Sunday’s Communion service, from Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral will be ITV’s most ambitious church broadcast. Two ABC outside broadcast units will televise the service, and special equipment never before used will illuminate the vast cathedral. Seven cameras will take viewers round the cathedral, the origins of which are described by the man who has made it his life’s work

I DON’T think I realised when I decided to enter for the competition to design Liverpool Cathedral in 1901 that it would affect my whole life. It was a small beginning, just a blank sheet of paper, a well-sharpened pencil, and the need a vision for what I knew I wanted to do.

I was living with my family in a flat overlooking London’s Battersea Park. My father, an architect, had died while I was still at school, and I was articled to a church architect, Mr Temple Moore.

The terms of my articles said I must not undertake any outside work without permission so I sought the permission of Mr Moore. “It will be good experience you, my boy.” he said. A truer word was never spoken. I have been working on the cathedral ever since, and I shall never see it finished.

Architects, of course, employ different techniques. Broadly speaking. I like to try several lines before I make my choice. But once I have an idea I like on my blank sheet of paper, the task becomes a joy.

That is, just how it was with Liverpool Cathedral. The only hardship for me, once I had got started, was going to bed.

When I was doing my drawings for the competition, I used to leave the office on the early side and get there in the morning a little late. I went to bed around 1 am.

After I had won the competition — I was then 22 – Mr Moore asked: “However did you find the time to do such wonderful drawings?” I told him about my late and early finish at the office. I don’t think he minded.

Now I am 78 and there is nearly another quarter of the cathedral to be completed. Since winning the competition, I have never looked back. I never had to struggle with “early beginnings.” The cathedral gave me a flying start in life.

Because of my youth and inexperience on the business side, the executive committee responsible for building the cathedral appointed me a joint architect with Mr G. F. Bodley, one of their advisory architects.

The design went through three stages: the first was my competition design; the second was that design much modified by Bodley; and the third came after 1907, when Mr Bodley died and I was left in sole charge of the building. I then redesigned it.

At that time we did not have what is called now “contemporary architecture.” We used past styles. There was the Gothic style, which emphasises the perpendicular lines of a building, and the classic, such as St Paul’s, which emphasises the horizontal.

I preferred the Gothic because its vertical lines appear to disappear into the skies where we believe, I never can quite understand why, Heaven lies. Hell is down below. I felt that for a church, this vertical style has much more of a religious inspiration than the classic.

Drawing the plans in small scale was only a part of my work for the cathedral. It is no good saying to the builders, stonemasons and other craftsmen: “There are the plans Get on with it.”

I have drawn in full scale every line of that cathedral. I have had the drawing paper on my office floor, crawling over it, drawing mouldings to full scale. I have done plans of every piece of intricate masonry.

Sometimes I have expected the craftsmen to come back to me with scores of questions. But they have not done so, and am delighted to record my admiration for the craftsmen who have worked on the cathedral.

They are the finest in the world. I am sometimes astounded how they have done such intricate work so that everything falls perfectly into line.

Naturally, Liverpool Cathedral is my own child. I love it all, for I have watched it grow, stone by stone. And I think my favourite interior view is looking up at the central vault from the central space.

It was in the central space that I once met a woman sightseer who, not knowing who I was, murmured: “I do think it extraordinary that the architect of this building could have so big a thing in so small a brain.” In a quiet way I was rather flattered.

During the war. when mercifully the cathedral was spared any serious structural damage, we had some old stonemasons continuing with the work.

In my life I have designed hundreds of buildings: Waterloo Bridge, Battersea Power Station, the re-building of the House of Commons, the restoration of London’s Guildhall … and the public telephone kiosk – though I didn’t choose its beastly red colour.

As an old but nevertheless active and practising architect, I am just a little sad that I shall never see my greatest work, Liverpool Cathedral, finished. But I have every hope that my son and partner, Richard Gilbert Scott, will.

• The cathedral was completed in 1978, but not to the additional plans drawn up by Richard Gilbert Scott – Ed

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ABC-TV

THE DEPARTMENT OF
OUTSIDE BROADCASTS PRODUCTIONS
PRESENTS

‘HOLIDAY TOWN PARADE’

1962

WITH £4,000 CASH PRIZES

FEATURING TWO FABULOUS CONTESTS!

✻ TELEVISION BATHING BEAUTY QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN
✻ TELEVISION FASHION QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN

PRODUCED BY DAVID SOUTHWOOD
Compere Keith Fordyce – Interviewer Peter Lloyd

ENTRY FORM Application to participate in the 1962 contests of

ABC-TV’s ‘HOLIDAY TOWN PARADE’

I …………………………………………………….(full name) wish to be considered for inclusion in the TELEVISION CONTEST:

✻ BATHING BEAUTY QUEEN of GREAT BRITAIN
✻ FASHION QUEEN of GREAT BRITAIN

(Strike out the Contest not applicable)
(Note: If you wish to enter two contests please fill in additional entry form.)

and hereby agree that if accepted as a competitor I will abide by the undermentioned conditions:

