Built to last?

Guildford Cathedral needs more money for repairs. The cathedral, built in the 1930.s and 1950's, is a brick structure sitting on a small mound. Apparently this 'exposed' position is responsible for water ingress through and around the windows which are falling in. The roof is also leaking. Not so much due to the exposed position as bad design perhaps. Did nobody notice it was in an exposed position when they built it?

I am not at all religious but I think great religious buildings are always worth a visit and ought to be saved. They were and are built not just as a place to gather but to give substance to an abstract idea. To quite literally set it in stone. To do this they have to inspire and give those who enter them a sense of awe and wonder. If you sit in the pew with rain dripping on your head it tends to dilute the experience somewhat.

I am sure there are many catholics in Liverpool who know this only too well. Liverpool's Catholic Cathedral, known locally as Paddy's Wigwam developed a leaking roof shortly after it was built. We aren't talking about a bit of lead flashing but a major design fault. The water was pissing in if you will excuse the ungodly expression. It resulted in the architect, Sir Frederick Gibberd, being sued and a subsequent settlement of £1.5M being paid. Almost half this money was spent on consultant's fees just to work out how to go about fixing the roof which is another story. The eventual bill was around £5M


Why is it that builders nearly a thoushand years ago could get it right and we can't?
Chartres Cathedral, south of Paris, is not only remarkable for its magnificent windows but the fact that it has needed relatively little repair and maintenance in nearly a thousand years. Admittedly it doesn't stand on a hill but it is exposed on all sides simply because it is the tallest thing for miles around. It is certainly a lot more exposed than Guildford Cathedral.

I am not getting all 'Prince Charles' about this because I love a lot of modern architecture but, leaving aside aesthetics, cathedrals should be desinged to stand up and remain standing with minimal intervention. Surely that is page one of the book on architecture?