Salford Cathedral to close for multi million pound restoration project

Salford Cathedral is to close for most of 2023 as the 173 year old building will be given a revamp which aims to revive the iconic splendour of this church whilst making it the most sustainable cathedral in the country.

The use of innovative technologies will provide new sources of energy to heat and light the Cathedral as well as offer long term drainage and roofing solutions to increasingly unpredictable and extreme patterns of weather associated with climate change.

The work coincides with the cathedral’s 175^th anniversary in 2023 and will use modern-day techniques to preserve its sacred ambience and accommodate our growing congregation.

During its history some aspects of the original design and character of the Cathedral have been lost. The repair and restoration project will not only restore the Cathedral’s heritage and sense of the sacred but will maximise capacity for the growing parish community.

This work will include the temporary closure of the Cathedral from 1^st March 2023. During this time alternative accommodation for the Cathedral Parish will be provided. We will provide more information about this in the coming months. Consultations regarding the works will be held, as we want to make sure our parishioners are heard throughout the process. The Cathedral will reopen in December 2024.

Fr Michael, Cathedral Dean, said:

The extent of the restoration and conservation needed on the Cathedral is a major operation and we have taken the decision to accelerate and condense the programme of work, rather than to do it piecemeal. This was not an easy decision to take, as this option means that the Cathedral will have to close for 18 months, while the interior work is carried out. Closing the Cathedral was not our first preference but it does mean that we will be able to make the repairs, restore and reorder the Cathedral more quickly, safely, and efficiently.

Large parts of the Cathedral are in extremely poor repair, this is the right time to fix these and restore some of the original design features that have been lost over the years and enhance what we are able to offer the local Catholic community.