The Cathedral Church of Ss Peter & Paul on Pembroke Road in Bristol’s fashionable Clifton district is strikingly modern, being best described as Late Brutalist in genre. It was consecrated in 1973 and was the first post-Vatican II cathedral built under the council’s new guidelines. It is also the mother church of the diocese of Clifton, replacing the historic pro-cathedral in the centre of the city.
Architectural nerds have noted that it is the only Catholic church to have been designated Grade II* in the 1970s; its main architect was Ronald J Weeks, who had worked on a design for Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral. I like modern churches – the good ones, that is. During my visit I was reminded how Bristol’s Catholic cathedral is also a hub for its music community. I remember going there for a Pierre Boulez concert in the 80s.
