Chelmsford Cathedral is one of the youngest cathedrals in England, and stands at the heart of the newest city. Originally a parish church, the first recorded service dates back to 1223, and the earliest stonework discovered here is from Norman times.

In the 15th Century, the church was rebuilt to include the tower, parapets and magnificent South porch.  Due to feuding during the War of the Roses between the the Yorkist Bouchiers and the Lancastrian de Veres who were funding the rebuilding, it took nearly a century to complete.

However, as you look at the exterior of the Cathedral from the South side, not all of what you see dates back to medieval times.  In 1800 workmen digging to open a vault, undermined the building and the whole roof, north and south aisles collapsed.  So the central area, paler in colour than the medieval west end, is made of Coade stone.  Coade stone was often called artificial stone but is in fact a high quality and extremely weatherproof stone.  It has also been used in St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

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