There are two buildings on Liverpool's skyline that could rival the Three Graces as city icons.
Liverpool Cathedral and the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral - two buildings a world apart in design serving as a perfect example of how architecture can change to reflect a faith, or a need, or a time period. They are two buildings that anyone in Liverpool, scouser or tourist, can thank the 20th Century for.
But, things could've been different, and we could have seen some much more elaborate buildings constructed if another design had won.
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Frederick Gibberd was the name of the architect whose design became reality after he won the competition to design the church. His cathedral, nicknamed Paddy's Wigwam, is seen by some as a daring and ahead-of-its-time piece of architecture, yet the deign that came in second place has a much greater claim to both of those attributes.
In second place came a design that couldn't be called anything if not striking. C.H.R. Bailey's runner -p design for the 1959 competition had closer ties to a rocket ship than any cathedral seen beforehand.
The design features two rows of concrete "bird beaks" shooting up into the air encompassing a central tower. It is rumoured the design was inspired by the cult sci-fi film Forbidden Planet which was released three years before the competition and, when you look at the Bailey's design, it isn't hard to see why.
Bailey's design could've easily been the most extreme in that competition and it was a sign of the times that it would reach such a respectful place as second place. Other designs submitted were similarly different, though perhaps more imaginable, including one by Sir Denys Lasdun.
Lasdun's design was far flatter than those of Gibberd or Bailey. Yet even from drawings you can see how it would still dcommand the awe a taller, towering cathedral would.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) said in 2017 on Lasdun's design: "The architect, who is well-known for the National Theatre in London, designed a new Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral with a distinctive roof of a shallow cone, folded into deep furrows and ridges probably intended to be made of concrete and glass.
“His entry was rejected and instead Frederick Gibberd got to leave his mark in the city".
Do you think Frederick Gibberd's design of the Metropolitan Cathedral was the right choice for the city? Let us know in the comments below.
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