Sir – I am sorry that Helen Peacocke perpetuates the myth that Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, is the smallest cathedral in England.
This may once have been true. But since the extension of the west end of the cathedral in the 19th century and the founding of new Anglican Dioceses in the 20th this is a claim that can no longer be properly made.
The facts are: Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford 16,413 sq ft; Birmingham Cathedral 11,720; Chelmsford 11,220; Derby 10,950; Leicester 9,450. The smallest cathedral in the British isles is probably Newport Cathedral.
Canon Roland Meredith Eynsham
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