The Cathedral of St John the Baptist

What

One of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in England

Norwich's Catholic Cathedral was gifted to the city of Norwich by Henry Fitzalan Howard, the 15^th Duke of Norfolk, providing a new centre of worship for the Catholic community in Norwich.

The Cathedral was built on the former site of the City Gaol. At the Duke's request it was designed in the Early English style of the 13^th century by architect George Gilbert Scott junior, a recent convert to the Catholic faith.

One of the first things that you notice as you walk up the steps to the Cathedral is the thousands of fossils contained within the stone steps. Once inside, this element is continued with more fossils speckling the black Frosterley marble pillars surrounding the nave.

The nave consists of ten bays, supported by massive cylindrical columns. It is over 49 m (160 ft) long and 18 m (60 ft) high.

Also of note are the great number of attractive sculptures and some of the finest nineteenth century stained glass in Europe.

After nearly a century as the parish church of the Catholic community in Norwich it became the mother church of the new diocese of East Anglia in 1976. It is now the second largest Catholic cathedral in the country.

The Cathedral also incorporates the Narthex - a new visitor centre with a wealth of amenities.