St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023

St Chad’s Cathedral was the setting for an IgersbirminghamUK Instameet on a wet Saturday morning. Storm Antoni was passing through and the rain was non-stop.  I joked with the photographers that we had made the decision to go for the inside walkabout rather than taking pictures outside. The interior of the building is beautiful, and we had also arranged to view the extensive crypt below.  

St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Caution IgersbirminghamUK photographers at work.

Our two guides were Marie Louise and Angela and as soon as the introductions were done, we were provided with the background information to the Cathedral. The Roman Catholic cathedral was designed by Pugin and is a fine example of the Gothic architecture revival in England. We were shown around both the crypt and the main interior of the Cathedral.  Both Marie Louise and Angela were informative and provided historical and contemporary information about the Cathedral.  They were also very welcoming and tolerant of 20 photographers taking pictures.

St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Marie Louise and Angela our guides for the IgersbirminghamUK Instameet.

Here are a few of the interesting facts supplied by our guides.  Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was the architect at the forefront of the Gothic revival style in architecture.  Pugin was hired to assist in the Gothic design of the House of Commons and Big Ben.  John Hardman, was a close friend of Pugin, and the Hardman family are buried in the crypt.  The son of a button making family, John Hardman turned his skills to metal work and stained glass windows. He designed the clock face and manufactured the hands of Big Ben.  There are many more interesting facts about St Chad’s and both Marie Louise and Angela were happy to inform us of all the details.  I have taken their photograph with the backdrop of the Cathedral Altar behind them.

St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
A view towards the Apse.

One of the most interesting stories is that the Cathedral was earmarked to be demolished but was saved by one vote at the Birmingham City Council meeting.  Many other Victorian buildings were demolished around the area to make way for the motor car.  Luckily there is a sensible view prevailing these days, and the area is under improvement.

The Crypt of St Chad’s Cathedral

The crypt is a secret treasure trove with a layout of several rooms with interesting designs around the altars.  Pugin collected various ornamental religious pieces on his travels, and these are held in the crypt.  My favourites are the two wooden angels that have soulful expressions. The tiled design and ornamental altar in the Hardman family crypt is another standout feature of the extensive crypt.  On display are the vestments worn by both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.  I was also fascinated by the large wooden door which provides the entrance to the crypt. A selection of my photographs are shown. I have many more and it was difficult to select the best pictures. For interest to any photographer reading this account, the majority of my pictures are taken with the iPhone13 which excels in low light. I did have my travel tripod with me which allowed some pictures to be taken with my Fujifilm x100v.

St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
The large studded entrance door.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Details from the Hardman family crypt.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
The tiled walls and ceiling with a relief of Christ on the cross with the two thieves.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Angels
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Close up view of the angel’s face.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Colourful details of the paintwork.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
In this part of the crypt, the Cathedral Choir practice due to the excellent acoustics.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Vestments worn by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Birmingham in 1982
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Vestments worn by Pope Benedict XVI who visited Birmingham in September 2010
Pope Benedict XVI visited Birmingham on Sunday, September 19, 2010
Looking up at the details.
Pope Benedict XVI visited Birmingham on Sunday, September 19, 2010
Chairs and a picture of Christ on the cross.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Some beautiful work that is propped up against the crypt wall. There are so many treasures to see.
Pope Benedict XVI visited Birmingham on Sunday, September 19, 2010
Glass table reflections.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
More examples of pictures and artefacts each with a story.

The main Cathedral floor

The Instagrammers then moved up to the main Cathedral area which provided more photographic opportunities.   There is so much to take in and the Apse of St Chad’s Cathedral with the high altar is impressive to view.  There are colourful stained-glass windows flanking the high altar.  The apse was designed by Pugin and was part of his grand plan to emphasise the Gothic revival architecture of the Cathedral.  There were many small details to see and, on this visit, the guides pointed out to me the non-religious wood carvings on the rear seats in the Choir Stall.  These were fun to photograph.  You will see from my photographs the various parts of the cathedral and I know that I did not have time to view everything.  

