The Royal Mail is celebrating Christmas 2024 with a series of five special stamps, featuring original illustrations of cathedrals from across the UK.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, is delighted – his cathedral is one of them!
“We’re so proud because it means that the image will be seen by many, many people,” he says. “I hope that seeing the image, they’ll understand that a church is a place where God dwells and where that sense of God’s presence is intense, comforting and consoling.”
As well as Westminster Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ to give it its full dedication, Anglican cathedrals in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Armagh, and Bangor also feature on the stamps. Westminster is the only Catholic cathedral and the only London church building in the collection. The illustrations are the work of Penzance-based British artist Judy Joel, whose popular paintings have been sold worldwide over the last 50 years.
David Gold, the Royal Mail’s Director of External Affairs and Policy says:
“Cathedrals are a hugely significant part of our cultural heritage and play an important role in local communities. They also offer space for peaceful reflection and a bit of an escape from the challenges of daily life, which can be especially important at Christmas.”
The real reason for the season is unsurprisingly not lost on Cardinal Nichols:
“The presence of a church points directly to the birth of Jesus, because that is the way in which God comes into our world in flesh and blood. In order to honour and praise him, we create buildings of beauty – places of prayer – and Westminster Cathedral is an outstanding example of that.”
The Cardinal also hopes the stamp will inspire people to visit Westminster Cathedral, and offers an open invitation:
“If you’re in London over the Christmas period, come down Victoria Street and visit the Cathedral. It’s always open. There are thousands of visitors every day, and you’d be most welcome. Once inside, you’ll be touched by something of the beauty of God and of his delicate, humble, compassionate presence among us.”
One thing we should perhaps remember, though, a Cathedral is for life, not just for Christmas.
The stamp that features Westminster Cathedral has a value of £2.80. That covers the new international standard rate for letters as of 1 October 2024. You can buy the Christmas stamps by visiting the Royal Mail website here: royalmail.com/christmas2024. You can also purchase from 7,000 Post Offices across the UK or by phoning 03457 641641.
Westminster Cathedral is relatively ‘modern’ in historical terms. Cardinal Vaughan commissioned Doncaster-born architect and convert John Francis Bentley and building only began in 1895. The Cathedral was completed just eight years later in 1903 but its unique architecture reflects the influences of ancient Christian churches and its construction marks a pivotal moment in the history of the Church in England and Wales.
Built in a neo-Byzantine style, Westminster Cathedral reflects a unique and exciting combination of architectural influences with its massive domes and wide interior space. The building’s location, right up against the street on Ambrosden Avenue, maximises the use of the site. The main advantage of the structure was that it could be built in brick – the candy-stripe design reference of red brick and Portland stone was taken from the existing mansion house flats in Ambrosden Avenue – this meant that the building could be constructed relatively quickly.
Visit the official website for Westminster Cathedral.
Read the Westminster Cathedral entry on our Taking Stock website.
Gallery of images featuring Westminster Cathedral.
