Laying the Foundation Stone: The New Cathedral of St Mary's

On a cold November day in 1985, the faithful of Middlesbrough came to witness the blessing of the foundation stone for the new Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral at Coulby Newham in Middlesbrough. Produced by members of the Cleveland Cine Club, this film captures the service conducted by the Bishop of Middlesbrough, Augustine Harris. Consecrated by Bishop Harris in 1998, the Cathedral continues to this day to be a beacon of faith and worship within the local community.

The Catholic Church of Saint Mary has been part of the Middlesbrough diocese for more than 100 years. The original cathedral opened in Sussex Street in 1878 and continued to serve the community until in 1976 Bishop McClean made the decision to build a new cathedral at Coulby Newham. The main reason for a new church was the slowly diminishing parish population as, since the end of World War Two, changes in housing and planning meant people were moving out of the centre to the suburbs, such as Coulby Newham. The cathedral was designed by Frank Swainston in the style of the cathedral-in-the-round at Liverpool and opened in 1986 when the Bishops chair or Cathedra was transferred to the new church.