Designed in Gothic style and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this Anglican church has served as a place of worship since before the Norman conquest. Its basic Gothic structure comes from the period after the Great Fire of 1212, when the church was destroyed and rebuilt, and the nave comes from the 19th century. It was designated as a cathedral in 1905.
The church boasts a beautiful interior with stained-glass windows. It holds several monuments and memorials, such as monuments to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, or memorial to the victims of the Marchioness disaster.
In 1996, the cathedral hosted a 20th-anniversary service for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, which caused a bit of a controversy. In spite of that, the cathedral remains welcoming to same-sex couples.