Building on history

When Stephen Oliver became cathedral architect at Brecon Cathedral in 2015, the first task in his in-tray was among the biggest in the building's 1,000-year history.

The cathedral, set in the most complete medieval close in Wales, has never been easily accessible to all. In the medieval period, non-able-bodied pilgrims were carried into the building up or down the steps in its north and south doors, and even today there is no flat entrance for wheelchair users. Finding a solution to this problem has been central to a Welsh Government and Heritage Lottery-funded project titled 'People, Passion, Priory', set to transform the building in 2026.

Stephen said: "On the face of it, you'd think it would be possible to make the north and south doors workable as accessible entrances, but it's so challenging as both have level changes and steps, and the south door is tiny, with very little headroom. If you raise the floor levels inside to try and achieve some kind of level access, you bang your head on the door. If you start rebuilding it, you're bashing holes in 17th century masonry, so there's no easy, harm-free solution in terms of heritage."

Instead, Stephen's team has taken a radical approach by proposing a new entrance in the building's west end: "The advantage of putting a door at the west end is that it's creating something extra. It's not just a case of making one of the existing doors work, we're making a new door which creates a more balanced, axial approach. It's a more obvious point of entry to the cathedral, because with two side doors, there's no obvious way in. Brecon is unusual among cathedrals, because there's no screen between the chancel and nave. With the new entrance, people will be able to see all the way from the west end to the east, and I think that long vista is going to be quite something."

Advocacy groups who were consulted about the proposed designs have welcomed the news of the west entrance, as it will provide equal access for all visitors. Balancing modern accessibility needs with the preservation of the building's historic character presented a challenge for Stephen and the design team, however, who had to negotiate strict planning guidelines: "We've gone through a very long process of options and discussions and consultations, which culminated in the heritage impact assessment that we put together. It was a very rigorous process, and we've tried our absolute hardest to make the design as sensitive as possible to the cathedral and to the setting, while also having its own architectural integrity. We feel that we're adding another layer of history."

A Space Transformed

In addition to the new entrance, the project also involves internal reordering to create a more user-friendly space. Part of Stephen's brief was to help transform the cathedral into a vibrant visitor destination, while also protecting its historic character. One of the biggest changes will be the relocation of the choir stalls from the crossing between the nave and chancel, bringing the congregation closer to the altar: "On one level, my job is to speak up for the building, and to think about things getting damaged when they're moved. But we're also conscious that the building is there for a reason, and it needs to perform its function as well as possible. We're trying to encourage everyone to participate in the liturgy, and bringing the altar and the congregation closer together will be an improvement."

Relocating the choir stalls will also create a larger space for visiting choirs and musicians, broadening the building's potential use and, ultimately, its appeal: "There are lots of concerts in the cathedral, and freeing up the crossing means there will be greater flexibility in hosting musicians and choirs." This focus on the building's end users has been central to the project's aims, but much-needed fabric repairs also formed part of Stephen's brief.

The original proposal was to replace the cathedral's roof, which has not been repaired since the Victorian period, in its entirety. The scheme has been reduced, however, with the east end of the roof due to be repaired in 2026, and the west end to be repaired in a future phase. The use of traditional materials and crafts is central to Stephen's conservation philosophy, and sourcing replacements for the existing stone tiles, which are no longer quarried in large quantities, has been particularly challenging.

Preserving Endangered Crafts

It's not only the right materials that are in short supply, according to Stephen, but also the craftsmen with the skills to use them: "The buildings are fragile, and we don't want to lose them, but the skills needed to keep them in repair are almost more fragile at the moment." The importance of projects like 'People, Passion, Priory' in preserving our intangible heritage – traditional craft skills and practices at risk of being lost – is often overlooked in a scheme of this size. Stephen agrees, however, that preserving these skills is central to the project's ethos: "We're always a generation away from losing the people who know how to work on a stone tile roof – there are a lot of endangered crafts and skills out there. We're hoping that this project can shed light on these skills and get people interested in them."

Preserving the centrepiece of Cathedral Close has been a decade-long ambition for Stephen following his first visit to the site: "My initial impression on walking through the main gateway into the precinct, with the Tithe Barn and café on the right and the cathedral on the left was that it's beautiful, absolutely charming. Brecon's a very, very special place anyway, but to have this little enclave on a hill above the town is lovely. It feels like a very coherent space, with so much potential."

For Stephen and his team, the project's success will be measured not just in the restored roofs and accessible entrance, but in the generations of craftspeople inspired to keep traditional skills alive, and in the visitors who will finally be able to experience the cathedral's remarkable architecture for themselves. It's a fitting legacy for a building that has always been about bringing people together.