Arundel Cathedral celebrates its 150th anniversary – a look back at its history and most notable moments

Commemorative services were held in the beautiful French gothic-style cathedral to mark the occasion, attended by a huge array of dignitaries. Patrick Burgess, chairman of The Friends of Arundel Cathedral, said: “We had two services on the evening of Friday, June 30, with sung vespers and lots of glorious music. And on the Saturday, the anniversary itself, there was a high mass attended by 15 bishops from across the UK. The Cardinal from Westminster and the new Papal Nuncio were there, along with representatives from the Papal Knighthood orders in their panoply. There was lots of ceremony and procession, but it was a very jolly and uplifting occasion.”

Patrick said of organising the celebrations: “You start by feeling slightly overwhelmed and taken aback by it, but the cathedral secretary has a wonderful memory and mind for detail, and she was splendid. We sat down about nine months ago to discuss how we could do it and who we should invite, so it was quite a long process. But when it happened it just kind of fell into place and was a very joyous event. It went extremely well and people were very pleased with it. It’s uplifting and enjoyable to play a small part of the cathedral community.”

Arundel Cathedral was commissioned by Henry Fitzalan-Howard, the 15th Duke of Norfolk, in 1868 at the age of 21, to mark his coming of age. He wanted to demonstrate his ancestral Roman Catholic faith to spectators for miles around and built and paid for it all himself, having inherited his title very young. The Friends group now helps to pay for the upkeep of the building, as well as things like refurbishing the cathedral centre and redoing some of the stained glass windows. It was founded by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor and it gives a donation in the region of £50,000 a year to the cathedral.

Arundel Cathedral was built in French Gothic style and opened in 1873 as a Catholic church dedicated to the 16th Century Italian priest St Philip Neri. Its status was raised in 1965, when the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton was created, and it was consecrated as a cathedral. The cathedral is sited at the highest point of the town, with the top of it made deliberately higher than the castle to show religion as being the most important.

The original design by Joseph Aloysius Hansom – inventor of the Hansom cab – included a huge spire, built on separate foundations. The base support had already been completed before the engineers abandoned the project, after realising the ground would not be able to support the massive weight of the spire. Instead, the roof was crowned with a small spire, known as a fleche, the French word for an arrow.

With cathedral status came a change in the dedication to 'Our Lady and St Philip Neri'. Six years later, in 1971, the remains of the 13th Earl of Arundel, St Philip Howard, who was martyred in 1595, were moved from the Fitzalan Chapel at Arundel Castle to be enshrined in the cathedral. In 1973, the cathedral took on a further dedication to become 'Our Lady and St Philip Howard'.

The historic Hill organ was acquired by the Duke of Norfolk in the 1860s. Problems with the sound were noticed in the 1920s and fundraising for its restoration was thought to have gone on for at least 30 years, with work being carried out in the 1960s. The organ then had a massive rebuild and restoration programme at David Wells Organ builders in Liverpool in 2004 and 2005. The 39 ranks of pipes incorporate 2,348 individual pipes and the £250,000 cost of the restoration was raised locally over a long period of time.

The organ’s console was completely modernised and there was work done on the instrument’s pipes, which are made from both metal and wood. The result was a much fuller sound, akin to the organ’s original sound before the modifications of the 1930s and 1960s took place. The cathedral used an electronic organ while the Hill instrument was being restored and although it served a purpose, the congregation was happy to have the old instrument back.

The organ is perhaps used at its best during the annual celebrations to mark the Feast of Corpus Christi and to honour the blessed sacrament. These include a mass followed by a procession from Arundel Cathedral to Arundel Castle and the Carpet of Flowers, painstakingly designed and laid out in the cathedral’s aisle.

Animal blessing services were launched in 2003 to coincide with the feast of St Francis of Assissi, the patron saint of animals. From the start, as it was pretty unique, it attracted people from far and wide with pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and even donkeys.

The fleche renewal project from August 2010 to March 2011 saw the existing fleche repaired in lead. It was lifted off the building by crane in late September 2010 to be transported off the site and worked on in Somerset. Once completed, it was brought back to Arundel to be lifted back on to the cathedral roof.

The Christmas Eve midnight mass in 2014 was broadcast on BBC One, with the Rev Canon Tim Madeley leading the service and the Arundel Cathedral Choir singing melodies, directed by Elizabeth Stratford. Countless people tuned in to watch the event unfold, with the cathedral being illuminated in stunning festive fashion. Pews were packed and outside, the streets were equally packed, with an array of lorries and broadcasting equipment.