I guess what Joe was referring to was that St Thomas of Canterbury only became designated as the Cathedral Church in 1927, when the diocese of Portsmouth was created from the former part of the Diocese of Winchester. At the time, it was possibly discussed which of the major parish churches in Portsea/Portsmouth would be given this title and where the new Bishop would be enthroned. Whilst people may have had different opinions to the Anglican Church authorities, the fact as Linda & Tony have stated is that this was the choice made. It has to be said that in comparison to most Cathedrals in England, neither are particularly memorable, reflecting perhaps the relatively short history of the Diocese of Portsmouth and the fact that it was expedient to use an existing building rather than mark the occasion with a new cathedral as, for instance happened in Guildford. Jon Baker -----Original Message----- Linda & Tony are right, no matter what people wish or prefer. The bishop has it! Fionnghal