Not to be confused with the more famous Westminster Abbey nearby, Westminster Cathedral is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain. The Cathedral site was reclaimed by the Benedictine monks who were the builders and owners of Westminster Abbey. During the 16th century, the land was used as a market and fairground and later became the site of a prison. The Catholic Church acquired the site in 1884 and the foundation stone was laid in 1895. The Cathedral was designed in the Early Christian Byzantine style by the Victorian architect John Francis Bentley and completed in 1903. The fourteen Stations of the Cross designed by sculptor Eric Gill during World War I are world-renowned, and the Cathedral’s organ is one of the finest in Britain.
- Westminster Cathedral
- 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW
- www.westminstercathedral.org.uk
- Underground: Victoria
