapel of St Felix. The chapel of St. Andrew was too small for the larger congregation. The new chapel was built in 1844. The number of worshippers soon outgrew the size of the building and Pugin's son Edward Welby Pugin was chosen by Bishop Wareing's successor, Francis Amherst to design an extension to make the building into a cathedral.
This extension came in the form of the current nave, which was opened in 1864, dedicated to Our Lady Immaculate and St Thomas of Canterbury. Dating from 1860's the stained-glass windows were made by John Hardman of Birmingham. Richly coloured, they depict St Peter and other local saints, such as St Edward the Confessor and St Thomas Becket.
Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northampton_Cathedral