Guildford Cathedral and Portsmouth Cathedral Church of St Thomas
The Diocese of Guildford was created in 1927. Following a competition, Edward Maufe’s design was chosen. Maufe was to say in 1932 of his design ‘The ideal has been to produce a design, definitely of our own time, yet in the line of the great English Cathedrals; to build anew on tradition, to rely on proportion, mass, volume and line rather than on elaboration and ornament’.
Portsmouth also has the Roman Catholic Cathedral dedicated to St John the Evangelist. Simon Jenkins described the elevation of St Thomas’ from parish church to a cathedral as being ‘. . . the usual halting effort to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.’ More positively he says ‘The jolliest feature is the tower lantern, long a landmark for sailors on the Solent. The exterior of the building is silvery white and in spring, sits happily in a mass of crocuses.’
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