St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
The view towards the entrance and the organ.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
One of the detailed 3D depictions of the stations of the cross.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
The Bishop’s chair on the Altar.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Wood carving next to the Bishop’s chair.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Wood carvings on the Choir stall.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Candles
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Closer view of the organ and the loft behind.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Details.

The cathedral has so many stories and this is another one that I find fascinating.  In the diapered design of the transept ceiling, there is a tile that has the words Deo Gratias 22 Nov 1940.  This translates to thanks be to God. During World War II, incendiary devices were dropped and caused significant damage to buildings.  The old Coventry cathedral is an example of the devestating destruction.  At St Chad’s Cathedral, an incendiary device fell through the ceiling and exploded within the central heating pipes and the water subsequently put the fire out. Hence the miracle of St Chad’s.

St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Can you see the tile with the words Deo Gratias?
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
The roof of the Cathedral in Black and white. For an extra point can you see the tile with the words Deo Gratias?

There are many more stories about the Cathedral. These involve St Chad, the patron saint and how his relics were transported from his shrine in Lichfield. Cardinal Newman who was such an influential figure in Birmingham, gave sermons from the pulpit.  However, the best way to learn more about these stories and the Cathedral is to visit the building yourself.  My pictures in this blog which catalogue my view from the Instameet only show a part of what is on view..  

There are many more pictures taken by the talented photographers of Igersbirmingham UK and these may be found on Instagram by using the hashtag #igbUK_meet_stchads

Thank you to St Chad’s Cathedral for hosting us. Thank you to my fellow IgersbirminghamUK organisers, @NickyWarwickshire and @James_never_Jim and all the photographers who came along and supported the event.

For more information about St Chad’s please vist the following webpage

Welcome to St Chad’s Cathedral – Birmingham’s hidden jewel on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
Reflecting on a great IgersbirminghamUK Instameet.
St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham IgersbirminghamUK instameet, 2023
A different view of St Chad’s Cathedral.

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Queensway is a busy arterial road in and out of Birmingham so there is always a high volume of traffic thundering along the tarmac.  With my telephoto lens and 24 to 70 mm lens, I went about taking different pictures of an area that is already very familiar to me.  New building projects are always happening in the city centre and the area between the Cathedral and the Canal was an old factory site.  It has been repurposed into city dwelling flats that are being built close to the canal.   

The area is also a magnet for different kinds of people and as I was taking pictures, I was hassled for money, so I quickly moved on.  It is something I am wary of when I am in the quieter parts of town.  I know that I do have to be careful of my own safety.  Still the lure of  taking a few photographs around the buildings on either side of Queensway won through.  I took pictures of St Chad’s Cathedral and also with my telephoto lens up past the Snow Hill buildings.  After that I made my way into town for a lunch time meeting. 

Parking on the top floor of Selfridges Car Park opposite the store provided skyline pictures of both the City and Digbeth, and the skyline bridge linking the two is always fun for a picture or two.    I love the new covering on the Selfridges which is being put in place whilst they replace the discs on the outside.  The covering is designed by Osman Yousefzada,who is a multi-disciplinary artist working in association with the IKON gallery. the pink and black geometric shapes are in contrast with the grey architecture.

It was a day of sunshine and showers and whilst I was outside there was a terrific downpour. 

This then led to the bonus of several puddles for a bit of reflective photography.  The puddles around Selfridges are still there and lend themselves to some nice reflections of the building as it is being renovated

On my way to New Street, there were other interesting images to capture including the queue outside Zara and the photographing of the Electric Cinema.  I lingered around the reflective roof of the entrance to New Street Station. I also took a few pictures of the trams passing through which is something you have to do when in Birmingham. 

So enjoy the pictures and it is good to see Birmingham as it emerges from the pandemic.  The only down side is the weather which is atrocious rain and so unlike May.