History
The cathedral, situated in the centre of Wakefield on a hill on Kirkgate, is built on the site of a Saxon church, evidence of which was uncovered in 1900 when extensions to the east end were made. A church in Wakefield is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. In 1090 William II gave the church and land in Wakefield to Lewes Priory in Sussex and shortly after that a Norman church was built.
The Norman church was rebuilt in 1329, and apart from the tower and spire, rebuilt and enlarged in 1469. The church was reconstructed and altered at various times and its spire, damaged in a violent gale, was renewed in 1823. Up to the 16th century the church was known by the Anglo Saxon All Hallows and after the Reformation changed to All Saints.
All Saints Church was largely rebuilt in the Perpendicular Gothic style in the early 15th century and, after years of neglect in the 18th century, owes its current late mediaeval appearance to a Victorian restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott and his son John Oldrid Scott between 1858 and 1874. In 1888, the Diocese of Wakefield was created and All Saints Church became the cathedral of the diocese. It still serves as a parish church, meaning that until 2000 the head of the chapter of canons was called the provost, rather than the dean. The Treacy Hall built in memory of Bishop Eric Treacy was completed in 1982.
In January 2000 a parish boundary change brought the chantry chapel, on Wakefield Bridge, into the care of the cathedral.
In 2005 Queen Elizabeth II visited the cathedral to distribute Maundy money.
In 2012 the cathedral, with £1.58 million of Heritage Lottery funding had raised £2.5 million to restore and reorder the nave which will be cleared of its oak pews to create an open space for worship, public events and celebrations. A decision to charge VAT on restoration work on historic buildings in the 2012 budget caused concern that the project would be halted or delayed.
Its archives are held at West Yorkshire Archive Service in Wakefield.
Read more about this topic: Wakefield Cathedral
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