1. I am a British subject over sixteen years of age.
2. I accept the decision of the ABC Television officials (or anybody appointed by them) as final.
3. I undertake that if accepted as a competitor and selected to enter the Resort Finals or Grand Finals of the contests I will appear on the dates required at the place chosen by ABC Television Ltd.
4. I will report for the Heat before the advertised time of starting and know that any competitor arriving after that time will be disqualified.
5. I agree to be photographed either before, during or after the Heats and or , and allow that such photographs may be used without payment with or without my name appended for any purposes desired by ABC Television Ltd.
6. If I win a Resort Final I shall not enter any heat for a subsequent Resort Final.
7. If I am selected to appear on television I shall not enter again for a period of at least ten , but I understand that this rule will be waived for the last week of the series.
8. I accept whatever method of judging shall be decided upon by the officials of ABC , who cannot enter into any correspondence on the subject.
9. In the event of the competition being of the Bathing Beauty , I agree that artificial aids will not be worn.
10. I agree that ABC Television have the right to televise me at any time during the competition and to repeat or record any such television transmission should they so desire it.
11. ABC Television shall be entitled at any time or times without prior notice to any contestant and without giving any reason therefor to cancel all or any of the heats, Resort Finals and the Grand Finals of the Contest and to refrain from televising the same or any of them. In such event I shall have no claim whatsoever against ABC other than for any prize money to which I may have become entitled in the Contest up to the date of any such cancellation.
12. I understand that I shall have no claim against ABC Television Ltd. in respect of any personal injury incurred during the course of my participation in the competition.
13. I know that no winner of any previous Grand Finals of “Holiday Town Parade” can take part.
14. I have not been employed professionally to appear on television in the United Kingdom during the past twelve months. I recognise that if at the time of the Heat or Final I have been employed professionally to appear on television in the United Kingdom Twill be disqualified.
15. I certify that I am not under contract to any organisation or person who could prevent me from appearing or attach any conditions to my appearance in the “Holiday Town Parade” programme either in a Heat or Resort Final or Grand Finals.
16. I shall at all times be responsible for any and all expenses of whatsoever nature incurred by me in connection with the Contest.
17. No Judges of this or previous Holiday Town Contests will be allowed to compete.

✻ IMPORTANT

Those selected at the qualifying heats on the Friday must be able to appear in the Television Show on the Saturday and to attend the rehearsals. If you cannot do so then do not enter.

TWO GREAT CONTESTS!

HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO APPEAR ON TELEVISION!

✻ TELEVISION BATHING BEAUTY QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN

Girls will be selected at the qualifying heats every Friday afternoon for twelve weeks, beginning with effect from June 29th. These successful competitors will appear on the ABC Television Network in “Holiday Town Parade” for the Resort Finals for which the weekly prizes are: 1st—£25, 2nd—£20, 3rd—£15 with £10 for each runner up.

Twelve girls will qualify for the GRAND FINAL on Saturday, September 22nd for which the prizes are:

FIRST PRIZE
£1000

SECOND PRIZE
£250

THIRD PRIZE
£100

✻ TELEVISION FASHION QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN

Open to all ladies over sixteen.

Ladies will be selected at the qualifying heats every Friday afternoon for the Resort Finals which are in the ABC Television Show “Holiday Town Parade” for which the weekly prizes are: 1st—£25, 2nd—£20, 3rd—£15 with £10 for each runner up.

Twelve ladies will qualify for the GRAND FINAL on Saturday, September 22nd for which the prizes are:

FIRST PRIZE
£250

SECOND PRIZE
£150

THIRD PRIZE
£100

Either bring the completed form with you, or preferably send it in advance to the Publicity Office of the resort at which you intend to compete, from which full details of locations, times, etc. can be obtained.

Follow the fun of ABC – TV!

David Southwood
presents
the seventh year of Television Contests
in the 1962 series of
the wonderfully successful

‘HOLIDAY TOWN PARADE’

from these twelve
popular Resorts
throughout the
summer

JUNE 29th and 30th –– MORECAMBE
JULY 6th and 7th –– BLACKPOOL
JULY 13th and 14th –– PRESTATYN
JULY 20th and 21st –– COLWYN BAY
JULY 27th and 28th –– PWLLHELI
AUG. 3rd and 4th –– SOUTHPORT
AUG. 10th and 11th –– SKEGNESS
AUG. 17th and 18th –– GREAT YARMOUTH (Gorleston-on-Sea)
AUG. 24th and 25th –– FILEY
AUG. 31st and SEPT 1st –– BRIDLINGTON
SEPT. 7th and 8th –– FLEETWOOD
SEPT. 14th and 15th –– SCARBOROUGH

★ GRAND FINAL TELEVISED on SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 22nd
Location to be announced later

★ RESORT QUALIFYING HEATS each FRIDAY AFTERNOON at 3-0 p.m.
(For details of location apply at Local Information Bureau)

★ RESORT FINALS TELEVISED each SATURDAY

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The Press Conference was arranged by Mr. Arthur Jones, Yorkshire Press Executive, and Mr. Barry Wynne, Head of Press and Publicity.

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