Newcastle Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, North East England. Its full title is The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas Newcastle-upon-Tyne and it is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle, the most northerly diocese of the Anglican Church in England, which reaches from the River Tyne as far north as Berwick-upon-Tweed and as far west as Alston in Cumbria.

History

The cathedral is named for St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and boats. It was originally a parish church, built in 1091, but this was destroyed in a fire in 1216. It was rebuilt in 1359 and became a cathedral in 1882 when the diocese of Newcastle was created by Queen Victoria.

The interior of the church was badly damaged by Scottish invaders during their brief occupation of the city in 1640, and in 1644, during a nine-week siege, Scottish invaders threatened to demolish the church spire but were deterred when Scottish prisoners were placed in the tower.

The cathedral is notable for its unusual Lantern spire, which was constructed in 1448. For hundreds of years, it was a main navigation point for ships using the River Tyne. At its base the tower measures 36' 9" by 35' and it is 196' 6" from the base to the top of the steeple. The tower contains a complete ring of twelve bells, the tenor bell which weighs almost two tons, plus three 15th Century bells, one, St Nicholas, which is rung for daily services.

Notable interior features

The cathedral chancel was created specially by the local artist and craftsman Ralph Hedley in the early 19th century when the parish church of St Nicholas became a cathedral. The high altar depicts Christ in Majesty holding an orb and sceptre, flanked by the four Evangelists each with their special symbol.

St. Margaret's Chapel contains the only known fragment of mediaeval stained glass in the cathedral, a roundel of the Madonna and Child. Much of the original glass was broken during the Civil War and most now dates from the 18th Century onwards.

The cathedral contains a number of memorials, the oldest being a 13th century effigy of an unknown knight, probably a member of the household of Edward I. It is one of the oldest objects in the cathedral. Another celebrates Admiral Lord Collingwood, a hero of the Battle of Trafalgar who was baptised and married in the cathedral. Another is the "Thornton Brass", a memorial to Roger Thornton, who was a merchant and three times Mayor of Newcastle, which is a particularly fine example of a Flemish Brass and dates from 1441.

The cathedral is home to a fine organ, a four-manual Grand Organ built by T C Lewis, although rebuilt several times since, notably by Harrison & Harrison in 1911 and 1954 and currently by Nicholson & Co. of Worcester. The cathedral choir has been featured on BBC Radio 3's Choral Evensong and performed with the Northern Sinfonia at The Sage Gateshead. They have also recorded a number of CDs.