The Cathedrals of England and Wales Quiz

Answer: Bristol

Renowned for its unique architectural features and for an historic organ, Bristol Cathedral was founded as St Augustine's Abbey in 1140. The construction of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel began in 1220 and the eastern part of the abbey church was rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style in the early 14th century.

The west front of the current building, with its distinctive twin towers, was completed only in 1888.

Answer: Durham Cathedral

The Bishopric of Durham dates back to 995, and work on the city's classic Norman cathedral began a century later. Work was completed in a relatively short period, just 40 years.
The cathedral contains the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, relics of St Cuthbert, the head of St Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede. Three copies of the Magna Carta are housed in its library.

Answer: Winchester

One of the largest cathedrals in England, work began on the current Winchester Cathedral in 1079 and the building was consecrated in 1093. Additions, rebuilding and major restoration projects have continued right up into the 20th Century.
The funeral of King William II was held here in 1100; the coronation of King Henry the Young King in 1172 and the second coronation of King Richard I in 1194 were held here; King Henry IV and Queen Mary I were both married here, in 1403 and 1554 respectively. Amongst those buried in the cathedral or its grounds are numerous pre-Norman Kings (of either Wessex or England), as well as the writers Izaak Walton and Jane Austen.
Visitors to Winchester Cathedral today can see the spectacular series of Pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows. Unfortunately, the original huge medieval West Window was deliberately smashed by Cromwell's forces in 1642.

Answer: Swansea

"The Cathedral Church of Saint Joseph" is also known as Swansea Cathedral. Originally built as a church at a cost of £10,000 in the 1880s, it was converted into a cathedral only in 1987. Swansea Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Menevia -- Menevia is one of three suffragan dioceses within the Archdiocese of Cardiff.

Answer: Ely Cathedral

A Benedictine abbey was founded in Ely in 970 and in 1109 the city was granted its own Bishopric and, with it, cathedral status. The 537-foot long building contains one of Britain's longest naves (at 250 feet). Ely Cathedral is recognizable from its two towers, the 215-foot high West Tower and the unique octagonal Lantern Tower which rises 170 feet.
A notable feature of the cathedral is the Stained Glass Museum, which houses a collection dating back as far as the 13th Century.

Answer: Ripon

Saint Wilfrid's stone building replaced the timber church that stood on the current site of Ripon Cathedral, and he was buried in the church in 709. Only the crypt survived when the church was destroyed by the English king's army in 948, and the forces of King William I destroyed its replacement in 1069. Ripon Minster was constructed over four centuries spanning the Wars of the Roses, but it was not until 1836 that the city gained cathedral status, when the Anglican Diocese of Ripon became the country's first new diocese since the Reformation.

Answer: Arundel

The seat of the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton since the diocese of the same name was created in 1965, Arundel Cathedral owes much of its patronage to England's highest-ranking family (other than the Royal Family), the Duke of Norfolk. They also hold the Earl of Arundel title (with its seat at Arundel Castle since 1102), and are the country's most prominent Catholic family.
Built in the French Gothic style of the 14th Century, Arundel Cathedral is a Grade I listed building and is considered one of England's finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.

Answer: Canterbury

Founded by Saint Augustine in 597, Canterbury Cathedral along with the ancient "Church of Saint Martin" and the nearby Benedictine "Abbey of Saint Peter and Paul" were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
The cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1067 and rebuilding began three years later under stewardship of the first Norman archbishop, Lanfranc. The martyrdom of Thomas Becket in 1170 would establish the cathedral as a place of pilgrimage.

Answer: Lichfield

The first cathedral in Lichfield, a wooden Saxon church, was built to house the bones of Saint Chad (died 672) in the early 8th Century, although this had been considered a holy site since Roman times. A Norman cathedral was built here in 1085 and work on the current Lichfield Cathedral began just over a century later.

Answer: Llandaff Cathedral

Llandaff Cathedral is one of two cathedrals located in Cardiff, the other being the Roman Catholic Cardiff Cathedral. Work began on Llandaff Cathedral in 1120 and took 170 years to complete. The cathedral suffered extensive damage during the English Civil War and again in a massive storm in 1703, and work began on a new building to replace it. That project was eventually abandoned and extensive restoration took place in the middle of the 19th Century.

It was damaged again during the bombings of World War II (only Coventry Cathedral suffered more damage), and it was 1958 before the building was back in full use again.