Reddit is full of very, very important discussions. Like which UK buildings everyone should visit at least once, where in the world has the best tasting tap water or which parts of Britain are the most over-touristed. Last week, people took to the platform to nominate the cathedrals and churches in the UK that they deem the most impressive.
In a thread posted on r/CasualUK, one Redditor started off the conversation with a shoutout to Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire (pictured below), which dates way, way back to 1342. Its most stunning feature is the octagonal lantern tower, which took 18 years to build and is now regarded as one of the wonders of the medieval world.
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After that, the most upvoted recommendation in the thread was Salisbury Cathedral, home to the best preserved Magna Carta documents and what is thought to be the oldest working mechanical clock in the world (it’s been ticking since 1386).
Lincoln Cathedral also got a lot of love with 205 upvotes. Redditors called it ‘spectacular’, ‘awe-inspiring’ and ‘very impressive’. Another commenter got 195 upvotes for singing the praises of Durham Cathedral. They said: ‘I’m in no way a religious man, but that building makes my soul soar. The view from the riverbanks of the cathedral perched on its hill is one of the greats.’
Other places of worship named some of the most impressive in the country were York Minster, which one user said is ‘probably the single best church for medieval stained glass in the country’ and Wells Cathedral, which one admirer called ‘mental’ and another said ‘ I could stare at Wells Cathedral for hours. So much detail on such a vast building.’
The lesser known St. Magnus Cathedral in Orkney also featured in the thread. It was founded by Vikings in 1137 when Orkney was part of Scandinavia. It took around 300 years to complete and today is one of the oldest churches in all of Scotland.
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