35 Tonnes of IKO Permaphalt Waterproofing System

In 2014 discussions took place between IKO and Architect for the property, over the possibility of renewing the mastic asphalt roof coverings with an IKO Permaphalt Polymer Modified Mastic Asphalt System. During 2015 this process took place with the work being undertaken by Knight Asphalte, one of IKO’s Approved Contractors. During the works some 35 tonne of IKO Permaphalt was installed and due to IKO’s commitment of supplying Carbon Neutral Mastic Asphalt we are able to calculate the impact this has on the population.

Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of Westminster was purchased by the Archdiocese of Westminster in 1885. Westminster Cathedral is the largest Catholic church in England and Wales and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster.

In the late 19th century, the Catholic Church’s hierarchy had only recently been restored in England and Wales, and it was in memory of Cardinal Wiseman (who died in 1865, and was the first Archbishop of Westminster from 1850) that the first substantial sum of money was raised for the new cathedral. The land was acquired in 1884 by Wiseman’s successor, Cardinal Manning, having previously been occupied by the second Tothill Fields Bridewell prison.

After two false starts in 1867 (under architect Henry Clutton) and 1892 (architect Baron von Herstel), construction started in 1895 under Manning’s successor, the third archbishop Cardinal Vaughan with John Francis Bentley as architect, and built in a style heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture.

The cathedral opened in 1903, a year after Bentley’s death. One of the first public services in the cathedral was Cardinal Vaughan’s requiem; the Cardinal died on 19 June 1903. For reasons of economy, the decoration of the interior had hardly been started and still much remained to be completed. Under the laws of the Catholic Church at the time, no place of worship could be consecrated unless free from debt and having its fabric completed, so the consecration ceremony did not take place until 28 June 1910.