Parishioners from across the diocese came together today for an early glimpse of glory being restored to our Mother Church as phase two of the Cathedral Restoration project continues.
A series of four tours took place at Salford Cathedral this morning, welcoming parishioners and visitors from far and wide to see the latest updates in our cathedral restoration project, dubbed “Restoring the Glory”.
These tours told the next chapter of the restoration story, enabling parishioners to get an insight into the work that has been done to the interior of the church, including the newly-decorated ceiling, the restored windows, the painted statues, the colourful tower crossing, and more.
Leading the tour was Neil Moss, Project and Site Manager of Simpsons of York – the company contracted to carry out the cathedral restoration project – and Cathedral Dean Canon Michael Jones.
Together, they shared highlights from the project so far and details of the work that has gone on behind the scenes before telling the groups a little more about the next stages of the journey.
In between tours, visitors could learn more about the work behind the scenes through an exhibition in the cloisters, which shone a spotlight on each key stage of the project so far.
One parishioner, Elaine, was immediately struck by the vibrancy of the decoration, saying : “My first impression was seeing the ceiling and how stunning that looks and the colour of blue is really nice.
“The technical side of it is really, really impressive. For those people to have done that work must have taken so many hours and so much patience.”
Another parishioner and Cathedral MC, Eric, also turned his focus to the ceiling, this time picking out the striking decoration of the tower crossing, painted with the same blue and gold pattern and adorned with vibrant emblems of the four evangelists and all the crests of the bishops of Salford.
He said: “The emblems of the four Gospel writers of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the highlight for me. It’s so beautiful, it’s absolutely gorgeous.”
Thinking ahead into the future, Eric considered what it would be like to return to the completed cathedral and what it would mean to his fellow parishioners.
He said: “There’s nowhere like home. The temporary church enables us to continue serving God but the cathedral has been our home for many, many years and when we had to leave, we were very sad. But coming back, I’m looking forward coming back to the cathedral to serve and help parishioners to worship and pray. That’s what we do here: we serve and help the congregation to pray.”
Cathedral volunteer Margaret is excited to welcome people back into the cathedral and to see how the new decoration helps people explore and engage deeper with their faith.
She said: “This is what a cathedral should look like. It’s just stunning – better than I imagined it could be.
“The colour of the statues means you can now see what they are. Before you didn’t really notice them and it was quite hard to work out who they were. But if you look at St George with his dragon, it’s just so striking. It means something now. Particularly bringing children round, they will be able to see and recognise him as George and the Dragon, whereas before they wouldn’t have known who he was.”
Parish Sister, Sr Brenda Matterson, reflected on the practical need to make the vital repairs to the roof and the exterior of the church but once inside, was particularly moved by the beauty of the now-exposed stonework, which she described as shining “like honey” in sunlight.
Considering the importance of beauty on our journey of faith, she said: “One of the things that struck me is the richness and yet the simplicity of what is here and actually, the peacefulness.
“I think people will find it a very enriching place for prayer and reflection because there will be so many nooks and crannies where you can sit in beauty and pray – and after all, God is beauty and God is revealed in beauty.
“I think beauty touches on God. Beauty draws us into the heart of God because God is all goodness, all love, and therefore all beauty.
“I think St Augustine, his statue is up there, actually talks about how God is beauty and so I think beauty is very important to us in our prayer lives. When you see things of beauty, they’re a gateway to the divine.”
The Cathedral remains closed to the public as Phase 2 of the project continues to restore, repair, and redecorate the interior of the church. It is expected to be open by Easter 2026.
Click here for updates on the restoration journey of Salford Cathedral.
